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On My Way to School: Commuting to DePaul

 

Every day Monday through Thursday, I, as many of you other DePaul students do, commute to DePaul via the El.  Though many of you do this often, how much attention do you pay to the small details of your excursion?  What things do you miss or not notice on your daily commute?  Commuting to DePaul is something that relaxes me so much, as I hope it does many of you.  Sometimes we sit listening to headphones, checking papers on our laptops, or going over notes last minute for a midterm.  Commuters, think of your first train ride to DePaul- were you nervous? What details stood out to you? What seemed intimidating?  Soothing?   After my first few rides I have started to notice the small details of my daily transport, and I want to take you with me on my train ride to school.  While I give my speech, think, does anything sound familiar to your commute?  Different? Try considering what stands out when you think of your train ride.

 

My morning begins at the Main Street Purple Line Station, at 900 N/732 W.  After I insert my pass and pass one of the two turn stops I take 5 steps up, to a platform, 6 more steps up, to another platform, 12 more steps up, to another platform, and 7 steps up, and I’m standing on worn wooden planks, surrounded by fluttering pigeons.  Of course the number of stairs a station has varies.  Do you take an escalator up to your stop?  Do you go up a particularly scary flight of stairs?  I notice across the way a McDonald’s drink ad- “any soft drink or sweet tea for a dollar.”  The track is littered with plastic drinking bottles.  27 overhead lights loom over the platform opposite me.  I’ve never seen them lit.  The rails are painted purple.  A sign tells passengers; “Danger- Keep off the Tracks; High Voltage.” 

 

The train pulls up.  I’m on my way to the Howard Station.  On my way I notice chimneys, metal structures, antennas, and apartments with identical roofs.  The train is packed with people wearing Cubs shirts (Cubs game today- the Addison stop on the Red Line is right next to Wrigley Field).  A family with a small child in a stroller is near me, and I listen while they talk about how “good” the child is on the train.  Finally the train stops- I’m at the Howard Station- 7600 N/1700 W.  A voice booms from overhead- “This is Howard; as far as this train goes.  Thank you for riding the CTA Purple Line.”  I get off of the purple line train and wait on the platform for the Red Line 95th train to pull up to take me to the Fullerton stop.  To my right are the stations with fixtures overhead, where under the signs “Heat until March 31st” there are buttons you can press to get warm.  Some might say this is unreasonable for Chicago weather as the cold weather can go much farther into the year than March 31st. 

               

The Howard station accommodates yellow, red, and purple line trains.  Even though I am a born Chicagoan, I have only ridden on the blue, purple, and red line.  How many lines can you tell people you’ve ridden?  As I wait on the platform I notice Bally Total Fitness and Life Storage on one side and Howard Jewelry and Loan Pawn/Buy Sell on the other.  Finally a train pulls up with “95th” in red in the window.  As the train begins to ramble forward I notice a pattern of apartments with wooden porches and steps in the back that stand; some with stained wood, some with wood worn from rain.  Often the trees almost touch the train windows.  Street lights are meandering and satellites are protruding from house roofs.  Sometimes graffiti covers brick walls of businesses and homes.  One piece of graffiti that catches my eye on the way to school simply states “MADEULOOK.” 

               

I know I’m almost at school when I reach the Sheridan stop.  Here there is a large curving turn, the major turn on my whole ride.  Close to here a large shimmering Target sign gleams beautifully to passerbys.  What kind of advertising sticks out to you when you commute?  As the wind blows, the red parts surrounding the target symbols gleam.  This is always something that catches my eye, although I see it all the time.  After the Sheridan stop comes the Addison stop, which is right next to Wrigley Field. Around this stop lots of porches lean against houses where people hang college or pro league sports teams’ flags.   I see Cub’s rooftop places as I pass, along with people buying tickets before a Cub’s game. 

               

Finally I am at the Fullerton stop- 2400 N/1000W.  As I get off the train I hear the same booming voice say “This is a Red Line train to 95th.”  The Fullerton stop, as is noticed from the color-coded signs, accommodates the brown, red, and purple lines.  After I pass a telephone and an elevator, and throw my Starbucks cup in the garbage, I take seven steps down, to a platform, sixteen more steps down, to another platform, six more steps down, to another platform, and 9 steps down until I reach the ground, cross the huge vitamin water advertisement on the floor, pass through a turn stop, and am on my way to class, often in less than 30 minutes. How long does it take to get you to school?  Is driving also an option for you?

               

Commuting is such a soothing experience; I feel like I can just relax, sit and look out the window, and watch the world pass by.  As I watch, the people look so small, but the world seems so big.  Urbanity is something that perplexes me, but when I travel I feel like I’m part of it.  I feel like I’m part of Chicago, part of DePaul.

DRAFT: This module has unpublished changes.