My wife is interested in attending the McDonald's Collectors Club convention in Countryside, IL (Holiday Inn on Joilet Rd.)

I'm thinking it might be a fun trip if getting into Chicago is convenient. But I can't seem to find much of anything about Countryside....ie. are there busses/trains that go between there and Chicago, or between Midway airport and Countryside?

If anyone knows anything about this particular suburb, I'd appreciate any details. Thanks!

Countryside is a quiet SW suburb of Chicago, and although I am not familiar with the Holiday Inn, think it is probably in a pretty run-of-the-mill type of suburban development.

Getting to Chicago should be easy from there. LaGrange and Hinsdale would both of full-service trains to/from chicago. I've taken the line from the western suburbs before, and it is a very pleasant 25 minute ride. You might need a car/taxi/hotel shuttle to get you to the train station.

I'd do it.

Countryside/Lagrange Park area in IL is a busy, older settled suburban area. It runs approximately 5000 South and 9600 West of downtown, and it is NOT downtown Chicago. You can take the train downtown fairly easily. But for any running around in the SW or Western burbs you would need to rent a car. I'm not sure that you could get to the train station from Joliet Rd easily. You would probably need a cab, or possibly the hotel has a shuttle- but I doubt it.

Countryside is not that far from Hinsdale/Brookfield area. You could get to the Brookfield Zoo with a cab ride. Oak Park may be accessible to see Frank Lloyd Wright homes, but also- a cab ride. I'm not sure about buses. They would be PACE buses if they are running. I doubt they run frequently. I think you are mainly in the land of the automobile and that that train line runs from /through Downers Grove/ Westmont areas.

Although I know much about Countryside and Lagrange, I don't know much of the aspects a tourist would be interested in, only schools/homes etc. Oakbrook has huge mall/shoppping and it's not that far from Lagrange. There are expressways that run from that area direct to downtown. There are many restaurants and shows, as Lagrange's history and present are very much apart from Chicago. They have their own downtown.

Chicagoland is a very huge land area. The PACE buses do run, but not on a frequent schedule from the more distance suburbs, which consider themselves their own villages, towns, entities. Mine has only 2 buses in each direction a day. I'm not sure if Pace is good from Lagrange. You might want to check out their website to see if the bus is reachable. I would go by train from there if possible.

Countryside and LaGrange Park are suburban with great numbers of large houses, some vintage Victorians bysected by dense traffic commercial avenues. Joliet Rd. is one, Lagrange/Manheim Rd is another. I have friends who have rehabbed a house in Countryside that was over 100 years old. My business was in Countryside for years and I would say that you would definitely need a car to trapse the burbs.

Countryside/Lagrange Park area in IL is a busy, older settled suburban area. It runs approximately 5000 South and 9600 West of downtown, and it is NOT downtown Chicago. You can take the train downtown fairly easily. But for any running around in the SW or Western burbs you would need to rent a car. I'm not sure that you could get to the train station from Joliet Rd easily. You would probably need a cab, or possibly the hotel has a shuttle- but I doubt it.

Countryside is not that far from Hinsdale/Brookfield area. You could get to the Brookfield Zoo with a cab ride. Oak Park may be accessible to see Frank Lloyd Wright homes, but also- a cab ride. I'm not sure about buses. They would be PACE buses if they are running. I doubt they run frequently. I think you are mainly in the land of the automobile and that that train line runs from /through Downers Grove/ Westmont areas.

Although I know much about Countryside and Lagrange, I don't know much of the aspects a tourist would be interested in, only schools/homes etc. Oakbrook has huge mall/shoppping and it's not that far from Lagrange. There are expressways that run from that area direct to downtown. There are many restaurants and shows, as Lagrange's history and present are very much apart from Chicago. They have their own downtown.

Chicagoland is a very huge land area. The PACE buses do run, but not on a frequent schedule from the more distance suburbs, which consider themselves their own villages, towns, entities. Mine has only 2 buses in each direction a day. I'm not sure if Pace is good from Lagrange. You might want to check out their website to see if the bus is reachable. I would go by train from there if possible.

Countryside and LaGrange Park are suburban with great numbers of large houses, some vintage Victorians bysected by dense traffic commercial avenues. Joliet Rd. is one, Lagrange/Manheim Rd is another. I have friends who have rehabbed a house in Countryside that was over 100 years old. My business was in Countryside for years and I would say that you would definitely need a car to trampse the burbs.

Sorry about the double post. I edited and it posted twice.

i don't know specifically about Countryside, but you can try going to the trip planner at http://www.transitchicago.com. This planner gives you both CTA and RTA (Regional Transit) options between any two addresses/landmarks in the area.

You'll need a car or a lot of money for cabs. There is a bus on LaGrange Rd. that will get you from the LaGrange train station to within about 1/2 a mile of the hotel, though there are no sidewalks, and it's not a very pleasant walk, along side a busy four lane road. If you are thinking of flying into Midway, you have a few options. You can take a cab to the Holiday Inn, maybe $30 or so each way, and stay there for the convention. You could stay downtown, and take the train out to LaGrange for one day, and take a cab from there. Or you could rent a car and stay out in the suburbs. If you're planning on combining this convention with a trip to Chicago (downtown), don't bother with the car, just do the train and cab.

www.metrarail.com

Look for the Burlington Northern line. This will also get you near Brookfield Zoo.