May 12, 2008
Best & Worst L Stops Awarded
In honor of the CTA asking select riders to be “Mystery Shoppers,” The Sun Times took their own mystery shopping trip, riding and evaluating 242 miles of L and subway track, and have created a list of best and worst L stops. The “Ghastliest” stop, straight out of a horror flick with dripping water, filth and bad lighting went to the Division Blue Line stop. "Prettiest" stop is the Green Line Conservatory/Central Park Drive platform with its antique station house and the beautiful view of Garfield Park. "Coolest art" goes to the 18th Street station on the Pink Line with its Mexican folk designs. And the most obnoxious riders award went to the Brown Line at rush hour, as it “seemed to have the highest ratio of self-absorbed, loutish passengers. This is the worst line if you're pregnant -- few people even look up to offer a seat.” See the Sun Times complete list here.
Our awards...
1. Best stop to buy a bag of street peanuts for a lunch-packed-in-a-Bloomingdale's shopping bag toting twentysomething: Red line at Addison.
2. Best stop to be famished at: Blue Line Western stop. Vella Café and Margie’s Candies within 30 feet? Yes, please.
Do you agree with the winners? Have any of your own awards?
[photo of 18th St. Pink line stop by: jshueh, S-T]
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The Ghastliest station they found was Division Blue Line? Seriously? Have they never been to the Jarvis Red Line Stop?
oh snap! the ST totally dissed brown line riders. I happen to ride the brown line and many are indeed asshats. too much North Face outerwear and vacuous conversation...completely agree with the 18th St. Station. it's a gem.
Station/Line You're Most Likely to Forget Existed: Skokie Yellow Line.
I really like the Davis Purple Line stop. It's pigeon-free, completely covered, huge platforms, "train approaching" announcements, easily connects to the Metra, Dunkin' Donuts underneath it, ADA compliant... sure there's nothing spectacular about it, but it serves its true purpose much better than most.
It's a no-brainer that Argyle smells nice in cool temps, with the scents of the local restaurants wafting up to the platform. I invite the ST back in the dead of summer, when humidity, 90-degree temps, and the dumpsters of said local restaurants make it a necessity to hold your nose from a block away until you're safely on the Red Line. I'm getting nauseous just thinking of it.
The red line going south is you can by sh*t.
generally once most of the white folks get off around Roosevelt. Small bags of Mary Jane Chews, Hair barrettes and hair beads, boot leg music C.D.s and movies, 25 five cents Suntimes, The Final Call, single cigarettes, batteries incents, oils, etc, can be had. Also you can buy a bag of unsalted peanuts after listening to the story of a former crack head who has now found Jesus.
The Blue line has the most attractive women doing the most interesting things who read novels. But too many women who should be riding the Brown line are getting on at the Wicker Park station. They of course are reading the Red Eye
One last note on bloggers. After reading 667 words of drivel, Ed Knittel feels qualified to observe that The Ride by Mary Wisiniewski seems to have the highest ratio of self-absorbed, swinish writers.
Brown Line agreed. Especially the assholes that like to blast their music, and when you ask them politely to turn down their music, they look at you and tell you that they don't think it's too loud. It is at that point that I usually sing along to their music or bop in my seat until they get the hint. But Spook, not every brown line girl reads the RedEye, but you are right--a lot of them do.
And pregnant women and old people always get the shaft on the Brown Line. In defense of riders, though, sometimes it is hard to determine if a woman is pregnant or overweight. I do not want to offend her, because I can understand how embarassing it must be if she is not pregnant. But if a woman is obviously pregnant, I will give up my seat. It is easier for men to do this, because you win: if she is pregnant, it is nice that you recongize that and give up your seat. If she isn't, you prove chivalry is not dead. And, that is nice, too.
Redline Wilson stop always smells like pee.
Good Lord, the Brown Line Bros. If I never hear a post-collegiate frat boy talk into his cell phone loudly about some "chick I picked up at the Cubby Bear" ever again it will be too soon.
Wilson, red line? Garbage, urine, dirty water, and the awful smell of fast food chicken wafting throughout? GROSS. Not even mentioned.
Also, Ashland Green line just outside of the loop, often smells of delicious doughnuts in the evening and early morning. . I think there is a factory or bakery near the stop. One stop up is Clifton, which usually smells of chocolate. YUM.
Agreed with the brownline commentary. . after getting off the line, my ride is much smoother and nicer. . .Green line folks are friendly. . often when without a book, some friendly conversation is had.
Red and purple lines are some friendly folks as well. . even when the Red line has you standing in the rain for 20 minutes at Howard, or is stalled for another 20 on the tracks. . people are still nice (and most with horrible commutes!)
Oh, last comment
I've often been much more afraid at Belmont about lack of space on the tracks (which I know they are fixing). When it gets crowded and pushy up there. . not to mention when its icy and people do fall off.
I've almost seen a few people get pushed off the platform during rush hour at clark and lake by brown line riders anxious to get on the train. I wish they would stop being so pushy and either wait for a less crowded train, or figure out a different route.
Getting off the Brown Line at a crowded stop is akin to tackling drills at football practice or being that guy who opens the Best Buy doors at 4am on Black Friday. Which is stupid as an empty train entering the Loop is full to the brim before I can get on at Adams & Wabash.
Oh come on. There is no L station worse than the 63/Ashland Green Line stop, which makes the Division Blue Line stop look like the dining room at Charlie Trotters by comparison.
And, no guarantee you'll make it there if you have to walk to the stop. Urban renewal hasn't hit that area of the city just yet.
Ed Knittel its the Second Hand Yak rampant on the Brown line from the Brown line Bros who like to say "a buddy of mine" all the time, and the Brown line Babes who hang out at the Cubby Bear because they want to meet a down town trader! We banded Second Hand Smoke now what about Second Hand Yak from cell phones!
And how did I miss this? Why should I give my seat up to pregnant women? Did I impregnate her? Hell’s Bells no! Isn’t it enough that she is already selfishly bringing the biggest source of environmental harm into this already over crowded earth yet I should give up my seat as a reward?
Oh how cute and just what we need another baby accountant or future stock trader.
And this includes those baby mommas who get on the Armitage Bus with three kids and a stroller.
The only women I give my seat up too is a women that looks that looks like "Rosa Parks" and is in the same age range or some body physically challenged.
There are two Ashland labeled stops on the green line, I wasn't referring to 63/Ashland. . I was referring to the Ashland at Ashland and Lake street.
i saw someone get slashed with straight razor at the Conservatory/Central Park stop on my morning commute on the Green Line ... it may be pretty, but it's violent. riding the Green line after midnight ... 50/50 chance you get shanked.
I also recently saw the following on a train ride:
Elderly woman to young man: Would you mind giving up your seat to me, I'm feeling rather tired.
Young Man: Actually, I have a policy that I only give up my seat to people that actually pay for a ride, so no.
Spook, was that you?
Fuck you, Spook. Yeah, I said it. Holla, son!
looks like I'm losing my electorial edge in this room!
No, Spook, you never had it. You just shout and shout and shout and say look at me look at me, and really have nothing worthwhile coming out of your mouth except some sort of poorly spelled puke. And then you wonder what the deal is, yo--holla.
Son, you're an ass, plain and simple. You think you're all street and shit, blah blah Rosa Parks, blah blah I went to South Africa and fought apartheid, blah, blah, blah, I'm better than you because of who I am, I should be commenter of the century, but your just an immature insecure piece of shit, just like the people you love to criticize. So you can do one of two things: keep it up the way you are going, thinking you're all smart and shit and look like an idiot doing it, or you can be intelligent and add something meaningful to the site.
What's it gonna be, son?
Love,
Sparky
Wait, what?
Sparky,
Sup chicken wing!, how you living, son? But you must have me confused, or as Omar Devon Little from HBO’s The Wire said to Marlow "Boy! You must got me confused with some body who likes to repeats hisself!"
Any way, I've been to North Africa, but never to South Africa and it’s not on my list!
And I am “all smart and shit"! Word is bond! So thanks, on!
And not only will I "keep it up” But in the immortal words of Mohandas Dewese, better known as “Kool Moe Dee”, " I could continue, cause there's more on the menu, but I'll relax cause I'm so far in you, I know you had enough, I know yo over stuffed, and if I keep going, you’ll be throwing up Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Rhymes I use to say way back in the day, when YOU( Sparky!) use to come to my parties and play, No Body's Ever Gonna stop Me and this I vow, so I'll I gotta say is... How you like me Now!”
Snnnnap! Sparky, that was some back in the day type sh*T! That was hip hop, yo! What chuw know bout that? Kool Moe Dee’s “How You Like Me Now?!”son! F*ck L.L. Cool J! Kool Moe Dee was the Sh*t!
But on the real Sparky, I appreciate your suggestion about “Commenter of the Century” for yer Spook. So please forward this revolutionary idea on to Margaret, but let’s keep our eyes on the immediate prize, Spook for Commentator for the Month of May. Remember May is "Mother’s Month" and you know how I feel about new biological mother’s right? Shiittt this very morning I glared hard at this one pregnant yuppie boarding the Blue line. She was well coiffed with an expensive leather purse and a fat blood diamond ring with as much bling as the Ice in that sucka Kwame Kilpatrick’s ear. and what-not! And get this, yo! She was wearing an expensive brown cashmere poncho to "artfully" show off her bulging belly with a little frat baby waiting to spring out the womb to naturally assume its position of inherent status whilst consuming far far far more of the worlds dwindling resources than necessary, cause that’s ”just how we do” in The Empire!
Yer Favorite Spook