Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Friggin' CTA

So Colie and I are thinking about where we want to live. We love our current location, and the apartment’s awesome – leasing company notwithstanding: it’s run by a combination of Satan & the 3 Stooges.

Since Colie takes the Metra and I take the CTA, it works perfect for me and works for Colie. I’m 2 minutes from a Brown Line stop that takes me 4 blocks from my office. Colie can take the Brown Line North a few stops then walk a block to the Metra. Here’s the kicker though, my office is located in the building connected to the Metra station downtown – so it would be quicker for me to actually take the Metra to work than the L with only a small additional cost. So we’ve talked about moving more north to Ravenswood-area eventually because it would really be easier for both of us to commute to our jobs.

One thing that is a definite PLUS for me to actually move is no longer having to deal with people on the L. It’s almost a daily occurrence that someone commits one of the Top 10 things I hate people do on the CTA:

  • Entering a car, and then standing against the door – move in
  • People w/ giant backpacks – take them off your back before you plow over 3 more little old ladies every time you turn around
  • Let people exit the train before others board – physics won’t allow you two to pass through one another
  • Turn your music down – if you have headphones on, and I can hear the lyrics, it’s too damn loud
  • Turn off the phone – a simple “Hey I’m on the L” is fine, hell a 2 minute or less conversation is okay, but I do not need to know your entire line-up for Fantasy Baseball from your keeper league that you and “Big D” are commissioners in
  • Please don’t sing – this combines #4 and #5, I heard the majority of Act I of Phantom of the Opera last week, and it wasn’t sung by Kristin Chenoweth
  • Eating things on the L that by definition, will create trash – ex: sunflower seeds, pistachios, bananas
  • Take your stuff off the seat – I literally saw this take place the other day. Lady asks “man” to move his backpack, man says, “No” and proceeds to look out the window
  • People who think personal hygiene’s a passing fad – please brush your teeth in the morning and apply deodorant, that’s it! Nothing revolutionary is needed
  • People who want to talk about the book I’m reading – I don’t mind a “How is that?” or “Are you liking that?” I’m talking about the “You’re reading ‘Brave New World? Oh man, that book sucked – why are you reading it? Didn’t you read it in High School?” Yes, this happened.

2 comments:

  1. Ah, the CTA. I miss a lot of things about Chicago, but I can't say public transportation is one of them. You should buy copies of Why We Hate Us when it comes out in paperback this summer and start handing them out to people who clearly need them.

    And I am SO with you on hating it when people try to talk to me about the book I'm reading. I'm reading because I DON'T WANT TO TALK TO YOU.

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  2. im going to find you on the el, and do ALL of these things.

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