I had to go into the Loop today to get my driver’s license renewed. Took the Evanston express there and back, about an hour roundtrip. That meant a bonus hour of reading time; I was able to make a good start on Reading Lolita in Tehran. It reminded me of how I miss the daily built-in reading time I had before I stopped commuting on the el and started walking to work each day.

This post reminds me of a site I’ve been meaning to mention for some time. There’s a great website called Chicago “L”.org which is a comprehensive history of the Chicago elevated train system. It’s fun to explore the history of Chicago through its commuter rail line, like a trip back in time. It also documents the stations and line services that have been demolished; quite a few considering the el system dates back to 1888.

There are tons of photographs. I like looking at the stations that no longer exist, like this one and this wild-looking one. This site is incredibly comprehensive and very well done. A real labor of love.