#66 Chicago Avenue Bus

dam this club is fire! i’m always faded here!

Typical CTA experience…

My weekend midday ride was fine. Bus cane in about 5 minutes and moved along fine. There were seats. Not that I’m an expert, but the clientele didn’t seem too bad, although I didn’t sit next to anyone. Three stars becausebit did what it was supposed to as I expected, and is rode it again if I needed to.

Pros: runs frequently, and with some regularity. Can get you from Western to Michigan Ave in about 40 min, during peak hours, which isn’t that bad. Hits the Blue, Brown, and Red lines.
Cons: is crowded as fuck between about Leavitt & State. Once you cross the bridge heading east, the bus slows to a crawl. Tourists. Teenagers. Strollers. Crazies. People who, despite probably riding the bus every goddamn day, don’t know how to exit through the rear doors, or don’t know how to pull the green knob when the doors get stuck. People who won’t move to the rear. People who shove past you to try to move to the rear, when there clearly isn’t room. Just… people. Ugh.
I ride this bus to and from work everyday, and have for about two years. This summer, though, I’m going to brave the scary downtown traffic and start biking to work!

I love this bus because it reminds of a European bus when it all of sudden turns off the main street you were on and heads in another direction. See living in Chicago I’m use to my buses going in a straight line. The CTA has ruined me in my travels in foreign countries.
This bus drives by the famous water tower so it feels a little like Europe. My daughter thinks its Rapunzel’s tower, which is cute every time we pass it.
As the bus approaches the lake it turns right on Fairbanks and left on Illinois as it makes it way to Navy Pier. Yes Toads Wild Ride and my European Adventure begins.
It is a great ride to the Pier plus when it’s cold outside you can see if the bus is there From the main door before going outside.

My bike is broken right now, which means I’ve been riding the Chicago bus every day, to and from work.
It amazes me that no matter what time I ride this chariot, I can be certain that at least 25% of its inhabitants are drunk. Now that’s impressive.
As I sit (I get on pretty far west of Ashland, so sometimes I do get to sit) on the bus now, with two butts in my face, we are traveling at a speed no faster than 5 mph. Should I just walk to work? Maybe.
You can count on experiencing some of the god awful worst smells you will ever encounter. Most common offenders being the smell of urine (duh) or the smell of perpetually unwashed hair (still can’t get over that one — always makes me gag).
Then when I come back from work tonight, it’s guaranteed I will be harassed by some shady dude as I wait at the bus stop downtown.
Don’t ride this bus unless you absolutely must. I have to give it two stars because it’s always there, waiting for me. The dependable, stinky #66.

Every time I set foot on this bus… it is either way to crowded to be legal or some SHYT is goin down. I found a piece of weave on the bus and it look like it was ripped off a head. Next incident was when I was waiting for the bus and some man in an ELECTRIC wheelchair was hustling some woman for money. Then the bus arrived and it is jam packed as usual… and this man decides he wants to get on… The bus lady screamed for all the passengers to get off so that this guy could get in. He gets in and starts cussing everyone out, and the fights with the bus driver cause she doesnt stop at CAMBRI…
So he gets off about two blocks after he got on…-__–
Another time I had a large butt crack inches from my face.
Never a fond memory.

I always see the craziest stuff on the 66. An old man threatening a woman with stroller, shouting «THATS A GODDAMN LIE AND YOU KNOW IT» because she was sitting in the handicapped seats and insisted that they were also for people with kids? Check. An honest to god pimp? Check, several times. A girl with two cell phones, using one as a boom box to pump Lil Jon for the entire bus to hear? Check. Every single person from all walks of life, interacting with one another briefly as we go about our business, trans-​versing the east-​west corridor between West Chicago and downtown? Every day. Its late sometimes but the drivers on this route are always pretty cool.
Its the bus though. Its covered in bus juice. I always have to wash my hands when I get to my destination just to wash the bus juice off me. Based on the things I’ve seen and what I’ve seen people do on the 66, I should probably be using bleach.

If ever there were a bus route in no danger of being canceled, it’s the 66. I once had to show up at Northwestern Memorial for surgery at 6:00 a.m. I wasn’t exactly stoked about having surgery (or for that matter, taking public transit to surgery), but I thought, «hey, at least I’ll get a seat on the 66 and possibly not even have to listen to someone eat a bag of chips». But right on cue, this lumbering brute pulled up at Chicago & Franklin at 5:30 in the morning with nary a seat and at least two people working through respective sacks of Doritos and Funyuns.
It’s really not reasonable to expect this bus to be anything but crowded, though. It’s on one of the city’s main arteries. It links up with four different train lines, an infinite number of bus routes, and a score of densely populated neighborhoods. So it runs frequently and it fills up in a hurry. But I’d rather it show up sporadically with far fewer people aboard.

Boy oh boy am I glad I don’t ride this bus during rush hour… based on the reviews it sounds like I’d need a hazmat suit.
For my purposes, the #66 bus is fantastic. I typically take it on weekend afternoons, either to go grocery shopping or for some strolling and shopping in Water Tower Place.
Based on my experience, on the weekends it runs at least every 10 minutes, it is never packed, there are no crazy people, and the drivers are friendly, patient and always wait for people who start sprinting to catch the bus (myself included).
I yet to be groped or feel endangered, but I s’pose there’s still time for that.

Not terrible, not great.
Pros:
— runs frequently
— runs in neighborhoods (like Ukrainian Village) that are far from the train, so the bus is our only hope
— stops at three different train stations
— minimal amounts of crazies
Cons:
— morning commute usually gets packed east of Leavitt
— I’ve never seen a bendy bus on this route. Come on, CTA!

i get less sweaty riding my bike to work in the morning than i do riding on you, and i don’t have to spend 2.25 or breathe in somebody’s farts.
2 stars because i haven’t sat next to someone snorting cocaine, like on the 29. yet.

piece of crap transportation service!
Especially the #66 Chicago Ave. Bus.
Thank you

Don’t come near me right after work. I’m honestly ready to murder babies (I’ll probably start a creepy «Small Shoes» collection in my crawl-​space).
Three years of having to be smile my head off and feign EXTREME politeness and hospitality to people who seriously have a good, strong punch in the sternum coming to them… will wear a gal out. Ever seen Waiting? Well, you should. I turn one corner and it’s «Hey there! How’s everyone doing today? Great, great.» and then another corner and this happens:
«If that bitch doesn’t take her coat off table 72 when I go to seat it, I’m throwing hot tea in her face.»
So after a long day on my feet, I hike up to the Chicago Ave. bus stop right next to the Transient Hilton (Lawson House YMCA) and wait for the bus with all the various facets of humanity (yeah, I know, the people who live there have enough of a hard life without me verbally bashing them on Unilocal… I’m just trying to set the scene here).
So eventually the bus arrives and it’s teaming with crabasses just like me trying to get home from work. On this route headed west, it’s very common for the busses to be so crowded that they just fly on past you, leaving you for another 10 minutes of «Ward-​Off-​That-​Panhandler». But if you do make it on the bus, expect to be snuggling up to a strangers’ armpit.
Since I first began this review I have since moved from Ukrainian Village to Wicker Park thus opening my world to much more efficient modes of public transportation. Still, the #66 haunts me.

It’s not hard for me to understand that this bus would have lots of people on it during rush hour. My guess would be that Chicago Ave. is one of the most populated streets here in Chicago, it’s a straight shot to downtown and it connects to the blue, red, and purple/​brown line trains (which, I’m not sure).
This could go one of two ways. It could be like the North bus in that it shows up whenever it wants in groups of three, or it could show up consistently in even intervals. With this bus, it’s the latter.
Look, rush hour sucks for everyone (except pervs, it’s their Disneyland). If you don’t like having to stand next to someone super close, then you might want to check out this thing called «move out of the fucking city or get a job that isn’t a 9−5». Then, you can welcome boredom instead of anger, or find out what it’s like to ride public transportation by yourself during obscure hours.
The reason I chose to review this bus and subsequently give it a great review was because yesterday the bus driver was being awesome. It was raining and there were quite a few people waiting to get on and a guy in front of me thought it would be cute to lift up his toddler daughter and let her have some fun putting the transit card into, you know, the thing. The bus driver was like, «No. Cut it out. I don’t have time for this. People are waiting in the rain right now.» The gentlemen didn’t seem to speak english so he did it anyway. The important thing was that for once a bus driver stood up to people wasting everyone’s time. So, for the love of God, here’s a list of things you can do to expedite your commute and help yourself by helping everyone.
1. If you have a seat, SIT CLOSE TO THE WINDOW, NOT THE AISLE. Do I have to explain this? The overweight are exempt cause they obviously have their own problems. Those seats can only handle so much ass.
2. Exit out the REAR, people. Look, if it’s slow and you want to flirt with the driver a little, then go for it. Exit out the front. But if it’s goddamn rush hour and there’s thirty people waiting to get on you are officially wasting everybody on the bus’ time. You know how sometimes you’re late for work and you’re waiting for the bus and you’re thinking things like, «God damn. If they could get the bus to show up 5 minutes earlier. Then I’d be fine.» Well, that’s cause everybody exits out the front. It adds an extra 15 seconds to a minute (if it causes the bus to miss a stop light) and by the time it reaches the end of the route the bus is way behind. So please, exit out the rear.
3. I noticed some people confused about why we’re asked to move to the back when we get on during rush hour. It’s obvious. If everyone stays in the front, then no one can get on. Even if it’s not full yet, it will be eventually and you’re doing yourself and everyone a favor by moving to the back. Imagine if you couldn’t get on the bus cause it was full and you looked at the back and it was completely empty. You’d yell, «Fish sticks!» and throw your fedora to the ground and make a pouty face. So, let’s skip that and try and remember there are other people in the world.
4. This one’s a little picky, but I’m gonna throw it out there anyway. Do your best to not block the back doors. I’m a hypocrite cause I like to stand there, but I stand there with awareness, iPod free and I’m thin so just about anyone can slip past me. If you stand there, be willing to step off the bus to let people off and simply climb back on when it’s time. No, the bus driver isn’t going to accuse you of sneaking on the bus and no, the bus driver isn’t going to drive off into a puddle and splash you while a little kid flips you off out the back window.
Now ask yourself, is public transportation bad or are we just bad at public transportation? I say «yes» to both.

I am so thankful I didn’t have to take this bus ever again due to moving, but I feel very sorry for those who have to rely on this piece of shit bus.
You like bunching up? They got it! You like weirdos asking you to scratch their back? YEPPERS!
Oh yeah, there’s also this guy, this short little Latino fellow, who sits next to chicks and plays with his hand in his pockets to molest your thighs. Be Careful!!!

I like to think I’ve seen quite a bit of oddity on public transportation.
I’ve seen people get drunk sick all over the seats. I’ve seen people smoking various things in the train cars. I’ve seen «middle school basketball players» soliciting money from people just trying to get home. I’ve seen a man stroking his you know what on the Damen Blue Line platform at 6:15AM. I felt it necessary to highlight some more of the fun times I’ve had on public with the bus I use most often.
Every morning, though, I get my extra large cup of crazy from the riders on this wonderful bus route. If I had to take this bus any more than a mile in the morning I just might lose it.
I’m not sure what type of westbound schedule they run on in the morning, but it is completely out of sync with any of the buses than run down Michigan Ave. I generally wait about 10 minutes for a bus to come and by then at least 15 people are at the stop with me.
Once it hits the Chicago and State Red line stop, all hell breaks loose. This week of highlights was my favorite. A lady with her two children came on, bag of french fries soaked in ketchup in the little boy’s hand. Once his CTA pass was used he ran through the crowd of people in the middle to the back of the bus, swiping his greasy ketchupy hands all over everyone. The mom and little girl sat in the front. Suddenly she started crying, wanting french fries, too, and the mother was SCREAMING at her son to get back up to the front and share. Naturally he didn’t listen, so… the screaming went on pretty much the entirety of the bus ride. She continued the verbal beating and it was pretty uncomfortable for everyone. I was waiting for the smack to go down but fortunately my stop came, though not soon enough.
And lately I’ve noticed a phobia of being in the FRONT of the bus. People seem to be INSISTENT on pushing through tons of people just to get to the back of the bus and STAND on the platform. It’s ridiculous.
The drivers are extremely nice — and by nice I mean they will sit at every stop light and wait for every single person in the general area of the stop to decide if they want to hop on the bus or not. Sometimes they are nice enough to stop the bus altogether to scream at passengers to move to the back of the bus.
It’s so amazing that I can make it from Wrigleyville to Michigan/​Delaware in 8 minutes and it takes me 10 – 15 MINIMUM to make it about a mile on the 66. At least I end up with a full jolt of nuttiness that I’m wide awake by the time I make it into work.

It’s public transportation. So, I understand that the bus can be only so comfortable and enjoyable.
I ride the 66 to and from work everyday and rarely have to wait more than 10 minutes for that big beautiful bus to pick me up. It’s a popular line, so yeah it’s going to be crowded and probably less than ideally clean. People are slobs, but that’s more of a reflection of the public that rides the bus than of CTA. The drivers are usually very nice (there are a couple that are even quite hilarious!). I would like to see them be a little easier with the braking though. There are certain people who are standing and holding on as best they can as it is!
Tip: If you’re taking the bus from downtown towards Austin, get on before Michigan. Try walking a couple of streets over to Fairbanks and your chances of getting a seat will grow exponentially!

The Chicago bus is ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS crowded. Also, it seems as though they always have more buses running North than South. That being said, it gets me to where I need be and so I am forever indebted :)
If you are ever downtown and looking to take the Chicago bus North, here’s a little tip for you. Instead of waiting for the bus right at Michigan avenue with the other 30 million people, walk your chunky butt up a few blocks and get on by the MCA (or even the stop before). I promise you that this small amount of extra effort will make it 80% more likely that you will get a seat!

There are some spoiled bus riders on Unilocal.The 66 runs very often. I get passed by, but there’s usually another bus close behind it. It goes by the YMCA housing, but I’ve never had a gang of homeless men hop on, like what often happened in the last city I lived in. Most of the people on the 66 are yuppies who live in West town going down to work in River North, and I don’t mind their company one bit.
Once while waiting at the 66 stop outside of the night club Enclave, a girl tromping through a foot of snow in her high heels fell and flashed her coochie at me!