CTA- Chicago Red Line

This is a gross stop that I had the privilege of frequenting over the last 5 years and I’m really happy I’ll never have to set foot in it again in a short few months.

The red line runs North and South, and operates ²⁴⁄₇ which is awesome. I wish it went further south (currently ends at Dan Ryan and 95^th) which is where Chinatown is. Unfortunately they are working on a lot of the lines and the red line only goes ones stop past the blue connection. Then you have to get off and take a bus.
From downtown to Rogers Park it’s about 40 – 50 minutes given slow downs from construction. I really like the red because it’s easy and nothing it super far.

It was too crowded today, stop going to Cubs games.

I don’t like it. Small, claustrophobic, and dim. Feels like a play intermission, when people aren’t sure if it’s okay to talk or not. Dreary, grim, little staff… sends off a Twilight Zone vibe where in this day and age, the twist wouldn’t be so simple :/

To paraphrase the early 1980’s song by THE CLASH: Should I stay or should I go ?
If you can avoid this stop on weekends you should. if it was absolutely safe then why would there be 7 police men and women sometimes on weekends?
Probably because gangs use it as their hub at times. From their they hang out at McDonalds and sometimes shout at people as they walk by.
I hope this place gets safer next summer. I would use the Grand Red Line station as an alternative till then

One of the bigger Red Line stops since it expands over both sides of an intersection, for the unfamiliar this is a slightly more disorienting stop to figure out where you will emerge above ground. Since it is very close to the main tourist drags it is usually quite crowded on the weekends and rush hours, with the slow/​confused factor from visitors really slowing down the commute when you just want to get out. Medium quality between the old and newly renovated stops.

Easy breezy (no pun intended since I’m reviewing public transpo in the Windy City) — this stop is actually not literally breezy ;) as it’s underground.
Hopped on at State to ride to Addison — $ 2.25 one way fair. Was there in less than 20 minutes.
Clean, simple — glad my friends recommended this rather than cabbing to Wrigley Field.

It’s a red line station. It has trains. It has turnstiles. It has ticket machines. Not really sure what you expect, it’s a freaking train station. The station is always dirty, and some others are newer, but it does a great job at allowing you to get on and off the trains. Just be wary of the McDonald’s at the corner by the street entrance. Be VERY careful at night or if alone. That restaurant sees a lot of bad activity, but always play it safe!!!

What’s up with the standing on the escalator, people? It ain’t a fuckin’ amusement park ride.
Move it or take the elevator.

My old home stop. Probably the most tourist trafficked el spot in Chicago. Which makes it annoying to get down and up from the tracks in a hurry. But besides that, it’s fine. It doesn’t have character like the Lake red, or the Jackson red, or the Armitage brown, or the Damen blue (
), but it’s reliable, it’s safe, I could look though the opening in the wall to the other platform and dream about making super human leaps to the other side while evading the train matrix style. And I knew exactly where to stand so that where I disembark at Monroe, the stairs and escalator would be right there.
Massive thrills out of being the first person — the first person!!! — to exit the Monroe red as a consequence. Thanks for the cheap thrills, Chicago red.

This is probably one cleaniest and least smelly CTA Red Line stop, next to the Belmont stop. They have several immenities such as fare card purchase machines and reloading your fare card with a credit card. This is a pretty popular and busy stop during the summer time.

Has an elevator and escalators, nicely redone a few years back, good subway station.