CTA Tattler

kinda depends what line of the train you're on... what stops the train is at... and what time of day/night it is...

that would determine paranoid or smart for me haha

I enjoy being the only person in the car. Last year I had a job in Evanston that started late in the mornings and I would take a late purple express north. It was almost always empty. My own personal train :)
I don't think I've ever been alone in a red or brown train, even late at night. I wouldn't mind anyway.

I'd rather be alone on the car than with one other person on the car. That always creeps me out.

Charlotte - the thing about being alone on the train that's scary isn't being alone, it's having someone with bad intentions get on and then not being alone anymore. You can't control who will step onto your car.
If I'm riding during a time when I'm likely to wind up alone in the car I'll ride in the very first car, at the front, so that I'm close to the motorman. I feel like an assailant is less likely to move on me, knowing someone else is nearby (even if they're behind a door). If I'm not on the first car and find myself alone I move to the spot closest to the call button and keep my eyes open.
Oh, and you're right to be a little creeped out by being; a woman was sexually assaulted the middle of the day when she was the only person riding her blue line car a year or two ago. The attacker got on her car, assaulted her, then got off at the next stop.

I was in this situation yesterday, and I was very uncomfortable. Now that I live in Forest Park, the third car is the one closest to the stairwell when I get off at DesPlaines. There were people in that car when I got on it at Clark and Lake at about 7 p.m. But by Halsted they were all gone and I was the only one in the car. It's tough to know what to do in that situation. Walk between cars, despite the prohibition? Try to run between two cars at a stop? Or just hope for the best. I hoped for the best, and made it okay, but resolved from now on to ride in the first car, even if it means a longer walk at end of my ride.

Don't move between cars or we'll all die!!!

OK, that was a bit much, but seriously.

I was the only passenger on a plane once. That was beyond cool.

Doesn't really bother me. I'm a pretty fit, and at 6'0" 205lbs I'm not likely to be a target for a would be theif. I always make my presence known (I won't be messed with easily) and that I have a keen awareness of whats going on around me. My wife on the other hand always rides the first car if she is traveling alone after dark. Something that is probably a good idea if your not comfortable traveling at night.

I wasn't paying attention yesterday and entered a completely empty car on the Red Line. Only one other guy got on the car at the same time I did. I sat down first in one of the center-facing seats. Then he sat down in the forward facing seat right next to me. That was pretty creepy. He didn't do or say anything and it was broad daylight out but still...why did he have to sit right next to me in an empty car? Creepy.

If I'm going to be the only person on the train it is likely we're approaching the Kimball (Kedzie) station at the end of the Brown line. In that case, I'd rather be in the last car (closest to the street when departing) than in the first car as walking the platform alone can be as scary as riding the train alone. (Perhaps I'm thinking this way because my neighbor was attacked on the Francisco platform before that station closed for repairs.)

I don't really get creeped out when this happens, but I don't feel normal either. I like being alone, it seems nice being able to actually be alone in public in the city without having to tune other people out. It feels weird for the same reason, like was this train schedules to wreck and I'm the only one who doesn't know?

Other people don't freak me out. I got in the habit of always knowing (or trying to know) what is going on around me. So I can plan for any possible occurance and react accordingly.

Yea, most of the time it doesn't work or isn't needed, but it makes me feel better.

I steal CTA maps when I'm alone in a car.

Just kidding.

Cheryl..... did they deny you from sitting in first class?

interesting take about people getting on. i've been on the brown line alone a couple of times and have loved it.. wheeee!

there was a guy who got on with me and then sat by me. i didn't think of these things that you're mentioning. i will always keep them in mind now.

as far as crossing between cars ... i don't regularly do it. i think i've done it 3-5 times in 9 years. but if i thought i needed to, i would do that in a heartbeat rather than stay in a bad spot.

also, when it's late at night or i am not as comfortable riding, i always ride in the first car by the motorman/operator/conductor.

yawn...riding alone...gotta switch to another car blah blah blah...lame..

Cheryl..... did they deny you from sitting in first class?

Posted by: cmama | December 05, 2006 at 04:23 PM

The plane wasn't big enough to have a 1st class section.

The pilot and co-pilot opened the cabin door and I stood there and talked to them and the flight attendant for most of the flight. It was great. When I got off the plane, in St Louis, it was small enough I had to walk on the tarmac. There were 5 people to get me and my luggage to the gate. I felt like a total rock star.

I got on the Red Line once to find that there was only one other person in the car. I soon found out why: he was chain-smoking. I held my breath until the next stop and ran to the next car. Guess he got the best deal out of it: a whole car to himself and a great session of smoking.

I got on the Orange Line at 35th/Archer one Wednesday at around 5:30 PM, going towards the loop, and I was the only one in the car until Library. It was kinda cool. I took a bunch of pictures with my phone...

It was weird being alone during the rush hour though.