RedEye

Submit caption for this CTA photo

2010-02-09T23:05:46Z

Western Avenue is the longest road in the city, and it looks like it also has a long wait for buses. The photo below was sent to "Going Public" by Natalie Ryan, 31, of Portage Park. Submit a caption for the photo in comments below....

CTA cuts: Bus bunching lives on

2010-02-09T22:50:25Z

"Going Public" recently asked CTA riders to detail their commute before and after the CTA service cuts took effect this week. Travis Hartinger, 32, of Ravenswood previously wrote about how he considered buying a car because of service reductions. The rest of the "Sojournal" series is here."When I got to the Rosemont Blue Line stop, the 'L' usually gets there between 4:16-4:18 p.m. This time it did not get there till roughly 4:20-4:21 p.m., but got to my stop, California, roughly the same time as usually.I checked the CTA Bus Tracker and saw that I had to do a quick jog otherwise I was waiting about another 10-12 minutes 'til the next one came.Caught the bus and took it to...

Two new CTA Bus Tracker kiosks installed

2010-02-09T22:38:18Z

Two new Bus Tracker kiosks have been installed in Wicker Park area shops, according to a spokesman for the planning and development arm of the Wicker Park/Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.Have these kiosks helped you deal with service cuts?Kiosks were recently placed at City Soles/Niche, 1566 N. Damen Ave., and Challengers Comics, 1845 N. Western Ave., the spokesman said.Kiosks also are at:>> Wicker Park/Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, 1414 N. Ashland Ave.>> Caffe de Luca, 1721 N. Damen Ave.>> Wow & Zen, 1912 N. Damen Ave.>> The Silver Room, 1442 N. Milwaukee Ave.>> Myopic Books, 1564 N. Milwaukee Ave.>> Red Hen Bread, 1623 N. Milwaukee Ave.>> Gallery Café, 1760 W. North Ave.>> W Grocer, 2060 W. North Ave.>> Office of First Ward...

PHOTOS from @redeyechicago's snowstorm tweetup

2010-02-09T22:22:39Z

During our last big snow, @crushgear and I organized an impromptu snow tweetup -- aka snowball fight -- in Pioneer Court - just in case anyone felt like coming out and saying hi in the storm.We had about 4 people show up. This time, we tried for something a little bigger and came closer to 25. Thanks to everyone who showed up. Here are some of the photos....

How's your evening commute on the CTA?

2010-02-09T21:40:50Z

Evening commuters yesterday got their first taste of CTA service cuts. Today may be worse, thanks to a snow storm that is supposed to peak during the evening rush hour. Share your evening commute below. Based on Twitter postings yesterday, it seemed like the Red Line was greatly impacted by the cuts.Theoretically, riders on the Pink and Brown Lines will feel the cuts first since afternoon train service on those lines has been reduced. Frequency of evening trains on all rail lines except the Yellow Line has been reduced.In ideal conditions, riders would likely have to wait an extra one to two minutes for trains and two to five minutes for buses. And when those buses and trains arrive, they...

CTA cuts: Bring back midnight buses

2010-02-09T20:37:07Z

"Going Public" recently asked CTA riders to detail their commute before and after the CTA service cuts took effect this week. Tanya Vega, 40, of Austin previously wrote about how she wouldn't be able to see local bands because of service reductions. The rest of the "Sojournal" series is here."Life before the CTA cuts: Easier access to public transit at (most) hours of the night. I was fortunate (if you can say that) to witness the CTA cuts firsthand since the band i was reviewing at Elbo Room finished near midnight.Surprisingly, the Saturday schedule was still in operation for my ride home. The last bus going northbound on Central Avenue did run at 1:50 a.m. Life after CTA cuts: Monday's journey...

CTA cuts: No manners on the bus

2010-02-09T17:43:58Z

"Going Public" recently asked CTA riders to detail their commute before and after the CTA service cuts took effect this week. Natalie Ryan, 31, of Portage Park, previously wrote about how she considered riding her bike to avoid service reductions. The rest of the "Sojournal" series is here. Ryan's letter continues after the jump."My commute to the suburbs hasn't been affected except there are more people riding the PACE I catch from Des Plaines Metra to Schaumburg, and none of them seem to really understand why/how/when the service cuts came.I don't know if PACE should have done more to inform their ridership or if suburbanites are really just that oblivious or perhaps egocentric that they didn't think their route would...

Chicago snowstorm: We need YOUR photos

2010-02-09T15:55:52Z

Here we go - I love seeing your snow photos for our social media projects. Look below the photos to see how to send us yours and be a part of all the excitement....

Basketball belongs in Winter Olympics

2010-02-09T05:15:25Z

I feel like we need a breather from regular-season NBA games. Not every year--more like every four. Nothing too lengthy, either; two weeks is fine. Come to think of it, star players could compete in an international tournament of some kind, where they give out medals and play the anthem of the winning nation.Where is it written that Winter Olympics events have to involve snow and/or ice?...

2do for Feb. 9

2010-02-09T04:56:09Z

To prestoWatch magician Sean Masterson's magic show at 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through March 23 (excluding Feb. 23) at In Fine Spirits (5418 N. Clark St.). $13To saveBuy a $100 spa gift card and get an additional $50 free at any Halo [For Men] location through Saturday. Visit halochicago.com.To winEnter the Crate & Barrel Ultimate Wedding contest with your fiance for the chance to score a wedding worth $100,000. ultimateweddingcontest.com....

CTA cuts hit some harder than others

2010-02-09T04:44:40Z

"Going Public" braced for a CTA avalanche Monday and got light snow showers instead.After weeks of fielding readers' concerns about doomsday scenarios, "GP" prepared for the worst this week. Some riders wrote in that their commutes were aggravated by packed buses and delayed trains, but many of you wrote in to say you didn't notice a change to your morning schedules....

Five on Five: U-S-A, U-S-A!

2010-02-09T03:09:04Z

Wanna be in Wednesday's print edition of RedEye? Just answer these five questions, followed by your name and, voila, it just might happen. 1. How could Patrick Kane playing for the U.S. hockey team go wrong? 2. What are the chances the Bulls pull off a big trade before the Feb. 18 deadline? 3. Biggest sporting event of the weekend: NBA All-Star Game, Daytona 500 or Olympics? 4. Vancouver is dealing with a lack of snow as the Olympics approaches. What's the solution? 5. What would be essential to a Daytona 500 viewing party?Next, go to our Facebook Fives, where you can answer one again, then rank other users' responses....

RedEye's gonna race in the Chiditarod, and we want YOU.

2010-02-08T21:45:24Z

We're gonna take on Metromix in Chicago's largest mobile food drive, and we want YOU. Photo: Chicago TribuneDear RedEye friends, fans, followers, tweeters, readers and wavers, If you're quick on your feet, amazingly creative and a big fan of RedEye, we want you on our team when RedEye gears up to run the Chiditarod March 6.Wait, Chidita-what? You heard us right the first time. The Chiditarod, now in its fifth year, is a mobile food drive that basically involves five people racing a shopping cart around Wicker Park in costume.As the event organizers say, the event is "1 part food drive, 1 part pub-crawl, 1 part costumed race, all parts radtacular." (Check out the Chiditarod online network here.) ... I'm...

CTA riders: Tweet us with your p.m. rush hour experiences

2010-02-08T21:02:26Z

This morning, I sent out a tweet asking people riding and waiting for the CTA to chronicle what the commute was like. Together with RedEye's never-tiring CTA reporter, Tracy Swartz, we were able to keep Chicago up to speed like no other team in the city.We're doing the same thing for afternoon rush hour. If you see long lines, long waits, extra crowded buses and trains - whatever - please tweet them to @redeyechicago with the hashtag #redeyecutsIn the meantime, click through for a healthy dose of what people tweeted to us this morning plus lots of other useful coverage from Tracy....

Using Facebook Ads to get hired? Heck yes.

2010-02-08T15:47:08Z

I remember landing my first journalism job after college. It was three weeks before graduation, and I drove exactly 89 miles each way on six occasions for interviews. Even if Facebook and online social networking tools in general existed in (cough, cough) 1995, I probably wouldn't have thought of what Thomas Pardee did. But that said, I think his idea is pretty genius.Pardee, 22, of Lakeview, paid for self-promotional ads on Facebook and specifically targeted the company he wants to work for most. That means Conde Nast employees may feel like they know Pardee, even though he doesn't work there.I chatted with Pardee online (of course). Here are some excerpts from our conversation:For my first job, I called, sent resumes and...