B.J. L-R @westtowns-urbanist.bsky.social

đź“ŤForest 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.

Hi y'all,

Name origin!

The West Towns is my name for the inner western suburbs of Chicago, a diverse/walkable/dense/transit-rich area that often flies under the radar. Join me as I attempt to make this phrase a thing, celebrating the area in the process!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_and_West_Towns_Bus_Co.
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Silly amusement today:

I am dipping my toes into the world of travel credit cards, and decided to start with a fairly standard mid-tier card.

I did not realize the physical card would be metal, which gives it a really oddly satisfying weight and presence compared to any of my old plastic cards.
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Happy new fare card day to all who celebrate!
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Time to ride the Entire 54
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Also: with People Over Parking passed, almost this entire village is primed to double down on what makes it great
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Having another one of those moments where I love Forest Park…

Every single interaction I have here reinforces my understanding that this is an almost uniquely integrated, diverse, neighborly, open-minded place
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Yet again in awe of the BNSF (Racetrack)’s intensity and sophistication of operations.

(Not only does this line have like 5 different outbound express patterns at peak, it also manages 2-3 different *reverse peak* services on top of the milk runs)
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Still there (Berwyn edition)
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Is there a reason why people in the US compulsively block the (intersection) box?
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Another 307 afternoon
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Thinking about a Burlington Route tattoo again
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Good 307 morning
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Followed by a *perfect* transfer to the 151
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Another night out on the town brought to you by the 147
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Uh oh
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Niche Chicagoland weather feeling: Harvey has its own microclimate that is especially cold and windy most of the time
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I took a leap of faith and relieved myself of that burden last June. There are a few specific times it sucks, but I am able to afford such a healthier, safer, less stressful life.

And because I’m still a transportation enthusiast, I can decide in the future to buy a dual sport moto *for fun only*
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I’ve spent a lot of my leftlib upbringing with people and academics who are in or study the group of people who are actually car-dependent, poor drivers (so I get that they shouldn’t be discounted) but honestly the past few weeks can’t help but produce a sense of relief at not owning a vehicle.
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On the one hand it’s difficult to put off moving into the city for a year (such are Far North Side rents and my current situation), on the other hand I can enjoy plenty of MGDs on the balcony looking out at the Sears and walk to an infinite number of excellent local bars
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The bad: a lingering cold preventing regular debauchery in Uptown and Northalsted

The good: a very pretty sunset on the balcony on an unseasonably warm evening, paired with a very informative book
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There were a lot of other races that I couldn’t vote in, but the general narrative came down to [big lobby PAC] supports one, [other big lobby PAC] supports the other, most else is supposedly moot. This is very weird, and probably not healthy long term(?)
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Mixed feelings tonight about #ilpol

General trend (IMO) seems to be the 2nd or 3rd best winning, which is probably okay, but suggests there is more work to do overall.

Also: as a current IL-07 resident moving to IL-09 soon (hopefully), I really wish there was more coverage of my current district.
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(In the style of @laurie-merrell.bsky.social )

Live look at IL-07:
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IL-09 resident here. Kat ran a great campaign and is a genuinely talented communicator and I hope she has a future in Dem politics. But I want to push back on the "underdog" narrative. She had national support and national coverage from the moment she announced. This wasn't AOC out of nowhere.
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So do we think Villa still has a chance?
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Having one of those evenings where I pine for ranked choice voting in (especially Illinois) primary elections
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Rare sight (and also a response to the same thing causing my own altered routing)
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River day 2 update: still very green
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Southwest also exists, but they have recently been more expensive; they also got rid of open seating and the 2 free checked bags, which completely negates their advantages
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Getting frustrated that all of the Big 3 airlines have their own catch:
AA: miles can expire
UA: basic economy lacks carryon
DL: can’t get miles on basic economy
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And they say Chicago isn’t a windy city
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