To the Library!
BEN: Sam’s quest to borrow a particular book led us up to Logan Square, a neighborhood bearing the name of an actual square, the Illinois Centennial Memorial (which we didn’t know existed until after visiting – whoops!), and marking the northern terminus of the Chicago Boulevard System (which I also didn’t know existed!). Its namesake is John A. Logan, a Civil War general who advocated for the establishment of the Memorial Day holiday and took (but apparently returned) a bribe from the Union Pacific Railroad in exchange for subsidies and poor oversight.
Erica, the delightful children’s librarian, told us that the Logan Square branch was named 2nd runner-up for best library in the Chicago Reader last year, and attracts 400-500 visitors per day, making it a high-traffic and high-circulation branch.
Time for Food!
SAM: On Erica’s recommendation, we headed a few blocks north to Cafe Tola for empanadas. After a brief and accidental detour to the wrong restaurant (where we were seated, found no empanadas on the menu, realized our mistake, and awkwardly snuck out), we sampled buffalo chicken and ham, egg and cheese empanadas.
I had made a mistake and gave Daniel a bite of the Buffalo Chicken Empanada, not thinking that it was super spicy. Ben said it may have turned him off to trying the other one!
What about Transit?
DANIEL: The Logan Square branch is accessible by the CTA Bus Routes #56, #74, and #82. For Metra, the Healy Station (Milwaukee District North) is a 1.2 mile walk. Also, you have two options if you are riding the CTA Blue line. You can get off at California Station, 0.4 miles from the library, or Logan Square Station, 0.5 miles from the library. If you want to see something cool and don’t mind a little more walking, get off at Belmont, 1.2 miles from the library.
A little fact about Belmont: The Westbound 77 bus leaves from a fenced off bus bay. Why, you may ask? In 2017, the CTA launched a pilot program for prepaid bus boarding. Between 3pm and 7pm, riders had to tap their card to enter the bus platform. This saved, on average, 38 seconds per bus. This ended more than 6 years ago. What are your thoughts on this?
Anyway, I still gotta give this a transit review: Good job Logan Square, 5/5!
BEN: We’ll leave you with the mystery of this #52 bus stop sign, which we spotted in the corner of Cafe Tola behind their freezer. How did it get there? Who snagged it from the street? What are their intentions? Comment below with your ideas!
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