hi fodorites,

DH and i will be in chicago from july 1 - 5; we're staying @ the swissotel. i'm flying in from toronto and DH is flying in from NOLA...

i have a few very specific logistics-type questions...

1. i'm trying to make dinner reservations for july 1. realistically, how long the entire trip take from ORD to clark/lake (we're both taking the L to clark/lake and then jumping in a cab to the hotel)? the transit website tells me about 45 minutes but i'm assuming that is platform to platform. my flight lands at 1:30 pm (air canada, terminal 2) and DH arrives at 5 pm (delta, terminal 3). i will have checked luggage. DH will likely have carry-on only. and yes, i KNOW that there's a chance both flights may be delayed/late ... but, assuming all goes smoothly, do you think two hours for me (and maybe 1.5 hours for DH - no checked bags) is realistic?

2. will i need exact change to get onto the train at ORD? can i purchase a ticket with a credit card?

3. when i get to the clark/lake station, i'm planning to catch a cab to the hotel. can i just get out to street level and hail any old cab that's availble? or do i need to take a particular exit? are there taxis waiting at a specific spot?

4. where can i purchase a 3-day transit pass? i'm kicking myself b/c i should've bought them online ...they will be delivered within 10 business days and i don't want to take that chance now. the CTDA website says "All CTA fare media can also be purchased at CTA headquarters located at 567 W. Lake Street, Chicago, IL 60661." is this the ONLY place i can buy the passes? ideally, i'd like to be able to buy two passes when i buy my single ticket to get downtown from ORD (will start using the pass the next day).

5. we plan to visit the shedd aquarium. however, we're also planning to make a detour for an early breakfast at the bongo room (1152 s wabash). after breakfast, we may want to walk to the shedd as it appears to be only 0.5 miles away. what is the best walking route? i've read (somewhere?) that crossing lakeshore can be a bit hairy. maybe we'll just hop on the bus.

6. after the shedd, we're planning to hit the target at 1154 s clark street (we don't have target in canada). the interactive transit maps advise to hop on bus 146 from the aquarium and get off @ roosevelt station and continue walking the rest of the way. does the bus not continue on to lake street? it's not a long walk, but i just wanted to make sure of the proposed route.

okay - i think that's it!

thanks so much!

1. & 3. I'd say two hours is a good estimate for your total transit time. It will probably take you 10-15 minutes to walk from your gate to the rail station. Follow the signs from the baggage level that say "CTA Trains to City." When you exit the subway, you'll be in the state office building. There is no cab stand, but you can hail a cab on any street around the building. The exit from the CTA station is on the Lake Street side, so it would be closest.

2.& 4. There is a vending machine at the ORD station that sells 3-day passes. It accepts cash and plastic. The regular farecard machines are blue and the pass machines are yellow. You can also purchase 1 and 3 day cards on the lower level of the O'Hare Hilton.

5. & 6. You can walk very easily from the Bongo Room to the Shedd. Head south a half block to Roosevelt Road and turn left. After you cross Columbus Drive, the sidewalk leads to an underpass that crosses Lake Shore. You can take the same route back to Target or hop on the Number 146 bus. If you look at the map for the Number 146 (Inner Drive Express), you'll see that after it stops at the Roosevelt Station, it turns to head north on State Street. To reach Target, you have to walk 2 blocks west to Clark.

#2 It is always safest to carry around just a little extra cash and change just in case so I would do that.

#3 you can always buy the passes when you get there and they should have machines that will let you buy them ranging from one ride to seven days or so.

For dinner and dining I have always found when I travel to go online if you have a computer with you and internet access. I like to go to

http://www.opentable.com/start.aspx?m=3.

hi citylights,

thanks for the response!

one clarifying question ...

i don't plan to use my 3-day pass to get into the city. i want to start using my 3-day pass on thursday instead.

how do i need to pay for my fare on the blue line from ORD? can i buy a ticket from those machines with my credit card? or do i need exact change for a cash fare?

hi benhog,

tks - i've already used open table for one of our reservations!

lilaki

You can either purchase a 1-day pass in the Hilton for $5.25 or a single farecard from the machine for $2.25. The single farecard machines accept only cash.

hi citylights,

thanks for the info ... sorry for sounding like a dunce with this one ...

i just want to make sure i understand ... when i get to the ORD station, i need to buy a single farecard using the blue machine. i need cash for this machine. do i need EXACT change? (i have some US $$ at home right now but definitely no coins). also, is this single farecard just a single-ride ticket? do i have to pay extra for the 'card'?

once i purchase my single farecard, i then need to go to the yellow machine to purchase my three-day pass ... and this machine takes credit cards. even though i'm purchasing a three-day pass on wednesday, it doesn't 'activate' until i start using it on thursday. is that correct?

thanks so much!!!

When you approach the machine, the options are 1)Purchase a farecard; 2)Add value; or 3) Check value. Push the button for purchase, then insert your money. The display will register how much you've inserted and it doesn't give change. When you have $2.25 push "vend" and you'll receive a card on the lower right. There are no additional fees for cards.

"Day passes" are valid in 24-hour increments from their first use.

hi citylights,

great - thanks for explaining. i'm assuming there will be some coffee/gift shop from the point along the way from deplaning/baggage pickup to get exact change!

thanks!