How Are You Getting to Chicago?

Arrive at your terminal and go through all the murky airport formalities— baggage carousels, customs, bathroom, coffee, etc. From O’Hare, you can take an uber or lyft to your destination (there is usually a surcharge). If your hotel offers airport pickup, do so as you are picking up your bags, some hotels have a set schedule, others are able to head towards O’Hare as soon as you call. Keep track of the door you are meeting your driver at— O’Hare has lots of signs, some of them very small. If you are planning on taking public transportation, the CTA blue line (the “L”) runs to and from O’Hare 24 hrs. You will be able to transfer to most of the other lines at the Clark/Lake, Washington, and Jackson stops. You can catch the blue line directly from Terminals 1, 2, and 3, but if you are in Terminal 5, you must take a free airport shuttle. There are machines to purchase your metra (Ventra) passes. The L Train from O’Hare is $5.00. Consider getting a multi-day or refillable pass, as Chicago is a public transportation-friendly city and you can get almost anywhere on the L or using a Pace Bus. The Ventra Pass works for both. Traveling on the train from O’Hare to the Loop (downtown) will take about 45 minutes.

Arrive at your terminal and go through all the murky airport formalities— baggage carousels, customs, bathroom, coffee, etc. From Midway, you can take an uber or lyft to your destination (there is usually a surcharge). If your hotel offers airport pickup, do so as you are picking up your bags, some hotels have a set schedule, others are able to head towards Midway as soon as you call. Keep track of the door you are meeting your driver at— Midway has lots of signs, some of them very small. If you are planning on taking public transportation, the CTA orange line (the “L”) runs to and from Midway. This service is not 24 hrs— the hours are different for weekdays and weekends, but you can count on service from 4:30AM to 1 AM most days. You will be able to transfer to most of the other lines at the Roosevelt, Washington/Wells, Clark/Lake, State/Lake, and Adams/Wabash stops. You can catch the orange line by following signs at the airport that read “trains to city” or mention “CTA trains”. There are machines to purchase your train/bus (Ventra) passes. The L Train from Midway is $2.50. Consider getting a multi-day or refillable pass, as Chicago is a public transportation-friendly city and you can get almost anywhere on the L or using a Pace Bus. Traveling on the train from Midway to the Loop (downtown) will take about 25 minutes.

If you are traveling by car, the good news is you can find parking almost any where in the city. Chicago is unique in that it is very friendly for both public transportation and individual car use. For parking, when you are in the Loop (downtown), there is limited (and often taken) street parking, so your best bet is to use a parking garage (though, this can be expensive). If you are in one of the neighborhoods like Ravenswood, Pilsen, or Wicker Park, you can take advantage of street parking. However, you must be mindful of the posted signs— as the City of Chicago takes them very seriously and they will tow your car. Signs to look out for: Permit parking in some neighborhoods begins after 5 or 6 PM. Some streets (especially around the Wrigleyville area) are permit parking only on nights when there are Cubs games. During winter, there are additional no-park streets during certain hours to allow for snow plowing. Timed meters usually have a limit of 2 hours and offer cheap parking, though on some streets, parking is free on Sundays. Other things to keep in mind: Yellow lights are much shorter in the city. Many stoplights have cameras that will send you a ticket in the mail. As always, be mindful of your speed, especially around school zones. If your GPS sends you down Lower Wacker Drive, you might end up going in circles, as many GPS signals cut out in this area of Chicago.

The Chicago Metra is different from the L, which is an elevated train that serves the city of Chicago only. The Metra is a train that goes in and out of the surrounding suburbs to two stations: Union Station and Ogilvie Station. You can download the Ventra app to pay for your ticket (or pay cash on the train when the conductor comes around to collect tickets). Prices vary depending on where you got on, but usually from the furthest point, a one-way pass on the weekend is $9.00, while a weekend pass is $10.00.

Union Station drops you off right in the business-center of the Loop. The Willis Tower is a short walk away and you are right on the Chicago River and in front of the Civic Opera House.

Ogilvie Station is more North than Union Station, but only a 5-minute walk away, so you are in a central location either way.

From Union Station, you are a 20-minute walk (or a 10-minute car ride) from The Bean (the North point of Grant Park), a 40-minute walk (or 14-minute car ride) to the Chicago Water Tower, and if you are venturing out to China Town, grab a Water Taxi— the station is a 26-minute walk away (12-minute car ride). Be sure to utilize the L train or a Pace Bus for easy access to other neighborhoods (and within the Loop), it may save you some time (and money).

If it’s a nice day and you don’t want to walk, uber/lyft, or take public transportation, rent a Divvy Bike from the many stations located around the city. The closest Divvy Stations to Union are located at 210 S Canal St and 603 W Monre St. The closest Divvy to Ogilvie are located at 500 W Madison St and 101 N Clinton St. Chicago has well-marked bike paths in most places and honestly, there is nothing more magical than a bike ride near the lake on a crisp Spring afternoon.