I%26#39;ve been lurking here daily since I started to plan a trip for myself and my 14 year old daughter. We are taking the Megabus from Detroit and staying from June 26-30th at the Whitehall Hotel. I%26#39;ve already purchased 3 day Go cards, tickets to the Harry Potter exhibit Friday evening and Fiddler tickets for Sunday afternoon. On Monday, we%26#39;re planning to go to the Tastefest and see the BIC show. Since we won%26#39;t have a car, I have no sense of direction, and public transportation kind of scares me, I%26#39;ve been looking at walking directions on Google maps. They are beta though, so I%26#39;m wondering if it%26#39;s really safe? We are also vegetarians and any options there would be great. I%26#39;ve done a lot of research, but think I just need some local reassurance! Thanks so much in advance.
Chicago Plan- Comment please!I%26#39;ll let the experts give you detailed advise, but about public transportation. Don%26#39;t be afraid!
Seriously, it%26#39;d enhance your trip so much if you used it. The buses in Chicago are great - they have clear spoken and electronic signs stating stops and destinations etc. Very easy to use.
And the El as well is easy to use. Another thing I find with the El, is if you are using the elevated lines, it really helps your sense of direction. Wheras with subways you come out of a ststion and maybe not sure where you are, with the elevated lines, you get a good look first from a height, so you can see where you need to go.
Chicago Plan- Comment please!Walking downtown is safe. As in any other major city, common sense prevails.
A good site for walking directions - http://www.hopstop.com/?city=chicago
www.chicagoreader.com has a great dining search tool. You can search by cuisine, budget, location etc.
www.transitchicago.com for public transit information. There%26#39;s a trip planner function on the home page. A 3 day CTA visitor pass might come in handy for your visit. Don%26#39;t let it scare you. Buses and trains here are quite easy to use.
The public transportation--especially where you plan to go--is very safe and easy to use. And just double check with people at the stop or with the bus drivers that the bus you are getting on goes to where you want to go. However, don%26#39;t put yourself in a stressful situation, if you just aren%26#39;t up to navigating a bus, just hop in a cab--they aren%26#39;t particularly expensive--almost everywhere you would go is less than $5. Except the harry potter exhibit will be $10 because it%26#39;s a bit outside of downtown. Also, the Chicago Diner is a vegetarian restaurant--in the Lakeview neighborhood on Halsted street.
For the Broadway in Chicago show-get there early and get up close-last year the large screen throughout the venue were not turned on, so unless you were up close you couldn%26#39;t see anything
I would definately get a 3 day CTA Pass the buses and the L are a great way to get around the city. Also I%26#39;m not sure if when you are there if the FREE trolley buses are running. We have been traveling back and forth from Chicago for the past four years while our dd has been in college and never had any issues using the public transportation.
Some suggestions on what to see:
Go up the Hancock Tower, take a river boat ride from down on Navy Pier, if the fireworks are runing on Saturday evening take a boat out to see them, its great.
Two other great places are the Field Museum and they have an incredible Aquarium.
Have a great trip with you daughter.
I reiterate my advance thanks. The info on this forum is priceless- we can%26#39;t wait!
Jeri
Take Dave%26#39;s advice above and use the transit Chicago website. Use the trip planner feature by putting in the address of your hotel, then the address of where you want to go. It gives you precise directions - what stop to go to, what bus to take, etc. I printed out directions before I left and carried them with me. We used the bus to go everywhere, and it was quick and easy.
I just went there, and the hopstop website is grand! Being the aforementioned lurker, I%26#39;d seen Dave%26#39;s post about the Chicago Reader and CTA sites, but I can tell that hopstop and I will be well aquainted before we leave!
Thanks again!
HappiTraveler-No offense but most cab rides are not less than $5.00. I actually can%26#39;t remember the last time I took a cab and it was less than $7.50 before tip and that is for about 1 mile.
Miss Jeri-my advice is walk as much as you can, particularly if the weather is nice. The areas you are talking about are safe and I%26#39;ve found the google walking directions to be very accurate. Just pay attention to your surroundings, which is good advice no matter where you are. Don%26#39;t be afraid of the CTA! After you take the el and the bus once you%26#39;ll be a pro.
If you get all turned around just ask someone for directions. Us Chicagoans are VERY helpful that way :)
I live and work in the city without a car so I assure you getting around is very easy!
I take a cab most days to work from North/Halsted to Madison/Wells and it costs $7.50. If you are going less than a mile and getting that same price, you should report those cab drivers that keep ripping you off!
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