Chicago Transportation Tips by mgard27

'Mode': TO,AROUND
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Internationally, I think you will probably come in through O'Hare Airport. If you are coming from the US, I think it's cheaper to fly into Midway Airport (in South Chicago). The airlines that offer cheaper fares (ATA, Southwest) fly into Midway. If you're in another American city, check www.ata.com or www.southwestairlines.com to see how much a cheap flight into Chicago will cost you. It could be as little as $169 from New York...as little as $189 from L.A.
Chicago has a great public transportation system. Trains or buses will take you almost anywhere you would want to go. If you're willing to lug your own bags, you could take the train from either Midway or O'Hare airport. It will only cost you $1.50. If you anticipate that you'll take the bus or train a lot in the city, you should buy a CTA card when you get to the airport. I would recommend buying one for $10--which you can do by putting a $10 bill in one of the rail pass machines near the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) turnstiles. The benefit to buying a $10 pass is that you'll get a bonus of an extra dollar! All of the sudden, it's worth $11! Wow!
Once you have your pass, it will work on any train or bus around the city. If you want to know which bus to take to get from one place to another...you can call this number:

836-7000

It's the same number for all Chicago area codes...and when you call, push '#' and then '0' to talk to an operator. You can tell them where you are and where you want to go. They'll tell you the best way to get there (by bus or train...which number bus, etc.) For detailed maps of the train routes, go to the CTA website.
From O'Hare Airport, you only have the option of taking the Blue Line (from Midway, the Orange Line)to downtown. From there, you can switch to whatever line you want.
You could also take a shuttle called 'Airport Express' from the airport. It's a van with its sign on top. I think it's about $14.
Now, you could always take a cab around town...but be warned that there are some cab drivers who will 'take you for a ride.' They will seem to be headed the way you want to go, but will take roads they KNOW are congested...to prolong your trip and increase the fare. I would say it happens to me about 40 percent of the time I get in a cab. Fortunately, I live here and can suggest that I'm onto the scheme. But sometimes the sneakiness is so subtle it's hard to detect. You can avoid this by either taking the train or a bus. Your other option is to sound like you know what you're talking about when you get in the cab. For example: Find out where you're going (the address) and then find out the nearest cross street. Then, when telling the cab driver, you can tell him/her the name of the place and the cross streets. Make sure you sound confident. If the cab driver suspects you're from out of town, your chances of being taken skyrocket. Of course, there are a lot of honest cab drivers...blah blah blah.

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