Chicago Warning or Danger Tips by Hillari

I've lived in Chicago all of my life. Travelers, please understand that all neighborhoods within the city have their good and bad points. Just because you're staying in a fancy hotel on Michigan Avenue doesn't mean you cannot get robbed. Walking in an allegedly "bad" neighborhood doesn't necessarily mean that you're going to come to harm. Just like anywhere else, It's a matter of paying attention to your surroundings, and not being careless. If you follow the "avoid these areas" advice, you'll miss out on some true jewels such as Edna's Sout Food Restaurant, Buddy Guy's Legends, Ford City Shopping Center, Windy City Boxing Gym, Garfield Park Conservatory, etc., not to mention a whole lot of summer neighborhood festivals and off-the-beaten path attractions.

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Other Contact: hhalto@yahoo.com

CTA is very simple to use. Trains are marked by colors: Red (runs north and south), Brown (north and northwest), Orange (southwest), Green (west and south), Blue Line (west and northwest), Purple (from downtown to the far north side city of Evanston, IL) and Yellow (transfer from the Red Line to the village of Skokie, IL). The buses aren't hard to use, either. Be aware that crime can happen any time of day or night on CTA and on any bus or train line. I have seen robberies at 10:00 AM in the morning on the 'L, and rode the buses home at 3:00 AM with no incident. The majority of the stuff that happens is more irritating than harmful: the con artists, street vendors, people begging for money, drunks, rude passengers, people preaching loud sermons, those exhibiting emotional/mental disorders, CTA personnel with attitudes. Also, the fares are some of the highest in all of the USA.

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Other Contact: hhalto@yahoo.com

Do not, I repeat, do not ever take part in the card or shell games that take place on the 'L. How they begin is one guy will start talking loudly about "now here we go with show" or something similar. The game is to guess where the red card is at or which covering the ball is under. It never fails. . some passenger who should know better will look too long in the con artist's direction, and get sucked into the game. There's also one or two "hype" persons encouraging the passenger to continue. The "hype" persons are so obvious it's sickening. Once they have fleeced enough people out of money, they move on to the next train car.

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Other Contact: hhalto@yahoo.com

Wrigley Field, where the Chicago Cubs play, sits in the Wrigleyville neighborhood on the North side. Not a bad area, but be mindful of con artists hanging around outside the ball park, pulling scams from pidgeon drops to selling fake tickets. Pickpockets love this spot, also. After the game, be mindful of the people who've had too much to drink during the game. The White Sox play on the South side at US Cellular Field (formerly Cominsky Park). The same things you should watch out for at Wrigley Field, apply at US Cellular. People of color should also be alert for racial incidents. They don't happen much around Wrigley, but US Celluar is not far from a neighborhood that is less than welcoming to people who don't look like they do.

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Other Contact: hhalto@yahoo.com