CTA BUS ROUTE #X4 - COTTAGE GROVE EXPRESS

Another express bus. Phooey. Those only run during rush hours, which means I have to go down one afternoon, spend the nite, and return the next morning. Oh well.
I see I haven't done any since October, so I might as well get to it before gardening season hits.

On a bright sunny late afternoon, a Wednesday, January 28, I left for the big city, and the next bus route. This one leaves from Chicago and Mies Van der Rohe Drive ( right on the south side of the Museum of Contemporary Art), and I took the very first one of the afternoon, which left promptly at 3:27 pm. It was 22 degrees. I had been putting off and putting off doing another route because of the cold, but finally I figured "Hey, all those commuters have to get out in the cold to go to work; maybe I should share that experience. And sorry about these dark pictures. It wasn't dark; I don't know what happened.
The Cottage Grove Express covers the exact same route as the Cottage Grove, just less stops.
The bus had rather dirty windows (although nothing compared to the one I took back up to Hyde Park; I couldn't even see out of those - literally. But I managed some fairly nice pics. We went down Michigan Avenue again.


And here let me pose a question. What exactly is the point of the openness of the bus shelters? Yes, they shield you from rain and sun, but not cold or more importantly, wind. Basically, they are open on all four sides, street side being wide open of course, but those plastic walls on the other three sides are open at the tops, bottoms, and sides. Why?
And this time I noticed all the flags blowing in the courtyard just north of the Wrigley Building. I had never noticed those before. Maybe because they were blowing so hard in the wind. It was 19 degrees at Lake and Michigan, but toasty warm inside the bus.
Everybody is dressing in black now - a sign of the dreadful economic times? And everything along Boul Mich looked dour and gloomy, dirty snow everywhere. It was all so tired looking, and I noticed that many other buses had even filthier windows. But then, at that time, so did my own car, and just maybe my view is altered by these dirty windows, because it really is a
beautiful day out. I don't think our city should be seen this way, through dirty bus windows, but I do appreciate the enormous task of keeping them clean in winter. Lots of yellow "falling ice" signs on the sidewalks.

Again through McCormick Place which was very well shoveled and cleared. The sun is blinding on the west side of the bus when it breaks free of buildings. I couldn't take a picture if I wanted to. (I am sitting on that side.)

This picture was taken at 29th and MLK Drive.











And the quirky bench was at 35th and MLK Drive. I don't think they're too bad, considering the state of the windows.

The bus turns east at 35th to Cottage Grove. Past the James R. Doolittle, Jr. Public School, the West Point (?) Missionary Baptist Church, and still the mysterious (to me) Abraham Lincoln Centre at Pershing "since 1905". Especially the spelling of that "centre". French.
Now the playgrounds and courtyards and empty lots are all footprintless (probably not in the dictionary, but it says what I want). And I can't take any pictures because of the blinding sun. Those empty lots are beautiful now.

Washington Park at close of day.



Past the Hale Franciscan High School. It is 20 degrees at 51st Street at 4:15. Now into Hyde Park, past the Illinois National Guard Armory, that beautiful Art Deco Building. Past the Du Sable Museum, well worth a visit.



Here you get some idea of the state of the windows. Still Washington Park

There are lots and lots for "For Rent" signs now. But on a recent trek down Howard Street on the north end of Chicago, I saw the very same thing. And here I feel a need to confess. There had been a woman sitting in front of me all the way from the start who had very long, light brown dreadlocks that looked exactly like wool. They were lovely, but like the Chinese when they first saw red hair, I had this terrible urge to reach out and touch them. I resisted successfully.

In an area that I think is called Park Grove are simply the most gorgeous old buildings. And way down south, looking down the side streets (because now there are no leaves to obstruct the view), most of the homes look just like the one I live in, bungalows.
I couldn't resist this - "Founded by God" Oh, Really?





This building is called ( I think) The Brookline building. Lovely. ( below)




I did not note the time we arrived at the last stop, unfortunately, but I don't think a whole lot of time is saved between this express and the regular Cottage Grove run.
Next morning, the bus I took down from 67th, was going to turn into the express bus going back, so all I had to do was get out and take pictures. That was nice. It left at 8:15, exactly one hour after I had left those relatives' house, walked to 67th and Cottage Grove, and waited for the regular #4 to arrive and take me down to 94th. And as you can see from the pictures, the bus sign was snapped the day before, in bright sunshine.
















This express was really crowded by 90th Street already. Now on the east side of the bus, I do see poverty and unkempt homes. Burnside? Not sure. A cloudy, overcast morning. Low sky. 22 degrees, same as yesterday pm. Again past the See Thru Chinese Kitchen. One day I'm going to have to go in there. All the young men, both yesterday and today, look so angry. At the world? At 77th, at 75th, there are magnificent buildings. The bus was so crowded that I didn't have the nerve to raise my camera from my lap and take pictures. It didn't feel like the time or place to play the tourist. By the time we got to the south end of the Oak Woods Cemetery, the bus was totally crammed. The bus driver had to keep asking people to move back. The thought occured to me that there would be more room if we all weren't so large, myself included. It is nice to see, though, that the cemetary has plowed the sidewalk all along its perimeter. Unfortunately, people still were walking in the street on the other side because they couldn't see over the snow banks to that plowed sidewalk. I only knew it was there because I had driven by it in my car. At 67th at 8:37 am.

Another incredible building at 64th. (This bus has limited stops between 94th and 14th Streets.) North of the University of Chicago the bus finally unjammed. The South Shore Bank at 47th is a real beauty. At 43rd, I saw outside a child so bundled up in an orange snowsuit that he (she) actually was wobbling as he (she) stood. Reminded me of the kid in "The Christmas Story".

By 32nd, it's really getting emptier, and there is one of those neat benches here. At 14th by 9:12. And looking out, it seems very windy now. It certainly wasn't when I was standing, waiting to go south from 67th earlier.

Agora in the snow.











Right above - if you look very close, you can see the worker in the tree at the Art Institute, at 9:20 am.


I just liked the outlines of this bare tree in the garden just north of the AI.











Chicago in winter. The lights are still on the trees in Millenium Park. Do they stay on all year?

A question in the window of the McCormick Freedom Museum, which is taking its act on the road soon.
"Would freedom fall without democracy?" Food for thought.

9:30 am. Back at Chicago and Mies. I am sooo glad to be done with these rush hour routes, at least for a while.

Sixth one down

Postscript - I will not be doing the next route, the N5, South shore night bus. It runs basically during the wee small hours, and even I am not that obsessed. What could I see out the window anyway?