Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
GETTING INTO TOWN FROM O'HARE & MIDWAY
Taxis are plentiful at both O'Hare and Midway, but getting to town
is easily accessed by public transportation as well. A cab ride into the
city will cost about $30 to $35 from O'Hare (20 miles from down-
town), and $25 to $30 from Midway (10 miles from downtown).
One warning:
Rush hour traffic can be horrendous, especially
around O'Hare. If you have to get downtown in a hurry, the El can
actually be faster than driving.
If you're not carting enormous amounts of luggage and want to
save money, I highly recommend taking public transportation,
which is convenient from both airports. For $2, you can take the El
(vernacular for the elevated train) straight into downtown.
O'Hare is on the Blue Line; a trip to downtown takes about 40
minutes. Trains leave every 6 to 10 minutes during the day, and
every half-hour in the evening and overnight.
Getting downtown from Midway is even faster; the ride on the
Orange Line takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Continental Airport Express
(
&
888/2-THEVAN;
www.airport
express.com) serves most first-class hotels in Chicago with its blue-
and-white vans. The cost is $25 one-way ($45 round-trip) to or from
O'Hare, and $20 one-way ($36 round-trip) to or from Midway.
Group rates for two or more people traveling together are less expen-
sive than sharing a cab. The shuttles operate from 4am to 11:30pm.
For limo service from O'Hare or Midway, call
Carey Limousine
of Chicago
(
&
773/763-0009;
www.ecarey.com) or
Chicago Lim-
ousine Services
(
&
312/726-1035
). The service will cost about
$100 to $150 from Midway and $150 to $200 from O'Hare,
excluding gratuity and tax.
BY CAR
Interstate highways from all major points on the compass serve
Chicago. Here are approximate driving distances in miles to Chicago:
from
Milwaukee,
92; from
St. Louis,
297; from
Detroit,
286; from
Denver,
1,011; from
Atlanta,
716; from
Washington, D.C.,
715;
from
New York City,
821; and from
Los Angeles,
2,034.
BY TRAIN
When you arrive in Chicago, the train will pull into
Union Station,
210 S. Canal St., between Adams and Jackson streets (
&
312/655-
2385
). Bus nos. 1, 60, 125, 151, and 156 all stop at the station,
which is just west across the river from the Loop. The nearest El stop
is at Clinton Street and Congress Parkway (on the Blue Line), which
is a fair walk away, especially when you're carrying luggage.
