Adventures on the Rails (From February 2012)

I realize that there are still, after almost 2 years, so many new things to see and do here in Chicago, but sometimes I am just amazed when I stumble upon a new thing that I really like and will miss when I don’t have access to it any more.  My latest is the commuter train.

The company I work for moved its corporate, and division, offices to a huge, shiny, new/old “campus” late last year.  I say new/old because it was formerly the offices of another large company, abandoned during the recession, and purchased by Navistar for a sweet price.  After months of renovations, people started moving in last November, and continued through January, until the place filled up almost to capacity.  That might sound simple, but you have to understand – this place consists of 9 buildings, 5 which are older, 3-story (actually 4-story as there is a lower level underground) office spaces, each holding hundreds of workers, 3 that make up the newer “front” buildings, glass and steel modern constructions with a huge, ugly front feature that resembles an enormous satellite dish, and one “building” underground.

In the middle of all these buildings is a large pond – large enough that I could actually call it a lake.  Glassed-in walkways that look like hamster tubes over the pond connect buildings 5 and 8 to 1, where the cafeteria and training rooms are.  There are Starbucks and Red Mango “break” areas which threaten to break us all who have become addicted to the afternoon coffee or smoothie break.  There are 2 fitness centers that offer classes throughout the day, open areas for informal exchanges of ideas (meetings), and the whole place is designed to encourage collaborative thinking among the various divisions and departments of the company.

The office is really nice, although many managers have had to adjust to cubicles or un-ceilinged offices, and for those of us that live in the actual Chicago area, our commute has doubled.  To help alleviate the pain of commuting, the company arranged with the suburb bus service to provide a pick-up/drop-off service between local train stations and the office.

At first I thought taking the train to work would be too expensive and time-consuming, but once the first real snow was forecast on a Friday, threatening my ability to drive from work without extreme anxiety, I checked into what would be involved in becoming a Metra commuter.  After some research, I found the nearest bus to my house that would deposit me at Union Station, where the train to Lisle would depart.  A 3-block walk at 6:30 a.m. is doable, and in the evening, there’s a stop only a block away.  Sweet.

Next was the train schedule and price.  My bad luck is that the rates were increasing as of February 1, so I only had a couple of weeks to enjoy the lower price.  Still, I could get a monthly, unlimited pass for about what it would cost in gas to drive back and forth 5 days a week.  The cost of the bus on each end morning and evening was a small addition, not much more than the toll for the toll-road I had to take when driving.

So far, so good, but then I realized that taking the train limited me to a pretty strict time table.  Getting to work in the morning was not the problem – I had the option of a 6:30 (if I really had insomnia), 7:01, or 7:20 train out, and they were all express, which meant I would have only a 30-minute ride.  In the evening, not so great.  The bus pick-up at the office was a choice of 4:40 or 5:15, to catch a 5:08 train to the city that was also express, or to catch a 5:40 train that stopped at every possible place between Lisle and Union Station, taking just over an hour.  Should I have a need to stay at work past 5:15, someone would have to drive me to the station to catch a 6:40 train, and if I missed that, the next train was not until 8:40.  Seems most people keep regular 9-5 work hours.  At my office, a 5:30 meeting is not out of the question, and when you drive, is not a problem.

Okay, so I could manage the “early” day most of the time, but what about those long days during quarter-end close, or when there was a meeting, or training offsite, or whatever??  Well, I’d just have to drive some days, which makes the monthly pass not so desirable.  My best option is a 10-ride pass which is slightly discounted from pay-as-you-go tickets.  This would allow me to train it 2-3 days a week, and drive the rest, at a reasonable cost.  Especially considering the near $5 price of gas in Chicago.

That’s a lot of explaining to say how I became a real city-fied commuter.  And I have found a way to make my day a little less stressful by having an hour of quiet time, albeit bumpy and swaying at times because those express trains move pretty fast.  I can read, play on my ipad, or just stare out the window.  When it gets warmer and the days are longer, I can actually walk from home to Union Station, and back, and save the bus fare along with getting exercise and more relax time (I find walking very relaxing).

I’ve also had an excuse to explore Union Station and the surrounding area West of the river, which I had not yet done.  Union Station is in itself a delight to see.  Built in the early 1900’s, it’s grand hall is magnificent – open, grand, with a huge vaulted skylight atop the 100’ expanse to the ceiling.  The marble staircases and carvings and statues surrounding the hall are beautiful, and the layout is a real architectural achievement.  The station extends underneath the street and buildings to the actual train tracks, which enter both north and south of the station, but do not join.  The clanging of the trains as they enter the station takes you back to a time when train travel was more commonplace.  You can imagine the porters and the shouts of “all aboard”, and of course the black coal dust that probably covered everything.

Nowadays, there’s an annoying voice continually calling out the track numbers, which I guess is for the benefit of blind passengers.  As you walk past each track entrance, you hear “track number 2, track number 2”, then “track number 4” and on and on.  You also don’t want to be caught at an entrance when a train arrives as you’re likely to be mowed over by the crowds coming off the trains from the suburbs.  But getting on the train car, flipping the seat to your desired direction, and settling in for a 30-minute read, or nap, or reverie, is a now welcome part of my day, 2 or 3 days each week.  I’ve come to know some of my fellow commuters as we share the bus to the office, or wait outside the office in the afternoon.

Driving is generally close to an hour each way, sometimes more, rarely less.  Taking the train usually is a about an hour twenty, but I can’t read while driving, or play euchre with an imaginary partner, or just close my eyes and relax.  The cost is roughly the same either way, and the excuse of taking the train forces an early day which is very nice.  Traffic may be laughably light in Huntsville compared to here, but if I could, I think I’d take the train at least occasionally should it be an option.  Of course, it will never be an option in Huntsville, and it’s just another thing to add to the list of “what I will miss” when I leave here.  That and having Starbucks right there in the office.