CTA has an L station on Damen. It's not the one you're thinking of, but the one on the Brown Line…read more Of course, this one is a lot quieter. Even though there's not as much going on, there's some things worth checking out if you're around here. There's some nice bars and restaurants. About the best thing to say about it is that it's a classic. It serves the Brown Line. The station has a hell ton of stairs. It's a bitch to climb. Of course at the top of it you have some good views. It's one of the best ways to get to Ravenswood. There's a few bars and restaurants close to it that don't have the crowds like the Blue Line station. Also check out the suitcase furniture. There's nothing like sitting on a wooden suitcase, that's for sure. Besides the nearly endless stairs, this station is a favorite. It maintains history while slightly modernizing. The only thing is there's often some kind of track issue so it can take awhile waiting for trains.

A nice historic L stop that is wonderful when it's not rush hour and the weather is pleasant. The…read moreneighborhood around here has changed so much over my lifetime but the station is a constant. Much safer now than decades ago. The climb seems steeper than before but of course it's me that's changed. As with elsewhere, CTA employees are unfriendly and disinterested at best, hostile and loathing more typically.

I had to write a paper and didn't have a lot of time. Rockwell Coffee was recommended because it…read morewas very likely to be quiet. Although I was initially disappointed that they don't have an espresso machine and only offer drip coffee or cold brew, I got over it when I realized that my drip coffee (which was delicious) and tip were only $4. It was also a super quiet, comfortable spot to write my paper, which was the most important thing. Although that was my main focus, I noticed that they sold carry out wines and beer and they had jars of amazing looking small batch pickles for sale.

CTA has a station on Rockwell. It was renovated more than a decade ago as a part of the Brown Line…read moreimprovement project. Surely it needs to be said this is an unique looking station. For one, it's neither underground or elevated. Two, this goes through a very nice looking neighborhood and it's not insanely busy like most stations can get. As with many of the stations, the location is the best thing about it of course. It serves the Brown Line. This is one of the best ways to get to Ravenswood. It's different from many other stations because the tracks go along the ground. Yes, the ones between the expressways also go along the ground, but those trains don't cross streets. It's more like how Metra goes. The trains come and the gates block traffic. A few bars and restaurants are located close to here. There's not a ton as this is more of a residential area, but there's a few coffee shops and cafes outside. Getting in and out is the worst thing about it. It seems many others have problems with the doors, which suck. The good thing is with this near the end of the Line, there's usually not a long wait for trains.

CTA has a station at Clinton. It provides convenient access to downtown. Lots of ways to get around…read morefrom here. Kind of clean compared to others so that's good. There's access to plenty of other trains. Best thing is the convenience. It serves the Green and Pink Lines. The station is pretty clean for the most part. Above ground so it has the cleaner air. This is also located next to Ogilvie Transportation Center, so you can get on Metra and change systems. Has good things about it. It's one of the better stations. There's usually trains coming pretty often weekdays and even weekends.

This station is one of the ones to which you can transfer from Metra to catch a green or pink line…read moretrain to the loop. That's pretty handy. The ramp from the mezzanine level where you get your fares and enter the station up to the train level is freaking long. If one doesn't have a motorized chair or a person pushing them, they're going to be exhausted by the time they get up if they can. It's honestly astonishing to me that CTA can't create an elevator from mezzanine to train level--and I'm confident there isn't one that I missed. Otherwise it's a CTA station, not much frill here. It's the final inbound station before officially entering the Loop stops. I wish that there was an interior connection of sorts from Ogilvie to this station, so that when I take Metra I can get to the station without having to exit into the weather whatever it may be. Honestly I can't believe that the RTA hasn't figured it out yet; pretty annoying. (Unless I'm an idiot and just haven't found the secret connector.)

CTA has an L station on Western Avenue on the South Side, which is one of those along the Orange…read moreLine. It goes between The Loop and Midway. Of course it's not in a terrific location, but it's mostly clean and safe. Lots of busses to get onto from here. There's a large area for shelter while waiting for one. A better than expected location, and it's usually pretty fast coming or going. It serves the Orange Line. The station is located in Gage Park. Even though it has a bad history, it's still an improving area. This is at 49th and Western. Best about this is how fast it is to get through here. This is the one that goes all the way to Midway, the other Chicago airport that gets unappreciated. Getting there is a lot faster. Stops like this are one of the reasons. It has fewer, meaning the trains come a lot more often. This station is pretty clean for as busy as it gets, and it doesn't have a bad smell. Getting to Midway is convenient from here. It's only a few stops away, and if you're getting off here there's lots of busses to take you places. There's usually not a long wait for trains.

I used to go to this station alot a few years ago and I gotta say, this station is very impressing…read more Very clean and Fast arriving trains. And when I mean fast, I mean st all times. I rode the orange line around 10:30-11:00pm and boy did it get around fast.

My husband and I took the L train during our week long stay in Chicago. Cermak-Chinatown is an…read moreabove ground train station run by the CTA. It's on the Red line, which is one of the lines that runs 24/7. Our hotel was closest to a Red line station, so we took it to Cermack-Chinatown when trekking it to Blues Heaven Foundation that is within walking distance of Motor Row.

Cermak-Chinatown Station is a CTA station on the Red Line. Red Line runs 24 hours a day with wait…read moretimes of 15 minutes or less. According to the train schedule, waits for trains are usually 7-8 minutes for most of the day. Chinatown is a neighborhood that is split into two parts, as one part contains Chinatown Square, while the other part contains the main Chinatown neighborhood. The station is located in an eastern location between these two areas that is equidistant to both. The elevated train platform also has a nice view of the Chinatown area including the neighborhood library and the Chinatown gate. On the street, the station entrance is close to the Nine Dragon Wall, which is a nice piece of Chinese art. I recommend this station if you are trying to get to Chinatown as trains are frequent and because it operates at all times of the day. There is no need to take a car if you are a tourist unless you are buying some heavy relic or coming from out of town.

One of my favorite stations in the Cta railway, Because it's very close to a target where if I end…read moreup on the south side and I need to get some stuff I can just go to that target! Very clean station, But Trains take a while to get here.

This 35th St/Archer Orange Line Station, which is the next stop going toward the Loop after the…read moreWestern Ave. station, is also my next favorite Orange Line station. The Western Avenue station is my favorite because it is on a boulevard and that's a pretty tough location to beat! This station seems to get quite a bit of light on sunnier days. I think it has a more comfortable feel to it than the Kedzie and Ashland stations. Those stations feel "tucked away" to me - - and not in a cozy-feel type of way. This station has the usual escalator/stairways along with an elevator. I deducted a star because that elevator was out - of - order for about a month last year. Also, it was out another time and no one bothered to put a sign on the platform elevator door--wasted minutes waiting for an elevator that was not working! I have since found out that you can sign up for alerts regarding the elevators--it's nice to know in advance if they aren't working. The first couple of times that I added money to my CTA card on the Ventra vending machines, I asked the CTA attendants for assistance. Both times they were very kind and did not make me feel like I was bothering them. Sometimes people in this sort of job can do that! Luckily, not the case here. They were pleasant, helpful and willing to assist. There is a Dunkin Donuts in this station, which could be a plus, however, according to the current reviews on this DD Yelp business page, it could also be a disappointment. There are connections to four bus routes at this station : #35 (31st/35th Street), #39 (Pershing Road), #50 (Damen Avenue) and #62 (Archer Avenue). CTA - Review #2 McKinley Park Neighborhood - Review #3

CTA has a station at 47th Street and it's not bad. It actually is pretty nice and clean. With the…read moreoutdoor platform there's very few bad smells. Even though the area isn't great it's not all bad or anything. The trains get here every few minutes. It seems to be one of the better stations in the area. It serves the Red Line. This also has great access to busses as many come to the bus stops just outside the entrance of this elevated station. It's also clean. There's not that bad smell like at underground stations. Also this above ground station gives you a good view of the surrounding area. This happens to be in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway so you can see cars whizz by and maybe see crashes or something else interesting. Good as far as transit stations go. It's cleaner than most others around here. This is mostly quiet except for the traffic and it's for the most part safe.

Three things cause me to evangelize…read more 1. Living the car-free lifestyle 2. Seamlessly integrating useful technology into people's lives without adding more clutter or useless, expensive gadgets. 3. A Genoa salami sandwich on sourdough bread with brown mustard and lettuce. For the purposes of this review, we are going to concentrate on #1 and 2. Though eating the #3 sandwich while riding the Red line somewhere interesting would be great too. I don't usually use the 47th street station, riding to Garfield instead on my weekly trek down to the U of C campus. Today, flush with the pheromones of change, I took a different bus route home that took me to the 47th street station. This station was clean, neat and extremely well lit. In front, near the bus waiting area, was a giant flat screen showing the CTA bus tracker arrival schedule for the routes that serve this station - CTA Buses #15, #24, #47, #51. Beautiful! Walking inside the station, was another flat screen TV showing Red line northbound and southbound arrivals. Mon dieu! This is a beautiful thing for People Like Me that have not scurried down the iPhone rabbit hole just yet. Both of these TVs worked, and were *not* splattered with effluvial swill!! In my happiness at seeing this efficiency, I dared to dream that all Red line stations would be quickly outfitted with these features - yet wistfully wondered how long it would be before the screens got broken and/or stolen. But at any rate . . . this station is a score for the CTA.

My husband and I took the L train during our week long stay in Chicago. Cermak-McCormick Place is…read morean above ground train station run by the CTA. It's on the Green line. We took Cermak-McCormick after visiting the Blues Heaven Foundation a few blocks away. We were headed to Chicago Music Exchange on N Lincoln. Our route was Cermak-McCormick to Clark/Lake, where we transferred to the Brown line for the Paulina train stop. We were at the train station on a hot summer day, but fortunately there was some breeze on the first/street level of the station. There was a few spots to hide from the sun on the platform. The station is clean and is clearly video monitored. Plus, there are some cool cartoon illustrations to checkout on the platform while waiting for your train.

This CTA Station is usually where I go to if I'm heading to or from McCormick Place. It's well…read morecovered to shield you from the elements and it's usually kept clean. They have good signage here, so it's easy even for first-timers to figure out which train to catch. There's also a White Castle right next door if you want to grab a quick bite before catching the next Green line train.