CTA – State/Lake

One of my favorite stops. It is also entertaining at times in the afternoon. If you are lucky you will get a chance to see local singers perform, while waiting on the redline train to arrive. They expect tips, if you record them. Getting off and seeing the Chicago theatre, and ESPN never gets old. There are also a few characters outside of the Walgreens store at times.

Train system is pretty convenient. It definitely is not the best smelling but it takes you where you need to go pretty quickly. Wish it was faster to get to and from the airport.

Catch the 24-​hour a day, 7 day a week Red Line here. Be sure to bring your Ventra card or credit card. During rush hour (7am-​9am and 4pm-5:30pm) the trains get quite packed, so be prepared to stand.
Be a gentleman and offer your seat to seniors, disabled, and sometimes I ask women if they’d like a seat. Sometimes I’ve been chided for asking (today’s society and women’s independence? so I don’t always ask).
If taking the escalator up, please remember, stand on the right, walk on the left!
There’s a Dunkin’ Donuts location as well on the Washington side of this stop.

***This is a key CTA station in The Loop where several lines come through; I am a big fan of Chicago’s elevated train system because you can get places pretty far away very quickly at a low fee (fare is $ 2.25 one-​way regardless of the distance; some restrictions on the number of transfers you can have); the Brown Line heading towards Kimbal comes fairly regularly though I wish there were more ticket vending machines here; this station is right next to the Renaissance Chicago Downtown Hotel on Wacker***
I am not sure what the parking situation is here.

The underground redline, this is one of the best stations in Chicago! Across the street from the Chicago Theatre and near ballet, the Art of street performers comes out here. From elegant violin music to guys rapping on the subway home and bystanders break dancing to the organic music, I purposely walk a few extra blocks to wait for the train under the redline sub off of Lake and State street. The licensed street performers have made me cry before, with violin music so beautiful, peaceful asian guqin played equally beautifully, and free street rapping from passengers, so light and awesome. I happily tip with joy, but half of these artists are just people on their way home from work!
Normal people with beautiful voices singing on the train-​ride home like I am living in a fantasy world. I’m serious. There is a magic energy of art that exists here, unlike any I have experience elsewhere in the city. I hope you are lucky enough to at least hear/​catch a glimpse if you pass through. I have on at least seven occasions. No matter what mood I was in, I always felt better.

WHat can I say its the CTA. Often crowded on the redline headed up north. Have to stand, even when I try to leave extra early or extra late. One thing is its always another one coming.

The excitement of riding public transit never fades with. Doesn’t take much to make me happy, so whether I have a seat, a pole or someone’s shoulder to hold onto, I’m a happy camper… I just enjoy watching all the people getting on and off or just getting off, whatever, it’s always a fun ride for me. Love my city, my home, my Chicago and my «prices keep increasing» CTA.

This is my red line stop for work. And the rest of Chicagoans too. It’s packed at rush hour, first because it’s a major transfer stop, second because the platform is just not wide enough, and third because the red line trains are sporadically spaced (and not frequent enough during Cubs season).
The bonus is that there are sometimes performers on the platform to make the crowded, inconsistent waits more enjoyable. Just hope you don’t have to wait too long as their play list may not be long enough.

I really like the Red Line since it is a 24 hour train line. This stop at lake is always bustling with people due to it’s close proximity to state street which is like the hub of big merchandise stores. It is clean and well maintained cta stop on the red line. It’s always the centre of the artistic activity, one will always find people dancing, playing drums and guitars on the train station.

This station is so old and tired. Arguably one of the worst in the CTA system. It’s old and rickety and has the look and feel of a condemned building about to fall down. The CTA should either restore this station or tear it down.
But the rotting wood is just the beginning of what makes this station so terrible. It’s also very cramped to the point of inducing claustrophobia. Very little protection from the elements. And the layout is inconvenient. No crossover bridge, so tough luck if you enter from the wrong stairway.
And worst of all, no connection to the Red Line subway below. This is something the CTA should have sought funding to rectify years ago. It’s one of the biggest embarrassments to the CTA system.

12÷2÷11 Whoever the performers were at 3pm today were wonderful. They were performing some folksy upbeat song with a chorus of ‘all night long.’ It was fun and entertaining and they were pretty good. Exactly what I needed after a bad day.
My favorite part of any good subway stop is the performers.

Ha! I’ll make this short and sweet. The Lake stop is fine; the red line is what it is. Sometimes dirty, sometimes smelly, your basic public transportation. You have to put up with some dreck when you ride with a bunch of strangers, but it sure is convenient.

A good jumping point to head anywhere in the city, but this has to be the most poorly designed CTA station I’ve used.
Familiar with the expansive platforms of the Merchandise Mart and Washington & Wells stations? It’s the polar opposite here. Be careful after you swipe your card and head through the turnstile, because the edge is only another step ahead of you. Making your way down the platform through the human traffic can be very challenging. I’m not sure why a station with so many train lines is so unaccommodating.
This is a very old station (built in 1895), with a number of original features still on display. But it’s time for an upgrade.

The northernmost stop on along the world’s longest subway platform is more useful and, in general, much less objectionable than some of the other stations in the system. Although I find the renovated tile work a bit tacky and the self-​referential State Street themed décor a bit predictable, the station is well-​lit, clean, and pleasant. The situation improved drastically with the 2009 re-​opening of the mezzanine level Pedway connection, which links the Red Line not only with the Blue Line a block west and the Metra Electric and South Shore trains several blocks east, but also with the splendid underground sugar land that is Block 37. Just steps from the turnstile, one can find mind-​blowing cream puffs at Beard Papa, tasty frozen custard at Andy’s, yucky frozen kefir at Starfruit, and a selection of sweets at the long-​awaited iCandy. Random sightings of Channel 2 News personalties (Including Walter Jacobson and Dorothy Parker!) are an added bonus. In fact, the Block 37 Pedway is such a joy that I frequently transfer to Congress trains there, for a 25¢ transfer charge is far preferable to being assaulted by the stench of stale stale urine in the tunnel two stops south at Jackson.
Of course, the Lake Street station is billed as a transfer point between the Loop elevated lines located a half a block north. With the advent of fare cards some years back, this transfer became less of a hassle, but it is still shameful that there is no accessible, indoor connection behind fare controls between the busiest ‘L’ line and the elevated trains in the Loop. Maybe someday we’ll be able to transfer to the Loop elevated with dignity. Recently, the CTA reopened the platform at the Washington Street stop, so it is now possible to walk between Jackson and Lake along the subway platform, which is a fabulous way to get exercise while you’re waiting for your train that hasn’t yet come due to reductions in service. Now the only thing that we’re waiting for is for the Washington stop, along with the free transfer to the Blue Line, to reopen. For this I will not hold my breath.

Every public transportation system has its positives and negatives but the CTA is just fine for me. It’s cleaner than the Tube in London and reaches more of the city than the Bart in San Fran.

The platform at this station makes you feel like you might fall over onto the tracks. During rush hour there isn’t a whole lot of leg room so be careful walking around with so many people waiting to get on the train.

Although the stop smells of urine, it gets ya where ya wanna go. First off, you can transfer lines to all but the Blue line (head one stop west to Clark/​Lake for that). The stop drops you off right in front of the infamous Chicago Theatre (perfect for a full vertical shot of the theatre) and is near the entire theatre and State Street shopping districts. You can head straight north for the Chicago River and get a good view of the Trump Tower, Wrigley Building and Michigan Avenue bridge with the hunky Merchandise Mart in the distance.
The stop looks much better from far away since they’ve added the fun LED color-​changing lighting. See profile picture to see what I mean…