Visiting Chicago and confused...please help :) (Golden: wedding reception, pre-k, taxi)

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by emathias

I make mistakes sometimes, but I do put a lot of effort into giving accurate information. I sometimes even fact-check my posts for things I'm not 100% sure about.

This is noticed and appreciated. Others could stand to learn from your example.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

I would be dressed up and probably not have walking shoes on. And who knows where the wedding is from the Logan Square stop.

Re-read the OP. It's right by the stop. No walking shoes necessary. They'd probably have to walk just as far from a parking spot to the church if they rented a car.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

you a cab.

I would question one thing about what Chet said: the $33 car. I wonder if that includes the tax?

Of course not. Listed prices for rental cars never include tax.

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

The City of Chicago has some of the most onerous rental car taxes in the county. First, if you rent at the airport, there is an $8 a day "facilities charge" right off the top. Add regular taxes on top of that and your $33 a day car really ends up costing over $50.

Yep, it's usually a safe bet to double the listed price to get the actual cost of a rental car, especially in Chicago. That's not including the cost of insurance, gas, parking, DUI potential, and the sanity you lose attempting to drive and park in Chicago if you're not used to it.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Vlajos

OP, worst case take the train to the wedding and get a cab back to the hotel.

That's an excellent idea, too. A one-way cab isn't going to cost any more than a rental car, and is far more convenient, particularly after drinking.

[Golden Camel]

AndreaSoup, I hope you are still reading.

I want to add something under the assumption that you've never ridden the CTA in Chicago before:
How to pay your fare. I frequent O'Hare Airport and I often see tourists with kind of a dazed look on their faces around the entrance to the L station, not knowing what to do. When you live here, you get used to the system and think it couldn't be simpler. But when faced with it the first time, many people go into deer-in-the-headlights mode. You seem like a nice person, I don't want you to be one of them.

You pay your fare with a Transit Card that works like a prepaid debit card. You add money to the Transit Card and then when you pass through a train station turnstile, money gets deducted from the available balance on the Transit Card.

Look at this picture. The man is standing in front of a Transit Card vending machine. Those are the machines with the blue-colored stickers on front. These machines will sell you a new Transit Card or add money to the balance on an old Transit Card. The machines accept cash only (no pennies or 50 cent pieces) and do not make change. In other words, if you put in $20 bill you will get a Transit Card good for $20 worth of rides, but you will not be able to request any money back.

Each person age 12 or older must pay $5 to enter the O'Hare station, but only $2.25 to enter the California station (for the ride back). You can either pay the one-way $5 fare at O'Hare and pay the $2.25 at California on the way back or you can just pay $7.25 at O'Hare. Approach the Transit Card machine. Press the button that says "Buy Card" then insert money into the coin and/or dollar slots. When done, press the big silver button that says "Vend" and a card will eject. Approach the turnstiles (gates), insert the card into the top of the unit to your RIGHT with the magnetic stripe facing you and to your right. Remove the card when it comes back up and walk through the turnstile. Keep the card.

Children aged 7 through 11 (inclusive) can ride for $1.10 each way ($2.20 round trip). But you cannot obtain a new reduced-fare Transit Card from the vending machines. You will have to locate an attendant (which is often not easy to do) and ask them if they have a blank reduced fare Transit Card. If they do, you will need a separate one for each child. Take the blank card, go to the Transit Card vending machine, press the button that says "reload card" and insert the card into the machine into the special slot (not the money slot). Then insert your money, then press the "Vend" button. If you cannot locate a reduced-fare card, the child will have to pay full fare. Keep the card! It can be reloaded and reused at any train station.

At O'Hare (but not at California) there are also two machines called Express Vending Machines that accept only credit/debit cards, but only in multiples of $5. And a good percentage of the time they are out of order. They are the small silver machines that are mounted on a pedestal.

If you look at the original picture, there is another vending machine by the orange pillar. That is a Pass Vending Machine. It sells passes that allow an unlimited number of rides for 1, 3, or 7 days for one person. A one-day pass is $10. It accepts paper money and credit cards, but from time to time there is a sign taped to it that says "credit card reader out of order" or "credit cards only."

In other words, bring lots of $1 and $5 bills and coins.

[AndreaSoup]

Originally Posted by Golden Camel

AndreaSoup, I hope you are still reading.

I want to add something under the assumption that you've never ridden the CTA in Chicago before:
How to pay your fare. I frequent O'Hare Airport and I often see tourists with kind of a dazed look on their faces around the entrance to the L station, not knowing what to do. When you live here, you get used to the system and think it couldn't be simpler. But when faced with it the first time, many people go into deer-in-the-headlights mode. You seem like a nice person, I don't want you to be one of them.

You pay your fare with a Transit Card that works like a prepaid debit card. You add money to the Transit Card and then when you pass through a train station turnstile, money gets deducted from the available balance on the Transit Card.

Look at this picture. The man is standing in front of a Transit Card vending machine. Those are the machines with the blue-colored stickers on front. These machines will sell you a new Transit Card or add money to the balance on an old Transit Card. The machines accept cash only (no pennies or 50 cent pieces) and do not make change. In other words, if you put in $20 bill you will get a Transit Card good for $20 worth of rides, but you will not be able to request any money back.

Each person age 12 or older must pay $5 to enter the O'Hare station, but only $2.25 to enter the California station (for the ride back). You can either pay the one-way $5 fare at O'Hare and pay the $2.25 at California on the way back or you can just pay $7.25 at O'Hare. Approach the Transit Card machine. Press the button that says "Buy Card" then insert money into the coin and/or dollar slots. When done, press the big silver button that says "Vend" and a card will eject. Approach the turnstiles (gates), insert the card into the top of the unit to your RIGHT with the magnetic stripe facing you and to your right. Remove the card when it comes back up and walk through the turnstile. Keep the card.

Children aged 7 through 11 (inclusive) can ride for $1.10 each way ($2.20 round trip). But you cannot obtain a new reduced-fare Transit Card from the vending machines. You will have to locate an attendant (which is often not easy to do) and ask them if they have a blank reduced fare Transit Card. If they do, you will need a separate one for each child. Take the blank card, go to the Transit Card vending machine, press the button that says "reload card" and insert the card into the machine into the special slot (not the money slot). Then insert your money, then press the "Vend" button. If you cannot locate a reduced-fare card, the child will have to pay full fare. Keep the card! It can be reloaded and reused at any train station.

At O'Hare (but not at California) there are also two machines called Express Vending Machines that accept only credit/debit cards, but only in multiples of $5. And a good percentage of the time they are out of order. They are the small silver machines that are mounted on a pedestal.

If you look at the original picture, there is another vending machine by the orange pillar. That is a Pass Vending Machine. It sells passes that allow an unlimited number of rides for 1, 3, or 7 days for one person. A one-day pass is $10. It accepts paper money and credit cards, but from time to time there is a sign taped to it that says "credit card reader out of order" or "credit cards only."

In other words, bring lots of $1 and $5 bills and coins.

This is AWESOME information! Thank you SO SO SO much! Now - to throw a loop into this - my cousin is sending the wedding attendees each a $10 transit card. So, I am assuming, I can bypass all vending machines and move directly to the turnstiles and to inserting the card "into the top of the unit to the right"?

And, it looks like $10/each is enough for all of us to get to/from the wedding?

I love the pictorials - I am definitely a visual person...so you have no idea how much this helps!

Thanks, again!

Hopefully if we get "lost" I can find some friendly faces to help us out

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by AndreaSoup

This is AWESOME information! Thank you SO SO SO much! Now - to throw a loop into this - my cousin is sending the wedding attendees each a $10 transit card. So, I am assuming, I can bypass all vending machines and move directly to the turnstiles and to inserting the card "into the top of the unit to the right"?

What a nice cousin. Yeah if you each have $10 fare cards then just bypass everything and go right to the turnstiles...

And, it looks like $10/each is enough for all of us to get to/from the wedding?

Yep, should be! They did increase the O'Hare deal (used to be $2.25 as well but it's now $5). So $5 from O'Hare to your wedding and $2.25 from the wedding back to your hotel (unless you happen to be at the wedding for less than 2 hours then it would be like 25 cents but I doubt that ha ha).

O'Hare is the last stop too by the way, so just get on a train..one that will actually be going...the station can hold about 4 trains at once so hopefully someone guides you to the right one.


One other thing. How to get to the trains! You want to follow the "Trains to the City" signs in the airport. IF you do not see any, go down to baggage claim and then you'll see the "Trains to the City" signs down there for sure. If you get lost, just look for an O'Hare employee and they'll show you where to go.

[Chi-town Native]

I'm late to this, but I'll second all the excellent advice regarding O'Hare> Blue Line.

One of the things I've actually learned about living close to the Blue Line is that lots of flight attendants and pilots share housing in my neighborhood, due to the Blue Line - I see them in uniform with their travel bags walking to the Belmont stop all the time.

Revolution Brewing is awesome, you'll have a great time, Andrea!

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Chi-town Native

One of the things I've actually learned about living close to the Blue Line is that lots of flight attendants and pilots share housing in my neighborhood, due to the Blue Line - I see them in uniform with their travel bags walking to the Belmont stop all the time.

I've noticed this too big time. Last time I flew back to O'Hare and Blue Lined it back, the flight attendant on my flight was even on my train car, LOL.

[eureka1]

Take a taxi. Easiest of all. I paid $30 to get from Midway to Lakeview. When you're already exhausted from a flight, having someone else do the driving is...priceless.