This is part 2 of East Chicago and Metra Rock Island Day, here is Part 1.
I get off the Red Line at 87th Street, and get on the appropriately named 87 bus that leads be eastbound towards the Rock Island Line. I get off when I see a Metra logo on a viaduct at Gresham–(29 Photos).
There I do a photo essay of the non-accessible viaduct station with two entrances.
From there I walk to the next Route 87 bus stop and take the next bus to Loomis Street, then I walk south a few blocks to the basically street-median Brainerd Station–(24 Photos)
I keep walking east following the tracks and then a little south to the most northern Beverly Hills Station, 91 Street–(22 Photos)
I get my photo essay of this station basically in a park and it starts raining harder. I walk down a paved bike path along Beverly Blvd that I think will provide direct access following the rail line but unfortunately the only connection to Vanderpoel Avenue to stay closer to the rail line is this gap in a random fence which I climb through.
I keep walking to 95th Street–(27 Photos)
While I’m doing my photo essay at 95th Street, I see Chicago dockless bike share bikes that are being piloted in this neighborhood since bringing DIVVY bike share so far south is years away. I open the LimeBike app and see that there are some lime petal assist eBikes nearby on 95th Street. These are more expensive than the conventional bikes in South Bend since they charge both a $1 rental fee plus a 15 cent per minute fee. Since it’s raining and the idea I can make the day much more efficient I decide to give one a try. I scan the LimeBike app and am off to 99th Street–(15 Photos). At 99th Street I leave the clock on my Limebike running while I do a photo essay including dashing inside the station house.
I arrive at 103rd Street–(12 Photos), and lock my lime bike. This 13 minute ride cost $2.95 minus $1 I have in credits, so $1.95 out of pocket.
After getting my photo essay and debating if I want to take the bus across to the rush hour only 103rd Street-Washington Heights stop on the Metra mainline I decide to check out the same LimeBike again and ride to 107th Street–(10 Photos).
I keep my lime bike unlocked as I get my photo essay of this simple station before riding to 111th Street/Morgan Park–(39 Photos) where I lock my LimeBike. The 10 minute ride costing $2.50 but only $1.50 out of pocket due to a second $1 credit I have in my LimeBike wallet.
I debate what’s next and look at the LimeBike Service area and realize that I can’t LimeBike all the way to 123rd Street in Blue Island because it’s outside the City of Chicago and the LimeBike Service area. So looking at the bus map rent the LimeBike again for a 6 minute $1.90 ride to 115th Street/Morgan Park–(15 Photos), where I don’t learn until later the depot recently burned down.
At this point it’s time to call it a day on the Rock Island Line’s suburban branch but not before getting the two intermediate stops on the main line that only receive service during rush hour. To start this process I re-rent the lime bike and take a 13 minute $2.95 ride to 103rd St-Washington Heights–(30 Photos), I’m really enjoying the pedal assist feature of the Lime eBikes! There I get some photos of passing Sunday Express train.
I do my photo essay and retreat to a bus shelter to wait for the next 112 bus that follows the Blue Island main line to continue north and am treated to two locomotives from a locomotive leasing company going by.
I take the 112 bus the short distance to busy 95th Street where I do my final Metra photo essay of the day at 95th St-Longwood Manor–(15 Photos). The LimeBike in these photos wasn’t used by me.
I then walk to nearby stop where I can catch the 95 or 112 (and have some Pace buses pass me by), and have a good 10 minute wait with my phone dying from all the LimeBike rides and navigation.
I ride the 95 bus east to the new 95th Street Day Ryan Station with it’s large south terminal building with improved bus bays and a northern building under construction.
I get on the next Howard-bound train.
It’s a fairly eventful ride downtown, I end up first switching cars because of a passenger smoking in my car. Next I experience something I’ve never seen before a loosie cigarette seller. A man walks down the train with a pack of cigarettes and multiple people grab a couple of cigarettes from the pack and hand the guy a few bucks. There is strangely no verbal discussion during the loosie cigarette transaction.
I take this train to Jackson-(9 Photos) where I get off and seek refuge with a place to charge my phone (along with a hot chocolate) in the Barnes and Noble in DePaul University to finalize my evening plans.
Continue reading as I get the Downtown Chicago Subway Platforms and take the Lake Shore Limited home.