Gianni

Hi, I'll attend a training course at ACCENTURE campus near St. Charles.
I want to stay in Chicago a couple of days before reaching the work site.
Is there a train connection between Chicago and St. Charles? If yes, which is the downtown station where i can get the train?
Can you suggetst an hotel (around 120$ per night) near the station?
Thanks, regards.

Gabry (Italy)

ms_go

To get from downtown to the center in St. Charles, you will need to take the Union Pacific West Line train, which runs between the Ogilvie Transportation Center (train station) just west of the Loop in downtown Chicago and the town of Geneva, near St. Charles. The ride is just over an hour.

Here's a link to the train schedule:

http://metrarail.com/Sched/cnw_w/cnw_w.shtml

Note: don't confuse the Ogilvie Center station with Union Station a couple of blocks away, which also serves many commuter trains.

From the Geneva station, you will need to take a taxi or some kind of shuttle to the center (I assume where you are going is the Q Center; the former Andersen Center shared by Arthur Andersen & Accenture).

In the "old days" there used to be shuttle service from the Geneva station to the center, but I don't know if that is true anymore. Here's a link to the Q Center site:

http://www.qcenter.com/Home.asp

There may be some info here about shuttle services or arrangements for getting to/from the Geneva train station. It is 3-4 miles away and the closest you can get to the center by train.

As far as hotels near the train station (downtown), there aren't too many in that area and it does get kind of deserted there late at night. It is about a $10 cab ride from the train station over to the North Michigan Avenue area, where you will find lots of hotel options.

Enjoy your trip to Chicago. I've spent a lot of time at the training center in St. Charles, myself, in a past life.

marilynl

I also suggest staying in North Michigan Avenue area. Priceline works very well for Chicago--consult biddingfortravel.com for tips on where and how much to bid.

TxTravelPro

Accenture has amazing rates at hotels all over the world. If you show something with the Accenture logo and your name (even a letter), you will be allowed to use the discounted rate.
Check out the hotels and call to see if they offer an Accenture rate.