Downtown Transportation Questions

I%26#39;d love some feedback for our upcoming weekend trip to Chicago. What should we rely on for transportation downtown? We are planning on staying at Swissotel. What would you recommend for transportation from the train station to the hotel? What about from the hotel to the following places: Navy Pier, Shedd, Field Museum, Cloud Gate?

What should I expect for transportation rates to those places?

We do have a 3 yr old and plan on bringing an umbrella stroller.

Thank you in advance! I appreciate it.

Downtown Transportation Questions

CTA bus and trains are your best bet. www.transitchicago.com for public transit information. There%26#39;s a trip planner function on the home page.

From your hotel, you can walk to all of your destinations. Everything%26#39;s on the east side of downtown. You can print out walking directions here - http://www.hopstop.com/?city=chicago

Downtown Transportation Questions

Almost everything you want to do, once inside the city, is walkable. But you may want to consider a 24-hour CTA pass for a couple of reasons:

1. Some sights, like Navy Pier, can be a difficult walk, especially with a toddler in tow.

2. Bad weather could make walking difficult.

3. You see things by taking the bus (interesting sights, restaurants, etc) that you may miss otherwise.

The CTA is also much cheaper than taxis.

Just a thought. Take a look at www.transitchicago.com for more info.

take a train from the airport to the Clark/Lake stop--take escalator or elevator to street level and hail cab to Swisshotel. Should be $5 or so. Navy Pier is close to the hotel, but kind of complicated to get there from the Swiss. You will probably want to take a cab. Field Museum is a little far, you could walk it but the baby may be a problem. You can see the Field Musuem from the Swiss--so you will be able to determine if you want to walk it or not. Again, from your hotel to the Field will be $5 cab. The Shedd is right across from the Field so do both on the same day. You can definitly walk to Cloud from your hotel.

Assuming you%26#39;re arriving at Union Station (Amtrak), you can use the trip planner at www.transitchicago.com to see the 151 bus route that will get you within a few blocks of your hotel, or you can take an inexpensive cab ride if you don%26#39;t want to deal with luggage, toddler, and stroller on the bus.

If you have a nice day, you can walk to the Field/Shedd through the parks and along the lakefront trail. Assuming your child rides well in the stroller, that shouldn%26#39;t be any problem at all. Same to Navy Pier.

The choice of cab vs. walking in those cases is really more about how much you enjoy walking in a city vs. just getting where you%26#39;re going already.

I agree with the recommendation for the Number 151 bus from Union Station to your hotel. Union Station is the end of the line where buses layover, so you can probably take your time boarding. Just remember to be considerate of other passengers and don%26#39;t block the aisle or extra seats. There are many low-floor buses that will be easy to board with a stroller. All buses have a ramp or lift.

If you%26#39;ll have lots of luggage, a cab may be a better option. They%26#39;re plentiful in that area and the trip to the hotel will only be a few dollars.

If you want to purchase a transit pass, there are vending machines in Union Station near the Metra ticket windows that sell the 3-day passes for $14. If you want to purchase a 1-day pass for $5.75, some of the news stands in the station sell them. The vending machines take cash and plastic and the passes allow unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses for 24-hours after the first use.

I also agree that you could walk to Navy Pier from the Swissotel. If you opt for transit, you can catch the Number 124 bus on the lower level of Columbus Dr between South Water and Wacker. I%26#39;m sure your concierge can tell you the exact location of the bus stop.

To reach the Museum Campus, walk south on Columbus about 1.5 miles or head west on Wacker and catch the Number 146 bus at the NW corner of Wacker and Michigan Ave.