The Purple Line is the CTA's northernmost lines and runs between Wilmette and Evanston Illinois, and the Chicago Loop.
It runs from Linden to the Loop as an Express Line during weekday rush hour periods, and stops at Sheridan only on weekdays before Cubs games. In its rush hour trip, the Purple Line Express is one of only two 'L'
lines to feature transfers to every other line, the other being the Red
Line.
LINDEN: Linden station is the beginning and the end of the Purple Line. The quaint village of Wilmette is home to the Bahá'í House of Worship, a large, magnificent building just a couple blocks east of the stop. In 2007, the house of worship was named as one of the
Seven Wonders of Illinois by the Illinois Bureau of Tourism. The building is surrounded by gorgeous, peaceful gardens and fountains.
Just a bit further down the road is Gillson Park, a lake-side park with winding pathways, full-grown trees, and beautiful beach.
CENTRAL: The Central stop services Northwestern University's football stadium, Ryan Field. A walk east from the station brings you to Grosse Point Lighthouse, a historic lighthouse built in 1873. In 1941, the Grosse Point Light Station was decommissioned by the United States Coast Guard as a precaution against possible air raids in the wake of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The light was reignited in 1945 and has served as a secondary navigational aid ever since.
Just north of the lighthouse is one of the oldest and largest visual art centers in Illinois, the
Evanston Art Center, dedicated to making the visual arts an integral
and accessible part of the lives of the diverse audiences in Evanston,
Chicago, and the surrounding communities. The Art Center fulfills this
mission through an extensive offering of visual arts classes, public
lectures, changing exhibitions, youth outreach activities, and
publications, all of which are designed to engage and enrich the
individual and the community.
NOYES: Noyes stop serves Northwestern University's north campus, and the station itself is surrounded by a cute deli, cafes, a bakery, restaurants, and a few shops and venues. Just north of the station is Tallmadge Park, with Piven Theatre, and the Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
FOSTER: Foster stop is just east of the station is Northwestern University's south campus.
DAVIS: The Davis stop is located in downtown Evanston, full of cafes, restaurants, shopping, theatres and shops. The nearby college campus brings a ton of student traffic to the area, so the bars, cafes, bookstores and restaurants are busy.
DEMPSTER: The Charles Gates Dawes House is the lakefront mansion of Charles Gates Dawes, whose plan to alleviate the crushing burden of war reparations
Germany was required to pay because of its aggression during World War I
earned him the 1925 Nobel Peace Prize. Dawes served as U.S. Vice
President under Calvin Coolidge, General during World War I, and
Ambassador to Great Britain. The house was built in 1894 in the Chateu style, and free tours and a walk-through of the palace are held daily.
MAIN:
SOUTH BOULEVARD:
HOWARD: The Howard stop connects Chicago's downtown with
the Yellow Line and Skokie, and the Purple Line and Evanston. You can transfer between Red,
Purple and Yellow lines for free.
(The Purple Line only runs between Howard and the Loop on weekdays during rush hour periods.)
SHERIDAN: The Purple Line only services this stop on the weekdays of Cubs Games, before the game.
BELMONT: Belmont station is the
Red,
Brown and Purple Line stop that services
Lakeview and Boystown. This area is full of shops, cafes and colorful,
trendy nightlife.
WELLINGTON:
DIVERSEY:
FULLERTON: Fullerton station is home to DePaul University, the Children's Memorial
Hospital, and if you're up to a little walking or a bus ride, the
totally free Lincoln Park Zoo!
ARMITAGE: This station drops you off onto Armitage in Lincoln Park, lined with
shops and cafes. A bus ride in one direction is St. Mary of the Angels,
one of the largest parishes in Chicago (and one of the most beautiful
cathedrals I have ever seen), and in the other direction is the
completely free Lincoln Park Zoo.
SEDGWICK: The Sedgwick stop of the Brown Line drops you off in the Chicago Old
Town and Near North Side community areas. Restaurants, cafes, bars,
clubs, galleries and beautiful architecture surrounds this station. St.
Michael's in Old Town, one of the oldest cathedrals in Chicago, resides
here- the original wooden church built in 1852, and the brick church
built in 1866. When the Chicago fire of 1971 destroyed the city, only
the church walls were standing. In 2002, the church celebrated their
150th year. The interior is beautiful and its architecture is
magnificent.
A couple blocks away is home to the famous, first
on-going improvisational theater troupe in the U.S, The Second City. The
Second City opened its doors on a snowy Chicago night in December of
1959. No one could have guessed that this small cabaret theatre would
become the most influential and prolific comedy theatre in the world.
Down
North Ave, you will pass the historic Moody Church, and come to the
Chicago History Museum and North Avenue Beach in Lincoln park.
The homes around this area are beautiful and very expensive.
CHICAGO: The Chicago stop of the Brown Line is home to many schools and close to
shopping areas and restaurants. Moody Bible Institute, Le Cordon Bleu,
and Loyola University Chicago are all within walking distance of this
stop. A couple blocks away the
Marwen Foundation holds free art classes to kids, grades 6-12, who can't afford it on their own.
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| Demolition of Cabrini-Green homes |
Until recently, just west of the Brown Line stop was
Cabrini-Green, a poverty-stricken, gang reigned area that centered
around the apartment buildings of public housing. The high crime and
brokenness of the area called for government to find a solution. The
demolition of the public housing began in 1995 and finished recently in
mid-to-late 2011.This lead to thousands of displaced residents, many of
whom you can see homeless on the streets of Chicago. Every Saturday
afternoon, Chicago-ians and college students, some from Moody Bible
Institute, DePaul and Loyola, as well as Wheaton, in the suburbs, and
even as far as Indiana, come to the Loop to minister and hang out with
them, serving lunch and bible study. More information at
ChicagosBeloved.org
MERCHANDISE MART: The Merchandise Mart station is located on the outskirts of the
Loop and services the Merchandise Mart. Previously owned by the Marshall
Field family, the Mart centralized Chicago's wholesale goods business
by consolidating vendors and trade under a single roof. A retail
shopping area, called The Shops at the Mart, includes apparel shops,
beauty services, bookstores and newsstands, financial services,
telecommunication services, travel services, specialty food and wine
stores, photo services, a dry cleaner, shoe shine stand, and a food
court. A United States Postal Service office is located on the first
floor and a FedEx location is located on the second floor. Several radio
and t.v. stations broadcast from the Mart, including WENR, WMAQ, and
used to be home to radio programs such as
Captain Midnight, Birr Tillstrom's
Kukla, Fran and Ollie, and hard rock and alternative rock programs.
A
couple blocks away is Blue Chicago, a blues club that is jumping,
hopping, skipping and everything in between. Cover charge is $8 Sunday
through Thursday, and $10 on Friday and Saturday. Sample some of their
live music on
Blues Chicago.
The Purple Line runs clockwise around the Loop, starting with
Clark/Lake, and ending with
Washington/Wells
LOOP
