An interesting CTA ride. Blog: 6

Yesterday I had taken a ride on the red line from roosevelt to addison. Because of the construction, instead of going into the subway, the red line took over the brown/green lines so the entire time, we were above ground. An older black woman and a younger mexican man sit down near me. She has been explaining to him as we passed each stop what it used to look like. We passed near van buren and michigan and she had explained that this is where her mother worked, and it is now a shopping district. I thought it was interesting when we were passing and she would describe buildings and how as soon as we rode near the fullerton stop, it was obvious that the people around there were the 'people with money' and how the buildings looked 'rich.' She was talking about going up towards rogers park but instead she wanted to show her friend, who wasn't familiar with chicago, all the interesting places to be. They ended up getting off at the more hip area of town, belmont stop.


i found this picture of 'old chicago,' where she was describing where her mother used to work. it was near where the old sears was as well.

My Random Blurbs Blog: 5

I have been so many cities in the past few years and am always interested in seeing the different parts of town and who lives in what neighborhood. For instance, I was recently in Portland and New York... and I find them to be completely different from Chicago. For one, New York has a much more sufficient subway system than Chicago... yet they barely have any busses. At the same time, with the density of New York, busses would probably not run very well with the constant traffic congestion I saw. I was shocked at the short amount of time I had to wait on the platform for my train. It operated so smoothly and so many people used this to their advantage!

In Portland, I was downtown waiting to catch a bus to a music venue. To my surprise, the schedules were very accurate; the minute that a bus was supposed to be at it's stop, it was! I only wish Chicago were that way.

A Major Issue: THE CTA! Blog 4

The cta is going through major changes these days, as it's been for a while now. Though a lot of our readings are centered around gentrification, some also talk about the 'greatness' of urban cities. To me, the Chicago public transit is a lifesaver. It's one reason why I love Chicago so much. It's easy to get around, and can be faster than driving (lets be honest, parking in Chicago, at least for free, is IMPOSSIBLE!). The current problem is the inadequate state funding for the cta. They were going to shut down a near 29 bus routes and make train run times less frequent until they were granted 29-million dollars. I know that some people live in Chicago simply because they save money by public transportation to work or school. I feel like with these cta cuts that people may re-think wanting to live here. It's a part of what makes the city great, along with a populated, easy to access, and dense areas.

The 'doomsday' is if the state doesn't grant us the money we need for transit. Part of the consequences would be a cut of service on the Red and Blue lines from 1-4 A.M. Those are the two major trains to get to and from UIC! A lot of jobs would be at risk if the consumers don't do something about it soon. There is more information at www.chicagotransitauthority.com

Random: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack Blog: 3

We just completed a reading for class by Peggy McIntosh. I wanted to talk about this article because I also read it for another class last semester. Professor Kevin James taught that class. I recall this article when it came to economics and employment in cities. She described the phenomenon of 'white privilege.' What I got out of this article is that white people have the opportunity to get away with things that black people don't. This is why there are social hierarchies, racism, and the fight for equal opportunity. Being Asian American, I am never really affiliated with negative stereotypes. I get the "she's Asian so she must be good at math" and "she's Asian so she must be smart." It's a good stereotype, but also one to continually live up to!

Peggy acknowledges that privileges of everyday life when it's not directed at her physical attributes. The few points that stood out to me included ideas of gentrification. She states, "If I should need to move, I can be pretty sure of renting or purchasing housing in an area which I can afford and in which I would want to live." She demonstrates that neighbors would be pleasant and not judge her based on skin color. The most important thing I got out of this article is that being white and being in the city has it's little perks in comparison to other races of people. They have more of an opportunity for the high wage jobs, to be respected, and to be judged by how they are, not what color they are.

Census Tract: Blog 2

For my census tract I had observed statistics of my area in 2000: it seemed as though not much has changed. I focused on two main things: The economic state and race.

As far as employment goes in 2000, 66.5% of people over the age of 16 were in the labor force. This number makes sense. The United States average is 63.9%. I see and know many students who work in this area and they all travel by train or car. It notes that the mean travel time is 27 minutes- I could even imagine it being longer for those who rely on public transportation! In 1999, the median earnings was higher than the united stages average. From hearing about people's jobs and having worked in Chicago myself, low skill jobs usually pay higher here than in the suburbs. Even if it is 50 cents to a dollar.

In 2000, there were a high number of whites, and then blacks coming in with the 2nd highest number. I feel as though with the university village buildings and other new structures to be built, I see more white and Asian people in this area, and less black. Where Asians only make up 3.6% of the united states population, I believe that more immigrants have come in since 2000. I also would believe that the number of people with 'two or more races' is likely to have risen in the last 7 years.

Ritzer : Blog 1

In George Ritzer's "a disenchanted world," he gives us the idea of Disneyland (or world) as not a corporation, but as a household name that we all know and love. Ritzer has talked about the cathedrals of consumption and new means. What he means is that every consumer needs things like superstores, hospitals, shopping malls, and chain stores. Many households see Disney as a culture, not a corporation. When people go to Disneyland, there is form and function there without the reputation of older, more risky amusement parks in the early 20th century. This article focuses on how Disney and consumer consumption have been so successful for so many years. When families walk into Disneyworld, there is no risk or robbers, sexual predators, or crime. They see the park-- always being maintained day after day. In a way, they transformed the idea of amusement parks and raised the bar of consumption among society.