B.J. L-R
@westtowns-urbanist
📍Forest Park, IL Car-free transit guy in the streetcar suburbs. Gay urbanist Chicagolander. Chi sign guy/tradie, state capacity booster, left-liberal. Also quizbowl, bikes, and dive bars. Oddly happy when covered in graffiti. Opinions my own. He/Him.
Well this may be one of the coolest @yptchicago.org events to date: touring the Northwestern University Transportation Library. @rmartincole.bsky.social was an absolutely amazing guide & host, & I’m still in awe that a place like this exists, tucked on an upper floor of the NU library building!
Yeah you could say I’m from… (The rare time when the descriptor is laudatory)
When you need to drop off a drill in Uptown en route to a @yptchicago.org event at Northwestern, the Purple Line Express is nothing short of magic
Living my personal event volunteer dream: getting to write ground transportation directions to the venue, including emphasizing that public transit is actually doable.
Few things hit better than a Sidetracks slushie on a hot summer evening
Applying @tomflood.bsky.social ‘s 15 minute cities logic to robust transit this morning: Could walk from the downtown station to the office. But feeling lazy, just gonna take the metro instead.
As a follow up: I have been very wary of portable ACs because of the @techconnectify.bsky.social video, but my bedroom is the worst of all possible worlds: high up, sliding windows w/ multiple sills, far from the main wall unit, & I do not live on the ground floor Given that, this thing is perfect
It’s hard to overstate how much a good beach wagon will improve your life as a car free person. Today’s example: hauling a new air conditioner up to the bedroom
Metra: sophisticated enough to carry your new tops home from the formalwear shop (Not mine)
Today’s transit tchotchke acquisition, courtesy of my stepdad’s brother who lives in Japan: Doctor Yellow patches
Good morning from one of the wildest sets of intersections in the city (which there happens to be a community meeting about this evening)
Happy 4th! As always, I have complicated feelings about this holiday. This year’s version (exploring the North Shore and Wisconsin with close friends) was extremely different from usual, but ultimately embodies what most holidays should be: great times with chosen people, on a regular basis.
It still boggles my mind that Kenosha of all cities actually has a fairly useful heritage streetcar
And this is easily my new favorite coaster. Air cannon, 0 to 78 mph in 1.8 seconds is an unbeatable experience (just barely the second quickest acceleration in the world after an Intamin in England)
Achievement unlocked: asked an operator whether they were going to my stop (There was an Erie/Chicago Avenue garage short turn before this and I momentarily forgot whether Erie was south or north of Lake)