mitch25

Hello! I'm going to be in Chicago next weekend (Oct 22) and wonder if a taxi or a private car from Midway to my hotel would be best?

I don't know what the taxi prices are, but I know in NYC, it can be cheaper to get a private car.

Thanks for the help!

LLindaC

I took the Orange to my hotel last trip and loved it. I hated the cab ride or the drive from Midway, and there's always a traffic jam somewhere. It is a little tricky getting your luggage through the turnstile...ah, that was truly a comic moment. A cab from Midway to the hotel would be around 25 dollars.

patg

On a Friday, the Orange Line is the way to go; traffic is bad, unless you'll be arriving before 3 p.m. or after 7 p.m. It's a very short walk from the State/Lake stop to your hotel - one block north (don't cross Wacker Drive) and one block east. Your hotel is the modern building at Wacker and Wabash.

Elizabeth27

Sorry to bump up such an ancient thread, but I happened to read LLindaC's comment about how it is difficult to move your luggage through the turnstile at the El stations.....I planned on taking the Orange from Midway to Hotel Monaco this weekend, but now am wondering how difficult it will be. I am not known for my poise and grace under pressure.....LOL!

Anyone know any "tricks" to getting the luggage through without looking like an idiot???? Or worse yet, injuring myself? I won't have a large suitcase, but I would imagine it would be cumbersome regardless.

Also, is the State/Lake stop the closest to the Hotel Monaco?

Thanks.........

ChgoGal

Hi Elizabeth,
Don't worry about the turnstiles. If there's no station agent to let you through the "big door" (for the disabled, people with strollers, etc.), just hang back on the platform, let the others go ahead of you, and you can make your way slowly through the turnstile. We're not in such a frenzied rush that we won't allow a woman through with her luggage

Also, State/Lake stop IS the closest stop to Hotel Monaco. Just walk down to street level - Lake is the east/west street. Walk east to Wabash 1 block. Hotel is right there.

You should have good weather for the weekend! Hope you have a good time.

Elizabeth27

Thanks ChgoGal for the information..you would not believe the painful images I had of me hoisting my suitcase (full of shoes, of course!) over my head to get through the turnstile!! I think I have a phobia of those turnstiles because a friend of mine got stuck in one of those crazy cage-type ones in Manhattan...LOL!

One last question about this whole Orange Line deal...will it be difficult to maneuver the luggage down to street level from the State/Lake stop? Again, I have had scary travel experiences in New York where I had to lug my suitase down a fast-moving escalator while everyone ran me down.....

Hmmmm...I am starting to see why I prefer my trips to Chicago over the ones to Manhattan!!!!!

jlm_mi

The State/Lake station has an elevator. You can find other stations that do (should your hotel plans change or anything like that) by looking for the handicap symbol on the maps at www.transitchicago.com