Getting to Know Chicago - Chicago with Kids - page 61

Purple Line
(Evanston Express)
Red Line
Blue Line
(O'Hare Airport)
Brown Line
Orange Line
(Midway Airport)
Green Line

Clark/Lake

State/Lake

Lake
Transfer

Randolph/
Wabash

Washington/
Wells

Washington/
Dearborn

Washington/
State
Madison/
Wabash

Monroe/
Dearborn

Monroe/State

Adams/Wabash

Quincy/Wells

Jackson/
Dearborn

Jackson/State

LaSalle/Van Buren

Library
(State/Van Buren)

Free Train
Connections

LaSalle/Congress

or bicycle, the best way to get around Chicago's warren of neighborhoods—the
best way to actually see what's around you—is by riding a public bus. (The view
from the elevated trains can be pretty dramatic too; the difference is that on the
trains you get the backyards, while on the bus you see the buildings' facades and
the street life.) 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 because few of the lines have bus stops that are marked.