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.

“Good Fortune” Screening at Overflow Coffee Bar March 22, 2012

Good Fortune is an award-winning documentary

Overflow Coffee Bar, 1550 S. State St., will be screening the acclaimed documentary Good Fortune on Thursday, March 22, 2012 from 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM (CT).

Good Fortune explores how massive, international efforts to alleviate poverty in Africa may be undermining the very communities they aim to benefit. Through intimate portraits of two Kenyans battling to save their homes from large-scale development organizations, the film presents a unique opportunity to experience foreign aid through the eyes of the people it is intended to benefit.

On the outskirts of Nairobi, Silva’s home and business in Africa’s largest squatter community are being demolished as part of a United Nations slum-upgrading project. In the rural countryside, Jackson’s farm is being flooded by an American investor who hopes to alleviate poverty by creating a multi-million dollar rice farm.

Interweaving meditative portraits of its characters, Good Fortune examines the real-world impact of international aid. With a broad scope and intimate style, the film portrays gripping stories of human perseverance and suggests that the answers for Africa lie in the resilience of its people.

7:00 - Pre-screening Networking. Bring business cards and get to know the other people who’ll be watching the film.
7:30 - Welcome and Introduction.
7:40 - Film begins.
8:53 - Film concludes. Bathroom and coffee break.
9:05 - Discussion.

While 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.

For additional information and to reserve your tickets, click here.