best way to travel in chicago?
going to chicago, staying near the zoo, is it faster to get around town by bus, subway or ell? planning on visiting the field, sears tower, navy pier, china town, and museum of science in the space of 2 1/2 days. walking ability is limited. also, staying by the zoo, where's the best place for long term parking (reasonable price and security) and is it cheaper to travel by bus, rail,,,,,,? are the passes for transit systems worth the 20 bucks per person?
The Chicago public transit system is glorious! For $5 a day, you can have unlimited rides. $9 for 2 days and $12 for 3 days. Buy your pass at a grocery store in Chicago or at any currency exchange. The pass is good on ANY bus or L. Their visitor's passes can't be beat. Whenever I spend a day during "touristy things" with friends, I buy myself the pass as well so I can hop on and off any bus or L without worrying about costs.
The fastest way to get around is a cab. It is also the fastest way to drain your wallet. The L is very fast, buses are convient. You will probably have to transfer - no big deal. The second link below is a trip planner - you type in where you want to go and at what time and it tells you exactly how to get there.
Check with museums on their websites to see if they have free days. They are often on Tuesdays.
While you're in town, pick up a Chicago Reader (they come out late on Thursday nights) in a yellow newspaper stand. They are free and list all the upcoming cultural/music/literary/theatre events.
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February 22nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Where you are, you will want to take the bus, and the free trolley that goes to all the major sites. Any train station will have maps, and people to help you. Good luck! Did you get the Citypass? It will save you a lot of money on your trip, check it out, I think it is citypass.com
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February 22nd, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I second the free trolley. Here's a link:
http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webportal/portalContentItemAction.do?BV_SessionID=@@@@0900190005.1153188841@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccceaddifijhhfhcefecelldffhdfhg.0&contentOID=536935323&contenTypeName=COC_EDITORIAL&topChannelName=Dept&blockName=Transportation%2FChicago%27s+Free+Trolleys%2FI+Want+To&context=dept&channelId=0&programId=0&entityName=Transportation&deptMainCategoryOID=-536896085
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February 22nd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
The subway and el are pretty much the same thing; some of the train lines run underground briefly. But yeah, public transportation is probably the best and cheapest way to get around Chicago. You can pretty much get to any part of the city. You may have to do a LITTLE walking; afterall, the buses and trains aren't going to let you off at the front door. But a bus pass is a great bargain. As for longterm parking, if you're staying near the zoo (Lincoln Park, right?) check some of the buildings on Clark street. A lot of the apartment buildings there allow public parking and longterm parking. Not sure of the prices since I don't need to park there, but I guess you have to check it out once you get here.
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February 22nd, 2009 at 4:13 pm
You will be close to the 151 bus, which goes directly to downtown. The 156 would be better for the Sears Tower. Keep in mind that the neighborhood nick-name for Lincoln Park is lincoln-no-park. So yes, the transit pass is definitely worth while.
I would ask at the hotel about parking.
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February 22nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
The Chicago public transit system is glorious! For $5 a day, you can have unlimited rides. $9 for 2 days and $12 for 3 days. Buy your pass at a grocery store in Chicago or at any currency exchange. The pass is good on ANY bus or L. Their visitor's passes can't be beat. Whenever I spend a day during "touristy things" with friends, I buy myself the pass as well so I can hop on and off any bus or L without worrying about costs.
The fastest way to get around is a cab. It is also the fastest way to drain your wallet. The L is very fast, buses are convient. You will probably have to transfer - no big deal. The second link below is a trip planner - you type in where you want to go and at what time and it tells you exactly how to get there.
Check with museums on their websites to see if they have free days. They are often on Tuesdays.
While you're in town, pick up a Chicago Reader (they come out late on Thursday nights) in a yellow newspaper stand. They are free and list all the upcoming cultural/music/literary/theatre events.
References :
http://www.transitchicago.com/
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/
Chicago resident and public transit fan.
February 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
The FREE trolley. Its free! Or you could take the bus if the trolley times aren't convienant for your time schedule. Cabs are to expensive so beware.
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February 22nd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I would have to go with the el, that is the quickest but you really dont get to se much when U are on it. During rush hour it pretty busy. The long way would be the Free Trollies that run all over chicago but they do take a bit of time with all the chicago summer traffic and sports going on. DO NOT rent a car (big waste of money and U will end up getting a ticket or paying big time bucks for parking). You are better off parking your car@ the airport and then taking the org. or blue line downtown.
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