Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
trains don't run. Look for the
blue-and-white signs to locate bus stops,
which
are spaced about 2 blocks apart.
A few buses that are particularly handy for many visitors are the
no. 146
Marine/Michigan,
an express bus from Belmont Avenue on the North Side that
cruises down North Lake Shore Drive (and through Lincoln Park during non-
peak times) to North Michigan Avenue, State Street, and the Grant Park
museum campus; the
no. 151 Sheridan,
which passes through Lincoln Park en
route to inner Lake Shore Drive and then travels along Michigan Avenue as far
south as Adams Street, where it turns west into the Loop (and stops at Union
Station); and the
no. 156 LaSalle,
which goes through Lincoln Park and then
into the Loop's financial district on LaSalle Street.
PACE buses
(
&
836-7000
from any Chicago area code, or 847/364-7223,
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; www.pacebus.com) cover the suburban zones that sur-
round Chicago. They run every 20 to 30 minutes during rush hour, operating
until midevening Monday through Friday and early evening on weekends. Sub-
urban bus routes are marked no. 208 and above, and vehicles may be flagged
down at intersections where stops aren't marked.
BY COMMUTER TRAIN
The
Metra
commuter railroad (
&
312/322-6777
or TTY 312/322-6774
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; at other times, call Regional Transportation Authority
[RTA] at
&
312/836-7000
or TTY 312/836-4949; www.metrarail.com) serves
the six-county suburban area around Chicago with 12 train lines. Several termi-
nals are located downtown, including
Union Station
at Adams and Canal
streets,
LaSalle Street Station
at LaSalle and Van Buren streets,
North Western
Station
at Madison and Canal streets, and
Randolph Street Station
at Ran-
dolph Street and Michigan Avenue.
To view the leafy streets of Chicago's northern suburbs, take the
Union
Pacific North Line
(previously known as the North Western train), which
departs at the North Western Station, and select from among the following des-
tinations: Kenilworth, Winnetka, Glencoe, Highland Park, and Lake Forest.
The
Metra Electric
(once known as the Illinois Central-Gulf Railroad, or the
IC), running close to Lake Michigan on a track that occupies some of the most
valuable real estate in Chicago, will take you to Hyde Park (see “Exploring Hyde
Park: The Museum of Science and Industry & More,” in chapter 8). You can
catch the Metra Electric in the Loop at the Randolph Street Station and at the
Ticket to Ride
Visitors may consider buying a
Visitor Pass,
which works like a fare card
and allows individual users unlimited rides on the El and CTA buses over a
24-hour period. The cards cost $5 and are sold at airports, hotels, muse-
ums, Hot Tix outlets, transportation hubs, and Chicago Office of Tourism
visitor information centers (you can also buy them in advance online at
www.transitchicago.com or by calling
&
888/YOUR-CTA
). Also available
now are 2-, 3-, and 5-day passes. While the passes save you the trouble of
feeding the fare machines yourself, remember that they're economical
only if you plan to make at least three distinct trips at least 2 or more
hours apart (remember that you get two additional transfers for an addi-
tional 25¢ on a regular fare).
Tips
