Braeside Metro

Metra’s website informed us this station had a ticket machine, so we could avoid the extra fee incurred by buying tickets on the train. Nope, machine had been removed. Train workers can only take cash, not cards. Thankfully, a super nice family gave us some $ as we were short on cash. Also, we were sold weekend passes and told we could use them Fri-​Sunday but the website said Sat-​Sun. Schedule on station wall/​website/​time train actually showed up were all different.
Ogilvie Transportation Center bathrooms were CLOSED a few minutes before 7pm on a Friday. There were no benches to sit to wait for departure. Train bathroom was clean but had to walk through several cars to find one in working order.

I used to live in the city.
I used to stand on crowded train platforms in the cold and the extreme heat.
I used to stand on crowded and dirty trains…
And then there was the rare bus ride.
It had been years since taking a form of public transportation aside from the occasional taxi, and when my office opened a Chicago location, I knew I’d need to find an ideal way to travel there since I’m no longer close by. I live pretty far away, and my co-​worker insisted I take the Metra. Whaaa? The train? I don’t know. Yes, I had only taken the Metra once, and it was a Ravinia party train. I assumed all trains to Chicago would be just as crazy crowded. Nope — not true!
The Metra has been an absolutely lovely experience. In fact, when I’m not getting dropped off or picked up, I most enjoy the ability to kick back in a comfy seat to watch the world go by, or I enjoy the opportunity to sit and work without being disturbed. Let me tell you, I make some of my best to-​do lists on Wednesdays ;-)
Clean (though I hear one should stay away from the train bathrooms), there are no standing passengers on my route, and I’ve always been warm in the winter and so far cool on warmer days.
The Braeside stop has a warming house, a covered area to sit on a bench, a place to park if you’re a park and ride person, and the overall commute has been ideal. I always arrive to my destination according to the online schedule.
I am a train convert!