Where have all the Blue Line riders gone?

NEW ISSUE: Go vote!!! [View this email in your browser]( | [chicagoreader.com]( by Maja Stachnik|October 24, 2024 Good morning! We have a new issue out today with a singular message on the cover, illustrated by [Joe Mills]( VOTE!!! Seriously. Go vote. Scroll down for a look at the Blue Line’s struggle to recover riders post-pandemic, can’t-miss concerts happening tonight, and a cause near and dear to my heart—zapiekanki. [blue line CTA station off the highway]( Slow zones make up nearly three-quarters of the CTA Blue Line run to Forest Park. [Credit: Shira Friedman-Parks] [Blue Line blues]( Why haven’t riders returned to the westbound Blue Line? Remote work and competition with other forms of transportation are part of it, but experts say two of the major factors could be slow service and perceptions of safety. Blue Line ridership to Forest Park has seen one of the weakest recoveries of any CTA route since the start of the pandemic: As of May, the route saw just 46 percent of its 2019 riders return, compared to 59 percent overall. Because of old tracks that haven’t been maintained, slow zones have become necessary to keep passengers and workers safe—though a CTA train can reach up to 55 miles per hour at top speed, trains sometimes can move no faster than six miles per hour. Slow zones make up 72 percent of the Blue Line to Forest Park branch, creating service disruptions and longer wait times. Reema Saleh reports that losing riders makes people feel less safe, which, in turn, forces more riders away from the system. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. [READ MORE](  FILM & TV - Just in time for Halloween, Charlie Kolodziej sat down with [Leather Archives & Museum’s Fetish Film Forum film programmer John McDevitt]( to get their recommendations for kinky horror movies that are sure to get your blood pumping. Paying homage to kink and leather culture, October’s lineup boasted a double feature of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (1987) and Tony Randel’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988). McDevitt recommends a whole litany of other films that blend BDSM/fetish and horror, concluding that there’s a parallel to be drawn between the two in embracing the full spectrum of human experience—the pleasure, the pain, and everything in between. FOOD & DRINK - As a Polish vegetarian, I can’t express enough admiration for zapiekanki—and apparently, neither can Justyna Haluch, [“the zapiekanka queen of Schiller Woods.”]( In its most traditional form, it’s a crusty, toasted baguette layered with sauteed button mushrooms, blanketed in melted cheese, and garnished with green onions and squiggles of thin, sweet ketchup. Mike Sula reports that Haluch operates a food truck and catering operation whose most visible day-to-day presence is in a parking lot on Irving Park Road at the entrance to Schiller Woods-East forest preserve. Zapiekanki first appeared in Poland in the 1970s during a period of relative prosperity as a “slick way to market a vegetarian alternative for a meat-loving part of the world.”  MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE Playing tonight in Chicago: - Leor Galil reports that [hip-hop label Closed Sessions is throwing a party to celebrate 15 years]( of uplifting midwestern hip-hop artists and connecting MCs and producers throughout the country. West-coaster DJ Muggs headlines tonight’s show at Avondale Music Hall, though the rest of the bill features a long list of Closed Session-connected local artists all individually worth grabbing a ticket for (BoatHouse, Defcee, GreenSllime, SolarFive, Recoechi, DJ Rude One, DJ Ca$h Era, and DJ RTC). - Singer and songwriter Dawn Richard came into the spotlight in 2004 as a contestant on Making the Band 3, eventually landing a spot in pop girl group Danity Kane signed to P. Diddy’s Bad Boy Records. After the group’s dissolution, Richard found her voice as a solo artist, releasing a series of increasingly experimental R&B concept albums. Her new album [Quiet in a World Full of Noise is a sparse, piano-driven effort in collaboration with multi-instrumentalist Spencer Zahn](. Channelling jazz, gospel, and blues, the pair perform at Old Town School of Folk Music tonight.  BEST OF CHICAGO [The ballot is open for your write-in nominations in over 300 categories!]( Whether you’re an arts and culture buff with an eye for the best art galleries, or a foodie with go-to recommendations for the (actual) best burger in Chicago, we want to hear from you! Best of Chicago is your chance to have your voice heard as a Chicagoan. After receiving your feedback from last year, we’ve changed up the ballot this year and added 16 new categories, including best local farm, best Chicago slang, best yoga/pilates facility, and best Chicago institution.  BEHIND-THE-SCENES Injustice Watch’s guide to the November 2024 Cook County judicial elections is out now—you can’t miss it in our print issue ([pick up a copy near you]( or [flip through the PDF version]( always available online). This year, 75 circuit court judges and two appellate judges are running for reelection in Cook County, and voters will be asked whether each judge should be retained for another term. A judge must receive 60 percent “yes” votes to keep their seat. Injustice Watch doesn’t make recommendations or endorsements as a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization, but they’ve given you everything you need to know to be an informed voter. 📰 LATEST ISSUE: VOTE VOTE VOTE 📰 [READ ONLINE]( | [COVER]( | [DOWNLOAD PDF]( [Facebook icon]( [Instagram icon]( [X icon]( [LinkedIn icon]( [Threads icon]( [YouTube icon]( [logo] You received this email because you signed up for newsletters from the Chicago Reader. Want fewer emails from us? [Click here to choose what you want us to send you](. Or, [unsubscribe from all Reader emails](. We’ll miss you! [Sign up for emails from the Chicago Reader]( | [Forward this e-mail to a friend]( © 2024 Chicago Reader. All rights reserved. Chicago Reader, 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 102, Chicago, IL 60616