<p>Second Midway because of the Southwest connection. Look into Rapid Rewards program. Give double credits for college students.</p>
<p>Good friends son, who has cerebral palsy, is going to Vanderbilt, and was thrilled when she learned about this program, as an eight hour drive was going to be too far in an emergency.</p>
<p>Son is planning on Marquette for college, and we’re seriously thinking about flying to Midway and driving up to Milwaukee, or train, when he’s going in and out for breaks.</p>
<p>Probably will drive up the first time, as too much stuff to bring on plane or train.</p>
<p>By the way, Loyola Chicago is great school. Teacher’s son goes there and studies international business. Will be studying in Japan all year. Most of classes for his major are at the water tower campus, but there are shuttles to the lakefront campus from the downtown campus. And there is actually a dorm that services the downtown campus. If only my son’s major, biomedical engineering, were offered there, that would be his dream school. </p>
<p>If Loyola Chicago is anything like Loyola New Orleans, you’re going to love it. We drove by the campus on our way up to Milwaukee, and it was very close to Northwestern, so we drove through that one as well. Loyola does seem to be near public transportation, more so than Northwestern. Didn’t see too much of the campus, though, because it seemed to be more of a pedestrian environment, ie, couldn’t drive through, but did see some dorms, apartments, in the urban area surrounding the campus.</p>
<p>I signed us all up for Rapid Rewards yesterday, but I didn’t know students got double. I will have to look into that!
There are actually two Red lines stops just across the street from campus at northern and southern end. I am happy to hear the positive comments about Loyola. While pretty pricey, it seemed like such a perfect fit for D in so many ways, we are going to make it work. She is hoping to spend a semester at their campus in Rome. Many of her classes will be downtown but she will have to commute. Housing in downtown campus is over $10K (room only)! Chicago is awesome but not cheap.
Campus is very nice, and the new library is amazing. Three story glass building overlooking Lake Michigan. They also just renovated the chapel which has a huge pipe organ.
Your son’s major sounds fascinating!</p>
<p>Montegut, do not drive from Midway to Milwaukee anytime this summer or fall. There is road construction on half the route, and you pay tolls on top of that! Milwaukee airport is so much more convenient that it is worth a little more money, especially if it is just the student traveling.</p>
<p>As for the OP, I would have your student contact the university about bus service at break times. Or there may be a friend going to the airport. Rogers Park to O’Hare is about an hour’s drive (less at a good traffic time, more at rush hour). By train, you’ll have to figure on two hours to either airport - it would actually be shorter to go to Midway once you’ve reached downtown. Also, be aware that the Blue Line from O’Hare to downtown is under repair many weekends in the summer, with shuttle bus service on some of the route.</p>
<p>Thanks for the tip, Midwesterner. We flew home from Milwaukee via United, and it was a nightmare. Got stranded in Charlotte because we missed our connecting flight. Charlotte airport staff was rude, unhelpful. Wish I had taken Northwest and connected in Memphis, even though it was much more expensive. </p>
<p>As for Midway, it’s nonstop from New Orleans, via Southwest, so cheap, etc, and no worry about connecting flights if drive to Milwaukee. </p>
<p>It’s all going to come down to time element. Want to do visit days and scholarship days, if invited, but looking at losing a day each way just in the travel.</p>
<p>Any advice on getting from New Orleans to Milwaukee in the least amount of time?</p>
<p>We can work on the price later. Just wanted to get him there on time for these events without missing too much school. All three of us don’t have to go this time.</p>
<p>We are planning to go to Chicago for Memorial Day weekend, and would like to be pointed in the right direction. Can you help? We are flying into O’hare and staying at a hotel a block from the “magnificient mile” on Delaware. Do we take a taxi? Can we take the subway? Weather-wise–do we need a raincoat for occassional thunderstorms, or ?
We are traveling from California, do not really know the ins-and-outs of Chicago.
Thank you! APOL</p>
<p>You can take the subway (the El) but frankly you can also just take a taxi and that’s easiest. Your hotel is in a great location!
It’s not a bad idea to have a little light jacket for the evening but as for thunderstorms specifically, you’d just have to check the forecast as it gets closer.</p>
<p>APOL, go over to tripadvisor.com and do a search of their forums. You’ll find tons of information for your Chicago visit. From O’Hare, the best way to the Mag Mile area is to take the train to Clark and Lake, then exit (there are elevators) and grab a cab for a short trip. The train is $2.25 and the cab will be $7-10. A cab from O’Hare to Michigan Avenue is $40-45.</p>
<p>Thunderstorms pop up fairly regularly - you do have to check the weather every day. They often cover only only a part of the Chicago metro area, so it can be unpredictable. I would bring a light sweater and definitely a raincoat and umbrella. If you don’t use any of theme, all the better.</p>
<p>Montegut, go and price New Orleans to Milwaukee on American Airlines. It is cheaper than Southwest at the moment. Ironically, you connect at O’Hare - but save $25 by continuing to Milwaukee. Very strange pricing.</p>
<p>midwesterner - however, if they’re not renting a car, it is a pain in the rear to get from Mitchell Airport to Chicago. We’re talking another two hours if you’re not renting, and solely relying on Amtrak (which doesn’t run very often).</p>
<p>Actually, the best way to get to Michigan Avenue on the Blue Line in the direction of Forest Park is to get off at Washington. You can then transfer to the Red Line (free transfer) and go to Chicago and walk about a block to Michigan Ave. or take one of the many buses along which stop at State and Washington. which then travel along N. Michigan Ave.</p>
<p>Thanks for the American Airline tip. Willing to lose out on trip rewards for a more direct flight. Also thanks for the no driving recommendation from Chicago to Milwaukee.</p>
<p>Any thoughts on going from New Orleans to Cleveland? Southwest has layovers on the way up, but direct flights on the way back. Strange. </p>
<p>May want to check out Northwestern and Case Western. </p>
<p>If we want to visit Northwestern, what’s a good way to go from Midway to the campus? Is it worth renting a car and staying near the campus? Any hotel recs? Might just do a quick weekend for a campus visit using free SW flight and Marriott points for hotel if can find one close to campus.</p>
<p>By the way, on our two tourist trips to Chicago last year, we never once took the train. What a shame. We stayed at the Blackstone. Awesome hotel, which we used Katrina Marriott points for, and we took a cab everywhere. Basically to the Field Museum campus and down to Michigan Avenue for a boat ride, but also went to White Sox game and The Bean. The cab rides were about 12 bucks for the three of us. Truly a deal. </p>
<p>Of course, from downtown Chicago to Loyola/Northwestern drivebys, we did have the rental car. Would imagine those would have been hefty cab fares. Would have been fun to take the train if weren’t heading up to Milwaukee.</p>
<p>There is a train from Chicago to Milwaukee. There are 6 or 7 round trips per day. It is pricey. A one way ticket from Union Station is $22 and from Glenview, it is $20.</p>
<p>Hi Everyone-I want to thank you for your advise. I have not heard of tripadvisor, or chicagotransit sites before-Really helpful-Thanks!!!
Now lets just hope the weather “behaves”…</p>
<p>“If we want to visit Northwestern, what’s a good way to go from Midway to the campus? Is it worth renting a car and staying near the campus?”</p>
<p>I think it might be worth renting a car. You can do this on the train, and it’s not terribly inconvenient, but it’s a long, long ride. I’d allow a couple of hours to make the trip.</p>
<p>If you’re returning to O’Hare via the Blue Line, be aware that they’re doing construction on the weekends and you may have to take a shuttle bus between several stops. We did it this weekend and it was very well organized - bus was waiting at the train stop and a train was waiting for the bus to arrive - but it did add 15-20 minutes to the trip. The trip into the city was not affected, however.</p>
<p>Given my druthers, I’d do Midway over O’Hare any day.</p>
<p>Personally, yes, I’d rent a car. Not that it’s such a big campus, but you’ll be able to drive around and get more of a feel than you’d be able to, and you can explore more of downtown Evanston or the neighborhoods immediately north of the campus if you so desire. The hotel just one block south of the campus is called the Orrington. It is not inexpensive, though.</p>
<p>It may not be the most convenient way, but if you’re coming in from Midway / downtown, the prettiest / most scenic way (especially if you have never seen Chicago before) is to take Lake Shore Drive all the way up north to where it turns into Sheridan Road and runs right through the middle of the campus. You will really appreciate what the lakefront brings to Chicago if you do it that way (and you’ll also pass through Loyola U campus, if that is of interest to you). </p>
<p>The highway approach (I-94 / Edens) puts you west of the campus into the Skokie area and then you have to take surface streets (Dempster or Golf east) into Evanston, and it’s just nowhere near as charming that way. In fact, if you hit Northwestern coming from the west, you won’t even see how close it is to the lake and you’ll wonder what all the fuss is :-).</p>
<p>Pizzagirl, just a quick hijack. Do students need a car or bike at Northwestern? Does the snow impede walking across campus to class in the winter?</p>
<p>Also, is there a LIMO service, like at Marquette, that takes kids to surrounding venues?</p>
<p>If son wants to go to a Cubs game or Second City, would he be able to get there by public transportation? Don’t want to leave out the Sox, but I know they’re in a different part of town, and saw lots of people using the el when we went to a game.</p>
<p>Son will also want to go down to Miracle Mile, Navy Pier, the Field campus, Millenium Park and Grant Park, so hoping he can get there by public transportation as well. </p>