CTA – Kimball

Not directed at at the kimball station per se.
I spend a $ 100 a month on these filthy cattle carts and you won’t give me a grace bus ride so I can renew my pass before getting on the train.
Go F yourself, you company man.

Maybe the CTA should buy a watch for all their employees. Bc it would appear as tho no one knows how to tell time, and just leaves a station whenever they feel like. If it’s posted on a CTA sign when the train is leaving, then it should leave at that time. Not 2−3min early just bc the driver feels like it. I’ve now been late to work, Dr. Appts, and to school bc of this. Most the time while I’m running up to the door and it shuts in my face when I should still have three min to board. The L is suppose to make not having a car an easier option to get around the city, but all it seems to do is cause me more grief and troubles.

I just moved to the area and started taking this trian when my car was in the shop (previous post of mine car got hit in jewel parking lot :(…) not a bad way to get to and from work, when I’m tight on money, or just don’t feel like driving.

this is the final station of the Brown line. The advantage of it is that one can wait in the train before it departs — especially valuable in winter:)

It’s awesome to see a main station be spacious. What struck me was being told the bus service was cut back…
This is way better than the other locations with a small roof and tight platform. If only they can keep this consistency at all other locations!

I am the yuppie dink this neighborhood has been waiting for.
How yuppie?
I have two espresso makers, I do not own a microwave and my shoes are insured. Double– liberal-​arts major in college. Not good enough? I take the CTA daily to Lincoln Park. I win.
The CTA employees here are genuinely smiley, cheery, greeting you and being nice! It threw me for a loop too… Really welcome.
It gets better: The station is covered, yes covered with a roof. I know that seems wondrously advanced– not getting snow, rain and above platform drainage on you whilst waiting for transportation to/​from workplace, but it is true! It is warm with overhead cover! It has a newsstand selling candy, newspapers– No Vogue Magazine though (see yuppie, above).
Can’t be perfect, I suppose.
Look, I’ve lived in some sketchy places… The people here are working class which is profoundly different from thugs threatening you bodily and following you home.
The kids seem largely to be petite poseurs in hip-​hop gear desperate for approval, not mugging victims. Maybe I’m wrong, but if YOU tell them «Awww Cute!» they blush like the kids they are and give you no trouble. It must be the yuppie in me.

Now that there is a Taco China and Coffee Beanery across the street, the stop has improved greatly. They have also cleaned up the station a bit and put some fancy designed pillars in the front.
My one complaint is that there is this weird CTA worker who reserves the single seats on the el for the attractive females. While the train is sitting idle, he sits in the seat and then, once a good looking woman boards the train he offers the seat to them AND hands them a copy of the Red Eye. I think I makes some of the women uncomfortable. I don’t blame them.
A previous review mentioned how there are no yuppies. I think that is changing. This is the station for North Park also. NP is the neighborhood north of Lawrence and it is/​has gentrifying (ied) because you can buy actual houses with yards and garages. Moreover, North Park University (a private and very anglo Christian college) is expanding. I lived in Roscoe Village during the leaner years and see the same changes that happened there happening around this station. Most notably the BBQ joint and Starbucks on Foster.

Pros: The beginning or end of the line depending on which way you’re going. If you are are getting on, it is great because you don’t have to look for a seat. You won’t miss a train like the others have said. There is always one waiting.
Cons:
The stop is kind of run down architecturally and the crowd can be iffy.
The timing of train arrivals is not usually coordinated with the Kimball bus (82) or the Lawrence 24 hour bus (81). Since CTA bus times are so inconsistent, you may be waiting at a stop for 10 – 25 minutes depending on the day and time.
Whoever said that it is only a 10 minute ride on the Lawrence bus from Kimball to the red line must take fast buses. Your travel time will vary a lot depending on the time of day you go out to the red line. I have had it take almost 30 minutes before. The Lawrence bus is a good option if you have to get to the red line and the brown line isn’t running. The brown line is not running 24 hours.
The hood:
Albany Park is not known for its high caliber crowd. Don’t go to the neighborhood expecting yuppies from Lincoln Park.
You will see a lot of diversity and possibly some gang members. Most people don’t want trouble with you, but I wouldn’t go out of your way to look lost, out of place, or be extra friendly to people. Mind your own business and don’t try to make friends… but definitely don’t try to make enemies either.

I avoid this station like the plague (which I think you could catch by walking through this dump). During the day, it’s tolerable, but in the evenings I purposely walk an extra two-​three blocks over to the Kedzie station to avoid this cess-​pool.
At least the trains are always waiting there so it’s not like you can «miss» one. Please give yourself plenty of time to get where you want to go. The schedules say it’s about 30 minutes to the loop but it can typically run as much as an hour or more on weekends.

Ok, I have to admit I’m partial to this stop because I grew up around the corner from here. My family originally lived by Lawrence & Spaulding, then moved close to Kimball & Leland. You know you’re a Chicagoan when you base your move on how close the CTA is to you.
This is the first stop of the Brown Line, and I like the fact that there is always a train there waiting for you. You don’t have to fight for seats here. Over the years, I have perfected the art of finding the «best seat». I know exactly which car to go to, and which seat is perfect for me, depending on the stop. When I reach my destination, the doors open and the stairs are right in front of me. No hassling through crowds.
And the single seats are awesome. The Brown Line deserves 5 stars for the single seats, alone. There are always vendors outside, and I’ve gotten a good amount of of paletas, champurrado, and tamales here. The actual Brown Line service can be slow at times (due to construction), so take note that it takes about an hour to get to the Loop.

This is a great stop if you are heading to the loop. There is always a train waiting for you so you don’t have to crook your neck looking for a train every few minutes. There are tons of seats open and you can score a single seat!
There are some interesting characters hanging out on Lawrence so be alert for that. I see some interesting stuff on my way home from this station at night. Since I live between both stations, I like getting off at Kedzie and walking down Kedzie. There are less creeps over here for some reason?