UP-NW is Metra's second busiest line, with an average weekday ridership of 41,000 commuters. It's also the longest route, with 70 miles between downtown Chicago and Harvard.
"Many of the towns and suburbs we know today became what they are strictly because they put a rail station in there," Metra Media Relations Specialist Meg Thomas-Reile said.
The creators of Just off the Track, a website featuring fun spots that are walking distance from area train station, guided this one-track trip to its first stop: Arlington Heights.
"We used to take the train into Chicago all the time," Just off the Tracks President Laura Fergus said. "On the way there you notice all the cute towns along the way and you wonder, 'Gosh, I've got to go back and go shopping,' or 'Could I spend the day there?'"
There are plenty of charming shops just steps away from the Arlington Heights Metra station.
Brackett & Company Home Accents had all kinds of unique items, like a bracelet made of typewriter keys. For family fun, the Metropolis Performing Arts Center is right around the corner.
"We produce our own shows," Metropolis Executive Director Charlie Beck said. "We also present a wide range of artists, musicians and comic acts."
The Chicago Kids Company performed "Sleeping Beauty" during this visit.
A quick five minute walk brings visitors to a boutique like no other. Transformations is not just a shop - it's an experience. Everyone leaves the "magic corner" with a smile.
"We're very proud to do a lot of work with new cancer patients. We specialize in wigs and mastectomy items," owner Rori Scheffler said. "But we also have our own make up line, so makeovers are really fun!"
Javier's is one of the many tasty Mexican restaurants in town.
Your burgers are served by rail at the legendary Choo Choo Restaurant in Des Plaines - a throwback to the 1950s. It's a true hidden gem.
"It's been here for over 60 years so there's a lot of memory's for most of the customers who come in here," Choo Choo owner Jean Paxton said.
All that, in just two Metra stops! There's so much more ground to cover on the Union Pacific Northwest Line.
Arlington Park in Arlington Heights, jazz on the square in Woodstock's Historic Square, and Starline Art Galleries in Harvard are just a few.
There's something at every stop, near every station in every suburb.
