now that Cubs season is upon us, if you own a car, then you must familiarize yourself with the season schedule.  that is, if you’re a north side resident or frequent that area.

if you don’t have a garage space, park your car on the street when you get home from work on Friday, and do not move it until Monday morning.  take the CTA for the rest of the weekend.

games that take place during the week will nearly triple the capacity of el passengers, so either leave work early or stay a little late.  if you think the rush hour cars are packed with bodies, well, that’s nothing compared to baseball season.  i’m thinking of one specific Crosstown Classic, when a man standing next to me had his arm raised to hold onto the pole.  unfortunately, his sweaty, hairy armpit was right in my line of sight/vision.  avoid at all costs.

and remember, the closer you live to Wrigley Field, the more likely it is for some drunken Cubs fan to puke on your lawn, porch, or whatever.

sorry for the late post.  and now…

before driving in Chicago, familiarize yourself with the names of the expressways and tollways.  they are referred to by name, not number.  today, i bring you this handy dandy conversion chart so you, too, can make sense of traffic reports as you’re driving:

these are relatively easy to remember because most of their names describe their routes.  where it gets tricky, however, is with Interstates 90 and 94, both of which change names repeatedly in Chicagoland.

and finally…

so, did you get all that?  good.

research compiled by Brian, my blogless husband

if you have to double park because you need to run into a store or your building for something real quick, fine.  at least pull over as far as you can to one side of the street so other drivers don’t have to wait for you to return.  you’ll save yourself from being called names and having rude gestures thrown your way.

J was kind enough to send this e-Bay link for an "Official Chicago Winter Parking Space Placeholder" mentioned in Chicago Living Tip #33.  the bidding is over now, but here’s a preview of one of the many that were offered:

contrary to a widely held belief, there is no City law stating that you can reserve the street parking spot from which you toiled to dig your snowbound car by placing 2 old kitchen chairs with each end of a broom set on the seats.