By Terri Kapsalis
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The el was different last Thursday. Things have been changing for a while now, of course: some stations have new paint and fancier signage, personnel have been eliminated, and some cars have been updated and renovated. Gradual, rather subtle changes. But Thursday there was a tectonic shift. As I entered the car, I heard an electronic two-tone chime followed by a recording of a man’s stiff voice: “The doors are closing.” Normally I welcome the conductor’s voice issuing the familiar “Watch the doors, the doors are closing”–a phrase so poetic that Sicilian trombonist Sebi Tramontana composed a piece of music around it.
Such automatic recordings are common in airports, often offering multilingual information or providing exhaustive lists of gate locations for connecting flights. Perhaps those announcements were inspired by the preflight videos on airplanes clarifying exits and safety procedures. As I sat on the el that day, it struck me just how much of a privilege it is not to fly often. The dull male voice proclaimed cheerily, “Thanks for riding the CTA.” Riding the train frequently, I find it an important time to be still and meditate. This recorded voice was not a suitable mantra.
