Weekend Vacation in Chicago (Lincoln, Albany: credit card, neighborhoods, buying)

[ML North]

Hi all and greetings from the Pittsburgh sub-forum.

I'm coming to Chicago this weekend for a short vacation with my girlfriend. We'll be arriving at O'Hare at 7am Friday and flying out around 7pm Sunday evening. We're staying in the Loop and planing to use the "L" as our primary mode of transportation. I've already found a lot of great information on this forum, but I'm still looking for a little advice.

1. Is it a pain to take the L from the airport to the Loop? We'll only have one small bag, but it will be during the morning rush. From what I've read it takes about an hour, which would be fine, as we don't have any fixed plans. Also, are you able to purchase the unlimited passes at the airport? The 3 day unlimited pass seemed like a great deal to me.
   
   
2. I've heard such good things about Chicago Italian beef sandwiches. Is there a particular place that is "must go" for this type of sandwich?
   
   
3. From reading this forum and various other articles, I came up with the following list of neighborhoods that we're interested in visiting. What modifications do you think would improve this list?
   
   Lincoln Square
   Old Town
   Ravenswood manor/Albany Park
   Chinatown
   Ukranian Village
   Hyde Park
   Gold Coast
   
   
4. Finally, I'm looking for a couple great jazz or blues clubs. Two places that I saw mentioned on another thread were The Hideout and
   Jazz Showcase. Cool places? Also, a great open mic or jam session would be fun. We'd love to see some local amateur or professional musicians.
   

Any other suggestions would definitely be helpful. We're really looking forward to exploring the City for a few days. Thanks!

[Golden Camel]

I can answer your first question:

1) It is quite easy to take the 'L' from O'Hare.
Assuming you are arriving at one of the domestic terminals, just follow the overhead signs that say "Trains to City." (Do not follow the "Airport Transit System" signs.) They will direct you to a tunnel one level beneath the baggage claim level. The train station is in about the center of the tunnel.

Here is a picture of the station:
Deprecated Browser Error

Do you see that machine in front of the orange post?
That machine sells 3 and 7 day passes. (A bit of trivia: No CTA machine sells 1 day passes because the 1 day passes are $5.75 and the CTA ordered machines that do not take coins.) There used to be only one machine, but not long ago they installed a second one to the right behind that white structure. The machines take bills and credit cards, however, my observation is that often there is an "OUT OF ORDER" sign on one or both machines. (It's not as bad now that they have two machines.) And often there is a handwritten "no credit cards" or "no cash" sign attached to one of the machines. To be on the safe side, be prepared to pay in exact cash for each card you need.

If neither machine is working, there are Transit Card machines where the man in the blue shorts and the backpack is facing. Transit Cards work like debit cards for paying fares. $2.25 is deducted from the Transit Card when you board the train (you can also use it for two additional bus or train rides within 2 hours, but the first additional ride costs $.25). The Transit Card machines accept cash (including coins) but do not make change. There are also two "express" Transit Card machines that accept only credit cards, but they issue cards only in multiples of $5.

Yes, I realize that they couldn't have made it more complicated to pay your fare if they tried.

Once you get your card, walk beyond the orange post to where the turnstiles (gates) are. Insert the card into the top of the gate to your right with the magnetic strip facing you and to your right. The machine will "grab" your card and pop it back out. Then take the card out of the slot and the turnstile will unlock letting you pass through.

All trains go to the Loop. There are three tracks. Look for the overhead sign that says "Board Here" to tell you which train to board. Hint: If the next train is on the middle track, signs on both sides of the train will say "Board Here" but usually only the doors on the left are open.

Then just take a seat in any car and stay on board until you get downtown. The train runs underneath Dearborn Street through the Loop. Consult this map to determine which stop is nearest your destination:
CTA Online System Map - Downtown Area
The line you will be on is called the Blue Line and is represented by a dashed blue line on the map. (It is dashed because it is underground.) You will be within walking distance of the Loop proper, however people often refer to the larger downtown area as the "Loop" so your final destination may be somewhere further away. If you need more specific instructions, let us know exactly where you are going.

You may also find the following list of stations helpful to keep track of where you are:
Deprecated Browser Error

Since you will be boarding at the beginning of the line, you will have no trouble finding a seat no matter what the hour. The line runs 24/7 (except for a one hour gap between 1:30 and 2:30 am).

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by ML North

1. Finally, I'm looking for a couple great jazz or blues clubs. Two places that I saw mentioned on another thread were The Hideout and
   Jazz Showcase. Cool places? Also, a great open mic or jam session would be fun. We'd love to see some local amateur or professional musicians.

As your city was quite amazing when I traveled there for a gig years ago, I'll try to help on the music front - do you have a specific style of music you want to see like jazz or blues?

If jazz, the Green Mill is the place to go to really soak up some Chicago history:

Green Mill - Uptown - Chicago, IL

For blues, there are lots of options, some more touristy, some more authentic. I live near Rosa's:

Rosa's Chicago Friendliest Blues Lounge

There will be no $12 martinis, more like a huge piece of plywood over the pool table when it gets crowded - but the musicians are astounding.

Hard to go wrong with the Hideout either, just depends what you're looking for.

[Lorielicious]

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

Yes, I realize that they couldn't have made it more complicated to pay your fare if they tried.

If he's going to be there Friday-Sunday, buying a three day pass seems pretty simple to me.

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

Rosa's Chicago Friendliest Blues Lounge

There will be no $12 martinis, more like a huge piece of plywood over the pool table when it gets crowded - but the musicians are astounding.

Hard to go wrong with the Hideout either, just depends what you're looking for.

That sounds awesome. I'll definitely look into it, and hopefully we'll be able to make it. Is it better on any particular day?

[ML North]

Originally Posted by Lorielicious

If he's going to be there Friday-Sunday, buying a three day pass seems pretty simple to me.

Yeah, we are planning to do that. 14 bucks for 3 days worth of transit, I think, is a great deal. The system itself also seems pretty straightforward to navigate.

[knitgirl]

Check out threads by MoItaly - he was here recently and got a lot of good advice and he reports back about what he liked, here's one //www.city-data.com/forum/chica...l#post20904699

[ML North]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

Check out threads by MoItaly - he was here recently and got a lot of good advice and he reports back about what he liked, here's one //www.city-data.com/forum/chica...l#post20904699

I read a lot of his posts and took notes! He was both informative and entertaining, and if I have 1/10th the fun that he had, I'd consider it a great weekend.

[Seven Costanza]

Originally Posted by ML North

1. I've heard such good things about Chicago Italian beef sandwiches. Is there a particular place that is "must go" for this type of sandwich?

Al's Beef is pretty popular (although I'm not sure why, every time I've had a sandwich it's been too soggy for my liking). I know they have a spot on Taylor Street in Little Italy, just southwest of the Loop. But I'm pretty sure they have another location towards the West Loop, if not in the Loop itself.

[Payne222]

Originally Posted by Seven Costanza

Al's Beef is pretty popular (although I'm not sure why, every time I've had a sandwich it's been too soggy for my liking). I know they have a spot on Taylor Street in Little Italy, just southwest of the Loop. But I'm pretty sure they have another location towards the West Loop, if not in the Loop itself.

Not just Italian Beef...you've gotta have a Maxwell Street Polish and a Chicago Style Hot Dog.