Wow, I really didn't say what I meant to there. I was trying to say that the turnstiles don't take cash and my recommendation for anyone without a Ventra card is to use contactless because then you're not paying the fee for the single ride ticket. That said, you're absolutely correct, the single ride tickets can be bought from the machines for cash.

Odd that at any station other than ORD, you get ripped off for the single ride ticket. It's $3 vs $2.25, because they're charging you for a transfer you may or may not need and 50 cents for the ticket. At ORD, it's $5 no matter what. That means that if you need a transfer and you're at ORD, you can buy the ticket to save a quarter vs using a Ventra card.