CTA takes a step back on Ventra Card

According to the Chicago Tribune, the CTA will allow Chicago Card customers, who haven’t transitioned to the Ventra Card, to add value to their cards. And they will continue to cell magnetic strip transit cards at train stations. This after CTA previously announced that sales of magnetic strip cards would cease on Monday.

We registered our Ventra Card about a week ago. The instructions sent via e-mail didn’t quite match up to the experience with the Ventra Web site. The e-mail link didn’t take us to the proper landing page, so it took a while to figure out where we needed to be, so to speak, to register our card. We called the Ventra customer service and waited about 30 minutes for an operator. When we did speak with a customer service representative, we found her to be polite and helpful. She walked us through the process and answered our questions. Our old balance transferred and all was go, except, it didn’t work on my first bus ride (the bus driver waved us on-board), and it wouldn’t work at the Quincy turnstile while we were trying to get on the Orange Line during rush hour. It eventually worked at another Quincy turnstile, but it was a bit frustrating.

Have you transitioned to the Ventra Card? If you have, how is it working for you? We’d love to hear from you—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

To read the article in the Tribune, click here.

Shooting at Roosevelt Road CTA Station

According to a report in the Chicago Tribune, bullets grazed two men this morning just after 11 a.m. by the Roosevelt Rd. Red Line station.

Both men were taken to Northwestern Memorial in good condition.

For updates on this story, visit the Tribune Web site.

Poverty in America —It’s not what you think

Overflow Coffee Bar, 1550 S. State St., in partnership with World Vision is presenting the documentary film

The Line May 28, 2013 at 7 p.m. The documentary will be screened at The Venue 1550 at the State St. address.

The Line documents the stories of people across the country living at or below the poverty line. They have goals. They have children. They work hard. They are people like you and me. Across America, millions are struggling every day to make it above The Line.

The core purpose of World Vision in Chicago is to bring together passionate people who share a desire for serving with the poor. World Vision’s programs, global reach, and opportunities to engage are available right here in Chicago. Today, World Vision works to serve and partner with more than 60,000 people each year from almost every Chicago neighborhood and across Chicago’s suburban communities.

The film is 40 minutes long so there will be plenty of time for discussion (meeting may end before 9pm).

Transit/Parking – Overflow encourages the use of public transit (Red Line, #29, #62 and other buses are close), limited parking is available in the rear of the building on a first come first served basis. Bring $3 for your spot. No one will be in the lot to take it. You can pay at the ticket check-in table.

To reserve your ticket in advance, click here.


Overflow Coffee Bar is a community coffee shop dedicated to giving South Loop residents, students and workers the opportunity to change the world. To learn more visit their Web site.

Troquet: Out of the (South) Loop, but worth the trip

From the inside looking out at Troquet

Troquet in Ravenswood
Troquet at 1834 W. Montrose  calls itself as a neighborhood French bar. We’ve been to a few French bars, but we’re hardly experts, so we’ll have to take their word for it. One thing is for sure, if you’re interested in good food and drink at moderate prices, you can’t go wrong. Only open since March of this year, Troquet has quickly developed a loyal following. On a steaming Thursday evening at 7 p.m., it was practically full to capacity. It’s dining area isn’t incredibly large, but there is ample outdoor seating, when the weather cooperates. The menu isn’t large, but they do have daily specials, which keeps things interesting. There are no entrees over $12, all of which are served with French fries (pommes frites) and salad.

Salmon served with salad and pommes frites

Our recent visit
On our visit we had the mussels with fries. The mussels, from Washington State, were tender and flavorful in a light sauce that our waiter suggested we use as a dip for our French fries. Good tip! The fries were excellent: hot, crisp, nicely seasoned and served with a mayonnaise sauce (just in case you didn’t like the sauce from the mussels). The soup of the day was cold carrot, which was ideal on the hot evening we visited. For the main course we ordered the fish of the day: grilled salmon. The salmon was expertly prepared. It was moist and flavorful. The manager suggested we put some of the mayonnaise sauce on the fish, which we did. Another good suggestion, even though we thought the salmon was flavorful enough on its own. We ended with mousee “Troquet” (chocolate and nutella) and Teurgoule (cinnamon rice pudding), the only two desserts on the menu. Both were excellent.

Easy to get to
Troquet is easy to get to from the South Loop using CTA. You can take the Red Line to Fullerton, switch to the Brown Line, and take it to the Montrose stop. From there, it’s less than a half block walk west.


Hours of operation
Troquet’s hours of operation are Sunday to Thursday noon to midnight; Friday and Saturday noon to 2 a.m. For more information, visit their Web site or call the restaurant at 773.334.5664. Troquet is owned by the same company (LM) that owns and operates Brasserie at 800 S. Michigan Ave.

Community Meeting To Discuss CTA Green Line Station at Cermak

On March 22nd at 7:00PM, the Chicago Transit Authority and the Chicago Department of Housing and Economic Development will be hosting a community meeting to discuss the proposed CTA Green Line Station at Cermak. The meeting will be held in Room 203 at Columbia College, 623 S. Wabash Ave.    

For more information, please contact, James Cox, Project Manager at 312-744-0097. 

Around the South Loop: 2011 Volume 5: The Big Thaw

It may have hit 60 degrees today, but the wind made it feel a little cooler than that. In spite of the wind, it still felt like spring. With the thaw came the puddles in the streets and on the sidewalks; if there was ever a day to wear rubbers on your shoes, today was that day. I enjoyed the warmer weather today by traveling around the city.

All I need to know I learned from the CTA.

Out with the old: getting ready for the new restaurant to replace Opera?

These Gery Chico signs didn't stay up very long, but I have the proof they existed.

Flirty Cupcakes was out and about; when this photo was taken, they were at Lake and Wells.

A lot of snow is melting in the South Loop.

Smoke in Red Line Subway

The Chicago Transit Authority reported smoke in the Red Line subway this morning, sending firefighters to the scene, reports Crain's. According to the Chicago Tribune, smoke was reported between the Lake St. and Grand and State St. stations. A 9:35 a.m.posting by the CTA said trains were being rerouted to the elevated tracks between Fullerton and Cermack-Chinatown stations.

According the a posting to the CTA Web site, service on the "Red Line has resumed, but residual delays may occur. Service was disrupted due to Fire Department activity near Lake." The posting goes on to say allow for "extra travel time."

No injuries have been reported.

"Chicago Code" Filming at 444 N. Michigan Ave. on Monday

If you're able and interested, Chicago Code, the new Fox TV series starring Jennifer Beals and Jason Clarke, will be filming at 444 N. Michigan Ave. on Monday December 6, 2010. Chicago Code, originally was called Ride-Along and has been filming in and around the city since the summer. Last Wednesday after work,  I caught them filming inside the CTA lobby on Lake St.
 
The new Fox police drama debuts the day after the Super Bowl on February 7, 2011. For a little taste of what's in store, check out the official trailer below. How many Chicago locations can you recognize?

Fire at 1326 South Michigan Ave.

Commercial Property in Flames
An empty commercial  building at 1326 S. Michigan Ave. is burning this morning. According to The Chicago Sun-Times, the fire was reported at 3:20 a.m. Early-morning winds have hampered fire-fighting efforts. the fire burned through the roof and as of 7:44 a.m., firefighters are still trying to put out the blaze.

Firefighters attempt to put out fire at 1326 S. Michigan

Traffic Rerouted
The fire has forced the closure of S. Michigan Ave. from 16th Street to Roosevelt Rd. CTA buses, including the numbers 1, 3, 4, and 12 have been rerouted to avoid the fire.

Traffic being redirected away from Michigan Ave. at 16th

Check back to see video footage from the scene.

Is it really "Doomsday" in Chicago?

"How bad is it?"
We're now into our fourth day since the the CTA made cuts to buses and train service. So, I'm asking, "How bad is it?"


What's changed?
Since late September, I have been traveling from the South Loop to Evanston for work. I generally take the number 12 bus to the Roosevelt Rd. train station. From there, I take the Red Line north to Belmont, and then take the Purple Line express to Davis. For me, nothing much has changed.

I decided to start walking the five blocks to Roosevelt Rd. on Monday, more for exercise than a time-saver, but other than that, it's the same commute, no better, no worse. The Red Line seems to come along fairly regularly (as it did before) and so does the Purple Line express. I'm sure there is another side to this story from folks who primarily take the bus (or buses) to work.

Your experiences
So, I'll ask again, "How bad is it?" Let me know your experiences, good or bad, and don't forget to take the CTA poll on this page.

CTA cuts: how will they affect you?

Oh, how I hate to get up in the morning.
Will the new CTA cuts affect your morning and evening commutes? Will you have to get up an extra hour just to make it to work on time due to the elimination of some express buses?

Has "Doomsday" finally arrived in Chicago?
What do you think about the CTA's management overall? It seems like this isn't the "typical" doomsday scenario we're used to. It looks like services will be cut this Sunday; they're doesn't seem to be a rescue in the works this time.

Take the CTA poll.
Let us know how the CTA cuts will affect you by participating in the poll on this page and feel free to offer up any other comments on this blog.