Midway travel question

JHS
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 14:08:03 +0000

@Zinhead , there are many posts in which I have reported that one of my kids had his pocket picked at the Garfield Red Line station, and many, many in which I have described that station as a pretty good representation of Hell on Earth (although not so much because of danger or pain as for its sheer bleakness, exposure to wind/cold, and ugliness). I tell people all the time they should take the 6 bus rather than the El/55 to travel between Hyde Park and the Loop because it feels more pleasant. And I have never, ever, told anyone that safety was not a significant concern if you wanted to take a stroll around Jackson Park Hospital, or, for that matter Englewood. I wouldn’t do that. But riding the bus isn’t the same thing.

Friday and Saturday nights, after rush hour (and quite late into the night) I think you will find the 55 bus between Hyde Park and the Garfield station jammed with University of Chicago students. I’m sure there are some students who don’t feel comfortable on that bus, but it’s part of the daily lives of many, many students. And, yes, it’s only personal anecdote, but practically every time I have taken any bus between Midway and the University of Chicago I have been (a) alone, and (b) carrying luggage identifying myself as a tourist. A couple times I was with my wife, and we were both carrying luggage. Trust me, our tough looks are not scaring off anyone out to victimize white tourists.

I can’t claim to have personal experience of taking a first public bus ride on it; my first solo public bus ride occurred when I was six years old. But I think it seems super-friendly to inexperienced users. The maps and stop announcements are extremely clear, the drivers helpful, and you can easily get a phone app that tell you in real time exactly where are all the buses or trains on any route you choose, and when the next few will come to your stop.

I will continue to “blithely” recommend taking the CTA. It’s an excellent system, including through bad neighborhoods; I wish the one where I live were that good. I honestly can’t understand why, apart from sheer discomfort about contact with people of color and not of high income, anyone should have reservations about it. “Safety” isn’t an issue.