CTA Tattler

Scary, tight quarters on Moscow platform

Here's a very popular YouTube video from englishrussia.com of a Moscow subway platform traffic jam.

And we thought we had it bad in our subways. Though you gotta love the chandeliers.

Also, check out these photos from the Russian subway, including snaps of a Moscow police or commando or whatever sitting and cleaning his AK-47.

New non-handicapped seating

After I posted earlier this month about strange things I've seen people carry on the train, Tattler reader Dean shared this photo with me. We're not sure whether they were moving that day or just trying to get a more comfy train seat.

Joy to the Christmas Bus -- No. 56 lights up passengers

Jasmine here shares her unmitigated joy at riding the No. 56  Christmas bus again:

"The Christmas bus rides again! I got on the outbound 56 Milwaukee bus at Madison and Wacker. It was a little after 6 pm, bus no. 6487 for those of you who might be looking for it. Seriously, I love this bus. This is the third year in a row I've seen it, and it never fails to make me smile.

"Wish I could say the same for my fellow riders, though. Everybody, from yuppies to old grannies, seemed to barely acknowledge the lights, the decorations (the pile of presents stacked on top of the passenger side wheel lit up this year!), but made no outward sign that they'd noticed that this bus might look different from, say, a bus that wasn't decorated. Or maybe they were reeling from the sound of Mariah Carey warbling "Joy to the World" from the PA system?

"Who knows. I still think it was awesome. If I see it again, I will see if I can bug the driver with questions -- is this the only holiday bus on the route? are their sibling buses on other routes? can you rent it out for special occasions? who are the folks responsible for decorating the bus? -- and report back."

Jasmine took the above photo. Find a couple more at her Flickr account.

The deliberate train surfer

She stands resolutely in the area between the two facing seats. Her hands plunge deeply into the pockets of her red pullover wind-breaker. Her backpack seems to act as a balance tool.

And she needs it. She's train surfing. Shifting her weight with every lurch and tug and pull and shift of the Red Line on its tracks. But never pulling her hands from her pockets to steady the thin build of her 20-something body.

And she's quite the expert train surfer. She easily negotiates the twists and turns of the tunnel between Division and North and Clybourn. Then she disappears into the night. 

Enjoy long weekend with a CTA-related movie

While enjoying your long Thanksgiving weekend (well, most of us anyway), consider taking in a movie filmed in Chicago and featuring a CTA bus driver: "Stranger Than Fiction."

Will Farrell spends some movie time commuting on a CTA bus, and real-life CTA driver Denise Hughes is happy to do the honors.

Here's a CBS2 story about Denise, and her photo from the CBS Web site.

Happy Turkey Day and we'll see you back her next Monday.

Turkey tips from CTA track worker

Two CTA track workers in their reflective jackets stand chatting on  the Howard Red Line platform.

One guys says to the other guy: "So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?"

He replies: "I've got 12 people coming. I'm brining a turkey."

His friend says: "You're what?!?! You're burning a turkey?"

His buddy explains: "No, no, I'm brining the turkey. You know, osmosis. The salt gets underneath the skin and tenderizes the turkey."

Cops release CTA video of sex assault suspect

Chicago police are hoping that videotape shot on a CTA bus will lead to the capture of a sex assault suspect in Logan Square.

The attack occurred early on Sunday, Nov. 12, as a woman was walking home from the Blue Line's Logan Square station. The video police released showed a clearly agitated man who matches the description by the victim, down to the white mock turtleneck.

View the video here at ABC 7 News Web site (photo from ABC7):

"After he committed the crime, police believe the suspect spent several hours on a CTA bus. Now police are hoping the images of the suspect on that bus will be the key to solving the crime. Detectives are convinced the person seen wearing a mock turtleneck sweater is responsible for sexually assaulting a woman shortly before he was captured on CTA surveillance tape.

"He has been identified by the victim as the suspect in our investigation. We have captured these images of him on a CTA bus and we're putting it out there for public safety issue and because we also would like somebody from the public who maybe has any information leading to his identity to contact us immediately," said Sgt. John Garrido of the Chicago police."

Call 911 if you know this guy.

Lots of GREAT CTA news. Not!

It's been another busy couple of days in the news for the CTA. And mostly bad news:

• A Brown Line train "made contact" with a car just as it was leaving the Kedzie station around 5:40 p.m Thursday night.
• The Red Line will traverse the elevated tracks during portions of the weekend due to to construction work in the subway.
• And for the small percentage of you CTA riders who didn't see the RedEye Thursday, there's big news -- the CTA trains actually rock and sway and rattle -- especially for Blue Line riders! Read all about it!
• The CTA board approved a budget Wednesday that is $110 million short of being balanced. But if you read the CTA press release on the subject, you won't learn that till the third paragraph. No worries, eh?

El evangelist revisited: A creature of habit

As reported before, like many commuters, I'm a creature of habit on the CTA -- I get on the same car at pretty much the same time coming and going. Well, at least coming to work. And those habits came back to bit me when I learned that the infamous El Evangelist is too.

That's the down side of train habits -- you get on the same car at the time every day, but so does the El Evangelist! I left for work early last week to get voting out of the way. Since that went quicker than I thought it would, I ran into the El evangelist again.

It was the usual rant. She has the same rap. At least she could change it up a bit, doncha think?

On this day, as she finally left the train at Fullerton with a resounding "AMEN," a passenger replied with a thankful "AMEN," which brought laughter from the entire car. He said: "I can't miss that lady! From the South Side to the North Side, I see her all time!" That got the whole car talking to each other about her and their collective experiences with strange things on the CTA.

So one good thing came out of that visit by the El Evangelist. People actually TALKED to each other!

Cartin' the gumball machine

File this under "strange things people carry on the CTA."

A plumpish man in his mid-20s with a goatee holds a gumball machine, tucked like a football under his right arm. He exits at Sheridan on the northbound Red Line.

What other strange things have you seen people carrying on the CTA? I was intrigued by the guy with the automobile tire.