Ghetto IFE - Back into Action, Back to the Back: One Time Exception – Looping around the Loop

Back into action, Back to the Back – To Chicago with American Airlines, American Eagle and British AirwaysLHR-ORD, ORD-YYZ-LHR

This may familiar from last time's "From Addison to Downtown on the L… the scenic way".  Trust me – this has new content!!!

As the weekend ended, I needed to head to Paulina to get few things purchased… as well as heading downtown to get a few other things. A joy of travelling is people asking to shop for things – and I don't have a problem with this as long as I have time… and for once – I had time.

I cheated and caught a cab to when I needed – running into Cubs traffic on the way at Addison as it was the first game of the Baseball season.

After getting what I needed in Paulina (No, don't ask…), it was off to the Loop to visit the Boeing Shop, pick up a couple of bits from Walgreens and then head for home. Sounds a simple plan.

So after finding my way to the Paulina L Station, I deposited some coins and notes – and got a CTA farecard. $2.25 later, I was on my way downtown.

The route from Paulina merges with the Red Line (which was getting busy as it was the first Cubs game of the season) at Belmont and diverges again at Fullerton, taking an elevated route to the Loop, giving you some nice views of the skyscrapers that populate North Michigan Avenue.

The train crosses through the edge of Merchandise Mart, and then over the Chicago River, going anti-clockwise around the loop.

To me, the Loop has always been the Heart of Chicago. Whilst North Michigan Avenue hasthe glam shops, The Loop has the business heart and soul of the city. For those who are architecture and high building nuts, this is where to come and gaze upward.

For those who like the historical side, a stop at Quincy Station is required as the station is a must – one of the oldest surviving L stations, which was restored to it's 1890's looks.

Crossing to Wabash – the Jewellers Row, the train passes the mad coloured CNA centre on the right… and my personal favourite haunt in Chicago – Central Camera.

Walking along Wabash is a normal activity for me as I'm normally going to Central Camera to pick up bits I've forgotten – but its nice to let the train take the strain as you pass The Art Institute and Millennium Park.

Eventually, the train loops back towards State Street – the top of it, and this is where I leave it as I'm needing to go raid a few places before heading back to the hotel and the plane.

The Chicago Architectural Foundation  also runs a guided tour at  https://tickets.architecture.org/public/show_list.asp?cgCode=40&cgName=L%20Train through the loop with a lot more history than I could ever write (and is on my to-do list).

Overall: If you like your big buildings and don't like to walk, this is for you. A trick I learned when I was starting out in photography is "To look upwards". You'll never know what you might have missed…

More Info: Delays plague American Airlines after Tuesday outage