New York City: Moynihan Hall lounge and Amtrak to Toledo

February 2023

View of New York from Manhattan cruise terminal

Our cruise ship arrived at the Manhattan terminal and was ready for passengers to disembark before 8:00 AM. Our Amtrak ride was not until 3:40 PM, so we took our time disembarking, and then walked to Moynihan Train Hall. The walk was 1½ miles, which was not difficult even with our luggage. 

I am sharing info about the train station, and just a bit about the train ride in this post. You can find additional information about the train ride in my previous post about our train ride from Toledo to New York City.

Moynihan Train Hall in New York City

Metropolitan lounge, baggage check, and boarding in Moynihan Train Hall

The following passengers have access to the lounge in New York City: Amtrak Guest Rewards members with Select Plus or Select Executive status, Amtrak Guest Rewards station lounge pass holders, and passengers with first class or private room tickets. A roomette is a private room, so we had access to the lounge. Fortunately, there was not a time limit for how long we could be in the lounge, because we arrived before noon. 

Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall 

Once we checked in at the lounge, we were able to come and go, if we did not want to remain in the lounge the entire time. We had entered Moynihan Hall from 9th Street, so we saw Metropolitan Lounge before the baggage check area. Once inside the lounge, we observed an escalator from the lounge to the boarding area, which is also where the checked baggage counter is located. We were able to use the lounge escalator to access baggage check, and check our bags several hours before our trip. The agent in the lounge told us we could check our bags 24 hours ahead of time, if we wanted. When we first purchased our coach seats (before upgrading to a roomette), I had tried to find this information on Amtrak's website without success. I even called the train station to ask how far in advance we could check our bags, and I never reached a person. I left two messages, and no one ever called me back. It is great to know that bag check is available early, for passengers who want to explore the city until departure. 

We were a bit concerned about the weight of our larger bag, since it had weighed 49 lbs. on our trip out. There is a scale on the customer side of the counter to check bag weight and size (like the photo I shared in the Toledo station); however, it was not working. The person who took our bag did not seem to care; he merely hoisted the bag right over the working scale without weighing it, and then provided tags.

Looking toward balcony seating and boarding area from Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall

We have visited NYC several times, so after we checked our bags, we returned to the lounge until it was time to board our train. When it was time to board (just after 3PM), our train was announced over the speaker in the lounge. Passengers met in front of the lounge entrance desk next to the escalator. We were then escorted to our train.

Panini and hummus dip in Metropolitan Lounge in Moynihan Train Hall

Metropolitan lounge comfort, food and beverages, and more

The spacious lounge contained a variety of comfortable seats: bench seats, sofas, table seating, and bar seats. You can view the train hall activity from balcony seats overlooking the station. There are many electrical outlets available throughout the lounge, and wifi is available in the train hall.

The food provided in the lounge was excellent. Beverages included tea, coffee, cappuccinos, lattes, juices, sodas, milks, and more. Foods included three warm sandwiches, pastries, bagels, salads, hummus, charcuterie plate, and many packaged snacks, like chips, trail mix, and nuts. Bar service was also available; however, beverages were quite expensive. A draft beer cost $10, and wine and mixed drinks were similarly priced. This cost might be typical in New York City, although it is steep compared to where we live.

View from Lake Shore Limited roomette in car 4911, room 4

Lake Shore Limited roomette in car 4911, room 4 to Toledo

Odd numbered rooms are one side of the train cars, and even numbered rooms are on the other. Since we were in room 1 on our way into New York, we had the same view from room 4 on our return--just in the opposite direction! We considered this a blessing, as this side of the train has better water views of the Hudson River, Mohawk River, and then Lake Erie. We also got to see an amazing sunset! I do wish the windows on our car had been a bit cleaner though.

View from Lake Shore Limited roomette in car 4911, room 4

Our roomette on the return trip was an older style car, just like our first trip. We had hoped to have one of the remodeled roomettes in the Viewliner II; however, that did not work out for us. 

View from Lake Shore Limited roomette in car 4911, room 4

I think all of the roomettes in our car were taken on our return trip, whereas, we had been the only passengers in our car for most of our tip to NYC. Even though our room was closer to the dining car on our return trip, we still could not use the train wifi. I could connect to it with my computer; however, there was no signal.

View from Lake Shore Limited roomette in car 4911, room 4

We had our room attendant make the beds down for us in the evening, so we could try to sleep. The movement of the train did not bother us much, although we woke up every time the train stopped.

Food and beverage 

The menu choices were the same as they had been on our trip to New York. Because our car had so many passengers, the room attendant went to every room to take orders after we boarded, and dining time requests. On our first trip, we had been told we could just go to the dining car any time we wanted to during meal times. I was also able to get La Marca prosecco for my alcoholic beverage on our first trip, and I was told I could not have that time time. Fortunately, the Cabernet (Ryder Estate) was decent. We did not have coffee in our car this time. Our room attendant said we could get this in the dining car when we boarded, and after 6 AM the next day. Our train was scheduled to arrive in Toledo at 6:14 AM, and the dining car opens at 6 AM. Fortunately, we were able to get coffee and two breakfast sandwiches to go.

Misc. and overall

Our train arrived in Toledo on time. It actually felt like we were moving faster than we had on our way to NYC. I am not sure if the position of our room, closer to the front, made this difference or not. We had been in the second car behind the dining car on the way out, and we were in the first car behind the dining car, on our return. 

Many passengers were boarding for Chicago when we got off the train. There was also a bus at the Toledo station, so there was a bit of activity. We sat down at a table in the station to eat our breakfast sandwiches, and our checked bags were ready for us before we finished.

We thought that having a roomette, especially with the B1G1 deal, was a great value. Since this also included lounge access and food on the train, it was a great value.

Let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to share this post!