CTA from O'Hare to hotel north of Loop: best transfer station?
August 7, 2013 9:18 AM Subscribe
Tonight I need to get from O'Hare airport to a hotel at 540 N Michigan Avenue. It looks like I should take the Blue Line to Washington Station, walk to the Red Line Lake Station, and take the Red Line to Grand Station. Good plan? Would it be easier to change at Jackson Station? 2 more stops each way, but then it looks like less walking between trains.
The Jackson transfer is the fastest/easiest and it's almost impossible to get lost (you just walk through an underground tunnel between stations without having to reswipe your card). However, unless I had heavy luggage or was traveling with someone with limited mobility I'd just do the (very nice) 10 minute walk from the Clark & Lake Blue Line station and skip the transfer altogether.
posted by theodolite at 9:27 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 9:27 AM on August 7, 2013 [3 favorites]
You're going to be a lot happier transferring to the Red at Jackson and getting off at Grand.
Getting off at the Washington Blue Line stop will involve not just a goodly amount of walking, but walking presumably with luggage across an area with a LOT of foot traffic and honky car traffic, including cabs who will only want to run you the fuck down. I would not recommend taking the bus, just because it's annoying when you have bags and moderately confusing if you don't know immediately where you're going.
Blue to Jackson, Red to Grand.
AND OH HEY since you're gonna be in the area, how about you stop by the Goat and meet some Chicago peeps! (Grand Red Line is closer to that, too!)
posted by phunniemee at 9:38 AM on August 7, 2013
Getting off at the Washington Blue Line stop will involve not just a goodly amount of walking, but walking presumably with luggage across an area with a LOT of foot traffic and honky car traffic, including cabs who will only want to run you the fuck down. I would not recommend taking the bus, just because it's annoying when you have bags and moderately confusing if you don't know immediately where you're going.
Blue to Jackson, Red to Grand.
AND OH HEY since you're gonna be in the area, how about you stop by the Goat and meet some Chicago peeps! (Grand Red Line is closer to that, too!)
posted by phunniemee at 9:38 AM on August 7, 2013
I agree that the answers here will depend on how much heavy luggage you have and how far you are willing to walk. Since you mention you'd like to avoid extra walking, I'm guessing you have luggage and you don't want to walk super far. (If I'm wrong on that, go with theodolite's recommendation to walk from Clark/Lake.)
I disagree with phunniemee regarding the bus. I think the #65 is a pretty easy bus, and there's no real navigation to do -- you get on going in the direction of all the tall buildings, and you get off at Michigan. Yeah, hauling luggage on the bus is a little annoying, but taking the bus will minimize the number of times you have to go up and down stairs with your luggage.
If you are uncomfortable taking the bus, then I would definitely do Jackson. But bear in mind that, while there's less walking between stations, you'll be doing a lot of going up and down stairs. You'll have to haul your luggage from the Blue platform down to the tunnel, walk over to the Red line, haul it back up the stairs to the Red platform, and then haul it back up to the street when you get to the Grand station. That's a lot of stairs with luggage (though you can use the elevators, but I generally avoid them as they usually smell of pee).
Whatever you do, do not do the Washington-Lake transfer. That transfer is stupid. Going the extra two stops to Jackson does not take much extra time and you won't have to walk halfway across the Loop. (OK, it's not that far, but it feels that way when you're dragging luggage through downtown.)
posted by devinemissk at 10:00 AM on August 7, 2013
I disagree with phunniemee regarding the bus. I think the #65 is a pretty easy bus, and there's no real navigation to do -- you get on going in the direction of all the tall buildings, and you get off at Michigan. Yeah, hauling luggage on the bus is a little annoying, but taking the bus will minimize the number of times you have to go up and down stairs with your luggage.
If you are uncomfortable taking the bus, then I would definitely do Jackson. But bear in mind that, while there's less walking between stations, you'll be doing a lot of going up and down stairs. You'll have to haul your luggage from the Blue platform down to the tunnel, walk over to the Red line, haul it back up the stairs to the Red platform, and then haul it back up to the street when you get to the Grand station. That's a lot of stairs with luggage (though you can use the elevators, but I generally avoid them as they usually smell of pee).
Whatever you do, do not do the Washington-Lake transfer. That transfer is stupid. Going the extra two stops to Jackson does not take much extra time and you won't have to walk halfway across the Loop. (OK, it's not that far, but it feels that way when you're dragging luggage through downtown.)
posted by devinemissk at 10:00 AM on August 7, 2013
Response by poster: I have dinner with the boss after arriving, but may see if y'all are still at the Goat after that. Thank you!
posted by lakeroon at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2013
posted by lakeroon at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2013
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posted by smich at 9:25 AM on August 7, 2013