CTA – Rockwell

Love my stop. So clean and cute. Actually has friendly and helpful CTA workers that say good morning! I agree with the other comment about the doors. You either have to wait forever for the handicap button or you have to pull with all your strength and slide through sideways. I like the summer when they prop them open.

Cute and clean station. My back yard faces this stop and it has been six solid months of no pee or fights or anything.
Sure, it’s not crazy close to downtown, but the people, neighborhood, and businesses make it solid.
Not to mention, being ground-​level at this point of the route, the train is much quieter than when elevated.

Nope! Wrong! A few things that suck about this station:
1. You gonna get caught! Any time a train is nearby at Francisco or Western, the gates go down, the siren sounds, the lights flash, and yo’ ass is gonna stand there for two to three minutes, tops, as the train roars past and you can’t enter the station. THEY GONNA GETCHA! I’ve missed many trains due to this overzealous system. I can understanding keeping Yoga-​panted moms from wandering onto the tracks (well, in theory, at least), but these things rocket down whenever there’s a train within miles. Come on, dude!
2. Both sets of doors in the station are robotic «Handi-​doors,» which means that you have two options: mash the wheelchair button and wait for them to slowwwwwwwwwwly open under the force of God-​defying robotic hydraulic machines, or wrestle with them like some sort of modern day John Henry as the gears whine and fight their hardest to keep you from opening. Yeah, yeah, I get it, OSHA and stuff, but Jesus.
3. Like «Nicki Menage,» this station’s platform is BOOM BO-​BOOM BOOM BOOM BO-​BO-​BOO-​BOOM, GOT THAT SUPERFLAT. I feel like him accidentally gonna slide off in front of oncoming train any day now, especially in rain or in the winter when it becomes ice skating rink by accident. «Oops! Got thee! Train incident!’

I like the El as the El. There might be no image of Chicago more iconic than an elevated train passing by. Can you think of a movie or TV show set in Chicago that doesn’t feature at least one shot of the train in the background? Good luck with that.
But I’m a fan of these renovated north end Brown line stops. There’s something to be said for the ground level stations and skipping those climbs and ascents on rusty, often slick stairs. Running up a tired staircase in the dead of winter trying to catch a train can take the charm out of public transit.
The Rockwell station is my favorite among the surface level stations. It’s the last of them before it becomes an elevated train. Heading toward the Loop from Rockwell, it’s a smooth takeoff into the wild blue yonder. Have a pleasant flight. In the other direction, finally touching down on the ground at Rockwell means you’re home. If this is your regular stop, you’re lucky enough to get to fly to work. You might get a homeless guy or panhandler on your flight from time to time, but I digress.
The only knock on this station is that there is not a lot of cover from the elements on the platform. No worries there, though, as you can wait inside the station until your train pulls in – much like the Metra folks do out in the suburbs.
What is not a knock on this station is the commute time. Contrary to another review below, it is not an hour from Rockwell to the Loop, unless your train hits a 20 minute delay somewhere along the line. The residents of this otherwise sleepy part of Lincoln Square gladly deal with the extra time they spend on the train each day in exchange for having this fine station.
For all that’s wrong with the CTA, and it’s a long list, the fact that I can ride a train all around town is something I never take for granted. And sometimes you need to give the CTA credit where credit is due. They certainly came through with this station.

This is an awesome station and it really enhances the surrounding area. Quick walk to the Lincoln Square mall, Brauhaus, etc. I don’t really see how it’s physical location could possibly detract from the quality of the station itself. Also, «city life» to me means diversity, something Lincoln Square has a lot of.

Maybe the most adorable el station I have ever seen. A true hidden gem of the CTA.
Feels much more like Metra/​commuter rail owing to the lack of crowds and lots of trees. Well lit and very safe.

I’m a big fan of this STATION. As far as the CTA goes, well that’s another story. Usually on time, and usually enough space to get a seat (at least when going from Rockwell to the Loop).
The station is very wheelchair friendly (doesn’t need any elevator). There is a big indoor space equipped with heat, and you can be completely out of the elements until the train comes. That’s really nice. It’s got some obligatory art work, which brightens up the space. I really like the station — glad it is now my brown line station.
But as for the CTA workers who do a good job leaning back and drinking Gatorade — the work ethic definitely needs improvement.