NOTE: I've seen several comments now, pointing out that I could have simply taken the South Shore Line for my trip. Yes, I was aware that this option was available to me, but that was not the purpose of this video! This video was much less about actually getting to Indiana than it was about noticing that I could use regular CTA trains and buses to get there! As I mention in the outro of the video, this was not the most practical trip for me to take, it was more for the adventure and seeing where the CTA could get me. At the end of the day, it's all about showcasing how far public transit can get you. If I had broadened my criteria out to include SSL, Metra, or even Amtrak (which can get you pretty far for about as much as some Metra tickets), the possibilities would have been enormous!
Transit systems like the CTA, having enough decent coverage and reliability throughout the entire city, inside a navigable city grid that has many redundancies and with the city itself being such a diverse region, will inevitably make you feel adventurous and make you tempted to go as far as you want to go. It's just a matter of willpower and time ultimately, and of course feeling insecure about making "meaningless" or "potentially dangerous" trips like these plays a factor too.
Next time you are down that way, you should check out downtown Whiting, Indiana. Which does have a pretty decent downtown, on 119th Street. You also aren't too far, from a bike path that you take you towards Wolf Lake. Also for the southeast side of Chicago, its interesting to walk around the area of Commercial Ave north of 91st. While that area is past its peak, there are so many interesting historic buildings around there. And at some point soon, I imagine Calumet Fisheries(on 95th, it is right by the drawbridge) will reopen.
I hate that I just learned that the city of Chicago itself borders Indiana.. I always thought there were some smaller towns in between. What a fun outing!
Instead of doing CTA to Indiana, why not take that South Shore Line Commuter Rail? You could take it to South Bend and then take local buses into Niles, Michigan for an all day affair.
WHOOOA, Indiana turns into West Virssippi when you get east of West Virssippiapolis Blvd. Bad things happen to civilized people between the Illinois Stateline and the Ohio state line😬
I frequently visit that park. Goes into wolf lake and into Indiana and back into IL. Nice for Bikes and gets busy on the weekends. There is some sort of factory on the indiana side that makes soap. You can kind of smell it when you ride past. Go to steelworkers park in IL next.
Moody people don't think Chicago has an East side, but when he got on the 100 Jeffery manor bus, he was DEFINITELY on the little known Chicago east side.
Very true! I have always said things like "Chicago doesn't have an East Side", which I would still say is somewhat true as Chicago on a macroscopic scale is still very much set up in a semi-circle with north, south, and west, as opposed to most cities (at least in the U.S.) which tend to be more circular in shape. Although, as the name of the neighborhood suggests, there is in fact some sort of east side, it is just a relatively small corner of the city.
I will admit you're more adventurous than I. I could not have risked being stranded in Indiana for any length of time. I once stepped off my porch to chase a squirrel away and found myself alone and afraid. It was a exhilarating and frightening at the same time.
You realize you could have taken the South Shore Line trains (NICTD) from Chicago's Loop through Hammond, the Dunes and all to South Bend. Walking is fine, but not needed for this trip.
There is so many ways to travel to Indiana using CTA and Pace. I took route 350 to Morton/Willow and walk to Downtown Hammond. Great video of showing us how to do it.
The change in upkeep and maintenance of the roads and other architecture really speaks volumes and is no question why the land value in Indiana is so low.
Yes, would have been LOT faster and more direct to take the South Shore train. Most of people at Walmart are Illinois residents avoiding higher grocery taxes on IL side or buying cheap cigarettes in IN.
Indiana is right on the suburbs of Chicago though. More interesting transport journeys are places like Lille 🇨🇵 with transport operated by SNCF (rail) and Transpole (bus, metro, trams) from Hauts Du France and local and regional trains to Belgian 🇧🇪 suburbs along with Dutch speaking De Lijn buses and Belgian French TEC buses. All the same currency and no border checks since the 1960's
