I had an interesting day
This morning, I went to Cook County Hospital for a regular check-up with my lymphoma doctor - just a regular event to make sure the treatement is going the way it's supposed to and that there aren't any complications. Everything checked out, and so far, it looks like I won't have to endure any more chemo than what's already been scheduled.
The interesting part started when I headed back.
As I approached the 'L' station, I saw the train at the platform. I dashed inside, even as part of me registered that, if the train was already at the platform, chances are pretty good that it would leave before I reach the platform. (I attended college in the area. I knew from experience exactly how long trains waited - and how long it took to get inside the station house and down to the platform).
But when I reached the platform, the train was still there. And it wasn't long before I found out why.
The engineer told us over the income that there was "police activity" at the LaSalle 'L' station, a downtown station a few stops down the line. They were only now starting to let trains through, but they were single-tracking them, so it would take time.
Luckily for me, I had my field laptop - and, more importantly, I had my wireless router. As soon as I got a signal, I went on Twitter - and, beause I follow so many reporters and news organizations, the information came up immidiately.
Someone shot at the O'Hare Airport-bound train. Not at any passenger in particular - at the train. The police quickly captured the shooter, and nobody was hurt, but the police got everyone out of the stations and closed off the crime scene.
Photo by Brian Jackson/Chicago Sun-Times
It took a while for us to get moving. First, the engineer for the train I got on announced that it would only go to the next station and turn around, but there was other train coming soon. The next train did come fairly quickly, but it slowly, so very slowly, made its way down the Blue 'L' line.
When we got to the LaSalle station, I found out why. The train that got shot at was still at the platform, empty, the power shut off. The area near the front was taped off with police tape. Cops and CTA staff were walking around everywhere. It was surreal - and, as I later realized, for all my trips to the less safe parts of Chicago's South and West sides, it was the closest I ever got to a crime scene investigation.
Originally, I planned to get off the 'L' downtown, deposit a check, eat lunch and then get back on so I could make it to a government meeting I was supposed to cover at the suburbs. But with the way things were going... who knew how long the single-tracking would last, and what kind of delays that would result in? I figured I was better off staying put.
And it did kind of pay off, in a way. Once we cleared LaSalle, the train started moving at normal speed. And, after it reached Wicker Park, it went express - first to Logan Square, than to Jefferson Park - the station I had to get off at. Which was convinient for me, but God it had to suck for everyone who had to stop anywhere in between.
Still... I admit that, as the 'L' train rushed at full speed down Kennedy Expressway medium, the sort of speed only the Yellow Line usually reaches, I couldn't help but smile to myself.
It's not often that I get to see the 'L' riding faster than the cars on a highway before the rush hour.
The interesting part started when I headed back.
As I approached the 'L' station, I saw the train at the platform. I dashed inside, even as part of me registered that, if the train was already at the platform, chances are pretty good that it would leave before I reach the platform. (I attended college in the area. I knew from experience exactly how long trains waited - and how long it took to get inside the station house and down to the platform).
But when I reached the platform, the train was still there. And it wasn't long before I found out why.
The engineer told us over the income that there was "police activity" at the LaSalle 'L' station, a downtown station a few stops down the line. They were only now starting to let trains through, but they were single-tracking them, so it would take time.
Luckily for me, I had my field laptop - and, more importantly, I had my wireless router. As soon as I got a signal, I went on Twitter - and, beause I follow so many reporters and news organizations, the information came up immidiately.
Someone shot at the O'Hare Airport-bound train. Not at any passenger in particular - at the train. The police quickly captured the shooter, and nobody was hurt, but the police got everyone out of the stations and closed off the crime scene.
Photo by Brian Jackson/Chicago Sun-Times
It took a while for us to get moving. First, the engineer for the train I got on announced that it would only go to the next station and turn around, but there was other train coming soon. The next train did come fairly quickly, but it slowly, so very slowly, made its way down the Blue 'L' line.
When we got to the LaSalle station, I found out why. The train that got shot at was still at the platform, empty, the power shut off. The area near the front was taped off with police tape. Cops and CTA staff were walking around everywhere. It was surreal - and, as I later realized, for all my trips to the less safe parts of Chicago's South and West sides, it was the closest I ever got to a crime scene investigation.
Originally, I planned to get off the 'L' downtown, deposit a check, eat lunch and then get back on so I could make it to a government meeting I was supposed to cover at the suburbs. But with the way things were going... who knew how long the single-tracking would last, and what kind of delays that would result in? I figured I was better off staying put.
And it did kind of pay off, in a way. Once we cleared LaSalle, the train started moving at normal speed. And, after it reached Wicker Park, it went express - first to Logan Square, than to Jefferson Park - the station I had to get off at. Which was convinient for me, but God it had to suck for everyone who had to stop anywhere in between.
Still... I admit that, as the 'L' train rushed at full speed down Kennedy Expressway medium, the sort of speed only the Yellow Line usually reaches, I couldn't help but smile to myself.
It's not often that I get to see the 'L' riding faster than the cars on a highway before the rush hour.