Mostly clean but only staffed during part of the day. Many of their brochures are out of date,…read moresome years out of date. I do like getting free road maps, and for those of you younger than old-as-dirt, we used to use these paper maps to get from here to there. Kind of a primitive Google Maps only it worked better. Apparently the State of Wisconsin didn't print new maps for 2024 so I guess the old ones will have to do. This has become a place for homeless people to spend overnight, and I kind of like that they don't roust them in harsh weather but it does mean the place doesn't smell as clean at night. The vending machine coffee is actually better than the gas station and fast food coffee at this exit. Not saying it's good, but the area gas stations and fast food places don't believe in fresh coffee so this is as good as it gets in the afternoon or at night. If you're on a long car trip this is a pleasant area to take a brief walk to relieve lower back pain. There are recycling receptacles though lots of people just put trash into the plastic only and aluminum only bins.

After landing in Chicago late afternoon and driving up to Manitowoc and wanting to get to our…read moredestination before sunset this rest area was a welcoming site. There are some things you don't want to admit but I must say the vending machine coffee here is pretty good - this cute little rest area not only provides clean restrooms and great coffee there are also a few historic markers to read while stretching your legs - there wasn't a lot of traffic here, I don't know if that's normal or just the time of the day but it was quite with no lines...

Not wheelchair accessible! This was a terrible decision to…read morecome to this station. There's no way down for the handicapped. The only way off the platform is down a steep, steep set of stairs. There's no chairs around. The station was empty when I went, except for a lone attendant in the booth. She helped us out of the exit door when we showed up. The station looks old, needs a fresh coat of paint and maybe some public art, and some better lighting. It was not a good experience. Total mistake coming to this station. Even getting out the door was difficult, and there's no ramps leading up to this station. What a pain in the leg.

What brought me to CTA - Main was that its location sat the closest to my job, so it ended up…read morebecoming an option for depart and aboard as my vehicle underwent maintenance. In the past I have driven passed this stop, but never utilized it until this moment. Viewing the station from Chicago Ave, you would think that it was classy considering the buildings exterior and surrounding area that actually appears safe, however, things appear differently once you enter the station itself from Chicago Ave or exit it from the 'L' train, and walk the stairwell. Don't get me wrong, considering that the station has been around since 1908, it is maintained as far as being cleaned and trash taken out, but its interior consists of chipped paint, rust and ever growing plants. It is also one of those stops with a wooden platform. I do imagine that this stop will be renovated in the future. If so, the nearest alternative stops are Dempster and South Blvd. Being that I could possibly visit this stop again, I bookmarked a few businesses within the sector that caught my eye. Some of those businesses are Sher Main Grill, Firehouse Grill, The Lucky Platter, The Brothers K Coffeehouse, and Dollop Coffee & Hoosier Mama Pie Company which most except for Firehouse Grill are 4-star rated. And lastly, other than what I have mentioned, my commute to-and-from this train stop was very pleasant and it appears easily accessible to buses, taxi cabs, uber, lyft and Main Metra Rail Station which actually sits next door. Thomas G

Easy peasy transfer between Metra / Union Pacific and CTA. This station is right next to the Metra…read moreDavis Street Evanston station, and is a quick walk past a turnaround to get to. The signs are easy to read, and it's handicapped accessible. I was really appreciative of this station. I enjoyed the fact that there's some public artwork here- some drawing/paintings of people that must live in the neighborhood. Colorful! There's one other stop in Evanston (Main Street) where you can transfer between CTA and the Metra / UP Line, and this one is FAR superior to the other one. Take this one to transfer, not the Main Street one! When I went, the platform wasn't busy, and it was easy hopping on the train!

Pretty good station, large and spacious, and a homeless guy let me in for free. The platform is…read morenext to a glass building, which makes for a really pretty spot to see the sunset

Quaint train station in Grayslake. This station now has a coffee station in the mornings. The…read moreticket dude is awesome friendly and helpful. He's been there for a while. There are 4 trains that you board on the far track. Be sure to read the signs to see which times you have to use the far track.

Hello, Although the Metra station was renovated several…read moreyears ago, there are NO bathrooms. Most people wait outside. Parking - lots of spaces available, however: one does not know which side of the track will the train depart towards Union Station. It departs from both sides of the track certain hours of the day. Occasional, delays in timetables / schedules just after departing from this station! Also, the parking money slots/boxes are soooo time consuming (especially in the morning, rush hour) an not updated to today's ability to pay using your cell phone. Why on earth won't they start using one of the online parking apps??? Please join most (if not all) other Metra parking lots locations. I just researched the village of Grayslake's web site and it does not indicate whether parking is free of charge on Saturdays and Sundays. Please update your web site. Thank you for your cooperation and immediate attention.

Love it! Blast from…read morethe Past. Reminds of NYC. Interesting Station -- hospitality suite IN the station where it's right next to a big hospital? There must be a time frame difference. NO ELEVATORS. NO ESCALATORS. NOTE: Bike Exits ONLY from Main Entrance/Station.

Convenient and walkable, which is very key. With American Landmark purchasing the Technology Park…read moreand with all of the new businesses and people moving to this area, the Yellow-line Oakton stop is an essential way of getting to downtown or Evanston. I've taken the Yellowline mainly to get to the loop or Lincolnpark or to see the Cubs and wow, it's sooo easy. The booth always has a CTA employee in it, which adds to the safety. The Yellowline trains are also generally more on the clean side, which is a plus. Oh, there's a bunch of bike stands if you'd like to ride over and lock your bike. Which leads to the one point deduction. For some reason, there are a bunch of plastic and glass bottles that are laying around, beyond the tracks. This isn't Howard station and the CTA has to make a conscious effort to clean up this mess, because the litterbugs won't be going away, unfortunately - even with waste baskets just a few steps away. There isn't any parking here so be careful not to drop off at Crafty Beaver, you may end up getting a ticket like my neighbor. If need to park, you should park at Dempster Yellowline. All in all, consistent, clean, safe and just one stop away from Howard.

I have always passed by Oakton-Skokie, whether it be in my vehicle or enroute to Dempster-Skokie…read morevia Yellow line: Skokie Swift, but never utilized it despite it having access to places I visit in on a weekly basis. Occasionally I work in the area, and in the past I noted Oakton-Skokie as being the closest public transportation access spot to my job which is why I utilized it. I have to say that I love how well-maintained and easily accessible the stops are in Skokie in comparison to Chicago and Evanston. With that being said, some of the pros & cons I noted of Oakton-Skokie are. Pros: -It connects college students to Oakton Community College, which is only half of a mile away. -Easy accessible grocery stores (Market Place on Oakton & ALDI) that are coincidentally next to each other. -Diverse selection of restaurants within Downtown Skokie. Some noted are Libertad, Village Inn Pizzeria Sports Bar and Grill, Sugo Italian Street Food and De-Jred Fine Jamaican Cuisine. -It connects residents and those living outside of Skokie to events, and businesses in downtown Skokie, such as Skokie Theater; The Historical Society/Heritage Museum; the Public Library; St Peter's Catholic Church and Village Hall. -Wheel chair accessible ramp. -The yellow line - Skokie Swift, operates for weekday and weekend Chicago Cubs night games and Wrigley Field concerts going in-bound to until 12:00 AM on game nights. Cons: -The yellow line - Skokie Swift, does not run all night. Other than for Chicago Cubs night games and Wrigley Field concerts, it runs from Dempster to Howard until 11:15 PM, all week. And from Howard to Dempster until 11:00 PM. Thomas G

This styley brick building has kept me warm on many cold winter days. It opens as the crack of…read moredawn (5:15am) but closes at 1:15 pm. Brrrr. This is a really speedy train line to downtown Chicago and Kenosha, WI.

The train is the best way into Chicago. This is a pretty boring place to catch the train but it…read morewill get you out of the weather.

I've spent a few 15 minute stretches, after narrowly missing a Howard-bound train, hanging out at…read morethis station. At 8pm it's generally deserted and the eerie glow from the yellow lamps at the end of the platform have all the trappings of a slasher flick. I make it home safe every time though...boring movie, decent station.