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After six months of construction, the CTA Brown Line's Kedzie and Rockwell stations should have reopened this morning at 4:45 AM (if they didn't someone tell us). The CTA is still adding a few finishing touches like signage, more fencing, and ooh, a compass rose. The spiffy new stations feature glass station houses, new platforms, better lighting, and those nifty blue rubber edges that remind you to back up lest you get decapitated by a speeding train. The most significant upgrades though were probably the accessibility features likes ramps and improved entrances. To get a sense of the renovations, the CTA Tattler points us to some fine photos of the construction by Zesmerelda. But don't rejoice yet if you ride the far northern branch of the Brown Line, because construction on the Francisco and Kimball stations will begin soon.
In a miraculous bit of serendipity, the RedEye's Kyra Kyles has written a feature on the best and worst CTA stations at which to wait for a train. She pegs the Red Line stops at Chicago and Roosevelt as her favorites, while giving poor marks to the Monroe and Belmont stations. Chicagoist has always been partial to the Clark and Lake stops at the Thompson Center because because we get to exit out of the Loop's funkiest building, though all that vertical movement on the escalators can make it difficult to make a quick transfer from the Blue Line to the Brown, Green, or Orange.
So which CTA stops are your favorites and why? Which ones do you hate? Which ones smell like pee? Is that a good or a bad thing? Be honest, nobody's judging you here. If we get enough responses, Chicagoist can summarize our extremely scientific findings and submit a report to Carole Brown, which we're sure will result in sweeping improvements to the entire system.
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The Damen Blue Line stop is my absolute favorite perch for people watching. It's got the best action in the city. The worst stop is Harrison on the Red Line. Dirty, nasty, sketchy folks, and the worst part is that there's only one entrance. Nothing like feeling trapped underground.
The *highlight* of most mornings for me is walking to the Argyle Red line from Broadway. You pass an alley filled with the nastiest dumpsters in the city, and on a nice, hot, humid, sticky day, you can smell their stench from the platform.
I used to go to the Wilson red line stop every morning at approximately 5:45 a.m. to go to work. My co-worker, who also lived near the same stop, was convinced that there was a man who would pee on the stairs at approximately 5:43 a.m. every morning because she would always put her boot right in the middle of what she referred to as a "fresh puddle."
Gotta admit, Belmont is right on the money. It ALWAYS smells like urine walking up the stairs. I don't understand it?! I do like the Quincy Brown Line stop because of its age and intricate wrought iron work though.
i can't imagine having to face Wilson @ 5:45 am. i still haven't worked up the cojones to get off it during the day.
my faves don't really depend on CTA service, but what surrounds it. i favor Quincy for sheer oldness; Chicago (brown/purple) cuz it's all windy and weird; Sedgwick cuz it's the only station that has the old decaying interurban tracks. there's a queer quaintness about it. however, i think i like Addison too (red) cuz they use their scrolls to tell you when trains are coming, not just to berate you about suspicious packages.
dislike: clark/lake.. too far of a trek.
Hey!- The Harrison stop is MY stop! How dare you insult it?
I actually agree, annie. It is in dire need of renovation. I believe I heard it is scheduled to be redone soon, adding a much-needed elevator, and maybe someone will actually clean it for a change. One stop out of the Loop heading south, and it's a total disgrace. It's right at Printer's Row, Columbia College, Robert Morris College, the big old SuperDorm, etc.
And it's the BEST access to Grant Park events, IMHO. Far less crowded than Jackson entering or exiting, and an easy walk with fewer crowds to anything going on there. Don't tell anyone.
I grew up in Rogers Park but moved south years ago- had an occasion to use the Morse Red Line stop a while back, and, yup, the north exit to Lunt still smell like pee. Ah, memories...
The Clark/Division stop on the Red has a special place in my heart as the first El stop near my first place here. It's news stand also reminds me of a miniature NYC subway station ... Now the closest station to me is the Chicago Blue Line stop, which always seems to be flooded ... Not as charming.
I'm looking forward to moving further north in October, cause I gotta tell you, the Southport Brown Line at 7:45 in the morning is horrifying.
Always crowded and it makes you feel like cattle because you're going to work for *the man* with every other human being on earth.
Western stop, here I come.
I have to say, the history buff in me is saddened by the brown line project, or more accurately, pretty much any CTA renovation. I can understand the need to update, but why do we have to rip out the character in the process?
I'd have to agree about Quincy being a cool stop. Damen and Milwaukee on the blue, Chicago brown, and Sedgwick rank among my favs. See them while they're still cool.
Working our way south:
Waiting at the Central Purple Line stop after a Northwestern football game is always horrifiying, no matter the outcome of the game. Davis though, is usually quite clean, even if there's nothing to see from the platform.
Howard and Morse both really smell like pee, but I was never solicited by a prostitute there, at Jarvis I was. I never use Jarvis now.
When I lived in Uptown, I walked the extra block to get off at Lawrence instead of Wilson most of the time.
Most of brown does not strike me one way or another, but I do like the Western stop.
Belmont and Fullerton are both crowded like all hell most of the time, but you sort of expect that, don't you?
I've never walked in/out of North/Clybourn without seeing a huge water puddle between the stairways.
Damen on the Blue line has one of the best views in the city, as does Chicago on the Brown/Purple line. Those two are probably my favorites. I would gladly wait in the cold at both places to see the red and green beacons from the Sears Tower.
As for downtown, Clark and Lake on blue smells like burnt brakes half the time, but Quincy and Randolph in the Loop are both nice.
Cermak/Chinatown and Bronzeville are my favorites on the south side.
Moral of the story? Bike to Rogers Park and Uptown if you can.
I always liked using the Division blue line stop because when the train would slide down into the station from the outdoor elevated tracks it reminded me of the intro to The Great Space Coaster.
In terms of surroundings, I'll make some mentions that probably wouldn't otherwise pop up:
Bad: 63rd & Cottage Grove (Green)--nice and clean generally, but not a fun neighborhood. (The Green tends to have marquees or announcements about how soon trains will be coming, too, which is a plus.)
Good: Sox 35th (Red)--Can get crowded sometimes, but also has a nice mosaic. Also, there's a baseball stadium there that I frequent as often as I can afford to.
to the good add 35th IIT green line, for an absolutely gorgeus view try getting a front row seat in the first car and watch the city emerge from the noise reducer thing at 33rd st.
bad state and lake. The platform is waaay to narrow to hold as many people as it does during the evening rush.
So, on one hand, we have a person who wants to keep the character--however one defines that term--in CTA stations. Quincy and Chicago seem popular definations of "character."
On the other hand, we have at least one person who apparently would rather bike than suffer the smell of piss, and others who can't seem to bring themselves to deal with puddles or crowds every morning. The Red Line is the big offender here.
So: Do you want character or tidy blandness? Can you have both in this city? Why or why not? I ask in a honest way, as this seems to be a big theme among those of us hip and smart enough to rant and ramble at Chicagoist. This question, I think, is useful for land-use disputes, including gentrification.
@ nsh: i'd be willing to ride the green just for an experience like that. must be a trip.
who hasn't been on every line? i haven't taken green, yellow or pink.
It seems like everyone wants their elevated platforms to have character, and their underground stations to be tidy and bland. And all should be free of piss.
Thad: Grit and chracter are fine. Piss and Puddles are annoying, as they lay wet grime and other unsavory artifacts on work clothes and cause bottlenecking in the halls.
Can this not turn into a conversation of the pros and cons of gentrification, or a screaming match about how those who prefer not to smell body fluids should move to Naperville?
A shout out to Montrose & Damen on the Brown Line for the most kind and helpful CTA staff in the City. There used to be a guy @ Montrose who would burn incense (to take away the bad CTA smells) and play jazz & classical. Walking out of the shack was always a little more pleasant.
The art at 18th Street (blue/pink) is my favorite. 35th/IIT on the Green Line is the best way to get to the Cell ever and you can admire great architecture.
I'm excited about Rockwell - maybe I'll get off there tomorrow to see the improvements.
geekgirl, it's really interesting to see something as cranky as the green line surounded by this futuristic orange elevated tunnel, then mix that with a crisp fall morning and a view of the skyline beyond...
I'm no photographer but I guarantee that would make a great picture.
Cermak/Chinatown has, hands down, the worst smell of any public transit stop in the country (INCLUDING NYC). Entering up the stairs from the south side of the street entails holding your breath for an uncomfortably long period of time. Stale urine permeates from every nook and cranny. You have to make the unpleasant decision to either breathe in the filth through your nose, or taste it in your mouth. Makes me hesitant to ever visit the neighborhood again.
Also, isn't it funny that the Lake and Washington Red Line stations are less than a block apart, and actually CONNECT TO EACH OTHER underground, but for some reason are completely "night and day" in their appearance. You have the bright, clean Lake stop with it's modern benches, ornate mosaic ceiling, and FLAT SCREEN MONITORS, starkly contrasted by the dark, dank squalor of the Washington stop. You can almost point out the spot between the stations where the affluent ends and the poverty begins. This must signify a line between downtown districts; between a competent alderman and a fool. Maybe Macy's will take some time from its hostile rebranding of Field's and contemplate donating some money to the station that delivers Chicagoans to its front door.
dave: Thad may be bringing up a tired trope, but it's an interesting thought at the same time.
The truth is, 'character' will eventually return to a 'gentrified' neighborhood. Think Wicker Park was always an artistic community on the edge before it was gentrified? It was a blighted slum in the 70s. Long before that, it was a wealthy neighborhood. Look at all the mansions on the side streets.
I'm gonna whip out my old-guy cred, because it seems from reading the comments here that many of you are younger and new to the town. Nothing wrong with that, but take a step back and get a sense of perspective - of change over time.
Hell, MOST of the city was pretty crappy back in the 60s and 70s.
Neighborhoods will continue to ebb and flow. With the exception of Naperville, which will always suck.
Well, Dave, the reason I asked because it seems some people want both character and tidiness, and I wonder if you can have both in Chicago. No reason it has to degrade to a screaming match about Naperville and who is the hippest of them all.
I don't know of any major American mass transit system that has both character and tidiness. The NYC subway, for instance, seems dirty and dumpy and smelly, yet has a unique feel. The DC Metrorail, on the other hand, is clean and relatively efficient (and pretty new), yet bland in terms of architectural features and layout.
Thad,
Generally, I don't think most things are built to last long enough to have character these days. We live in a time where new construction is only intended to last 50-odd years, after all. I don't think there's enough loose cash floating around to invest that long-term in stations that can be both well-designed and last long enough to have some character (I'll admit that I feel that age and character are often related).
Jeff,
I, for one, like to think that some of the neighborhoods, though perhaps not as family-friendly, were still good back in the 70s--just in a different way (and then there's Maxwell St...).
Being a regular Red Line rider, Wilson, Argyle and Morse all
tie for being among the worst stations. I think it's about time
the CTA spend a few bucks on the north end of the Red Line
now that we're getting a spiffy southern half of it and they've
spend gobs of $$ on the Green and Blue and now Brown lines.
Still, having had to ride the Forest Park branch of the Blue
Line recently, almost every one of those stations is depressing,
ugly, dirty and desperately in need of some TLC.
Favorites include the O'Hare station, Ashland on the Green Line,
Davis in Evanston.
As for character, Chicago subway stations say "built as cheap as
possible."
seeing as how most subway stops were designed without much in the way of architectural value, I want them to be clean, well lit, and spruced up - a la Lake street Red Line - a wonderful start to sprucing up our subway stops. Plus, our subway stops tend to be frequented by tourists more frequently than other stops. So, we should put on a good face, rather than the big ugly of the dearborn street subway.
The elevated platforms are older, and have character and historical value. So yeah, I want that character. Restoration, not renovation.
And piss smell is always bad. Hey, CTA, get a power washer for all the stops and blast the urine/vomit/feces out!
Okay, well, as long as it's not going to devove into a hipster/yuppie debate, haha ... thanks for clarifying, Thad.
As a new-timer (is there such a thing?), I'm just in awe of the pure existence of the El ... I still stop (even if just for a second) when one goes by unexpectedly, and I marvel at the fact that someone would live in a condo that has, instead of an alley, an El track (one in Old Town sticks out in my mind right now). In NYC (where the tracks are so full of garbage in some places you wonder how the train can even run), you're just stuck underground. And don't get me started on Philly's (one) subway. Frankly, I think even the tidy ones in Chicago have character, as the entire system is synonomous with the town. But then, I'm new. I'm sure I'll get over it.
FYI, the attendant who burns incense and plays jazz and classical now works at Southport.
Can I pull out my old man card too? In the mid-70s I used to ride the Howard train from 63rd and Ashland to Addison. If I remember correctly, the windows opened with a turn crank (no AC) and the frequently-ripped seats appeared to be filled with straw. When you got to the subway part it was so loud you could scream at the top of your lungs and no one would hear you (I did this often with my friends). Also, it was common to ride between cars just to get fresh air or escape the crowds.
My two cents as a far northsider, I live off Morse...and it's always pretty gross...which is funny b/c they put on a new roof and seem to be constantly painting it...and yet it still looks like one good sneeze could knock it over.
I actually kinda like Wilson...it has a faded glory to it... Washington and Monroe are just dark as hell...I don't particularly like any of the stations that are in the middle of the expressways...and...hey...Logan Square on the Blue Line's pretty cool. It reminds me of the Porter Square and Alewife stops on Boston's Red Line on the T.
@ dave: it's not just you. even for all the infamous problems with the train system, i'm still very grateful for it and, at times, in awe of it. nothing beats rolling into downton in the morning seeing mighty skyscrapers erased by fog.. or a lone tour boat carving its wake through the river under the Wells street bridge.
Yeah, the dumpster alley next to Argyle could probably give you a permanent orange afro if you stuck around long enough. One plus to the stop is the CTA guy manning the booth most mornings these days who always has a smile and a "Good morning" for everyone, and is really good at directing traffic when someone clogs up the turnstile area.
Jackson red line is ok other than the occasional busker who has the volume on their PA system WAY TOO LOUD. Like yesterday around 5:45 pm.
John Mc-
I will state again, as I have somewhere else on this website before, that the CTA is much better now than it used to be.
Even in the late eighties the CTA was atrocious. No AC. No announcing the stops. Graffiti EVERYWHERE on every bus and train- even carved into the windows. More garbage. No handicapped equipped buses. Much ruder bus drivers. 'Plush' seats that were usually ripped open or wet, or stained.
You kids don't know how good you have it! *Shakes fist*
Actually, I'm only 35, but there has been MAJOR improvement in the CTA overall in the last 15-20 years. There are still problems, no doubt, and I am not excusing bad management that still exists, but it's waaay better than it used to be.
Sorry, John Mc, that wasn't addressed to you in particular... bad editing on my part.
When I used to use the addison brown line stop... on the northern end of the inbound platform, off about 4 feet from the rail was the top of a telephone pole that folks would practice tossing pennies on to. I got one to stick there once.
Thad, I have to disagree with you about any American transit systems that lack character and tidiness. The Metro in Los Angeles (with it's themed stops) is quite clean and has some wonderfully themed stations.
My favorite transit system by far is London's Tube. An amazingly, well-run, efficient transit system that covers an enormous area.
@ tread: YES. i really dug the tube whilst in london. cleaner, painted white and not dingy beige, comfy seats, more personable. however, i didn't really ride during rush hour.. apparently that's a whole new ballgame.
Tread: I guess I've avoided going to LA, so I shouldn't have made that sweeping statement. Thanks for the info. I amazed how "big" the LA system has become.
Overseas, I would put the Moscow metro at the top. Cheap and efficient and clean (even with the old cars), though hot as hell in summer. Plus, all the cheesy social-realist art, and more than a few truly gorgeous stations. You have to ignore the fact that some of the system likely was built by slave labor, though, or you might become incredibly sad.
Tread: Honestly, that's the first mention I've ever heard of public transit in Los Angeles. Are you sure you didn't imagine it? Surely no self-respecting Los Angelo/a would be caught dead out of his/her car!
And piss smell is always bad. Hey, CTA, get a power washer for all the stops and blast the urine/vomit/feces out!
Exactly, it's not an issue of character vs. ultra modern design. People will piss in either one and you can choose to clean or not clean either one.
There's no hypocrisy in trying to preserve character while expecting the CTA to keep the platforms somewhat clean.
My apartment is old, rickety and full of character (and pleny of questionable construction) however it's still clean and tidy.
I nominate the Irving Park Blue Line station for the worst. The platform is narrow and ugly, but a pleasure compared to the walk in or out of the station. To enter the station, one must walk through one of the dirtiest expressway underpasses in the city. When needing to connect with a bus on the side of the street opposite the station, you get to enjoy risking your life because nobody ever thought that a pedestrian crosswalk at a transit point was really that important.
From the same branch, I nominate the Logan Square station. It has a feeling of spaciousness, unlike the State and Dearborn subway stations. long platform and exits make the station inviting to the neighbourhood.
Howard and Morse both really smell like pee, but I was never solicited by a prostitute there, at Jarvis I was. I never use Jarvis now.
I was once accosted by a prostitute on the Irving Park platform of the Brown Line, of all places. This was about five years ago. I had a slight impulse to tell her that she was working the wrong part of town, but I let it pass.