Which CTA line to park while staying in Lombard? (Chicago: 2014, renting)

[jeeva86]

Hello folks, new here..looking for advice on which station to park at for downtown touring!

Forest Park is the closest, but it looks like that train just derailed, although no injuries, but people say it's unsafe etc. We'll probably only be on the train in the morning 8am ish and at night, maybe 8-9pm. Are those safe enough hours? I'll be travelling with my mother and two sisters so don't want them to be traumatized.

I'm staying near Yorktown Center.

I'm renting the vehicle that I'll be parking at the station, which might be a Toyota Camry. Obviously, I'll make sure no valuables are left present in the vehicle. I can drive to another station if needed.

I was also thinking about driving downtown on the Sunday that we're there. Is it a calm enough day to park dt and roam around? Reason is that, I'll need to drive anyways to visit the Botanical gardens.

TIA!

JT

[holl1ngsworth]

Just park at the Lombard or Downers Grove Metra station and take a Metra train into the Chicago Loop: Metra Chicago. From the Loop Metra hub, you can easily transfer to any CTA bus/train or you can walk/cab to whatever attractions are on your list. I wouldn't worry about safety on such a journey.

Why go up to the Chicago Botanic Gardens? That commute will be brutal from Yorktown/Lombard!

There are similar options closer to where you will be staying:
Cantigny Park in Wheaton
Morton Aboretum in Lisle
Garfield Park Conservatory in the Garfield Park neighborhood of Chicago (just don't stray off the road that connects the gardens to the highway)

...unless the botanic gardens trip is for a wedding or something...

[jeeva86]

Thanks man! I like Cantigny Park and and Garfield as they are much closer and cheap! I didn't look into Metra because I figured I'd park at one of the lots on the CTA line. We were looking into getting a 3-day pass for the CTA to use, while we're there. We'll be using it Sun-Tues, inclusive.

Three endpoints that we have in Chicago so far is Navi Pier, Field Museum and the Willis Tower. I'm guessing, we'd explore within those areas and they are all walkable, but to save time and relax, we'd hop on the bus/train there.

[holl1ngsworth]

The Metra will be much quicker/easier/quieter/cleaner/safer than trying to drive to a far-away CTA stop and going in from there. Metra sells discounted 10-ride tickets, as well as an unlimited Weekend Pass.

If it were me: I would park at the Lombard Metra and ride into Olgilvie Station in the Loop. From there, I would walk one block east to the Chicago River/Madison Street Bridge, hop on a Chicago Water Taxi to Mag Mile/Michigan Ave, and from there catch a Navy Pier Trolley (see also: Trolley Info) to Navy Pier. After Navy Pier, use the trolley to get back to a CTA bus/train stop and continue on with your sight-seeing.

An interesting historical connection, if you do visit Cantigny Park: the imposing Tribune Tower that is at the junction of Michigan Avenue and the Chicago River (where the water taxi stop is located as well as the trolley pick-up) was commissioned by Colonel Robert R. McCormick whose former estate in Wheaton is now Cantigny Park.

[ToriaT]

You can also take the Cermak rd/22nd st. bus that goes to the pink line in Cicero. Hop on the pink line and it will take you downtown. I am not sure what the stops are on that bus and whether it goes out as far as Lombard. I do know it goes from Oakbrook shopping center cause I saw it a few days ago.

[Lookout Kid]

I don't know why you'd do anything other than ride the Metra from Lombard. The CTA is more for serving city neighborhood and just a few inner suburban stops. Metra actually goes from Lombard to the Loop.

[jeeva86]

I thought the CTA is the best way to go once in the city? Hence, that's why I'm ok with driving to a CTA station to park and ride. I'm coming from Toronto, where public transit sucks big time so driving half the trip to get to a station isn't a far fetched idea .

I can't find any info on parking fees for Lombard Metra.

A weekend pass isn't going to help since Sunday would be the only weekend that we'd use it. The 10-ride looks like the 1-way *10? Where's the discount?! Metra seems quite expensive $4.75 one-way, $9.50 pp/day. A CTA weekend pass would cost $20 pp + $5 parking fee.

Are my fare calculations correct? If it costs $4.75 to get to dt from Lombard, then a weekend pass for one day alone is worth it. Doesn't seem to make sense :S.

[holl1ngsworth]

I stand corrected. I thought the 10-ride passes were sold at a discount versus single fares.

CTA is decent for getting around once you are in the city. There are other, more scenic options like the water taxi and trolley I mentioned earlier, as well as more pure alternatives like Uber and Divvy Bikes. If you're coming all the way from Lombard, it just makes logistical sense to utilize Metra for the trip in. But if you're worried about saving every last penny, I don't know....

I suppose you'd have to account for the 13-mile drive from Yorktown to Forest Park, which could take upwards of 30 minutes in traffic and burn 1-1.5 gallons of gas. At the going rate, that's about $3.50-$4.75/one way... $7.00-$9.50/day. Plus the $5.00/day to park at the Forest Park CTA station, and of course the cost of a 3-day CTA pass, which is $6.66/day. That works out to be $18.66/day on the low side -- and it comes with a big ole' headache.

Metra would be $1.50/day to park, plus $9.50/day to ride = $11/day. You could even throw in the 3-day CTA pass (to get around the city) and still be $1.00/day less than the first scenario.

Make sense?

Plus you'll appreciated the comfort and space of the Metra train cars -- and their lack of pungent body odors and urine covered floors that plague CTA train cars.

[jeeva86]

Thanks man! Yea, I see what you're saying. So I think Lombard Metra it is now!

What are your thoughts on doing attractions in Chicago(Downtown) on Sunday? Would you recommend driving into the city on this day and park somewhere central? I would assume traffic and parking shouldn't be too bad. I was thinking of going to Catigny Park in the morning, then maybe shopping at some outlet mall, then driving downtown to finish off with something that still runs in the night(Navy Pier)?

We would still go downtown on the Mon/Tues, but via the Metra.

[holl1ngsworth]

Traffic won't be too bad, and there is nothing wrong with Sunday sightseeing, but parking in the city is expensive. Expect upwards of $30, depending on the location and length of your park. I would check the Lombard Metra Sunday schedule to see if the times line up with your itinerary: Metra UP-W Full Schedule. It's just much easier to ride the train and relax/read/write/play/etc. than deal with driving/parking. Plus it's a heckuva lot cheaper.

There is an outlet mall not far down Butterfield Road from Cantigny: Chicago Premium Outlets. I would advise taking Butterfield Road from Cantigny, not I-88, to avoid paying tolls. The trip is equidistant. You could also take Butterfield on the way back to Yorktown/Lombard to avoid even more tolls. Taking Butterfield on the way back might add about 10 minutes to the trip, but it'll save you a bunch of money.

I'd also recommend getting to Cantigny early and doing both museums (both open at 10am, I'd start with the 1st Division one) -- they are really outstanding -- and free! Bring a camera too: endless beautiful photo ops in the expansive formal gardens...

Hope my info helps, and hope you have a great trip!