Geoffrey Baer hops on the CTA's famous Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Orange, Yellow, Pink, and Purple Lines to bring you a fascinating exploration of the colorful and diverse neighborhoods that Chicagoans access via the city's storied elevated train system.

Get more of Chicago by 'L' on the interactive website at https://www.wttw.com/L


Documentary Chapters:
00:00 Intro

02:11 Purple Line: Wilmette
Baha’i House of Worship, the North Shore Channel, and more

05:21 Purple Line: Evanston
Northwestern University, the Frances Willard House, and more

08:02 Yellow Line: Skokie
Skokie Swift and more

11:09 Red Line: Rogers Park
Glenwood Avenue Arts District, the Madonna della Strada chapel, and more

13:18 Red Line: Andersonville
Swedish American Museum

14:07 Red Line: Asia on Argyle
Geoffrey Baer visits the Argyle Night Market, a weekly panAsian street food market. He talks to Hac Tran to learn about the community’s Asian roots and culture.

17:05 Red Line: Uptown

20:14 Red Line: Wrigleyville
Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs: learn about the history of the surrounding neighborhood and take a peek at the game from the nearby rooftop bleachers.

23:44 Red Line: Chinatown
Ping Tom Park and more

26:31 Red Line: Guaranteed Rate Field (Sox Park)
Geoffrey Baer throws the first pitch at a White Sox game at Guaranteed Rate Field. Learn about the history of the team and meet the groundskeeper, “the Sodfather.”

29:12 Red Line: Vegan Soul Food
Geoffrey Baer talks to Arel Israel and Lori Seay, who run Original Soul Vegetarian on 75th Street. The vegan soul food restaurant was founded by their parents in 1982.

32:04 Red Line: 95th/Dan Ryan Dance Party
At the redesigned 95th Red Line Station, which is home to AESOP, a DJ booth that stands for “An Extended Song of Our People.”


33:42 CTA's Train Body Shops
The Skokie Maintenance Facility, the city’s largest body shop where ‘L’ trains go for tuneups and overhauls.

34:54 Pink Line: Near West Side
Union Park, the United Center, Cook County Hospital and the Illinois Medical District

38:06 Pink Line: Pilsen
Learn about the community’s Mexican heritage and burgeoning arts scene.

41:54 Pink Line: North Lawndale
Douglas Park, the industrial history of the community, and historic KTown

45:46 Pink Line: Cicero
History of the community including the old Western Electric factory


47:14 Blue Line: Forest Park
Community cemeteries, 16inch softball, and the Ferrara Candy Company

52:56 Blue Line: Little Italy

53:57 Blue Line: 'L' Tunnel Performers

56:08 Blue Line: Wicker Park
Old Polonia, Margie’s Candies, and shuffleboard at The Royal Palms

59:58 Blue Line: Logan Square

1:01:15 Blue Line: Jefferson Park

1:02:30 Blue Line: Rosemont

1:04:43 Blue Line: O'Hare
History of O'Hare International Airport


1:06:42 Green Line: Woodlawn
World’s Fair and Lorraine Hansberry’s connection to the community

1:08:54 1920sEra 'L' Train

1:12:37 Green Line: Englewood
Organizations working to bring hope to the community

1:15:55 Green Line: Bronzeville

1:21:01 Green Line: Illinois Institute of Technology

1:23:15 Green Line: Motor Row

1:23:50 Green Line: Clarke House

1:25:09 Green Line: South Loop
The community’s historic homes and colorful murals

1:26:49 The Voice of the CTA
Lee Crooks, the voice of the CTA’s announcements; Crooks has been recording the voiceovers, like “doors closing” or “next stop,” since 1998.


1:29:05 Haymarket Square

1:30:44 Green Line: Garfield Park
Garfield Park Conservatory

1:32:55 Green Line: Austin

1:35:37 Green Line: Oak Park

1:38:29 Orange Line: Midway

1:41:21 Orange Line: Back of the Yards
Union Stockyards

1:42:53 Orange Line: McKinley Park

1:43:37 Orange Line: Bridgeport
The community’s arts scene and Palmisano Park

1:45:27 CTA Control Center


1:47:49 Brown Line: Albany Park

1:50:56 Brown Line: Lincoln Square/Ravenswood

1:51:55 Brown Line: Malt Row

1:53:27 Brown Line: Lakeview/Boystown
LGBTQ community in the neighborhood

1:54:38 Brown Line: Lincoln Park

1:55:43 Living Next to the 'L'

1:57:08 Brown Line: Old Town
St. Michael’s and more

1:59:32 Brown Line: River North

2:01:20 Brown Line: The Loop
The Loop’s towering skyscrapers and other landmarks

2:07:16 Riverwalk