newbie Chicago Transit question - downtown locations (Quincy, Galesburg: house, transfer to)

[rcnet]

Hi,
My family is going to be staying at some friends house that live in the Norridge / River Grove area of Chicago and we plan on doing some sightseeing to the Aquarium, Planetarium, Field Museum, etc...

What would be the easiest/cheapest way to get around (we are 3 including a toddler, which means we can only walk so far before we need to revert to the stroller) ?

Should I just drive and park to everything? Is Metra or CTA better?

Specifically, I was thinking of taking Metra River Grove to Union Station and then transfering to CTA Quincy/Wells (Orange line) to near the Aquarium. Google seems to say it will take over 1.5 hrs one way for the trip. Sheesh, that's a lot. Surely, driving/parking it should be less, no?

Also, what is the transfer like between Union (Metra) and Quincy (CTA)? From looking at a google map, I'm assuming that there's no covered/underground transfer. You gotta go outside and walk 3 blocks, and then go back inside to transfer. Do they accept the Metra ticket as proof, or do you need to buy another CTA ticket also? How do they know I just came from Metra? Where I live, we don't have multiple metros, so this concept is a little different for me.

Just trying to minimize my transportation and spend more time sightseeing. Any insight into any of these questions (or Chicago transit in general) will be helpful to planning my trip. Thanks for any help.

[Chicago60614]

An hour and a half!? That seems like a lot of time.

It's probably easier and cheaper to just take the train. I always have fun taking out of towners on the trains as well because it's something new for them. People find it mildly entertaining at the least. Of course you can park down there and walk between them all. Parking is a bit tight at times, and might cost a lot. I don't drive, so I'm not entirely sure.

1) Take Metra to Union Station

2) Apparently the #130 bus is running, which runs every 15 minutes starting April 1st. Somewhere it says Labor Day, but on the CTA website it says April 1st, so who knows. You can take that from outside Union Station right to the Museum Campus. Probably save time and walking, stairs, etc. You can buy the CTA tickets (Metra doesn't work) at Union Station, just ask. Get enough on the ticket for roundtrips and then just use the same ticket over and over. It's a bus full of tourists, so I'm sure the driver will be use to helping people. Don't get the pass on the bus though, takes too long and is expensive.

3) Do the reverse coming back.


If you want to do the train anyway:

1) Metra to Union

2) Walk down Adams to the east until you get to Wells. Walk up the stairs to the Quincy Station. You have to buy CTA tickets there for your trip. Just get one car with enough for a round trip for however many people are going. You can use the same card multiple times at one spot.

3) Get off at Roosevelt and do the 10-15 minute walk up to and under Lakeshore and to the campus. Do the return trip the same way. You can use the tickets on buses and trains, so you could do the train there and the #130 bus back if you want. Just ask where it's located.

[SJaye]

I would second the idea that taking the #130 bus from Union Station would be better than walking to the Orange line. On METRA, kids ride free on weekends, and adults can get a $7 weekend pass, for unlimited rides all weekend. All the attractions you mentioned are basically in the same area, so you could drive and park there. I doubt it would be cheaper unless you have 4 or more adults in a car. If you are going anytime akin to rush hour, it may take quite some time to get there and back. I-290, which I assume would be your primary route, will be under construction starting today, leading to more delays than what is typical for this corridor.

[rcnet]

Thanks for the replies. A couple more things:

We'll be going during the week (not weekends). If I look at this map
1-888-YOURCTA | System Map - Downtown

it says that bus #146 is the one that goes there, not #130. It also says "Museum Campus served by bus 130 daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day". We'll be there before Memorial Day, so am I to assume that the #130 bus will not run then?

On goroo.com, it tells me CTA #14 (Jeffery/87th) from Monroe & Canal. Hello, confusing?

Parking at Solder Field North runs around $21 for the day. Tickets on metra+cta looks like it will run about $5 one-way, so about $20 for the family (toddler is free). So it seems like almost a tie. Except I don't have to deal with the traffic hastle in an unknown city, just transit transfer hastle.

What do you think?

[SJaye]

I'd say that is a good analysis of the cost comparisons of driving/parking vs. taking the train. There are two of you right? ($5 each way= $10 total * 2 people paying)

The "Jeffery Express" seems like it could work well- you would just have to walk from the museums to Columbus, but be careful and make sure you are off before it goes express (see map here). The area it goes to after the express portion is not the greatest for newbies who don't know the city well.

[Mr Downtown]

Take the train downtown and then a $7 taxi ride to the museums. Sit upstairs on the left side in the front train car so the toddler can look outside the window.

[JustinHaugens]

I think one of the major benefits of taking the train and bus. ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH YOUR FRIENDS/FAMILY RATHER THAN FOCUSING ON DRIVING.

Your kid may thank you more than might expect if he/she has never done something like that. It's a great experience too, to see how things like that work.

My Mom came up from Galesburg on Amtrak earlier this month and from there we took the bus and train wherever we went. She was so happy we went that route rather than her driving up then us driving everywhere. You can spend the time talking, seeing the city, enjoying the company. I can't stress that enough!

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by rcnet

Hi,
My family is going to be staying at some friends house that live in the Norridge / River Grove area of Chicago and we plan on doing some sightseeing to the Aquarium, Planetarium, Field Museum, etc...

What would be the easiest/cheapest way to get around (we are 3 including a toddler, which means we can only walk so far before we need to revert to the stroller) ?

Should I just drive and park to everything? Is Metra or CTA better?

Specifically, I was thinking of taking Metra River Grove to Union Station and then transfering to CTA Quincy/Wells (Orange line) to near the Aquarium. Google seems to say it will take over 1.5 hrs one way for the trip. Sheesh, that's a lot. Surely, driving/parking it should be less, no?

Also, what is the transfer like between Union (Metra) and Quincy (CTA)? From looking at a google map, I'm assuming that there's no covered/underground transfer. You gotta go outside and walk 3 blocks, and then go back inside to transfer. Do they accept the Metra ticket as proof, or do you need to buy another CTA ticket also? How do they know I just came from Metra? Where I live, we don't have multiple metros, so this concept is a little different for me.

Just trying to minimize my transportation and spend more time sightseeing. Any insight into any of these questions (or Chicago transit in general) will be helpful to planning my trip. Thanks for any help.

Take the train - traffic could be nasty with a major construction project starting this month on 290. You can get on the 14 bus at Monroe/Clinton. The stop you'll want to get off at will be obvious, because it will say '11th/Columbus Museum Campus' and there will also be an announcement that it runs express after the stop.

[rcnet]

Just wanted to followup after my experiences...I took the Metra from River Grove to Union Station. It was nice outside so I didn't bother with the transfer to CTA and just took the toddler along in the stroller walking through most of downtown. It was a great experience and we all really enjoyed the commute. The #130 wasn't yet available, although it will be this summer. However, I did find hourly metered parking for $1 along the museum sidestreets, so that is something to consider for next time.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by Mr Downtown

Take the train downtown and then a $7 taxi ride to the museums. Sit upstairs on the left side in the front train car so the toddler can look outside the window.

I completely agree with this. People have it in their head that taxis are crazy expensive, but for short trips they're not terrible and used with precision they can dramatically cut travel time without dramatically boosting travel cost. From Union Station to the Aquarium, a taxi will probably cost closer to $10 with tip and three total passengers, but it will be faster and more convenient than the bus, and much less walking than taking the "L" would be. Travel time via taxi will be about 8 minutes, vs. over 20 minutes on the bus not including waiting time.

Metra to taxi is kind of the best of all worlds. For the long portion with Metra you get predictable, relaxing service, and for the shorter portion with the taxi you get quick, not-too-expensive (still less than the cost of parking) service directly to your destination.