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Posts in category "Overheard"

10 rules for tourists on how to use CTA Red Line to Cubs game

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Yes folks, it’s that time again. Opening Day at Wrigley Field. The crack of the bat. The sight of lush grass on the diamond. The smell of onions and beer. The drunk out-of-towner trying to stumble his way to Wrigley on the Red Line. For that last scenario, here are 10 tips to ease the... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
April 4, 2012 at 7:22 pm
• 10 comments

Ranting racist CTA passenger sounds like he "lives in a van by the river"

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We’ve written many times about loud, obnoxious cellers on the CTA who scream into the phone about bloody moles and what they are ordering for dinner. But this guy takes the cake. He literally screams the entire time about the current situation in Israel with the the Palestinians. And he sounds an awful lot like... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
December 9, 2011 at 7:08 am
• 6 comments

Ex-inmate still rides CTA rails for money - and hassles passengers

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Here’s a familiar CTA beggar going off on a passenger for having the temerity to question his sincerity. This is the guy who “got out of prison” a few years ago and is trying to set his life straight. That’s fine, but I suggest you not verbally harass folks who might give you money. Hat... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
November 30, 2011 at 6:37 am
• 13 comments
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Sights seen and heard on a CTA Sunday excursion

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I need to use the CTA more at times and days other than weekdays at rush hour. On Sunday I was heading to visit my daughter in Logan Square. As soon as I boarded the Red Line I saw the seat in front of me filled with a bag of sunflower seeds and shells. What... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
November 6, 2011 at 11:03 pm
• 7 comments

"All aboard! All aboard! ALL ABOARD! Use all 16 doors!"

Now that’s a Red Line motorman in a hurry to get his passengers where they need to go – and quickly. “Passengers use all available doors – use all doors. There are 16 doors on this train – use them all!” But if I did that, wouldn’t that slow you down a lot? Yeah, I... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
July 4, 2011 at 7:00 am
• 5 comments

Got earbuds? Got milk!

For some reason I am touched when I see buds sharing buds. It’s fun to see them mouthing words or critiquing the music. Of course, when one also enjoys her milk, it’s an even better image. (CTA Tattler photo)... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
June 5, 2011 at 9:09 pm
• 4 comments
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How to handle a woman who theatens you with assault on the CTA

On Monday I shared tips on “What to do if you have problems with mentally ill, homeless on the CTA.” Now I realize I should have covered what to do if a belligerent woman gets in your face and threatens to assault you. That’s what a guy on the Red Line faced earlier this year... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
May 23, 2011 at 9:16 pm
• 4 comments

CTA in haiku: The CTA commuter couple soap opera

CTA in haiku: The CTA commuter couple soap opera
Another in a series of CTA haikus by Jen Masengarb.   commuter couplemost mornings they laugh, todayhe won’t look at her Chicago haiku no. 57 | March 2011 Do you routinely see couples on the CTA? How do they act? Here’s a generalization – I have found that gay couples are more loving to each... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
April 12, 2011 at 10:28 pm
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Sisters cart their lives onto the Red Line

At least a dozen times this winter I’ve seen two sisters in matching long, wool coats, matching red scarves, and matching green hats, sitting on the Red Line in the area set aside for a wheelchair. But instead of a wheelchair, they placed what perhaps is all their earthly belongings. And it looks like they’ve... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
March 28, 2011 at 7:25 pm
• 4 comments
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"El Stories" travels familiar territory on the Red Line

It really could be any average Red Line trip from Jackson in the south Loop to Howard at the top of Chicago in Rogers Park. But the talented actors with the Waltzing Mechanics liven things up by re-enacting true “El Stories” gathered in interviews from Red Line commuters and brought to the stage at City... Read more »
By Kevin O'Neil,
February 13, 2011 at 4:43 pm
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