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Blue Line CTA
Rating Details »
Category: Transportation [Edit]
Neighborhood: Grand BoulevardLaSalle
Chicago, IL 60609
(312) 664-7200
88 reviews for Blue Line CTA
I once saw a large white rabbit sitting in the corner, on one of the solo seats on the blue line. A man was standing in the aisle, snapping his fingers and giving it commands. He then placed it in front of the doors, and waited for a rush hour crowd to come on as he instructed it to hop away. It sat there, and people were confused. Yeah.
The blue line is not awful. I complain about it until I have occasion to ride the red line, and then I realize how much better off I have it. When "crews" aren't "working on the tracks," the blue line is fairly efficient. When they are, as they seemingly have been for the past 2.5 years, unfortunately, the blue line can run at the speed of anywhere from 'crawl' to actual 'rapid' transit. That is to say, if you're planning on cutting it close on your way to O'Hare, give yourself the extra 45 minutes to an hour.
Hey boys... yeah, you Blue Line boys with your Vonnegut books and your iPods and slight bedhead and rumpled pants. You need to dry clean your sweaters, bad. They're stanky. Your sweaters make my morning ride less dignified because I have to smell three winters' worth of sweat emanating from their wool.
So consider this a public service announcement: You can hand wash your sweaters! Know what hand washing is, boys? You fill up your tub with water and some gentle detergent and let your sweaters sit there for a half hour, then roll them in a towel to squeeze out water and lay them flat to dry. It involves essentially zero effort.
Please help. Wash the sweater.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/16/2009
Blue line, you make me nervous because you always smell like pee. What if I sit in a pee-y seat? Ew. Read more »
If you're relying on the Blue Line to get you to O'hare, there's about a 50/50 chance that you'll make your flight on time. You better leave about an hour earlier than you think it should take to make it. Yep and this is even after they've claimed that the "slow zones" have been fixed. They're still constantly working on the tracks.
I was once on a blue line train heading to O'hare with PLENTY of time to spare before my flight. The train was moving along just fine when all of a sudden we pulled out from the Harlem station and went about 25 yards and stopped. And sat. And sat. And sat some more. No announcements. 45 minutes later we moved up about 10 more yards and then stopped again. And sat. And sat. And sat....you get the point. Took a total of 2 hours to get from Jeff Park to O'hare. There was never any explanation or announcement other than "we apologize and we'll be moving shortly..." Well I made my flight with just seconds to spare but you just can't rely on the Blue Line to get you to O'hare on time. Why for the love of God can't the CTA allow a train to back up just a few yards to the station that it has just left to let the people off and at least give us the option of taking a cab!?
Oh yeah, there's also a very high possibility that a homeless person will chose to sit right by you and fall asleep. Once you get a whiff of the b.o. you'll have to change seats.
I lived off the blue line for about a year and a half. Here is the basic everyday occurrence:
-The train stops dead in the tunnel or on the tracks at all times of the day for anywhere from 10-45 minutes.
-Rush hour--rude, pushy passengers.
-Men who play with themselves, flash, fully expose themselves, assault, or threaten you if you're near them.
-Mutants. I've seen some pretty scary mutants riding the blue line.
-Stench. Very filthy.
-Rocky movement. Will cause motion sickness or head injuries when racing through the tunnels.
-Late night--runs once or less every hour.
The best thing the Blue Line ever did for me was get me a four second interview with ABC when it stalled in the tunnel for two hours in 2008, thus causing all the passengers to do an emergency evacuation through the subway tunnel and out of the middle of the sidewalk.
I saw a man clipping his beard on the blueline last week with a regular sized scissors. I felt my bowels involuntarily loosen and constrict. I almost lost it. He didn't even have a mirror, he was just feeling around and cutting off what he felt necessary..
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/1/2009
Conversations overheard on the Blue Line (to be updated frequently):
Guy 1: Yo check it! You know my… Read more »
Hi my name is Blue Line, I like getting stuck with a delay in the middle of a dark subway in the most inconvenient of times. And I kinda smell. Nice to meet you.
Overheard* conversation between two recent--and very drunk--high school grads on an unnecessarily long 30-minute drive from the Western to Clark/Lake stops:
"You know what I'm thinking about?"
"What, dude?"
"The stock market: now's the time!"
"Yeah, brah, we should get that shit."
I can't make this stuff up.
(*"Overheard," as in screaming. Apparently, GM is not a good buy.)
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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5/31/2009
Overheard on the weekend Blue Line shuttle bus, between Chicago and Division:
"I pray when I'm sick.… Read more »
Apart from working downtown several years back, I now average public transport only a few times a month and the Blue Line is the one taken 75% of the time. Usually pick up at Division or (more recently) Cali, depending if i'm O'hare bound or Downtown.
More than anything, it has "character", and that can mean "by character, I mean dirty and gritty" or just character in the sense it's established its utilitarian, work-horse self in a big city subway system over the many, many decades it's been in operation.
As w. any public trans, you're going to encounter some delays, a breakdown here and there, perhaps a minor fire, and, of course, the general sloppy, drooling, unkempt, leering, objectionable character from time to time too...but that's half the fun now isn't it, and speaks again to the character of the Blue Line Train.
Aside from the aforementioned, the time and cost value of this Line is clearly A-ok in my book.
I'm not really sure if it's because I've lived off the Brown line for quite some time, but my experience on the Blue line the other night was W-E-I-R-D.
First, it's dirtier and smells like bodily fluids. Some cars are really old timey and every stop along the Blue line is ghetto nasty. To put it in the words of my good friend, Chris, "If you live off the Blue line, you must look within."
Let's just say, last time I was on the blue line, there were zombie meth heads falling all over the glass partition and a homeless man singing ragtime about corrupt cops in Chicago. I literally switched cars when the train stopped. WOOF blue line. WOOF.
The Blue Line got me to & from O'Hare in one piece.
Minus stars for the person/people who use(d) this train as their bathroom. Just plain foul.
But for $1.75, using my Chicago Card, it sure beats taking a cab for $40+.
I must be going crazy.
I am giving the Blue Line 5 stars and I can't believe I am saying this..but I miss you, CTA. Everything about you down to your uriney smell.
Chicago folks, don't take your public transportation for granted.
I take the Blue Line multiple times a week to work, and have to say as of late it has been more garbage than usual. The slow zones are back (after having been supposedly fixed) - and the number of trains any time after 7pm is prodigously shitty.
WTF mates?
BRAVO!!!!
Your subway system totally kicks butt and is pretty fool proof. Parked @ O'Hare long-term and took the blue line over to downtown.
I found the rail system to be very clean and easy to navigate. The PA system was also helpful in announcing the stops (you would be surprised to see (or hear) how many mass transit systems have no P.A. System.
So I just got into the office two minutes ago.... Not a big deal... normally... but I left @ 7am this morning in an attempt (fated to be vain) to arrive early.
I walked to the Blue Line train and waited like normal for the train to come... then I waited longer... then longer still... NOTHING!
45minutes go by.... NOTHING!!
Nearly 1000 commuters; mostly dressed in business attire, everyone struggling to seem unaffected or better yet unbothered by the inconvenience. Whether listening to their I-Pods or reading the latest pop book or perusing this morning's copy of the Redeye; they all look up periodically in a futile effort to gaze off in the distance for the smallest, faintest, meekest glimpse of a far away train coming forth to save them from this humdrum existence thrust upon them without warning...
Then the 21st century voice of God spouts from the loud speaker.... "ATTENTION BLUE LINE RIDERS! ALL LOOP BOUND TRAINS HAVE BEEN REROUTED! AGAIN ALL TRAINS HAVE BEEN REROUTED! YOU WILL HAVE TO EXIT THE PLATFORM. BUSES ARE IN ROUTE TO SHUTTLE TRAIN PASSENGERS TO THE LOOP. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE.
Fear is replaced by hope... then hope is supplanted by confusion which as we all know leads back to all the darker emotions. The questions are many and the answers few. "How are all these people going to get on a freaking bus? What about all the other train stops and their passengers? Are we all going to use the same god damned buses? Where are all the fucking cabs? Why didn't I charge my fucking cell phone last night so I could at least call into work and tell them where I am? Why me? What the fuck?.....................FEAR IS BACK, WORRY IS HER SOUL MATE, ANGER IS THEIR LOVECHILD... I AM THEIR CATALYST...
Over three hours after leaving my apt, I now arrive in my office... IN 3 HOURS I HAVE TRAVERSED 2.5 MILES... I paid just over $12 in cab fair...
I believe the SLOW ZONES HAVE ENDED.
I couldn't believe how fast it was out to Rosemont, where I catch a shuttle. Wow. Hallelujah.
It's useful, finally.
The Blue line gets you to and fro, but it's not the train that sucks so much as the occasional retards that populate it. 75% of blue line users are pretty respectful, but there are a shitload of disrespectful and selfish people on this line (and the CTA in general). That's like a 1 in 4 guarantee of an idiot on your train ride home. Why do people pee on CTA seats? Pee is a common recurring scent on the Blue line. All aboard!
The blue line...it's taken me through heaven and hell...
It was 3AM on a lonely Sunday night...the connection was being made from the red line to the blue line at Jackson...it was in the depths of the underground tunnel where it had all began. **SMASH!!!** My head goes flying into the tunnels wall. To turn around and find a random stranger on attack is just as surprising as it is puzzling. He let out a strong bark, "Hey man, fuck ju been looking at." Looking at? I stare at my feet when I walk...what could he possibly be ranting about...I dart up the stairs. 3AM on a Sunday night...I'm not in a mood for a fight. Just when I think I am safe, I board the train to find I'm not alone(I'm being followed). A struggle ensues. All leans in my favor. In the name of self defense, the attacker is mere seconds from sleeping...BUT THEN! A tiny latina woman leaps into action under the attempt of a choke hold while screeching like a banshee...
Oooohhh the target that CTA has made me. One would think that on a blue line train heading north through safe neighborhoods, it would be alright to be out and about at a late time. I have learned my lesson...it is not the first bit of trouble which the night has brought upon these lines. Where are the Guardian Angels when you truly need them?
Then there is the tribute to the time I was stuck in tunnel for 3 hours on a train filled with smoke. A situation made worse by the employees which the CTA employs. Supposedly, calling 911 in an emergency is not on the training itinerary.
Oooh, and there is the two other times which I have found myself stranded upon a train for 30 minutes.
Is it too late to also mention the mass amounts of construction which have thrown this line into sheer chaos and confusion to the masses???
Well...I guess for 2 dollars a ride its not that bad. What else do I expect from it...although...in Taiwan, I get on nicer trains for less than half the price...but I'm just saying...
The negative reviews here are hilarious. Yep, we've ALL had bad days on the CTA. I've been taking the CTA my whole life, so I know your pain. I almost passed out at the Damen Blue Line stop because it was so crowded. I was pushed against the door and felt so woozy that I had to crouch down to the floor. And let me tell you, that's not an easy task when you're pushed in like sardines in a can.
But this is my main source of transportation in this lovely city. There's no way in hell I'm paying for parking downtown. And who even drives to O'Hare anymore? Just lug your bag onto the train and tough it out! Prices for CTA passes have risen, but it's still a lot cheaper than taking a taxi. I have to admit, though, I miss the old days when we used tokens. They need to bring those back. Just kidding.
It's runs 24 hours a day, every single day.
The moral of the story is...
TOUGH IT OUT, NOOBS
Fuck you "Blue Line". I love days like today when I stand in the station watching empty train after empty train running north (where no one is going during the morning rush) promptly every 2 minutes or so.
Meanwhile I stand staring blankly at the quiet southbound tunnel just PRAYING that when the train does come, I will be able to force my way through all the Bodies and be ONE of the lucky few of the HUNDREDS of people who have been waiting for 30 minutes to get on the FUCKING train.
Then on those days when I am FORCED to take a cab after 30 wasted minutes in the station so that I don't get FIRED, I am inclined to ask if it is in fact you, Blue Line, who should be responsible for reimbursing me for that extra cost.
Fuck you.
I know a ton of people like to piss on the CTA...both literally and figuratively. I see their point..there a ton of things wrong with it....however, it gets me to and from work..as well as to O'Hare.....as well as to the Wicker Park bars without any issues.
I think only the red line is the other 24 hr line. One thing I do like about the blue line compared to the red/brown lines is the limited cell phone reception it provides as it heads underground. I once had to listen to a girl talk about how her boyfriend was cheating on her for a good 20 minutes in great detail while on the Brown line. As a friend called me, I made it super short stating that i was on the EL and didn't want to be rude to the other commuters!
Call me evil, but I actually like watching the doors crush people as I am only a few feet away. Regulars should know about the blue crush. There are usually a mix of cars that you can use, so switch to a more modern car if you have huge luggage with you. Anyhoo...the blue line is A-Ok for me.
Blue Line,
You smell like pee-pee and broken dreams.
Work on it,
Jay
Anyone ride the Redline? Brown Line? Almost any other train? What are the doors like?
-wide, spacious, lots of room
-when the doors open, they do not come inside the train and make an already small space more cramped
The Blue line goes to the biggest airport in all of Chicagoland...and what are the doors like?
-so small a human body can barely fit through the things, not to mention LUGGAGE
-The doors open into the train knocking anyone or anything in the doorway over.
After many trips to OHare and many uncomfortable train rides trying to manage my luggage during a packed rush hour, I am baffled at the logic behind the Blue Line Doors. One time I was making an overseas trip so I had a very large piece of luggage. I had to take the train during rush hour, and the only place I could stand was in the doorway. The whole ride, my luggage and myself kept being knocked over by the doors as they would open internally. I am sure I am not the only one in this boat. And what a way to welcome tourists and people returning to the airport after a trip to Chicago. Erg. Get a clue CTA!
The two star rating has the color of urine. Much like the way you smell.
Extremely convenient and usually makes good time. I don't think I've waited more than 10 minutes for a Blue Line train.
I only give 2 stars because the smell really is horrible. And I have a super sensitive nose.
You know how they say you don't know what you got until it's gone? Yeah. I knew what I had when I lived in Lincoln Park/Lakeview. Being right on the Red/Brown/Purple line is HEAVEN. Even when it was busy, it was heaven. I had my choice of train in the morning and evening, I could go anywhere and the trains came pretty often.
The Blue Line? Don't make me laugh. What a joke. It's one of two trains (and what I'm sure MOST tourists use) when they first come to Chicago. They get a stinky urine soaked train car. Welcome to Chicago, suckers.
Our trains are disgusting. We still have the old school cars where the doors open into the car and still, the asshole commuters haven't figured out they can't stand in front of them when the train is packed and people are trying to get off. PLEASE STEP OUT OF THE CAR!!!
Now, let's talk about schedules. http://WHAT.A.JOKE.com. At 7am, I'm often left standing on the station (Western O'Hare going downtown) watching train after train run express downtown, always skipping our overly packed station. Hey, CTA, people actually do use the Western stop on the O'Hare line.
Then there are the constantly malfunctioning turnstiles at the top of the stairs. When they are working, they often go whipping around causing me to lose my turn, or it's so hard to get through it's like pushing a boulder.
And then there's the line getting out of the turnstile. In the morning don't bother trying to catch that train downtown because there is a huge line of people trying to get out and catch the Western bus and if you use your card, you just lost your fare. Ridiculous.
In the evening...HA HA HA NO. Now trains start to run express out of downtown always skipping Monroe. I just can't win.
I want to go back to the Rolls Royce of the CTA, the ghetto blue line is getting old.
I gotta tell you, Blue Line ...
I don't- I don't relly know how to say this, but-
I rode my bike to work this morning, Blue Line. There, I said it.
You know things haven't been working out between us. You know that. I don't mean to keep bringing up shit that happened in the past, but do you remember last week when I got out of work early and I was all excited to get home at a decent hour but then the door got stuck open on my car so you made everyone get out, after being stopped for 25 minutes, and try to squeeze into the next rush hour train? Yeah, selfish move, Blue Line. You remember when you took 45 minutes to get us to Logan Square from Damen on Jess' birthday? Pretty shitty.
I've been staying with you because it's cold in the winter, horrible as that sounds.I don't even care if it makes me an asshole. I'd like us to be honest for once. You don't really care about me. You just want me inside you and you want my money. You're just like all the others, Blue Line, and I haven't loved you for a long time.
Don't get me wrong, and don't take it entirely as an attack, OK? We had some good times, you and me. Some real good times. It's over, though. I've moved on.
Don't look at me when you go by anymore. It will be easier for both of us.
Goodbye, Blue Line. I hope you work out your problems. I really do.
Wanna know something, Blue Line? According to Google Maps, I live 18.7 miles from O'Hare. The city of Chicago is 270 miles from New York City. Given these two distances, I would venture to guess that most people might think it would take less time to get from my apartment in Pilsen via the Blue Line to the airport than from Chicago to New York City via Delta Airlines. Well, all of those people would be WRONG.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, on a completely mundane Saturday afternoon, I left my apartment at approximately 11:40 AM and arrived at the O'Hare Blue Line stop at 1:41 PM exactly. 2 hours and 1 minute. To go 18.7 miles. And let me tell you, my favorite part of the journey was the 20 minutes it took to get from the Grand stop to Chicago, the very next stop. Oh boy, did that get me excited or what?
And you know what, maybe I wouldn't have minded so much if when I boarded the platform at UIC-Halsted there was SOME kind of notification. "Attention customers: We at the Blue Line have shit for brains and are ONCE AGAIN running on ONE TRACK. If you have plans of making a flight on time, meeting a friend for lunch, or ever seeing the light of day again, kiss them good bye. Thank you, Management." But no, the Blue Line employees are too busy busting out of their overalls and taking their sweet ass time cleaning up the plentiful messes around the stations.
It's not just this trip. I take the Blue Line pretty much every day, except when I'm lucky enough to catch the No. 8 going South to get on the beautifully smooth-running Orange Line. This is all the time. The Blue Line is slow as molasses and they don't bother telling anyone anything about what they're up to. Signs don't count. People don't read. Announcements, folks. Announcements!
The worst part, Blue Line, is that you're a tease. You're a fucking tease and you don't care who you hurt in the process. When we're pulling up to Montrose and everyone's thinking, "This is it, we're gonna hit 25 mph. We're going faster now," the truth is, no, you are not going faster. You are stop and go the whole time. THE WHOLE TIME. It's just like being in traffic except you run on a track dedicated to only yourself and really it's not like traffic at all - instead of the jerky stop and go, why not just wait until you have clearance for full speed ahead? This concept is difficult for drivers on highways across America and is obviously also difficult for Blue Line train conductors. Why? I will never understand.
When Chicago is denied the Olympic Bid, look to the Blue Line and the other carefully neglected transportation lines around the city.
The Blue Line will never go fast. It will never tell me that it's running late, and it will disappoint me until the day I die.
Blue Line, I hate you.
Just when I thought the blue line was shaping its act up- consistently coming on time, fewer delays, etc.- it turned into the biggest asshole this weekend, and I'm talking HUGE asshole.
Friday night towards the loop- Consistency in delaying the train for about 1 minute at each stop due to delays from the train ahead of us. This of course made me late to my destination- the movies (bad place to be late to).
Later that night heading North from the Chicago stop- the stop was crowded as hell, 10 minutes later when the blue line decided to show up I realized why. The blue line and its 3 cars were jam packed and no one could fit on. I watched 2 sardine packed short trains go by until I could finally fit on one.
All of that, in my opinion, is not even as bad as what the blue line did to me on Saturday night. I use the website trip planner often, and it informed me a train would be there at 11:09pm. On my walk to the station, I watched a train go by at 10:55. Once I got on the platform, I only watched trains come towards O'Hare until about 11:17 when a train flew by express & didn't stop. Who the F' needs to run express non-rush hour on a Saturday night. Especially when the next train didn't come for another 7 minutes. Thats almost 30 minutes without a train coming by.
You can do better than this blue line. Shame on you for being such a jerk this weekend, I hope you shape up your act before Lollapalooza comes, thats gonna be a rough one to handle on the short, slow train.
All of that being said, I will continue to transport myself via blue line due to insufficient funding.
BART from downtown San Francisco to SFO = $5.35.
Blue Line from ORD to downtown Chicago = $2.00.
Blue wins! Blue wins!
Bonus: did not get knifed and/or peed on.
After about a year on the blue line, I gotta say, I'm kind of indifferent. Or maybe I have a love-hate relationship with it.
Going south during rush hour? If you're getting on at Damen and beyond, only the powers that be will determine if you get on the train the first two or three times it comes around. And the people? Everyone's bitchy. I've gotten knocked around - and probably knocked someone else around - a few times to make it to work on time. Not to mention that it's ridiculously HOT in the underground stations, be it the middle of August or the dead of winter. I always exit at Clark and Lake with a lot more sweat on my back than I bargained for.
The plus side of the Blue line is that it does seem to come frequently enough during rush hour (I'd say 70-80 percent of the time, a train comes every 5-7 minutes). During afternoon weekends, it's not so bad, either. Nights, however, not as frequent. The stops along the Loop, though, are what I like best about the Blue line. They'll pretty much take you anywhere you need to be.
I'm moving to the Red and Brown lines in a month. We'll see if I end up missing it or wondering how I survived it for a year.
How can I not like the blue line. It drops me off less than 1/2 a mile from my honey's place. In August it will drop me off less than 1/2 a mile from home. It can get me anywhere downtown relatively quickly and it could get me to any of the other lines relatively quickly too. All of this convenience 24 hours a day.
I understand that you are going through some growing pains right now. You still have your slow zones and you still have your single track operations which have pissed me off on more than one occasion and made me late for work on more than one occasion. For these reasons I feel that I have to deduct one star. I also understand that you are the CTA and you will let anyone ride who has the money, so I can't hold some of the other riders against you.
I still like you because you can get me places at 2:00 am if so needed.
It was a late night, I'd been drinking far too heavily for my own good. I had, had my fill with the friends who had accompanied me that evening. Filled with annoyance, and a need for immediate distance, I told the three of them "I'm going back to the hotel. I'll see you when you get back!" I didn't wait for a response or the questioning of my departure, I just left. As I waited, tired and depressed, for the Blue Line to pick me up I wondered how often people jump on the tracks. What kind of benefits come with a job for the clean-up of that, sure to be, mess?There was no need to think about that anymore, my ride had arrived.
I had foolishly booked a hotel in Schiller Park. Partially out of ignorance, partially out of price convenience. Needless to say, each days journey involved an hour+ ride back towards the Schiller Park area. I had grown used to the ride, but was feeling a bit out of it due to my recent social activity.
The train car I was in was relatively empty. The only inhabitants were a two couples, a man sitting playing with his hat, some rando in a Nike track jacket, and myself. Somewhere around Division, an individual far more intoxicated than I, boarded my car. The new passenger opted to stand, despite an overabundance of seats, in an effort to prove his failing sobriety. This passenger, who I've since dubbed Rico, was dressed in a bright white tank top, jean shorts, and wore a "Puerto Rico" baseball hat.
Track jacket man got off at the next stop. For some reason, Rico took great offense to this turn of events. Rico turned and said "Who fuck do you think you are? Fucking think you're better than me?" I assumed the statement could easily be shifted towards me, due to my close proximity, so I opted to befriend Rico. "Spfft, yeah that guy?" was my attempt at making a connection. For whatever reason, Rico saw this gesture as worthwhile and then proceeded to express his ability to "fuck um up" if need be. He then decided to show me his true worth by demonstrating his ability to have house keys and a pocket knife. Rico then got a phone call from his "girlfriend" which ended with him saying "I'll fuck a bitch up!".
At Addison, Rico found his stop, said "Have a good one!" and then stumbled off into the night. As the doors closed, the man playing with his hat asked "Do you know that guy?!" All I could say was "I'm from L.A., I don't know anyone here!" I could have made a snide comment about not knowing my "friends" who had traveled with me, but then again that wasn't his question. He laughed and applauded me on my ability to befriend the dangerous and then started talking about Los Angeles traffic and his obsession with watching it online. I found my stop at O'Hare and got my ride back to the hotel. Several days later, I checked out and flew home. Damn those trains were great. Except for douche bags sharing their lame obsession with traffic. That I could always do without.
Coming from Oklahoma City, I love riding public. It's cheaper than owning a car. You don't have to worry about upkeep, flats (atleast ones you will deal with), insurance, and of course gas. I love the blue line. It gets me where I need to go and USUALLY on time. If you're expecting luxury, hire a driver. If you can't afford to hire a driver, buy a bike and quit bitching.
I have a love/hate relationship with the blue line. I've lived on it for 17 years, and no matter what it does to me, I can't escape it's creepy embrace.
I've seen people poop on you, urinate on you, vomit on you, spray paint you. I've been felt up on you, watched surly 25 year old guys refuse to give their seats up to pregnant women and the elderly/infirm on you, endured endless "rehabs" and yet, we keep going. Going where I need to go, no matter how much I want to stay away from you - I've remained faithful all these years, damn you. I've turned down jobs because I would have had to change trains, lost friends because they went to other lines....I know I should leave you, but here I am, a scant block and half from you - but you knew that, didn't you? It all revolves around you, doesn't it, Blue Line? What about me? Huh? Damn you and your convenient ways, blue line!
I'll just say it now -this relationship is unhealthy. I'm co-dependent, I enable you every time I get on you. I'm enrolling us in family therapy, blue line, but, don't worry, I'll make sure it's convenient to you. Show up this time, or I'll do something drastic, I mean it this time...I'll...I'll...be really mad at you or something. Yeah.
You smell like sweaty balls and hobbit feet and the lighting inside you makes me feel like I'm in Dawn of the Dead but I love you anyway because you take me straight from my front door on Damen and dump me off on Clark and Lake Street where I can see a show at the HOB and drink as much as I want and stumble back on you and nestle in your warm embrace.
You also scoop me up and dish me out right at State Street so I can spend enormous amounts of money on frivolous items. Get used to me Blue Line...If you keep enabling me to spend like this, I may end up living on you one day. :(
Hey Blue,
Can you pick me up say around 8am at Logan Square Station?
What's that? You can? You're Awesome Blue!
I know you get crowded before you get to Damen, but don't listen to the haters, that's just a testament to your rising popularity!
And I know people sleep on you and stink up the joint, but comfort is a sign the relationship is advancing!
Door's closing? Don't worry, when one door closes, another one opens!
You're my boy, Blue!
Yes a fan of the blue line, and pretty much because it's my only way to work. I commute out to Rosemont on this line and use to get pretty much everywhere in Chicago. The only time I really notice the smells is during the winter when the homeless inhabit the cars.
Yes it's frustrating to have track work, and slow zones and limited cars during hi traffic times but the Blue Line has saved me an unscrupulous amount of money over the last three years that I have been here
I must admit it's easy to love something when you never had anything like it before.
Point Blank, the blue line is a pain. It's congested, often off schedule, and makes for an awkward ride. Getting out to the NW side of town from the city and vice versa is one example. They need to update the infrastructure (which they are working on).
However, I am very grateful to have it. I look out at the commuters on 90 as I am on the train and think... "suckas!" I have a car, but I try to avoid 90 like the plague. Hence, the blue line comes in handy when I need to get to and from the NW side easily.
We're lucky we have that line, but it needs some work.
The best el line, hands down.
But why, you ask?
1) I have never gotten on a blue line train and seen puke on the ground. At 8am. That would be the red line. It also doesn't smell like piss. Again, that's the red line.
2) This puppy is FAST. So fast that sometimes I wonder if the cars are going to fly off of the tracks, yes, but if it gets me to work on time or home quicker afterwards, that's a-ok with me. Fly away!
3) The people are interesting (good and bad), and not obnoxious (I work a 9-5, so I don't see the hipsters at Damen too much because they don't work 9-5s!). The red line is full of creeps and the brown line full of boring white yuppies.
4) IT RUNS 24 HOURS. That's right, 24 hours. I can stay out all night and not have to pay for a cab back home.
5) It takes me to O'Hare. Sometimes I like to leave Chicago. Sometimes.
The Blue Line picks me up a short walk from home, and drops me off at the door of my office 20 minutes later. I usually get a seat both to & from work.
Along the way I can stop for the best falafel sandwich (Sultan's Market) or the best Chinese food (Friendship) in town.
It will take me to Ohare if I need to flee the state, or to the burbs if I want to feel like I did. And I can make my escape 24 hours a day. Yeah!
It's getting faster as they work to fix the tracks, and there usually aren't too many bums on board stinking it up.
I'd say that at least 90% of the time on weekdays I don't have to deal with any sort of delays, although the days it happens... sigh! Delays do seem to happen more often on weekends, which I think is often related to the track repairs / slow zone elimination project.
Quite honestly, my biggest regular beef with the Blue is the stupid doors that fold into the cars. Whose idea was that?
So I wrote this really prickish but (I thought) witty letter to the CTA about the Pulaski viaduct under the Irving Park stop on the blue line. I equated the pigeon shit that was scattered all over the viaduct to Jackson Pollock's Convergence painting. I sarcastically applauded the CTA and the City of Chicago for leaving the organic work on the viaduct walls for an unprecedented six month run. Apparently, the letter reached someone important- because one week after writing the letter, the pigeon shit is now gone! Now, I miss seeing it every day. I realized that it drew me further into an organic connection with the rest of the city. The smell. The sight. The smell. Drat.
Oh well. Sometimes, a clean canvas is just what an artist needs to feel inspired. The "artists" are working rotating 24 hour shifts in an attempt to develop another scintillating masterpiece.
