Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
3
Planning Your Trip to Chicago
A
fter choosing a destination, most prospective travelers have two fundamental
questions: “What will it cost?” and “How will I get there?” This chapter answers
both of these questions and resolves other important issues—such as when to go
and where to obtain more information about Chicago before you leave home
and once you get there.
1 Visitor Information
The
Chicago Office of Tourism,
Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Wash-
ington St., Chicago, IL 60602 (
&
312/
744-2400
or TTY 312/744-2947;
www.ci.chi.il.us/tourism), will mail
you a packet of materials with informa-
tion on upcoming events and attrac-
tions. The
Illinois Bureau of Tourism
(
&
800/2CONNECT
or TTY 800/
406-6418; www.enjoyillinois.com),
will also send information about
Chicago and other Illinois destinations.
In addition to the above websites,
which offer visitors a good deal of
information, see chapter 1 for a list of
the best Chicago websites.
2 Money
ATMs
The easiest and best way to get cash
away from home is from an ATM
(automated teller machine). The
Cirrus
(
&
800/424-7787;
www.
mastercard.com) and
PLUS
(
&
800/
843-7587;
www.visa.com) networks
span the globe; look at the back of
your bank card to see which network
you're on, then call or check online for
ATM locations in Chicago (they're all
over the city, so you shouldn't have
trouble finding one). Be sure you
know your personal identification
number (PIN) before you leave home
and be sure to find out your daily
withdrawal limit before you depart.
Also keep in mind that many banks
impose a fee every time a card is used
at a different bank's ATM, and that fee
can be higher for international trans-
actions (up to $5 or more) than for
domestic ones (where they're rarely
more than $1.50). On top of this, the
bank from which you withdraw cash
may charge its own fee. To compare
banks' ATM fees within the U.S., use
www.bankrate.com.
You can also get cash advances on
your credit card at an ATM. Keep in
mind that credit card companies try to
protect themselves from theft by lim-
iting the funds someone can withdraw
outside their home country, so call
your credit card company before you
leave home. And keep in mind that
you'll pay interest from the moment of
your withdrawal, even if you pay your
monthly bills on time.
TRAVELER'S CHECKS
Traveler's checks are something of an
anachronism from the days before the
ATM made cash accessible at any
time. Most downtown restaurants,
hotels, and shops in Chicago accept
traveler's checks, and banks generally
exchange them for cash (for a small
