Tag: publictransportation

On The Way Back

Finishing the post I started three days ago.

I didn’t upgrade my return flights because I didn’t need to sleep on the long flight back, and I figured I could purchase the lounge access separately. What surprised me at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport was that they had a 24/7 duty-free store and a 24/7 business lounge.

I bought some (a lot of) chocolate, chocolate-covered dried fruit (and the only reason I didn’t buy dried fruit without chocolate was that I had three bags from my host), some flavored coffee, a bottle of pomegranate wine, and a set of three miniature Armenian brandy bottles. I really wanted to buy a bottle of Akhtamar, the best local brandy, to give it to Vlad, but there were no medium-size bottles, and my purchase was already heavy and bulky enough, and I still had to squizz everything in my carry on (not like they won’t allow an extra duty free bag, but I didn’t want to have an extra bag heavier than my luggage :).

The business lounge in Zvartnots was … strange, and they were surprised I was willing to pay for it rather than claim my credit card holder benefits, but having that the flight was forty minutes delayed, and that, due to many flights departing in the early hours of the morning, the international terminal looked like a Soviet Union era railway station, I believe I made a right decision.

I also paid for lounge access in Frankfurt, and everything there was as expected. I charged all my devices for the long daytime flight, and spent the time productively answering tons of unanswered emails and documenting my trip.

I’ve already mentioned that the arrival process had become exceptionally easy after the new passports were introduced, but this time was a record, especially because I didn’t have checked luggage. Thirty-five minutes after the aircraft stopped taxing, I was already on the Blue Line train (that includes the airport transfer to another terminal), and two hours and fifteen minutes later, I was already at home (yes, I took the L again, and it is becoming more and more acceptable, especially without the heavy luggage)

Santa Train With The Girls

It’s not easy to get on a Santa Train, because these days, there is only one train instead of two, and it runs on different CTA lines at different times. Igor and I were discussing how we can get the girls on the train, and the only option seems to be to try to get on it after the Nutcracker, which was a little bit tight, even taking into account the usual holiday train delays. But then Igor realized that we could catch it in the opposite direction, when it departs from Howard, and take it to the Nutcracker instead.

The girls were impatient, so we left well in advance, and it turned out to be perfect, because there were picture-taking opportunities and tons of candy canes.

A line for pictures with Santa

Finally, the train doors were open, and we got inside (Igor joined us by then). It was super crowded, so even though we got the seats, it was difficult to see the rest of the car.

The ride took significantly longer than it would be on a regular train, but we still managed to get to the Nutcracker on time!

Santa Train And Other Signs Of Holidays

On Thursday, I got on the Santa Train, just because it happened to be one after the next train, and because the next train was so crowded that I almost couldn’t get on.

It was also super-crowded, but I really needed to get to my next destination, and an Elf reluctantly let me on when she saw an opening.

It became less crowded towards the end of the route, and an Elf started to move around the car and distribute candy canes.
On that day, I actually had to go to the final stop, and had a chance to take a lot of Santa’s pictures

The picture below was taken on Friday, and that was a Fannie May holiday trolley:

And more presents – from Scotland and from Sweden:

CTA Vintage Car Ride

Yesterday, I received a surprise email from CTA, announcing the vintage L-train ride around the Loop (to celebrate the 78th anniversary of the CTA)

Today, when I spoke to the volunteers on the train, they told me that they purposely announced it at the last minute to avoid the crowds. There was still quite a crowd, as they kept saying, “pre-pandemic ridership level.”

And it was so much fun! The train was almost 100 years old, and it had been in service for fifty years!

Everything in the car was exactly like it looked in the 20s-30s, plus some later advertisements, and the conductor announced the stops using the hand-held radio.

Getting Around In Portland

It was fast and convenient to get to and from the airport. The train stops just outside the terminal, and the ride cost me $2.80, with a total ride duration of about 45 minutes and a nice walk to the hotel.

To be fair, I should say that the Blue Line in Chicago will also take you to the airport from the Loop in about 45-50, so it’s mostly just me living in the wrong place :). On Friday, I left for the airport earlier to try to get there without Uber. I did, and the Red Line worked great, but with the connection and the Blue Line being generally slower, it totaled 1 hour and 50 minutes .

I Taught A CTA Employee How To Take Metra!

Today is Wednesday, which means I have a personal training session over Zoom. My trainer lives in LA, so even though he is an Early Bird, he can’t train me at 5 AM CT. We tried to work it out for several years, and our current arrangement is that on Wednesdays, I go to the office super early and we have a training session in our office gym.

For a while, I was able to take the shower 6 AM Metra train, and be ready just after 6:30, but when the new station opened, the travel time increased, and I opted for taking the Red Line (there are no Metra trains between 5 and 6 AM). I know that in order to be comfortably on time, I need to leave the house at 5:20. Five minutes later is still OK, but tight.

Today, I was ready at 5:22, but I stopped to check whether my flowers needed more watering and lost five minutes. I ran into the CTA station just at the moment when a CTA employee was putting up the sign “Service disruption.” He said he didn’t know what had happened, but something had happened at Thorndale, and the trains were not moving. I sighed and said, “Well, I guess I am going to the Metra station.” Another employee asked: You know how to get there? I said: Absolutely! The train leaves at 6 AM. I will be a little bit late, but not so bad.

I turned around and started walking when I heard her shouting from the station: Could you wait for me? I will go with you!

While we were walking, I learned a lot about her. She lives in Aurora(!!!), and commutes by Amtrak and then CTA every evening. She works night shifts Monday through Friday, and another employee who lives in Waukegan had told her a number of times that she should use Metra, but she was unsure how to get there. We talked about how Jarvis Station was so nice, and such a contrast to Howard, and about the homeless sleeping on the trains, and how it’s scary that Trump wants to put them into some facilities. I told her about my volunteering for the Bight Ministry, and how everyone is anxious, and living one day at a time. She said that the world is a scary place these days, and I must worry about my children and grandchildren. I told her that worrying is not productive, and I am trying to do good things when I can.

She said I inspired her with my active lifestyle, and that my energy was contagious, and that she will see me on the CTA :). I might actually see her when I am returning from the shows!

A Small Miracle

On Wednesday, my neighbor and I saw a play Tiatnique at the Broadway Playhouse. There are many good things I can say about this theater: it is the only one of all of the Broadway in Chicago theaters built recently, so the floor plan is much better, the seats are more comfortable, and the view of the stage is great from any angle. Also, it’s the only one of the Broadway in Chicago theaters that is located outside the Chicago Theater District, close to the Water Tower. With that, getting there and getting home requires some planning, simply because it’s not the usual way we get home.

When we got out of the theater and reached Michigan Avenue, we saw bus 147 approaching the stop, and my neighbor said: Let’s go! (We were going to walk to the Red Line.) I hesitated, because I expected a way longer ride, but I saw that she would prefer the bus, and said – OK. The miracle was that it took us only 27 minutes to get home from the Water Tower, and half of this time was spent on frequent stops closer to our home. I still can’t believe it! It was as fast as a cab ride! If the announced plans to increase service come true in the next couple of months, there will be less than 10-minute intervals between bus services. Fingers crossed!

Travels

I am on a move again, doing several new things and hoping that the net will be positive.

  • Obviously, I didn’t plan it, but I fell down on the icy stairs last Friday and hurt the bottom badly. I know it will take weeks to get over, and I should be glad it didn’t happen today. By now, I can walk, sleep, sit and work at my desk, and take public transportation, and the only way it hurt is the way you sit on a plane!
  • I am flying with a connection in JFK, which I avoided for years, but when I was looking for tickets for my original trip (planned for the New Year), the price was exceptional, and the connection looked great (no terminal change), so I gave in, also trying to get out of my comfort zone. I guess getting out of your comfort zone is good :).
  • Because of the usual mixup when the flight is “operated by” a different airline, I was unable to select the seats beforehand. By the time I was able to check in, I had literally the worst seat in the Economy Premium without any option to change (all others were already taken). That’s a minus.
  • When it was time to leave, I started ordering Uber. The price of the trip to ORD was $54 for Comfort (and just a couple bucks less for regular), and then they couldn’t find a ride for me for a couple of minutes. Remembering how Boris nearly missed his flight last time and realizing that today was Friday before the long weekend, I switched to a ride to Cumberland. The price went down to $30, the car was available, and the driver smartly navigated through residential streets to avoid the traffic. We made it to Cumberland a little bit later than projected, but I didn’t complain. That’s a plus
  • When I got down to the station platform, the tableau said that the next train to ORD was in 23 minutes! AAAAA!!! But then the train appeared ten minutes later, and not crowded at all, so plus at the end.
  • When the train was pulling into the ORD station, the American Airlines app decided to give me a mobile pass, which is a huge plus, but immediately notified me about a 45-minute delay!
  • I had a three-hour connection, and there was no more delay and the food in the lounge was good, so that was a plus.
  • No terminal change and hence no additional security checks in JFK was a gigantic plus!
  • They do not have a Finnair lounge, but their AA lounge was good.
  • It turned out that there is no position for me to be half-reclined without an acute pain, so I slept for barely an hour tonight, although technically I could have a full night of decent sleep (I skipped the dinner onboard, because I ate in both longes)
  • We are supposedly arriving on time, and if I will manage to compensate my lack of sleep, it would be great!

“When You Do Not Have To Drive”

Two days ago, I stood on the Rogers Park Metra UP-North platform, waiting for the train, and one of the fellow passengers greeted me. It was cold, and the snow just started to fall, sparkling and beautiful. A passenger said: You know, when you do not have to drive, you can enjoy it! It’s beautiful!

Public Transportation News

I didn’t know about it, but there is a way to request new bike racks at specific locations. I learned about it from the newsletter of our new, about-to-open coop, Wild Onion Market, and I requested a bike rack close to our about-to-be-open coop.

Another thing that is on the news: Chicago has had the largest increase in bikers for the past several years compared to any other US city, but bikers’ safety is among the worst. And those who are in Chicago do not need to be reminded about it!

As for other means of public transportation, the Metra line, which I use for my commute (UP-North), has launched a new schedule. First, there is now one extra stop between mine and the next one towards the city. That’s more bad than good news for me because it now takes longer to get to the final destination. There is also some good news, though: several trains were added to the weekday schedule. The one which I really wanted departs Rogers Park Station at 6-30. I took it on Monday, the first day of the new schedule in effect, and there were only four people except for me who got on this train at Rogers Park. I think that there will be more, and I hope that it will offload some people from the 7 AM train.

Speaking of which, I took a 7-15 AM today because I wanted to have a longer bike ride before work and also because I thought that 7-15 would be less crowded. But alas, I still had to stand all the way to the final stop! Tuesdays are impossible! I don’t know who is “not in the office” these days.

There is one more extra morning train (8-10), which I believe should ease the morning commute for the second morning wave, and also an outbound 4-50PM. And also, Kenosha finally becomes reachable during the day, which means that we can drop-off/pick-up my granddaughters there. The only remaining issue is how to get to work on Tuesday and have a bike ride before that 🙂