CTA – Damen

I love this train stop. No worry about having a bum come up to you.
Transit authority not much of a talker, but they’re quite friendly if you have any questions.

Dear Fat, Lazy, Midwesterners:
When a train is coming into the station at Damen and/​or there are people behind you on the stairs GET YOUR SLOW, FAT, LAZY ASS OUT OF THE WAY so that other people can catch the motherfucking train. Some of us are not slow or lazy. We have places to be, and we are perfectly capable of walking and/​or running up the stairs at Damen QUICKLY. When I say «excuse me» that means you should make ANY attempt to move over and let me up the staircase. It might be narrow, but I can definitely fit past your fat, selfish ass.
Fuck this station. Almost the entire platform is uncovered and open to the elements. And the geniuses who designed it apparently intentionally made the staircase too narrow so selfish fatties get to block the entire thing while the rest of us constantly miss our trains.

Clean, basic el station.
The attendants are always nice, and the stop is usually pretty quiet.
They have these pretty neat looking suitcase bench/​chair things.
I do wish that up on the platform they had the TV’s with train times.

I love that when they renovated the station, they kept the old station and utilized it as an entry foyer with sculpture. Most mornings I can get a seat for the ride downtown.

I use this station a lot, and it’s clean and convenient. I never had a complaint until last weekend. Here’s what happened:
1. After paying through the turnstiles, the attendant tells us, and others, «Both directions are operating on the northbound side.» Okey dokey.
2. We get up to the platform to see a southbound train sitting about 200 meters north of the station. Sitting and waiting.
3. One dude is working on the southbound tracks, using some kind of spark-​throwing death machine while literally TWELVE other guys stand around picking their wedgies and chatting. And spitting.
4. After about ten minutes, a northbound train comes through. Okay, our turn next, I think.
5. In a few minutes, another NORTHbound train comes through. WTF. Our southbound train is still sitting up there, teasing us.
6. A few minutes later, another southbound train lines up behind the first southbound train.
7. Meanwhile, these lazy jerkoffs are still standing around doing nothing.
8. Finally, our southbound train pulls into the station, about 20 minutes after we came up to the platform.
My opinion is that the station staff should be required to communicate the likely length of delay. Sometimes those 20 minutes could be really important to someone. That’s a minimum. My pipe dream is that they would discount the fare when long delays are certain. Of course that will never happen. But why do I pay the same price to get to my destination in 45 minutes that I do to get there in the normal time of 25 minutes? I guess they need the money to pay all those union maintenance crews.
Oh, and looky – here’s an article on that very topic. Check out the photo. It seems very familiar, except that there are too many guys working in it.

What’s not to love? It’s a block and a half from my apartment, clean, close enough to the start of the line that I can always get a seat in the morning, and a block and a half from my apartment.
The only suggested improvement: get some screens that show arrival times. That would definitely help during off-​peak travel times.

at a first look this has an old L stop felling with the brick around the door and the big green doors. there is the Damen 50 Bus right outside it and the Rail bar Right there. you can use Cash or Credit card. it’s in the Lincoln Square Neighborhood its newly renovated so its a Clean L stop

Photographic props to Richie D for capturing the suitcase-​cum-​furniture display at the Damen Brown Line stop.
I mean, really… that is all. It’s new, clean, conveniently located to visit: Over Easy Café, Winnemac Park, Golden Nugget (if maybe you are drunk and if that’s the case, KUDOS for not driving!), Aroy Thai, The Rail, Mode (if/​when they ever are open), Ravenswood Antique Mart, etc, etc, etc.
In short: It’s a helluva little «pocket» brown line stop + ‘hood, so take a journey, walk around, enjoy it… report back if you dig the suitcase furniture as much as I do. Or, even if you don’t…whatever’s clever… and I think it is.

This is my favorite CTA station! I love the new station wrapped around the old. The restoration of the old station turned out really nice and the suitcase seating, which are brass replicas of real luggage, fits in perfectly. I’ve even grown to appreciate the little transit fairies attached to each piece. This station managed to maintain the character of a beautiful historic neighborhood which I feel is really important in new construction.

With the massive Brown Line renovation project underway (and almost completed – UnilocalS!), I couldn’t wait til the day that the Ravenswood Damen El train stop opened. It seemed like it had been completed for quite some time but that the CTA was holding off for that special «Grand Opening» day of December 19^th. Thank goodness it opened on time because winter was just hitting its frigid climax.
While the station is cold with its simplistic yet modern look due to the primary material of galvanized steel, it keeps a sliver of history. After more than 90 years in business, the Damen stop was starting to show its wrinkles. The CTA maintained the original station as a historical landmark, good choice! With a new sleak look, the Loop is once again easily accessible from the Brown Line’s east-​west spur. Jump on it! 10 minutes to the popular transfer Belmonth platform (Red/​Purple connections) & 25 minutes to the Loops’ grand entrance Merchandise Mart stop.
Now my question for you Chicago is… OK the antique suitcases that make up the renovated station seating probably represents the migration and growth of Europeans and other peoples in the neighborhood, but what’s with the spooky, tiny toy people?