Chicago by L: The Loop

So, what does it mean anyway?  The Loop.  During my first year in Chicago I heard people make comments all the time like,
"Do you work in the Loop?"

"Is it in the Loop?"

"Oh, I used to live in the Loop."

"Have you tried that restaurant?  It is in the Loop."

Like any good Southerner I sort of assumed that "the Loop" meant some large interstate that circled the city (I know, go ahead and laugh you Chicago aficionados).  Wrong.  To the eyes of an out of towner the L map looks like a preschool crayon drawing of colors that meet in a central psychedelic rainbow.  This is the Loop.  It is the historic business district of Chicago.  Towering canyons of skyscrapers -hemmed in by Lake Michigan to the East and the Chicago River to the North and West- dwarf business men in suits and tourists with cameras.  And circling all this world class business and money making are the elevated tracks of the L.

Walking through the Loop means walking with your neck craning and looking up.  It means feeling really small and slightly chilly in the shadows of immense towers of glass, steel, and stone. It means wrapping your arms tightly against the famous Chicago wind as it whips through narrow passages of urban intimidation. It means an onslaught of architectural contradictions and creativity.

These men walked down LaSalle, Chicago's Wall St., in front of us.

Every business needs a friar, don't you think?

In the Loop you can grab a cup of Intelligentsia Coffee 

while the L provides an atmospheric roar over your head.

My mom and Jason take in the sites.

Here's some fun Chicago trivia for you.

Did you know that all Chicago fire trucks

 have a green light on the right side of the truck and a red on the left?

This goes back to the 1930s when the department adopted 

the seafaring tradition of port and starboard.  

It is a bit like seeing a ski boat coming toward you in the night. 

 Not really, but you get the idea.

Ok, it is time for a little truth in the telling.  

We didn't actually take the L down to the Loop today.

  We took the Metra.  I know!  It is sort of cheating, but let me explain.  

There are two main train systems in Chicago.   

Here's the Cliff Notes version.

The L: Old.  Lots of character.  Sways and stops a lot.  

Lots of racial diversity and color. 

 Sometimes you might get sunflower seeds spit on your shoes.  

It is integrally part of Chicago's history and development. 

Super fun when you have time and want to get to unique neighborhoods.

The Metra: Newer. Sleek. Fast. 

 More of a commuter train 

traveling to suburbs as far away

 as an hour outside of Chicago. 

 Some Chicago commuters call it the "Grown Up" train

 because you can have an adult beverage on your evening commute home.  

And the Metra comes in handy 

when city adventures must be squeezed in  

a few short hours while children are at school.