Layover at ORD
 

Hey there... I have a layover coming up at ORD. 7hr layover infact. Is this time enough to go into the city? Not sure where the airport is relation to anything worth seeing... or if its going to be $100 in cabs anywhere. Anyone have any clever ideas or suggestions? I'll be there mid week in December.

Have you looked at the O'Hare site of how to get to downtown?

http://www.flychicago.com/ohare/grou...re/ground.shtm

There are a couple of threads about this very topic.

Is your flight foreign or domestic? What time of day? It depends quite a bit on getting through security, etc.

7 hours might afford you enough time to grab a meal in town and head back. The Blue Line goes into town from O'Hare, but there's construction going on on some parts of the Blue Line. Other posters will be able to give you more info.

If it were me, I would just sit around the airport sleeping, drinking, eating, and/or reading. Not worth the hassle, IMO.

Also, is your layover really 7 hours of free time, or is it closer to 5 hours of free time? Getting through security can take a while, find the gate, checking bags, etc, etc. Take into account all the things that could potentially go wrong while traveling. And even if cabs -- Chicago traffic is a nightmare.

In my opinion, it is not worth leaving airports anymore. Given that it is Dec, it most likely will be cold and snowing. Also, given security, it is not worth the hassle.

If you haven't been to Chicago, I think it could be worthwhile to hop on the blue line train downtown, have some pizza, check Michigan Ave or maybe one of the musuems or Aquarium. Depends on how tolerant you are of cold weather.

If it is snowing or raining, however, I would stay put at the airport. You should check out the restaurants and shops terminal maps here http://tinyurl.com/222856.

Oh, live a little. Jump on the train right there at the airport, head downtown, have a fun meal, maybe do a little shopping or sight-seeing, and head back. Seven hours in any airport can be deadly. If you do your restaurant research ahead of time, check downtown maps, etc., you'll have some fun. Go for it.

I would be inclined to leave the airport - I haven't done it at Chicago, but I have spent some long lay overs there, and I agree - they can be deadly. We spent a 5.5 hour layover in Chicago on our way to Germany and by the time we got on our plane, we were just antsy. It was hard to settle down even though we had done several laps around the terminal, eaten a good slow meal, had some drinks...

My trip continues domestically. Get in at 1:30p next flight is at 9pm. No luggage at all, just my laptop bag.

Why not try to get on an earlier flight when you get there? Go to the counter and see if they can accommodate you. I have done this several times.

Considering the time of day you'll be coming & going, I'd say head downtown. The blue line is not bad at all during non-rush hour times & they've recently done some construction to the tracks that have sped up the travel time a lot. I'd say get off the train at Clark & Lake, check out the tree & winter village at Daley Plaza, walk 4 blocks to the Art Institute (http://www.artic.edu/aic/index.php)& have a nice winter dinner at Russian Tea Time (http://www.russianteatime.com/)or Rhapsody (http://www.rhapsodychicago.com) & then hop back on the train...
That's what I'd do anyway ;)