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    CTA Holiday Train

    4.7 (31 reviews)

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    Seems to consistently be delayed
    Ezen C.

    I'm a total adult and sucker for this thing. I thought someone was pulling a prank on me when I first heard about it, but then I saw it in real life, I felt the magic. Chicago feels so cold and grey around this time of year, especially during the work commute, so this train is truly a delight. It's crazy crowded on the weekend with the kids, but honestly not as bad as during rush hour. The candy canes are actually not bad! I think there's like a juice in the middle.

    Santa on the purple line!
    Nina H.

    I've heard about the CTA holiday train a long time ago but I never had the opportunity to ride it until today. I planned carefully and checked out the CTA website for times and locations and thankfully they were running on the purple line this weekend! They are here for one more day and then it's off to another line. The train ran a little behind schedule but that was fine. As long as I was under the heat lamp it's all gravy. So about 15 minutes later, the holiday train in all its Las Vegas glory comes through our stop! Apparently Santa Claus on the train is a big deal. Throngs of parents with their children wait aimlessly for their chance to get a picture of Santa. Then here lies poor Santa with his security elves out in the cold but nonetheless sending their Christmas cheer to all that greet Old St. Nick. My dad goes ahead and hi fives him as he passes him by. Noice. Upon entering, your greeted by his elves that happily give you a candy cane. Everything in the interior train cabin is decorated from the floor to the ceilings. The upholstered seats are even decorated too! Gayla Peevey's "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas" was playing in the background which set the mood along with many other Christmas classics. The only reason for 4 versus 5 stars was due to the Untimeliness of the train. It was about 15 mins behind schedule but I guess it's because Santa is a celebrity and everyone wants a piece of him. In addition to that, in order to make up for lost time, I noticed the train would only stop for less than a minute per station to stay on schedule. Which is unfortunate for some families that missed the train as I noticed parents carrying their crying toddler(s) attempting to chase and somehow stop the train from moving so that they could get on. Overall fun for families and definitely something to do at least once during the holidays.

    Rosa J.

    It's the most wonderful time of the year. If you wanna check out whether or not your tax money is well-spent, hop on the CTA Holiday Train when you're running into one! Rosa J. determined to get on the train of the day. By the way, the CTA official website has a list of "train schedules." The paper copy is also available upon request. Today's "Santa Express" began at 1601 hour at the CTA Midway Orange Line station, traveling northeast bound. Upon reaching Roosevelt in South Loop, the train ran the Green line route westbound to Harlem/Lake. Yes, this train didn't smell at all. In fact, a light cinnamon scent was infused to enhance the holiday spirit. The CTA crew members who dressed like elves passed out peppermint and holiday train schedule brochures. They were happy to send seasonal greetings to each and every patron on board. It was kind of fun to see the passenger's priceless facial expressions; they looked like they just got on the "Cash Cab." Do you remember that show? The decorations were on point. Especially the exterior with the real-time Santa with his reindeer. Yes, he works for CTA because he sounded like one. His typical CTA train-operator tone came out when approaching stations in the loop area. "Hey, bystanders with their phones trying to snap a photo or two...Safety First!" The music was decent, featuring the Christmas classics and "My Only Wish This Year" by that legendary Britney Spears. I'm pretty sure that those who have had a Christmas album make lots of money out of the loyalty program. My journey with the CTA Holiday Train ended at the CTA Ridgeland Green Line station. It was cool to see some fun stuff with my beloved CTA that I utilize to commute daily. I may get on another one sometime this month when I have a day off from work.

    Emily T.

    I am not a magical xmas spirit kind of girl. Not even close. Magic happened on Friday night on the Blue Line. I was heading down to the Clark and Lake station after spending the day at the Art Museum with a friend. Just a routine walk down the stairs to catch the train and I hear santa with his HO-HO and I think, ahh crap, I am not in the mood for someone dressed as santa being all creepy down by the tracks. NOT CREEPY, the exact opposite of creepy. There was a flat bed all decked out between two L trains with a live person dressed as santa and some elves on it. I was a bit taken back and frightened at first, but then i boarded the decorated train. It was not only decorated on the outside like the house in National Lampoons Xmas Vacation, but the inside looked like xmas vomited all over it as well. It was freaking FUN. I mean seriously a happy, enjoyable moment on the train. I recommend you pick up a schedule, of when it will be on a LINE near you. Although, i must say the surprise of it really made it worth it. The only thing irritating were the passengers that complained about where their money was going. OH SHUT UP, at least they aren't charging us extra for it, which would be the absurd thing to do. I think it's nice that they put our money to make something that is otherwise a drag to be on, delightful and happy. Even this scrooge was overjoyed. UPDATE ( 5 or so hours later since I wrote this review): My friend Jordan B. ( yelp user name) says: PS - the decorations are all donated by CTA employees and they volunteer their time to run the train, and the train doesn't use any extra electricity so the thing actually costs us nothing! I say: SO THERE YA STUPID FACES WHO WANTED SOMETHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. It's just nice people, doing nice things. So shut yo mouth.

    Anne M.

    FIVE big ass STARS FOR THE CTA HOLIDAY TRAIN! On any given day, there's usually something pretty gross, sad, scary, unpleasant happening during my CTA travels. But all of the bad CTA stuff goes away when the magnificent holiday train comes a'rolling into the the station. When I see this thing, I turn into a giddy kid. I can't help it. I've had the pleasure of catching the elusive train the past few years (not yet this year...). Once aboard, I do not want to get off. The red & green interior lights, candy cane striped poles, tinsel, fully decorated exterior including a cold-defying Santa, CTA "elves" handing out mini candy canes - all of that makes these rides so dang festive!

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    Ask the Community - CTA Holiday Train

    Review Highlights - CTA Holiday Train

    I had never heard of the Christmas train before so there I was in the subway at State & Lake when this pulls up - WTF.

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    Handmade Market Chicago - past event photo

    Handmade Market Chicago

    (7 reviews)

    West Town, Ukrainian Village

    It's the kind of place where you can catch incredible up-and-coming bands one night and seasoned…read moreindie legends the next. The sound quality is excellent for such an intimate space, and the atmosphere is pure rock-and-roll -- raw, unpolished, and full of energy. Drinks are affordable, the lighting sets the perfect underground vibe, and the crowd is always lively and diverse. It's a place that celebrates real music and creativity without the pretension, making every show feel like a genuine Chicago experience.

    October-April. It is…read morethe second Saturday of the month. noon to 4:00 PM free to the public 21+ and parents with kids (same goes for sellers) Parking: Street Transit: #49 Western bus - http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/busroute.aspx?RouteId=198 Transit Chicago - http://www.transitchicago.com Handmade Market is a unique event to connect the makers of beautiful things to people who appreciate the unique and handmade. Featuring more than 30 amazing sellers at the market, selling jewelry, purses, knitted items, clothing, paper crafts, and more! The Empty Bottle starts serving at noon, so feel free to shop with mimosas in hand. (We do encourage relaxed shopping.) You can also grab brunch at the tasty Bite Café next door. Markets include funky jewelry, glass pendants, knitted items, handbags, clothing, paper crafts and more. Did you know that in the city there are many makers who create jewelry, clothing, scarves, handbags, journals, greeting cards, and more? Do you want your money to go directly to the people that make the things you buy? Here you can establish a personal connection, and our makers are even encouraged to demonstrate or make their products during the event. Sustainable crafterness this is a regular monthly event. We strive to create a crafter's market, with affordable handmade, mostly local items. There are a ton of crafters in the city, and we try to make this accessible to up and coming designers, jewelry makers, and others. Come out and help support your monthly crafter's market.

    The Magnificent Mile - The Magnificent Mile

    The Magnificent Mile

    (210 reviews)

    Near North Side, River East

    The Magnificent Mile is one of those icons of Chicago. It's the stretch between the Chicago River…read moreon the south end and Oak Street on the northern end, and is the dividing line between River North (west of Michigan) and Streeterville (east). The southern end, at Michigan and the Chicago River, is the earliest epicenter of Chicago; home to Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the founder of Chicago, as well as Fort Dearborn. Along the mag mile you'll find upscale restaurants, luxury shopping, fancy hotels, and more. There are multiple malls along the strip; The Shoppes at Northbridge are on the south end, and both the 900 Shops and Water Tower Place flank the north end Michigan Avenue. Tiffany, Louis Vuitton, as well as Burberry's flagship store in the United States and the largest Ralph Lauren in the world. There's also a cafe in that store called Ralph's, and I don't know if it's all for the 'gram or they put something in their coffee but it often has a line out the door. Starbucks Roastery, the largest of their stores worldwide, is on the corner of Erie and Michigan. If you are interested in an afternoon tea, you'll want to see if the Drake is hosting. This hotel has the distinction of hosting many heads of state and other dignitaries, including Princess Diana when she visited in 1996. Some of the cultural landmarks of the city are found here as well. Tribute Tower and Wrigley Building are right at the southernmost end of the Mile. 875 Michigan Avenue, more commonly known as the Hancock Building before that company relinquished the naming rights, boasts one of the city's observation decks (I think it's the better of the two). The Chicago Water Tower and Pumping Station, two of the most prominent and among the few buildings that survived the Chicago Fire, are at Pearson and Michigan on opposite sides of the street and the pumping station is a cool place to check out. You can even visit one of the city's ensemble theaters here, as Lookingglass Theatre is located in the lower levels of the pumping station. You might be surprised to find that there's even a playground right off this famous stretch of road; Seneca Playground is steps from Michigan Avenue if you have kids that need to burn off some energy. There's plenty to do that doesn't include spending money, too. You can catch water taxis near the Wrigley Building to visit other areas along the river (well, I guess that does cost a bit of cash). And there are sometimes events along the street, such as the Lights Parade that happens each Thanksgiving weekend or the art installations that are often found in the green planters along the street. If you're visiting, it's certainly worth a visit as you check out Millennium Park or take an architectural boat tour.

    A strip of high elite stores. High dollar money making store fronts. Bloomingdale's, American Girl,…read moreHoka to name a few. Plenty of eateries, activities , attractions to see. A lot of foot traffic and cars and parking is ridiculously high. Great for ppl watching .

    Rick Bayless' Garden Tour - Q&A with Rick

    Rick Bayless' Garden Tour

    (9 reviews)

    Wicker Park, West Town

    Wonderful tour with Rick and his gardener. We had plenty of time to explore and ask questions and…read morethe margaritas were delicious. Highly recommended.

    Here is my formal 5-step introduction of Rick Bayless: 1…read more Rick Bayless is a genius. 2. He has six restaurants, mostly in Illinois. Frontera Grill, Topolobampo and XOCO are three of them. 3. His show, on PBS, "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" is very earnest and detailed. He travels often to his favorite spots in Mexico and then comes back to his house (WHICH I WAS JUST AT, YOU GUYS... see below) to cook a variation or a copy of the dish he ate or loves from that area of Mexico. 4. He makes my favorite salsa of all time: Frontera Salsa Hot Roasted Habanero. 5. His brother is Skip Bayless from ESPN's "First Take". Two very successful brothers in one family. Nice job, Mom and Dad Bayless! Now, my husband watches "First Take" EVERY MORNING, which I call "Sports Shouting" because of 30 Rock. (Tina Fey is a GENIUS.) In summary, we are big fans of the whole Bayless clan. ANYWAY, I heard that you could take a tour of the garden that supplies some food and herbs for his restaurants. Doing a very quick google search, I found that YES you can tour the garden for $20, but that it is THE garden behind his house where he also films the "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" show. Done and done. I signed up immediately. Although, usually, you have to wait to do the tour. A LONG TIME. Some people who signed up last year just recently got into the garden tour. I signed up months ago and just squeaked into the last Wednesday tour of the season that happened last night. Coincidentally, my husband happened to make reservations at Topolobampo for this Friday. How serendipitous is that?!? Bill Shores and his wife, Lori, run the tour. Bill has been Bayless' gardener for five years. They opened the garden gate about 10 minutes early and gave us Italian Soda while they encouraged us to walk around. Everyone seemed as excited as I was to be there. Gently touching leaves, awkwardly holding our tiny glasses of Italian Soda... you know, the things one is known to do in a garden. The garden is beautiful, but it is also USED. It is a festive, eye-catching garden that Bill describes as "a show garden that is also productive". There are traditional and raised beds with other small and large containers around. Some of the growth is 15 years old, like the concord grapes on the arbor. Ok, I have never typed anything like "concord grapes on the arbor" before. I had a stuffy English accent in my head when I typed it. Although, this arbor isn't stuffy at all. It's just sometimes word combinations have their own personalities and head-accents are quick to follow. Obviously, there is an extensive outdoor kitchen. It has charcoal, gas and wood (grape wood is typically used) fuel capabilities. There is also a pig pit. Sometimes (I've been told), Bayless will just take a huge paella pan, pull some bricks together and cook right on the patio. Awesome. Although it was hot outside, there was a nice breeze in the garden. That could be because of the delightful energy of the Bayless Family OR it could be because of the giant concrete wall on the north side that keeps it cooler in the garden than outside on the sidewalk. I am inclined to believe it is the Bayless Family. There was a koi fish pond and multiple seating areas for entertaining. The deck is built around some boulders because OF COURSE it is. Native prairie grasses, Chinese dogwoods, and papyrus soaked in water are around the porch near marigold that is used for the Day of the Dead celebrations. They also have edible flowers! Prepare for an education... ALL of the following are edible flowers: Garlic, Chive, Sage, Basil, Marigold, Cilantro, Lavender. Did you know that you could eat all of those flowers? I realize some of them are traditional spices, but you can eat more than just the leaves. Interesting. Don't say I never taught you anything. A heated green house is where many of the plants are moved during the winter and there is extensive composting (1 1/2 TONS a year!). In addition to running this garden, the major composting effort and the greenhouse, there is a container roof top garden at the XOCO restaurant that grows tomatoes, herbs and chili peppers. The garden is 1000 sq. ft. and can produce as much as 650 pounds of salad greens a year with their April to November harvest. There is also an active beehive. By "active", I mean that I was standing right next to it and that box was humming. It can produce 60 pounds of honey a year. There are also chickens that produce... you guessed it: eggs. Overall, the garden produces about $20,000 worth of food for Bayless' restaurants a year. Is this tour worth the $20? Absolutely, if you want to go visit heaven for a while. The one down side: I got REALLY hungry. I think seeing the outdoor kitchen made a sense-memory-thing happen for me where all I wanted were chips and salsa. Oh, well.

    Logan Square

    Logan Square

    (45 reviews)

    Logan Square

    Logan Square is a continuously gentrifying area of Chicago. It's one of the "hip" neighborhoods in…read moretown. Lots of restaurants, some concert venues and the like. It's got several notable parks, such as Palmer Square Park, Unity Park, and Kosciuszko Park. What makes Logan Square special is that it's part of the boulevard system, and it has these beautiful wide boulevards which have large, park-like medians. I've seen people having gatherings, picnics, barbecues and the like here in the medians along Kedzie. I don't actually spend much time in Logan Square or its environs, but probably should. There's Emporium or Fireside Bowl if you're looking for fun (and I think Pink Squirrel is in the area, if you want to try duckpin bowling); more than one brewery, I think, though Revolution Brewing is the big one I think. Lots of great public art, from the Greetings from Chicago and Robin Williams murals to the most amazing mosaic commemorating L. Frank Baum and the land of Oz that you've ever seen (Oz Park can suck it). Worth a stroll, and get some Puerto Rican food.

    Logan Square is an area on the northwest side of Chicago that is dear to my heart. Southeast of…read moreLogan Square is the gateway to downtown Chicago. Northwest of Logan Square is the gateway to the most Polish neighborhood in the United States - almost like a little Warsaw. East of Logan Square leads you into the old German part of Chicago, which once covered over a dozen square miles, had 6 German newspapers, and over 100 German stores, restaurants, bars, bakeries, dancehalls, & cultural centers. And west of Logan Square opens onto a seemingly endless stretch of ethnic neighborhoods and faceless buildings that were flung up in grids during the first half of the 20th century. Once, Logan Square was an affluent neighborhood, a rich area of the city one might say, like a late 19th century suburb on the outskirts of Chicago's center. Even today, one can find the occasional stretch of old stone mansions with carriage houses left standing, tucked in between the many 1930's three story brick apartment buildings where other even older mansions once stood, some stretching back to the Gilded Age. Logan Square offers a bittersweet memory of the glory days of Old Chicago, when Speakeasys dotted the city, Sicilian Gangsters drove the streets, and European Immigrants from Sweden, Saxony, and other cities far and wide were pouring into town daily, enriching our lives with their many cultures and their absolutely delicious cuisines. Now Logan Square is just another place among the many spots in Chicago where it's specific history has been lost. Logan Square has become a Subway Station and a Bus Depot. Today Logan Square is just a big Pillar in the middle of the street.

    CTA Holiday Train - localflavor - Updated May 2026

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