I am constantly amazed at the amount of work and inconvenience people will put themselves through on vacation in order to avoid paying "high" parking rates.

lincasanova, the "L" - even Metra - doesn't go into Indiana. The South Shore is not the "L" or Metra.

MikeT, what's the difference if you pay $50/day extra for parking or $50/nt. extra on the hotel room (except the taxes, of course)? Why would anyone who *negotiates* down the price of the hotel room (via Priceline, Hotwire, etc.) or gets a deal on a travel consolidation site then turn around and *drive* into the city? Makes absolutely no sense to me.

The cost of parking is not going to go anywhere but up. I visited some friends at the Swissotel recently and the rate was $52/nt. (plus tip for the valet). I anticipate that all parking garage operations will follow suit.

exiled.. i know the El doesn't go into Indiana. I was comparing it from oak park, versus some train from indiana to downtown. I should have said "than the Amtrak would be from Indiana". Sorry for the confusion.


AAFF.. good comparison. Now if there are a few people in the car.. this all changes.

Hope she can find a solution she likes. There certainly are enough ideas out there.

Then, there's always the Megabus!

Then, there's always the Megabus!,

that's the best suggestion yet. I completely forgot about that option. But that's assuming s/he is coming from one of the major cities, not from some little town 50 miles away in which case s/he would still need to park the car somewhere.

but as you stated, the OP has to come back and read all these suggestions and decide what s/he wants to do. Perhaps s/he already did, and we're just debating amongst ourselves

We never heard from the OP again.

No problem, lin. I know that Metra shows the South Shore on their website for information, but Metra tickets aren't taken on the South Shore.

AA, yes. Wouldn't that be the case - the OP already made their decision 10 posts ago!

Anyway, there are two reasons why I think it's important that all the different options are discussed on these threads, even though the OP only is asking about one:

1) They may not know all their options (such as the lady from Michigan on the very limited budget who didn't even know of the South Shore) and

2) It helps all those others who just "lurk" here and read these posts. Maybe they'll post an inquiry themselves - maybe they won't. But it gives them a good basis to think about what they want to do.

And, I forgot to mention one thing which is pretty important for those who drive: If you drive a pickup, van with truck plates or a truck, city ordinance prohibits you from driving on Lake Shore Drive. You also have to be certain that you check the parking garage or lot's restrictions because they have them for height, weight and length of vehicle.

I saw a couple of posts on another forum for oversize vehicles where the drivers had anticipated they would use one of the less expensive lot/garage options - only to find out the day (or evening) before that they couldn't park their vehicle there.

If anyone is planning on using the South Shore in the near future, please note that there are going to be several upcoming weekends when service will be suspended between the South Bend and the Gary Metro stations. There will be no shuttle bus service between these points.

http://www.nictd.com/TempPDF/2009Wee...iceOutages.pdf

I have also read in a couple of local Indiana newspapers (www.nwitimes.com and www.chestertontribune.com) that a 2-week period is scheduled where all service will be suspended between these points (October 18 through November 6).

There is substantial work being done on the tracks, lines and bridges which necessitate this. Also, these scheduled suspensions may be affected by the weather.

So, if you are planning on using the South Shore, please make sure that you check their website (www.NICTD.com) for updates.

this may be long overdue, but I also look for means to avoid paying $50 a night at the hotel to park my car (i drive from Ohio or Indiana). The most convenient option for me is to go to the hotel, drop off my stuff and check in, then drive and park my car near the Lawrence red line stop (no permit required) and then take the El back to the loop... or usually a few stops north of the loop if I get lucky. I usually like to party in Boyztown.

If you don’t want to run out of time catching your flight just because of the hassle of airport parking, look for a parking that is near the airport entrance. But if you want to grab the nearest parking slot, you must come to the airport early. If you come early at the airport, you can have plenty of space to park, and you can choose the best and nearest spot you like.

This thread is 4.5 years old.
The Amtrak Lake Shore Limited and the Capitol Limited come through Cleveland and Toledo every morning on the way to Chicago.