<p>The Cubs and Sox ballparks are on the same El line. If you can get to one, you can get to the other. All the downtown attractions are likewise accessible by El.</p>
<p>Montegut - my recommendation for the car is more in the context of parent / student visits, but no, a student doesn’t need a car at NU at all. A bike is nice for those who desire, but certainly not necessary either, as the campus is no more than a 15 minute walk from north to south, and downtown Evanston shopping / restaurants are directly adjacent to the south part of campus. And no, the snow doesn’t impede walking across campus. </p>
<p>I’m a parent alum, not a current student / recent grad, so I would rely on current students / recent grads for better information re shuttles. There is an internal shuttle service, but I think that’s more for late-at-night. I believe there is a shuttle service to the NU downtown campus, but I wouldn’t think there would be a lot of reason for an undergrad student to have to go to the NU downtown campus (where the law, medical schools are). Though the NU downtown campus is just a few blocks from Michigan Avenue, so I guess that could be a way of going to Michigan Avenue.</p>
<p>All the attractions of Chicago (Cubs, Second City, Michigan Avenue, etc.) are fully accessible via the El / public transportation; there are 3 El stops just a few blocks from campus (the “purple line”).</p>
<p>Typically you’d need to change trains at Howard or Belmont but it’s an easy connection and the second train will drop you literally right across the street from Wrigley Field. Same for Second City, train leaves you about a 3 block walk away. Sox games are a longer schlep but just as easy. Accessibility of Chicago’s North Side, Loop, and key South Side attractions (e.g., Sox, Chinatown) by train is a major plus for Northwestern.</p>
<p>Agree with Pizzagirl on renting a car and taking Lake Shore Drive for your visit. It’s not only more scenic but it will give you a much better sense of where Northwestern is situated relative to Chicago and Lake Michigan. In fact, I’d probably take 55th St due east from Midway Airport until it turns into Morgan Dr. which will take you to the Midway Plaisance, a wide boulevard that runs right through the University of Chicago campus (and the Obama’s neighborhood). Follow that until it dead-ends at the Museum of Science & Industry, turn left, and that will take you to S. Lake Shore Drive in a couple of short blocks. Take Lake Shore Drive north (left at stoplight). You’ll have a spectacular vista of the Chicago skyline, lakefront parks, and the lake itself as you head north toward the Loop. Stay on Lake Shore Drive past the Loop and through the North Lakefront until it ends at Sheridan Road. Follow Sheridan Road north past the Loyola campus, through the East Rogers Park neighborhood and on into Evanston, where it will take you directly to the Northwestern campus. (Watch the signs on Sheridan, though; it makes several unexpected 90-degree turns along the way, but they should all be marked). Enjoy the trip!</p>
<p>Agree with driving the Lakeshore Drive route as a visitor- it’s not complicated like merging some highway routes and the scenery is worth repeat trips. I’m sure all colleges should have orientation info on getting to airports from campus via bus services at break times- you may even find that info on their visiting campus website. A CA driver needs to be aware that Midwest/Chicago drivers don’t always follow the highway rules as well as they do (crossing solid lines when merging shocked Orange County relatives, and in Chicago highway speed limits are perhaps minimums if traffic allows) and the road construction is a pain. We rely on WBBM’s “traffic on the 8’s” when deciding which highway to take. Years ago I found there were not many hotels in the Evanston area.</p>