H and I are meeting my cousins in Chicago for a weekend reunion in March (St. Patrick’s Day). They’ve rented a place (they used to live in the burbs and have moved to NV) on Air B&B on the near North Side. My question: we’re flying in from Boston to Midway Airport on Southwest Airlines (had tons of miles so it was basically free). Can I get a car from Uber at Midway Airport and is Uber readily available in the city?
Subway does not go to the place?
when my son and I visited UChicago we used Uber the entire time to go from our hotel to the campus and back and to dinner - never had any trouble
Yes Ubers are readily accessible but midway is far south of city and you are going north, so be prepared for a long and expensive journey. On the other hand, it is likely to be much easier than public transport. There’s a train from midway to downtown (cheap and easy) but if you are going to north side or suburbs, that complicates things.
Uber is available at the airports. So that can work. You should also look at a limo and at least compare pricing. As others have indicated you could take the subway/L. But you may have to change trains downtown to get to final destination. A lot will depend where you are going and what you are doing.
Yes, I would do Uber or Lyft for the convenience, unless I wanted a car for the weekend, in which case I’d rent a car at Midway and go.
I cannot imagine renting a car if you are staying on the Near North side. For one thing, it will be incredibly hard to park, and/or cost a fortune. It’s kind of like renting a car to drive from LaGuardia to Manhattan. If you are planning to stay in the city all weekend, take cabs or public transportation or walk.
Midway is a nice airport.
Agree with above about the car. Much of the Near North Side is permitted parking for residents only overnight. Personally, I would take a taxi or Uber or Lyft from Midway in rather than public transport. Do compare with limo pricing.
You should have no problem getting an Uber.
Uber will be no problem. Also try Lyft. Check out Midway’s website, as I believe there is a certain area designated for Uber pick ups…
One consideration: what time are you arriving in Chicago? If it’s during rush hour on a Friday, I’d seriously consider taking the train. Take Orange line into Loop and then either red or brown line depending on where you are going.
http://www.transitchicago.com/travel_information/maps/default.aspx?source_quicklinks=1
Personally I would take the train as close as possible to where you want to go and Uber the rest of the way. Depending on traffic it might actually be faster.
Chicago has an excellent transportation system. There is no subway due to the high water table but an L (elevated) system. It is easy to find your way around. As a general rule, named streets run north and south, numbered streets run east and west. There are a few exceptions in the city which are the streets that run at an angle (Archer ave is one that runs on an angle). There are very few of these. The city itself is laid out in square miles with the main streets running on the boarder of the square mile. City buses are exact change only. You can purchase a train ticket with exact change or credit card at most of the stations though a machine (you might want to use a prepaid credit card for safety). There are also coach buses that run from the airports to certain motels/hotels throughout the city. The Chicago bus system is the CTA and the suburban system is PACE. Since it is a holiday weekend, uber rates may be higher and downtown traffic heavier for the parade and the green river.
http://www.flychicago.com/midway/tofrom/publictransit/pages/default.aspx
http://www.flychicago.com/midway/tofrom/shuttles/pages/default.aspx
http://www.flychicago.com/midway/tofrom/taxi/pages/default.aspx
https://www.airportexpress.com/midway_shared_ride_shuttle
http://www.transitchicago.com/airports/
There are actually 2 different train systems, one is the “L” and the other is out of Union Station (amtrak).I actually got turned around after getting off the L looking the Union Station but a parking attendant pointed me in the right direction. When in doubt stop a policeman and ask they will gladly help you out.
I’m not familiar with this site but they give several options and costs but by car price may be higher due to the holiday.
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Chicago-Midway-Airport-MDW/Near-North-Side
I always traveled on the el from Midway to my D’s place in Lincoln Park/Lakeview area when she lived there. She traveled a lot on business & took Uber, Lyft or a taxi (taxi early morning, because ride share isn’t always a good option at 4 am). I would definitely take the train if I were you, unless you are arriving late.
I like to take the train from Midway to Lincoln Park/Lakeview.
From Ohare, I guess I’ll find out in April. The concept of train to uber seems promising - an uber from near the airport to where my kids lived cost about $40.
Long time Near North Side resident. I always took a cab. Different strokes, different folks.
stradmom, the blue line from O’Hare to City is $5.
Have to clarify a few things. First, while the system is call the “L” for elevated, there are several areas which are an underground subway. Downtown has both – elevated tracks and subway. It will all depend on which line you are on. Lines are indicated by color.
Named streets and north south direction is not really correct. Numbered streets are on the south side - and run east west. North side streets are all named regardless which direction they run. And everything is based on numbers, with Zero/Zero being downtown. So the higher the number, the further from downtown you’re going. It helps if you’re north, south, east, west challenged.
If you are going to use public transportation, get a pass. A 3 day pass is $20. Spend some time at the CTA website.
I would refrain from calling the “L” a train (even though it is). There actually 2 train systems that serve downtown. They run out 3 or 4 different stations. Amtrak is the national train system which will take you out of state. The local train system is Metra, which will get you to and from the suburbs. If you say “L” everyone will know what you’re looking for.
Under no circumstances should you take the L from Midway at night. Especially if it’s your first time. While you won’t go thru any of the areas you see on the news, you will go thru some “iffy” areas. When bad stuff happens, it is usually happens at night. It’s worth the cab/uber/limo cost.
Where are you staying? St. Patrick’s day will be a blast. Have fun.
^^^^^ Good post.
“Named streets and north south direction is not really correct. Numbered streets are on the south side - and run east west” Not true. The south and south west sides of Chicago are named streets. Only on the far south east side of Chicago are they all numbered streets, which is the opposite side of the city were the poster wants to go. In the area around Midway the named/numbered streets is certainly true. There isn’t a true subway just sections that may run underground because of the high water table which actually is why the downtown was raised to install a sewer system. https://gizmodo.com/chicago-was-raised-more-than-4-feet-in-the-1800s-to-bui-1646409024
“I would refrain from calling the “L” a train (even though it is).” Any native Chicagoan, which I am, will call it a train, since it is an elevated train. The 2 main train system is referred to as the L and the train (metra).
“There isn’t a true subway just sections that may run underground”
I must be riding a fake subway when I take the Red Line from Roosevelt to North & Clybourn. How does the high water table distinguish between real subways and trains that just happen to be underground?
By this standard, New York and DC don’t have a “true subway,” since half the lines run at street level or elevated outside of the city center.
“The south and south west sides of Chicago are named streets.”
Wha – ? What neighborhood on the south or south west side doesn’t have numbered east-west streets?