ARSON AT 38th & ASHLAND: JANUARY 2013

THE USUAL COLD WEATHER SLOWDOWN

THE WOMAN WHO SLEPT AT THE BUS STOP

The bus stop at 64th & Kedzie in 1993 and again two days ago. There's a story to this woman's life, back when the street was filled with taverns and thrift stores. There are always stories.

ASHLAND & SIXTY-THIRD STREET BANK: THEN AND NOW

I was glad to be able to get photos of this place while it is still standing. I was on my way to 63rd & Green to get photos of the Masonic Temple that is being demolished. Photos to come.

SCHNELLVERKEHR

Blitz Verlag has just sent me a contract to for reprint rights of RAPID TRANSIT: VOLUME ONE. Crossroad Press & Digital Media will still be doing Volumes 2 and 3, but we'll see how it goes once the next book comes out over here. I'm hopeful Blitz Verlag will publish the next two collections.

THE HOLY TERROR was released as THE REDEEMER OF CHICAGO because holy terror was a term commonly used and heard in Humboldt Park, the Polish neighborhood I was born in. A holy terror was a kid who wouldn't sit still and usually kept breaking things. Translating the phrase to German made little sense. The bottom image is the cover we went with, but there were three versions I was able to choose from. I've never posted all three, so here you go.

The Old Home Town Looks The Same...

NEAR BUBBLY CREEK AND THE ARCHER AVENUE BRIDGE

RAIL RIDER/THIRD RAIL RIVER ROAD/ROSEMONT

Decades ago, Mark Rainey dropped me off at the (then) River Road el stop on the Blue Line, and I told him that I would write him a story as I waited for my train. Mark was going to be moving away from Chicago and going back to North Carolina, hence the story. Which started with Mark getting back into his car.

The story was reprinted several times, first in Year's Best Horror (where the title was changed back to "Rail Rider" after the first editor wanted it to be called "Third Rail", when the first title made perfect sense), then every time

sense. So, over the decades, Mark is continually getting into his car on a foggy September night in 1987. I had never thought to do so before, the many times I had gone to Chicago Comic-Con and then Wizard World after that, to take photos of that el stop along the Kennedy. I rectified that.

The only thing to add is that, if you ever read the original short story, I describe the buildings across from me in detail, if anything to add to the claustrophobia of the el platform as opposed to the wide open areas to the north and west. By looking at the photos, not a single building from that time remains and there is not a single empty area to be seen.

ADVERTISE HERE: HOW I FEEL SENDING MY STORIES TO EDITORS NOW

Code Orange Demolition On The Masonic Temple

63rd & Green, off Halsted. Ground Zero in Englewood. I have more photos, all from October of 2015, but its just too depressing to post them.