CTA – Bryn Mawr

Nothing really fancy about Bryn Mawr stop, but one thing for sure is that platform is a tad bit high. I’ve had my fair share of close falls, while getting off the train, so watch your step! One annoying thing that stands out about this stop is the exit downstairs is infested with birds, and there is poop everywhere. I guess this infestation is from passengers tossing food groundside at the exit. There is also a urine smell, once you exit the station. Other than those things I’ve mentioned it is a pretty safe area, and CPD is always near. There are quite a few beggars in the area, but none big of a threat to do harm. As for CTA train stations in Edgewater neighborhood this is by far the dirtiest out of them all.
If there weren’t great businesses outside of this stop, or the CTA employees weren’t as helpful when many of us have issues with the machines, I’d give this stop just two stars.

If you’ve ever wondered or asked yourself what the neighboring stations used to look like before 2012, then Bryn Mawr answers your question! I say this because for some reason, the CTA decided not to renovate this station when the other stations nearby were. So with that, you still get the same creepy and dated looking entrance, uneven stairs and decrepit platform which is a shame because this station is considered to be in the «center» of Edgewater. It would have made perfect sense to renovate this station with all the others and although the CTA had «other plans» for it, I have yet to see these plans become a reality. Upon doing a bit more research, I have also found out that this station had a decrease in passenger traffic, while the nearby, renovated stations all showed increases in passenger traffic. It’s because Bryn Mawr just isn’t as clean and well lit as the others are and that’s unfortunate because the surrounding area is pretty nice. I don’t find this station to be a good representation of how the neighborhood it serves is and better attention should be given to improve its condition.

This is probably my favourite stop (possibly because I live so close and use it every day!) I like the location of it and that there’s a dunkin donuts literally right next door and places to eat all along Bryn Mawr. The people working at the desk are usually very helpful and always help me out if I have any problems with the bus pass. The area is clean and there is even an escalator to go up on one side which is very convenient. In the winter they have those heated areas which were perfect and the view is always great! I have used this stop late nights as well and have never had a problem-​however just like anywhere in Chicago i would practice taking precautions if you don’t feel safe.

I get a lot of crap from my girlfriend for reviewing CTA stops, but I still think it is important. Truth is, despite the fact that CTA regulates all stops, not all stops are created equal. As a rule, I never give less than three stars to a transit stop simply because they do what I need them to do… get me from somewhere to somewhere else.
Compared to the Thorndale and Granville stops just North of here or the Wilson and Lawrence stops just South of here, Bryn Mawr is safe, clean, and pleasant. For that, I’ll boost any stop’s rating. My chief frustration is that you can only enter the stop on one side of the street and depending on the time of day Bryn Mawr can be a busy street. There have been times that I had to walk down a block to cross. Minor inconvenience, but if it causes you to miss a train then it becomes major.

The red line gets me where I need to go. It’s neither the fastest nor the safest, but it’s my line. Check that the seat you want to sit in isn’t wet before you sit down.

I don’t feel safe using this stop at night anymore, so I skip it and walk or bus from somewhere else. This neighborhood can feel ridiculous at night, can be very random. The station itself is like a pit of evil. If you can tune everything out and plug your nose, daytime usage is not the end of the world. I can’t recommend alone for late night. Not as dangerous as the Morse stop, but, it’s just a long list of reasons why not. Depressing.

Things you can get at this stop:
Tetanus
Lead Poisoning
Crack
A stab wound
A human skull
Yay CTA!!!

Here’s a song I wrote about the Bryn Mawr stop. Feel free to sing it to any tune you want.
BRRYYYNNNN MAWWR
You kind of smell
And your paint is peeling
BUT THAT DOESN’T STOP
WHAT I’M FEELING
HOLY SHIT, THERE’S A DUNKIN’ DONUTS UNDER YOU
AND A REALLY BIG INTERSECTION NEXT TO YOU
OH, YEAH GIRL, COME TO MY PLACE
BRYN MAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWR

This stop smells completely like feces, but make sure to go down on the south side unless you want to experience a third world country

Bryn Mawr… well, it’s a little gross. Smells like a urinal most of the time. But dammit, it’s only a three minute walk from the apartment. And both my job and my school are about a 5 minute walk from the Red Line. And that’s all that really matters.

What can I say about the Red Line? It seems to be one of the most important CTA Lines and also the most neglected.
This stop is dingy and gross. The tile is half gone up the stairs and it looks like someone started fixing it up and then just abandoned it. The platform itself isn’t too bad. They can always use more heater areas and Exit signs.
I also love when you walk out of the station and the street is nice everwhere else except the businesses that touch the station. Its like the train is spreading diseased businesses. Bums all over when you walk out hitting you up for money, but that’s everywhere.
Closest one so I’ll see it again.

A train station that screams, «rawr!»

I can’t believe I was not first to review this stop. Meh. :-)
It’s been my 24÷7÷365 ride home for the last 12 years. Yeah, it’s a mess, but hell — it gets me home. It’s kind of like that one friend you have that gets drunk and breaks glasses in your apartment. Annoying, but relatively reliable.

As I mentioned in my previous review, with all the rain we’ve had lately, I’ve had the chance to experience some of Chicago’s failing infrastructure from a whole new perspective.
At the Bryn Mawr Red Line stop, the eroded cement is so bad that the rain leaks torrentially from directly above the turnstyle. With all the money being spent all over the CTA, I guess there just isn’t enough money to fix a leak; nor has there been, apparently, for a very long time, because leaks of this size don’t occur overnight.
And apparently, the CTA staff here at Bryn Mawr aren’t as resourceful as their brethren two stops south at Argyle, who cleverly resort to stuffing towels into the eroded concrete.
And the piss smell at Bryn Mawr when it rains is even worse than at Argyle, because it’s sans phở fumes, and God knows it’s pretty tough to invent faux phở fumes to fend off pungent piss… whew!
If it’s raining hard, get off at Berwyn and walk.