Pulaski Orange Line

If I’d realized how easy it is to get out to this area by CTA, I may have checked off a lot more places from my bookmarks list. I needed to get to Szałas for a GNO and didn’t feel like schlepping all the way to the west/​northwest burbs and then trekking all the way down to Archer Heights. The awesome Aimee M. said she’d be able to give me a ride home, so I decided to ride the L from work to Pulaski-​Orange.
The trip required a little backtracking. I had to catch the Blue Line at Clinton and transfer up at the CTA Clark/​Lake stop in the Loop. Waiting for the elevators (I can’t take lots of stairs right now, and there are a lot of them at this stop) ate up a lot of my time; however, the Orange Line was running rather smoothly around 6:30pm and appeared to pick people up about every 10 minutes. It ended up taking only a little about 30 minutes to get from Clark/​Lake to Pulaski.
This station is kinda janky but I didn’t feel uneasy. It sorta sucks that they don’t encourage hanging around. I suppose I understand after reading reviews of students causing trouble in the area. It’s probably not a problem most days, but I was really early getting here and would have liked to sit down while I waited for my friend. There were a couple benches on the platform but they aren’t really protected from the elements. It was raining and the seats were soaked. I couldn’t find a place to rest inside the station either.
Their pickup and short term parking area is a clusterfuck. There are spots people can pull into to wait for whomever they are getting or dropping off. Most people pull up to the door and wait there. It causes the cars to back up, so Aimee wasn’t able to drive around. She was forced to park and call me to come find her. Be wary of pulling out, too. People don’t pay attention and I witnessed several near hits and it got noisy from people honking at each other.

Do not park your car here! I purchased a monthly parking spot 2 days ago, parked in the first spot and on my 2^nd day someone cut my catalytic converter out of the bottom of my car!!! 1000 to replace. Not even sure if the city will refund me the $ 193 I had to pay for parking through the end of september.

STAY AWAY FROM THIS LOT! Just got my car broken into for the second time! Assholes stole a nice radio I had installed. I called the 8^th district and they said we get calls every day about this. THEN WHY NOT PATROL IT??? Anyway, unless you want the aggravation of having to replace your car radios every so often, DO NOT PARK HERE!

This station is a joke. It is right across the street from Curie, aka a school that has students that never seem to actually attend school, as they’re always hanging around the station. Good luck to you during the afternoon. Kids loitering everywhere. I’ve seen a couple fights break out. The Chicago police have to actually be at this station now before and after school to keep them from loitering.
The station itself could use some improvement. On cold winter days, you would think that standing inside the station would keep you warm but it’s just as cold in there as it is outside. The station is run down and sketchy at night. Not my favorite stop.

Nice station in a nice safe neighborhood. The only thing I find wrong about it is the incessant occurrences of graffiti that it receives, which is why it gets four instead of five stars. Other than that, there’s nothing for me to complain about.
In the vicinity are nice restaurants and a strip mall, and Curie High School which has an IB (International Baccalaureate) World School program. Those restaurants include Ricobene’s, Giordano’s, and Red Lobster, and those stores in that strip mall include Discovery Clothing, Dollar Tree, Pizaa Hut/​Wing Street, man what else? That FYE that I purchased three used CDs for $ 20 from in Spring 08 has closed down. There’s also a large flea market a stone’s throw from this station!
After reading this review, to anyone who thinks this station is dangerous because of the graffiti, you better think about what’s next to the stations in my neighborhood and who roams through them! Do you know exactly how far I have to go to find peace and comfort while riding a train? While waiting for one at a station? While shopping or dining at some nice stores/​restaurants just steps from a station? I live on the south side in a horrible area that I’m desperately trying to get out of. If that doesn’t change your mind on the condition of the Pulaski Orange Line station and its surroundings, then what would?