Closest hotel to Shedd Aquarium

We are taking the train from Michigan to Chicago. Our main objective is to take the grandkids to Shedd Aquarium. I was looking into spending the night @ the Homewood Suites. I just read JoJo-PunkyC%26#39;s post and follow up and learned the easiest way to the aquarium. My question is: is there a decent hotel closer to the aquarium? We are not opposed to walking, taking the bus or subway. I just want to be as close to the aquarium, with the easiest way to get there. Also, how much would a taxi cost from the Homewood Suites to Shedd for 4 adults and 2 children?

Thanks.

Closest hotel to Shedd Aquarium

Cab fare calculator - http://chicago.taxiwiz.com/

IMO, the closest hotels to the Shedd aren%26#39;t that great. Chicago Hilton %26amp; Essex Inn are close.

This bus - transitchicago.com/riding_cta/busroute.aspx鈥?/a> - will let you out in front of the Shedd. Catch it along Michigan Ave.

Closest hotel to Shedd Aquarium

FYI-Depending how young your children are, you are likely to need two cabs, every cab driver is diferent on how many people they will let stuff into a cab.

I would estimate cab fare to be around $10 each cab.

The kids are almost 3 and 1 1/2. That%26#39;s not too bad for a taxi, even if we had to get two. I think I may stick with the Homewood suites. Thanks for the info.

If you%26#39;re only staying the one night, you can purchase a 1-day CTA pass for $5.75/each. It will allow unlimited rides on all trains and buses for a 24-hour period. You can purchase passes in several of the newsstands at Union Station when you arrive. If you%26#39;re staying longer, a 3-day pass is $14.

From Union Station to your hotel, you can catch the Number 151 bus on Canal Street at the main entrance to US. It will go east to State Street, then over to Michigan Avenue. Exit the bus at Grand Avenue, the stops are announced and displayed above the windshield. Homewook Suites is 1 block east on Grand. You can either walk down the stairs or walk through The Shops at North Bridge and take the elevator to the lower level.

To reach the Shedd, in addition to the info Dave148 gave on the Number 146 bus, you could also take the Red Line subway. From the Homewood, walk one block east to Grand and State and catch a train toward 95th Street. Exit at Roosevelt and turn left out of the station. The aquarium is about a 10-minute stroll across the park.

Thanks, everyone always mentions the bus to Shedd, you%26#39;re the first to mention the subway. I prefer the subway, but a bus will work also.

While the subway is an option, the bus is much easier. The Number 146 bus stops at Grand and Michigan, a block east of your hotel. The Red Line Station at Grand is currently under construction and has no elevators or escalators.

The buses on the 146 route are the low-floor type that kneel and are equipped with a ramp. The bus stops about a block from the aquarium.

The Roosevelt station has elevators and escalators, but is a longer walk to the Shedd, roughly 6-7 blocks.

I%26#39;m going to preface this by saying that I hope that the following doesn%26#39;t sound critical because I%26#39;m mentioning these things to be helpful to others.

To the OP: The SB CTA bus #146 is specifically for the Museum Campus (the route%26#39;s south terminus) and it is the one usually most convenient for most visitors because it lets passengers off pretty close to the doors of each attraction. But you can take the Red Line to the Roosevelt station and walk that additional 3/4 mile to the Shedd, if you wish.

We only mention a tiny fraction of the busses and trains available to different destinations on this forum, to use as a starting point. It%26#39;s really up to the OP to do their research on the CTA website about using public transportation, both before and afterwards. (BTW, Dave does an excellent job of directing posters to look there first before asking questions.)

In addition, you wouldn%26#39;t know if there are reroutes scheduled for a particular bus route (especially prevalent during the summer months when many festivals are happening); possible delays due to construction, those same reroutes or damage; boarding changes; and so forth unless you check the CTA website ahead of time.

For example, we often mention the #145 or #151 going south down Michigan Avenue from/to various points but there are more than 10 other bus routes which do this same thing. It just depends on where you start and where you are going.

There are signs at each bus stop (some even have maps, just like on the CTA website) which shows the bus routes stopping there and where they travel. Or you can review the CTA website ahead of time and look at the maps, if nothing else. The CTA even has an entire page on their website (';Popular Destinations';), specifically designed to show all the routes available for a particular place/attraction.

If you are totally lost, you can even call the CTA for information.

The CTA now even has their ';bus tracker'; system which tells approximately how long before a bus on that particular route will arrive at your bus stop and about where it is at that given time. (It doesn%26#39;t currently cover all the routes, but the most popular ones used by tourists are probably there.) Of course, there isn%26#39;t any way of telling if that bus is completely filled to capacity and you have to await the next one; but that%26#39;s another issue.

Hope this information helps all.

I see that Citylghts posted at the same time I was composing my post. Hope, though, that the information above helps others.

If you want to be closer to the Shedd, the Hilton Chicago and Blackstone (a Renaissance/Marriott)are within walking distance - about 1 mile away. However, they don%26#39;t have the family-friendly breakfast and location of Homewood Suites. The Hilton does have a glorious view from its rooftop enclosed swimming pool, though.

Thanks, I%26#39;ll check those out.