The first clue were the three helicopters hovering above my neighborhood this morning as I left my building. Next were the trademark blue “City of Chicago” sawhorses lining a street corner on my way to the Montrose brown line el stop. Once I was just west of Ravenswood Avenue, I experienced an oddly brown mud/ice concoction underfoot. I saw some activity in the street ahead as I entered the station, but I focused on getting my train. I’d hear something about it at some point, right?
On my way up to the platform, a girl was taking a photo with her camera phone from the first flight of stairs. “Whoa,” I said. Here’s why:
A water main had broken along Montrose, East of Damen, at about 1:30 this morning. The water was shut off at 7, and there’s a big clean-up job ahead. Several cars that were parked along this stretch were submerged or towed away.
My coworker Tim took both of these photos. He’s calling it “Crater Day.” I blame J.J. Abrams for devising this elaborate publicity stunt to remind Chicago to see Cloverfield.
Margoblog 
There was one time I had dinner in Lakewood with a couple Brucelings. When we walked outside to talk and say goodbye, we felt a brief murmur. Looking at our feet, every sidewalk and street crack started oozing water below us. We walked away to the sidewalk in time to see the entire street in front of Calle Doce erupt into a lake, as the water main below the street had ruptured and eaten away all the soil underneath. It was an amazing mess!
Crater Day should be a national holiday.
On the positive side, it’s one way to get a new road. The hard way, it is, but a way. :0