As I have said before, I go to DePaul University in Chicago. DePaul is located in the heart of the city’s vibrant Lincoln Park neighborhood, which is easily accessible via public transit, most notably Chicago’s train system, lovingly called the L, which is short for elevated, as the system is located above the streets of the city. Many people walk in and out of the turnstiles of Fullerton station right by the school, including myself as a current commuter student to and from DePaul’s campus in Lincoln Park.
Now, while I do ride the L as part of my daily routine commuting to school nowadays, for most of my life I have many fond memories of riding the second largest public transit train system in the country. I remember riding it almost every day when I was three to Chinatown with my grandmother, from my grandma yelling at me to get under the turnstile so she didn’t have to pay my fare to remembering every word the recorded announcer said as the train rolled by each station. With my history of riding the L being said, here are some things that I have noticed over the years that make the Chicago Transit Authority L system just so damn special.
1. The "Questionable Figures"
There’s a rule #1 of the CTA and it’s not to not to talk about the CTA; it’s to not make eye contact or socialize with anyone on the train that you don’t know. The reason being is that you usually got the attention of someone you really don’t want the attention of. These questionable figures can range from the intoxicated Cubs fan to the man carelessly blasting his music aloud or, as what happened to me, the man who offers you a bag of Sour Patch Kids for $3 (I said no). Maybe this is a rule on any system of public transportation; we are told to not talk to strangers as children, right?
2. Unintentionally dancing while standing
If anyone rides the L during rush hour or the Red Line during any time of day, nine times out of ten you’re going to be standing on the train, which means you’re probably going to do some Smooth Criminal-style dancing on your ride thanks to the constant whiplash you’ll get. The Brown and Blue lines are notorious for this, especially when entering and exiting stations because once you stop or go, you’ll be flying. But don’t worry, no one will laugh at you because let’s be honest, it has, or it will, happened to us before.
3. "Doors closing"
If you’re a frequent L rider like I am, there is a man whose voice we all absolutely get tired of hearing at some point, more so than that of our boss or professor: the announcer on the L. Oh, you know, the one who says “*station name* is next. Doors open on the right at *station name*” and “Doors closing” among other things. It turns out the guy is actually a real person and not a bot like Siri, and he even actually surprised people while riding the L himself. He seems like a nice guy and all, but for real man, you telling me that “smoking, littering and eating are prohibited on CTA vehicles” gets old after a while.
4. The people who won't take off their backpacks
This is more of a first world problem, but there's another key part of L etiquette you need to remember while you're standing: take your backpack off if it's taking up a lot of space behind you. Trains can get crowded really quick, especially during midday, and they can become ever more crowded if you take up more area on the train. So to those who make the L such a fun way to ride across Chicago, put it between your feet.
5. That person who takes up 3 seats
(Not my picture)
The aforementioned announcer even says it: "Please keep your belongings off the seat next to you, so others may sit down." You would think people would follow that rule, right? No, sir! This is something that usually affects the Blue and Orange Lines more, as they go to O'Hare and Midway airports, where people take up three seats: one for themselves and two others for their bags and luggage. Sometimes, people take up three seats to simply just to take a nap. The bottom line is that the best way to take up three seats is to not.
6. Not even bothering to talk while outside the L
As I said before, the L is on a rail system above the streets, hence its name "elevated". This system has been around for nearly a century, which also means that the infrastructure is nearly a century old. Whenever a train rolls by, it gets really loud, so much that you don't even bother talking while it's coming by. There's a Dunkin' Donuts outside the Fullerton L stop right by DePaul, which I highly credit for being my morning savior walking half-asleep to school, and usually it's impossible for me to order my daily cup of coffee without the roaring of Brown, Purple and Red Lines passing by. So my word of advice is that when you're socializing by the L tracks, get ready to speak up.
In conclusion, Chicago's L system has a special place in my heart. Although this list seems more like a list of quasi-negative traits about the L, it's what makes the L so unique to Chicago, as does anything else that the city pioneers. The L is a fun and reliable way to get around Chicago regardless of the annoyances you may see, something that public transit has a lot of difficulties executing.
"Doors closing"
