During weekly field trips, cherubs from around the world flooded Chicago L trains into the city. Some found aspects of Chicago’s public transit system superior to the more famous New York subway. For some, it was an aspect of their daily routine.
Kieran Blake, of Chicago takes the Red Line to his high school every day. He has witnessed delays due to doors malfunctioning and has seen “human feces” on the floor. However, Blake remains grateful for the system.
“I still appreciate the CTA because it gives me a way to get to and from any place in Chicago without having to drive,” Blake said.
Fiona Kiely of New York takes New York’s M86 bus to school every day and the 6 train to downtown New York regularly. She said she wishes New York would adopt the efficiency of tapping instead of swiping a card to enter the station.
“I really enjoyed the way of getting into the station,” Kiely said. “The tapping worked very nicely. Whereas in New York, we have a tapping system now, but the main system is the Metro card, which I think Chicago’s completely fazed out.”
On the train, Kai Shah of Burlingame, California, makes connections with commuters. During his second L train trip, Shah approached a man in a Vanderbilt sweatshirt and talked to him about college sports.
“People let out their thoughts by talking,” Shah said. “You never know if someone’s having a crappy day, you just talk to them.”
