cherrypie55975

Message: Hi All,

I'm visiting Chicago in Nov. and I'm staying at a resort in St. Charles, IL. My question is: Should I drive to Chicago and try to find some place to park downtown, or should I take the train?

Any ideas on the best way to find parking in downtown Chicago?

Thanks

ms_go

Are you going in just for the day? Weekday or weekend? Where are you planning to go once downtown?

This will help us answer your questions better.

If you are going in on a weekday, I'd be very careful to avoid driving in/out during the rush hours. I live near St. Charles and drive downtown about once a week for client meetings. There is major construction right now on the main tollway towards Chicago (I88), and I've had the trip in take as much as 2:15.

If you haven't looked at it yet, here is the train schedule:

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

You'd need to take it from the Geneva or West Chicago station. If you are at Pheasant Run (what pops into my head when you say resort in St. Charles), you are about half way between the two.

jlm_mi

cherrypie - Perhaps you thought your first post was lost? You can always find your old posts by clicking your name in the upper left corner of this site, or at the top of any post you've made.

Here's your old post:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34537508

We've got a couple replies for you, bascially asking for more info as ms_go did and offering one suggestion on where to park.

But, we need more info from you, one this post or the other, to give better help.

patg

According to your other post, they told you this resort is 45 minutes from Chicago. That's a big ole fib. Maybe they meant 45 minutes from the Chicago border. St. Charles is not even considered the Chicago metro area.

The expressway you would have to use is backed up for about half the day. I wouldn't consider driving unless I had to have my car for some reason.

placeu2

cherry and pat,

Lol on pats post about the expressway. "1/2 the day it's backed up." The other day it's just plain sloooowwww. Either that or I am just always driving during that 1/2 day period.

If you drive, you will get to experience the new and improved hillside strangler. 1/2 Billion or so $$ down the drain.

cherrypie55975

OK

We are going to go to Chicago one day for shopping, Magnificent mile. And on the other day we are going to see the Blue Man Group at Briar St. Theater. Hope this is what you need

flamingomonkey

Actually, St. Charles is very much part of the Chicago metro area. And you want to take the train. You're easily looking at a two hour drive and $30 for parking.

Vittrad

Definately take the train for your day on Michigan Ave. However, consider what time you want to leave the city after Blue Man Group as your train might not be available out to the burbs. If you plan to leave before midnight you should be fine, but if you are planing on staying around for awhile afterwards you may want to consider bringing the car up, there are plenty of pay lots by the Briar Street Theater which is a few miles north of the LOOP (and a very short taxi or "EL" ride from Northwestern Train Station.

patg

Chicgal, I'm not recommending to the OP that she drive in, but in my experience, the Friday after Thanksgiving is not bad for a week day, away from North Michigan Avenue.

Now, North Michigan Avenue on that day is hellacious. For example, I've seen people lined up 6 deep just to walk through the door of the shopping malls!

ms_go

As a resident of the Fox Valley, I can assure you we are part of the Chicago metropolitan area, but it is true we are an area that is not that easy to reach. Not only is St. Charles dependent on one of the worst expressway/tollway combos, but it also is a good 20-minute drive from the nearest tollway on/offramp.

My former employer's training center was in St. Charles, and over 15 years I think I tried every imaginable way to get between there and the city. At best, it is about 1:15, not including extensive driving downtown. Many of my colleagues who had cars opted for the train.

I think the train is the most stress-free way to go, but there are a couple of caveats. Daily fee parking is available at the stations, but supply/demand varies. If you want to park at the Geneva station, I'd call the station office (phone number is available through the Metra link I provided above) and ask about parking options. It is the terminus for that line and I believe parking there is a bit tighter than at West Chicago. There may be cabs or shuttles available; your hotel should be able to provide some advice on this.

Also, if your Blue Man Group show is at night, then (as another poster mentioned) the return train schedule could be problematic. Trains only run once per hour late at night, sometimes less on weekends. Briar Street Theater is a good 20 minute (or more) cab ride from Ogilvy Transportation Center, and if you miss your train, you are stuck at the station for up to an hour with not a lot of station vendors open late at night (been there, done that!).

For what its worth, when I drive downtown, I sometimes choose a parking lot/garage that is right off Congress Parkway (the end of the Eisenhower Expressway), then walk or cab from there to where I need to go. That way, there is little need to navigate city streets, and on the return I can hop right back on the westbound expressway.