Getting to Know Chicago - Chicago with Kids - page 63

Several terminals 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
Randolph Street and Michigan Avenue.
To visit some of the most affluent suburbs in the country, 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) runs close to Lake Michigan on a track that occupies some of the most valu-
able real estate in Chicago. It will take you to Hyde Park. You can catch the
Metra Electric in the Loop at the Randolph Street Station and at the Van Buren
Street Station at Van Buren Street and Michigan Avenue (both these stations are
underground).
Commuter trains have graduated fare schedules based on the distance you
ride. On weekends and holidays and during the summer, Metra offers a family
discount that allows up to three children under age 12 to ride free when accom-
panying a paid adult. The commuter railroad also offers a $5 weekend pass for
unlimited rides on Saturday and Sunday.
BY TAXI
I don't recommend taking taxis with infants and very young children because
unless the taxi is a new model, you may not be able to latch your car seat in the
back. With older children, however, taxis are a pretty affordable way to get
around the Loop and to get to the dining, shopping, and entertainment options
found beyond downtown, such as on the near-North Side, in Old Town and
Lincoln Park, and on the near-West Side. But for longer distances, the fares will
add up.
Taxis are easy to hail in the Loop, on the Magnificent Mile and the Gold
Coast, in River North, and in Lincoln Park, but if you go much beyond these
key areas, you might need to call. Cab companies include Flash Cab ( & 773/
561-1444 ), Yellow Cab ( & 312/TAXI-CAB or 312/829-4222), and Checker
Cab ( & 312/CHECKER or 312/243-2537).
The meter in Chicago cabs currently starts at $1.90 and increases $1.60 for
each mile, with a 50¢ surcharge for each additional rider age 12 to 65.
BY CAR
Chicago is laid out so logically that it's relatively easy for visitors to get around
the city by car. Although rush-hour traffic jams are just as frustrating as they are
in other large U.S. cities, traffic runs fairly smoothly at most times of the day.
The combination of wide streets and strategically spaced expressways makes for
generally easy riding. But Chicagoans have learned to be prepared for unex-
pected delays; it seems that at least one major highway and several downtown
streets are under repair throughout the spring and summer months. (Some say
we have two seasons here: winter and construction.)
Diagonal corridors—such as Lincoln Avenue, Clark Street, and Milwaukee
Avenue—slice through the grid pattern at key points in the city and shorten
many a trip that would otherwise be tedious on the checkerboard surface of the
Chicago streets. Lake Shore Drive (also known as the Outer Dr.) has to be one
of the most scenic and useful urban thoroughfares anywhere. You can travel the
length of the city (and beyond), never far from the Great Lake that is Chicago's
most awesome natural feature.