Getting to Know Chicago - Chicago with Kids - page 60

CTA INFORMATION The CTA operates a useful telephone information
service ( & 836-7000 or TTY 836-4949 from any area code in the city and sub-
urbs) that functions daily from 5am to 1am. When you want to know how to
get from where you are to where you want to go, call the CTA. Make sure that
you specify any conditions you might require—the fastest route, for example, or
the simplest (the route with the fewest transfers or the least amount of walking),
and so forth. You can also check out the CTA's website at www.transitchicago.
com . Excellent comprehensive CTA maps, which include both El and bus
routes, are usually available at subway or El stations, or by calling the CTA. The
CTA also has added a toll-free customer service hot line ( & 888/YOUR-CTA
or TTY 888/CTA-TTY1 Mon-Fri 7am-8pm, with voice mail operating after
hours) to field questions and feedback. Although the new fare-box system has
eliminated the need for ticket agents, agents are still available at some El stations
to offer customer assistance.
BY THE EL & THE SUBWAY The rapid transit system operates five major
lines, which the CTA recently began identifying by color (although Chicagoans
often still refer to them by their points of origin): the Red Line (also known as
the Howard/Dan Ryan Line) runs north-south; the Green Line (also known as
the Lake St. Line) runs west-south; the Blue Line (also known as the O'Hare
Line) runs west-northwest to O'Hare Airport; the Brown Line (also known as
the Ravenswood Line) runs in a northern zigzag route; and the Orange Line
runs southwest, serving Midway airport. The Purple Line, which runs on the
same Loop elevated tracks as the Orange and Green lines, serves north suburban
Evanston only during rush hour.
Study your CTA map carefully (there's one printed on the inside back cover
of this guide) before boarding any train. Most trains run every 5 to 20 minutes,
decreasing in frequency in the off-peak and overnight hours, but some stations
close after work hours (as early as 8:30pm) and remain closed on Saturday, Sun-
day, and holidays. The Orange Line train does not operate from about 11:30pm
to 5am, the Brown Line operates only north of Belmont after about 9:30pm, the
Blue Line's Cermak branch has ceased operating overnight and on weekends,
and the Purple Line does not run overnight.
The CTA has posted timetables on the El platforms so that you can determine
when the next train should arrive.
BY BUS Chicago's comprehensive system of public buses means virtually every
place in the city is within close walking distance of a bus stop. Other than on foot

Ticket to Ride
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, museums, Hot Tix
outlets, transportation hubs, and Chicago Office of Tourism visitor infor-
mation centers. You can also buy them in advance online at www.transit
chicago.com or by calling & 888/YOUR-CTA. Also available now are 2-, 3-,
and 5-day passes. Although 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.
(You get two additional transfers for an additional 25¢ on a regular fare.)

Tips