olsen1503

Hi,my wife and i are flying into OHare at about 8pm on a saturday night and were thinking of taking the el train to the Fairmont downtown....Is this is a safe idea,?is it ok to walk through that area at night with a couple of pieces of luggage.?...also,any other tips on the area would be greatly appreciated..thank you for your help,

GoTravel

As a solo female traveler, I've done it several times. I like taking the El from the airport. I've never felt unsafe.

lel44

The El is perfectly safe, I've never had a problem with it. However, I don't think the Fairmont is particularly acessibly by El. From the Clark and Lake stop on the blue line you'll have to hike quite a few blocks under the El tracks to the hotel. That area is a bit deserted on weekend nights and probably isn't a pleasant walk. There are plenty of cabs circling the El stop though, and it would probably only cost a couple of bucks to take one to the hotel. The El from O'Hare takes about 45 minutes to get to Clark and Lake. If I were you I would call the hotel and see if they have a shuttle instead. It will be much quicker and less hassle.

olsen1503

hi...thank you both for your responses....we are being told to get off at the washington street stop and then walk 4 "short" blocks to the Fairmont..is this accurate?

patg

It's more like 6-7 blocks. See
http://www.chicago.il.org/HOTELS_LOOP.HTM

Your stop is at Washington and Dearborn. It's a pretty nice walk, though you may not appreciate it with suitcases. Saturday night will be very quiet for the most part, away from the theatre district.