Navigating NATO

Navigating the city during the NATO weekend is likely to be a huge pain in the ass this weekend, as dignitaries from more than 50 countries and thousands of demonstrators arrive for the two-day NATO summit that takes place this Sunday and Monday at McCormick Place.

Many downtown businesses have instructed employees to work from home Friday and Monday. Mine is not one of them.

So it's Friday, the first day of NATO weekend here in Chicago and the impending sense of doom I was feeling this morning before I left the house is slowly turning to plain old irritation, an emotion I am much more familiar with.

 

Hey Rahmy - why are we doing this again? Remind me
why this was a good idea??

So I get to the Ravenswood Metra train stop this morning, 10 minutes early, prepared for TSA screenings, bag measurements, and all around a general police-state environment. Other than the conspicuous lack of people - apparently half of us decided to stay home today (the half with any brains, I guess)nothing else appears out of the ordinary on the platform.

 

When my train pulls up and the doors open, I see two people step out and realize immediately that no one has listened to the warnings we have heard all week about the special rules on trains over the NATO weekend. One of the people is carrying a laptop in a case, the other a backpack, and BOTH have coffee in hand - all three items which are supposedly "prohibited" on commuter trains today through Monday. This kind of grinds my gears... I mean, why did I follow the rules? Why did I switch to a smaller bag, remove all liquids and makeup from my purse, leave my salad at home and throw out my water bottle on the platform??? Boo! (Now I have to buy a ten-dollar lunch in the Loop with money I don't have, thank you very much!)

Another added security measure agreed upon by Metra and the secret service (who, by the way, wanted to shut down all train travel in the city, but officials pushed back), was a restriction on "carry-ons." Friday through Monday (the summit itself takes place on Sunday and Monday), passengers on Metra trains are only allowed one carry-on, and it must be no larger than 15" x 15", and 4" deep - roughly the size of a man's briefcase, officials said when they released the information. I find this to be overtly sexist. For one thing, women make up 52 percent of the population - a majority. So, wouldn't it make more sense to base your dimensions on a woman's purse rather than a man's briefcase?? Second, I would bet that commuters traveling to work are three- to five times more likely to carry a purse or a tote bag than a briefcase. Who carries briefcases anymore anyway? Lawyers on TV and men over seventy, that's who.

 

I continued to think about this over the last few days, and tried to consider a way that this wasn't a group of middle aged men making a sexist decision. I eventually came to the conclusion that some laptop cases/bags would also fit into those dimensions...I realized this was not a good argument - laptops are expressly prohibited on trains this weekend, so that of course never came into the equation during the decision-making process on carry-on size requirements. :(

That being said, I highly doubt Monday will be anything like today - the summit will be wrapping up and I expect the security to be tightened up significantly on commuter trains into and out of the downtown area. And, truth be told, I'm a little scared - protesters are already getting rowdy and there have been several arrests. Luckily nothing has happened near my building in the Loop, and I sure hope it stays that way. If I could, I would avoid downtown altogether all weekend long and definitely on Monday...possibly I'd even leave town altogether. But, since I don't have Friday and Monday off like all the smart people in town have planned for, I must travel by train in the city. I could take the El...and I might on Monday. But if the security is as lax as it was today, I should have no problem traveling, briefcase-sized carry-ons notwithstanding. Then again, if the security for getting on trains in Chicago isn't going to be comprehensive, then I sure do hope nobody crazy has hatched any sort of nasty plot.

In the News:

Ready, set: Here comes NATO summit weekend (Chicago Tribune)

Security Plan Shuts Down Roads, South Loop For NATO Summit Weekend (CBS Chicago)

No-Fly Zone To Be Enforced By Shoot-To-Kill Order During NATO Summit (Chicago Tribune)