South Shore Train, Michigan City to Chicago

During my recent vacation to Michigan City, I had the opportunity to take the South Shore train into Chicago. Due to a Cubs game, high ridership was expected, and numerous baseball caps adorned the heads of the gathered crowd. At the station several additional cars were added to the train to increase the occupancy. The $6.50 fare, which was collected after boarding, was quite a deal considering the distance and parking rates in Chicago that look like this.

(My girlfriend Meghan and I enjoying our comfy seats and lack of driving)

The route was quite beautiful, and it was a great way to catch a glimpse of Northern Indiana and Illinois. I was pretty much glued to the window while Meghan took the opportunity to relax into a sleep like daze. Train travel is so chill, I love it. Especially after the nightmare of getting to Michigan City by plane. Our flight had been delayed from 11pm Friday to 6:00AM Saturday with incompetence from customer service at every turn.

At last we got off at the Vanburen Station and got off to explore Chicago on foot, something a bit more difficult back home in Los Angeles. Being the cyclist that I am, even though we weren't riding bikes, I took note of what appeared to be a healthy system of bicycle infrastructure and frequently spotted cycling commuters. Our first destination was the famous Art Institute of Chicago, which as everyone seems to point out to me, is indeed the one featured in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In our short time in Chicago I didn't get a chance to ride the famous L train, but I did get a shot of it going by.

(South Shore, Vanburen Station)

One last bit of trivia from someone who works in the video game industry. A Playstation 3 train simulator from Japan, filled predominantly with Japanese train lines, features the Brown Line in Chicago. Complete with crystal HD quality video footage of the entire line. If you've got an itch for controlling some amazing commuter trains, there is apparently no region coding so you can play it on U.S. consoles, but expect the mark up of import fees.