What is the safest route to walk from downtown Chicago to Lincoln Park?

August 11, 2010 9:56 PM

A Chicago-specific question: I would like to walk from the Sears Tower to the intersection of Sheffield and Armitage on a weekday evening, around 7pm. I'm a petite, young woman. What is the safest, not terribly out-of-the-way route to travel?
posted by pitseleh to Travel & Transportation around Chicago, IL (13 answers total)

Kind of a long walk, but there shouldn't be any safety issues. I would take Wells north to Clybourn, then Clybourn to Sheffield, and Sheffield to Sheffield and Armitage.

Actually, I would just take the Brown Line to Armitage.
posted by jrockway at 10:04 PM on August 11, 2010

It's a moderately long walk, but imo a pleasant one and not particularly threatening unless you are remarkably sheltered. Jrockway's route sounds alright.
posted by applemeat at 10:27 PM on August 11, 2010

It's called the Willis Tower now.
posted by halogen at 10:34 PM on August 11, 2010

..says no one from Chicago.
posted by applemeat at 10:40 PM on August 11, 2010 [13 favorites]

Best answer: Wells and Clybourn do not meet and Clybourn/Division is kinda sketchy. Take Wells north to Lincoln, then Lincoln to Armitage and west from there. Here's a map.
posted by lee at 11:06 PM on August 11, 2010 [1 favorite]

Lee beat me to it, but his map looks like a great route to take. Should be fairly scenic as well.
posted by Wulfhere at 11:18 PM on August 11, 2010

I was going to suggest Wells to Lincoln to Armitage too. That's a really pretty walk, especially once you get north of Division. (I'd just take the Brown Line, though, and I'm the kind of person who walks everywhere.)
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:03 AM on August 12, 2010

I'd got with lee's map.

It's called the Big Willie if you insist on dereferencing Sears.
posted by MikeWarot at 7:40 AM on August 12, 2010

Ugh... were's the edit box on my previous comment?

I'd GO with Lee's map.
posted by MikeWarot at 7:42 AM on August 12, 2010

Take the Brown line. Not because there is going to be anything unsafe anywhere near that route, but because that is just a super boring walk. It's a boring bike ride even. You'll see all the same stuff from the train but you'll be higher up and moving about 10 times as fast.
posted by mike_bling at 8:44 AM on August 12, 2010

It's a little out of the way, but I would head east to Michigan and take that to Rush (which turns into State). Start heading back west at Goethe or Schiller and continue north on Wells until it turns into Lincoln. Head west on Wisconsin until it gets cut off by Mohawk and take that to Armitage. Sheffield is 9 or 10 blocks west from there.
posted by AceRock at 9:05 AM on August 12, 2010

Best answer: A third on Lee's (Wells-Lincoln-Armitage) as the most direct. Of note, if you get tired, on this route you have the option of bailing at a few points and getting on a nearby Brown Line train.

For more scenery, one tweak: instead of Wells, go one block further east and take LaSalle. From the Tower Which Shall Not Be Named, just take Jackson over to LaSalle. You'll be starting north at the Board of Trade and will walk one of the best-looking stretches of the city (says almost every film made here recently). At about North Ave., *then* jog over to Wells.
posted by fiveoclockrock at 11:11 AM on August 12, 2010

Best answer: I'd second fiveoclockrock's adjustment to Lee's map, but jog over from Lasalle to Wells at Division and not North so you can walk up through Old Town.

I love long walks in the city. I've done this walk before and it is hard not to enjoy. I'd even plan a bit of extra time for stopping by some stores along the way.
posted by ztdavis at 12:54 PM on August 12, 2010