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.)

I am glad we now have the Borealis to add some flexibility to trips between Chicago and the Twin…read moreCities. I have taken the Empire Builder before and it was always nerve wracking to try to make the early morning departure, that is, if it was on time. Sadly, the Borealis is much like the Empire Builder in that you can't count on it being on time, despite having fewer stops. That makes connecting to another train a lot more difficult. So we ended up missing the BNSF train we had hoped to take and only just barely caught the next one an hour later. It was nice to have wifi on the Borealis though it was a bit weak for some purposes. Cafe car food on both trains is the same, adequate, but nothing special. The few times I have been able to use the dining car on the Empire Builder were better experiences, restaurant quality and good service. Another difference between the trains is the lower level seats on the Empire Builder- these are a bit more roomy and comfortable. I will likely take these trains again, but with realistic expectations. If you have a whole family heading to the Chicago suburbs, it is probably more economical and less hassle to drive. A single person or a couple heading to downtown Chicago for the weekend would be better off taking Amtrak, especially if you have someone who can pick you up at Union Station.

Imagine boarding the Amtrak train at nearby Naperville and essentially traveling anywhere the train…read moregoes, from coast to coast. Don't miss the California Zephyr awesome trip from Denver into the Rocky Mountains. Truly amazing

My apartment is two blocks south of the station, so this is where I go when I want to head into the…read morecity. The trains are clean and fast, and I don't have to wait in the cold or heat for a train since there is always one there (being the first stop). There is a convenience store down in the lobby, though I've never used it at the station. Note: If you are heading outbound and want to head north or south on Marion St, get on the furthest car to the rear when boarding. 5 stars/5

The L offers different passes at a really good price! Its quick and efficient. Only thing is it…read moregets really cold waiting, there's no protection from weather besides overhead. It was a good experience overall and recommend it! :-)

Always clean and free of urine smell, unlike some of the other Blue Line stops heading towards…read moredowntown. Unfortunately the platform is totally exposed to the cold and wind. There are a couple of cubbies with heat lamps, but those provide little, if any, relief when the temp is in the teens and the wind is stiff.

CTA has an L station on 69th, with the name being the best thing about it: Six Nine baby. Forget…read moreabout it being in the middle of the busy Dan Ryan Expressway. It's nice feeling a breeze from the whizzing cars sometimes. Also forget about it being between the neighborhoods of Englewood and Grand Crossing. The station actually might be the safest place around here. As far as stations, this is the one with the coolest name so it's great for selfies and funny pics for Instagram. It serves the Red Line. This is the first station north of the 95th Street terminal. It doesn't get too busy at this station at rush hour. Mainly because there's not many people going to work. In all seriousness it's not close to anything. There's a few fast food places and pawn shops. Most people get on at 95th and ride on through here. The station itself is surprisingly clean and there's not a bad smell because it's outside. Be aware of the shady ass characters. It has a few but not as many as expected. This Line is the busiest so there's never a long wait for trains.

This CTA station is located in the Loop. You'll board a blue line train from this station from an…read moreunderground subway platform. I normally use this station to get to or from O'Hare Airport. Everyone coming in from O'Hare and nearby hotels for the Chicago Marathon will most likely get off at this station as the start line is over in Grant Park.

Such interesting smells! Mmmmm. So not all public transit…read morestops in Chicago are ADA compliant. Some don't have wheelchair ramps, access points, or elevators. Some require that you hike a mountain of stairs. Jeesh. This one is accessible. It's a good point to be able to transfer between the red and blue lines of the CTA system. There are plenty of elevators. I just don't wanna think about what those puddles are in the elevators. There's a walkway that connects the two train lines, which could use more inspiration. Mexico City's subway has the Tunnel of Science where they try to teach you about scientific stuff with murals and such. Nothing like that here. At least they have some decorative tile "J" mosaics on the platforms. When I went, it wasn't so crowded.

This station is an excellent location for anything downtown Oak Park (cinema, dining, shopping,…read moredining, more dining - great little restaurants all over). The only downside is once on the platform, there is little shelter from the biting winter wind, or a blowing rain. The actual station at street level is small but does provide shelter and has a monitor showing train ETAs.

Another CTA station is on Chicago Avenue. It has some good bus options around here. Kind of a bad…read moreatmosphere with all the homeless people but still not among the worst. Feels safer than many other stations but that's not saying a lot. There's a few fast food places and stores. It has a kind of busy location at Chicago Avenue and Franklin Street with all the commuters coming. It serves the Brown and Purple Lines. This is between the Merchandise Mart and Sedgwick stations. Inside there's kind of a bad odor and there's a few sketchy people but that's typical stuff around. There's a few bus stops that are located conveniently close by here. Has shopping around the area. It has some fast food like Dunkin, some grocery stores like Wal-Mart, but nothing any good. This seems to be mostly safe.

I mean sometimes Chicago Ave has some late night characters but that's one thing it definitely has…read moreis character. I mean it's one of those stations and adjacent areas just have a picturesque character to it. The deep valley between the buildings in the L station, the iconic station house with the rail resting a top. You see a lot of people just waiting for the train to pass for their perfectly timed shot. Shadows cast by the EL makes a spectacular mosaic given the time of day. Reflective buildings when riding out. Not to mention the slew of businesses from interior design galleries to some of the best restaurants and clubs in the city a ten minute walk. And when pulling in/pulling out from the North, you might catch a glimpse of the spirit of progress.