memorize the block numbers of major Chicago streets

memorizing streets is a lot easier to do when driving. Waiting at a stop light and noting what street and number it is. Sure that can happen on the bus too, but I’m usually burying my face in a book or in some internet printouts.

Like, I just realized that 5600, a factor of 8 (thereby should be a major street), is actually Bryn Mawr Ave. BRYN MAWR? WHAT? Uh right. I never thought of Bbbrrryyynnn Mmmaaawwwrrr (said in long drawn-out sarcastic tone) was a major street in Chicago. Ah well, now thanks to car, i realize that is. Congratulations Bryn Mawr, the street with two words but only one vowel.

Wikipedia has a nice list of the Chicago numbers for the streets.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Streets_and_highways_of_Chicago

Although they break it up into two charts. One with just the streets every mile. And one for secondary streets. I just combined them into one list.

9600 N (Golf Rd.)
8800 N (Dempster St.)
8000 N (Oakton St.)
7600 N Howard St.
7200 N Touhy Ave.
6800 N Pratt Ave
6400 N Devon Ave.
6000 N Peterson Ave, part of U.S. Highway 14
5600 N Bryn Mawr Ave.
5200 N Foster Ave
4800 N Lawrence Ave.
4600 N Wilson Ave (not a half-mile)
4400 N Montrose Ave
4000 N Irving Park Rd.
3600 N Addison St
3200 N Belmont Ave.
2800 N Diversey Ave
2400 N Fullerton Ave.
2000 N Armitage Ave
1200 N Division St
1600 N North Ave.
800 N Chicago Ave.
0 N/S Madison St.
1200 S Roosevelt Rd.
1400 S 14th St. (not a half-mile)
1800 S 18th St. (not a half-mile)
2200 S Cermak Rd.
3100 S 31st St.
3900 S Pershing Rd.
4700 S 47th St.

8800 W East River Rd.
8400 W Cumberland Ave.
8000 W Pacific Ave.
7200 W Harlem Ave.
6800 W Oak Park Ave
6400 W Narragansett Ave.
6000 W Austin Ave
5600 W Central Ave.
5200 W Laramie Ave
4800 W Cicero Ave
4400 W Kostner Ave.
4000 W Pulaski Rd. (Formerly: Crawford Ave.)
3600 W Central Park Ave.
3400 W Kimball Ave (not a half-mile)
3200 W Kedzie Ave.
2800 W California Ave
2400 W Western Ave.
2000 W Damen Ave
1600 W Ashland Ave.
1200 W Racine Ave
800 W Halsted Street
0 E/W State Street
400 E Martin Luther King Jr Dr. (King Dr.)
800 E Cottage Grove Ave.
1200 E Woodlawn Ave
1600 E Stony Island Ave.
2000 E Jeffery Blvd.
2400 E Yates Ave.
2800 E Torrence Ave
3000 E Commercial Ave (not a half-mile)
3200 E Brandon Ave.
3600 E Ewing Ave
4000 E Avenue C

Avenue C cracks me up. YOu know you are far out when you are at Avenue C!

Ok. going straight from memory here:
0 state, 532 grand, 600 ohio, 800 chicago, 1200 division, 1600 north, 2000 armitage, 2400 fullerton, 2800 division, 3000 wellington, 3200 belmont, 3600 addison, 4000 irving park, 4400 montrose, 4800 lawrence (my current block), 5200 foster, 7200 touhy. Okay. So there’s a gap between 5200 and 7200. haha. I should memorize those. And the vertical ones I’m not as good with. oh boy, should i even try? 0 state, 800 halsted, 1200 oh crap. i should know this. 1600 ashland, 2000 damen, 2400 western, 3200 kedzie, 4000 cicero, 4800 uh…

I’d also need to learn the locations of all the el stops to be completely map-free. I know a lot of the streets already… I should make myself a little cheat-sheet at my desk to learn them faster. :)