Chicago, Illinois - Getting Around

Get Around

Navigating Chicago is easy. Block numbers are consistent across the whole city. Standard blocks, of 100 addresses each, are roughly 1/8th of a mile long. (Hence, a mile is equivalent to a street number difference of 800.) Each street is assigned a number based on the address system, together W or E (west or east of State Street), or N or S (north or south of Madison Street). A street with a W or E number runs east-west, while a street with a N or S number runs north-south. Major thoroughfares are at each mile (multiples of 800) and secondary arteries at the half-mile marks. A street's number is usually written on street signs at intersections, below the street name. Thus, Western Ave at 2400 W is a north-south major thoroughfare, while Montrose Ave at 4400 N is an east-west secondary artery.

In general, "avenues" run north-south and "streets" run east-west, but there are numerous exceptions. On the South Side, "streets" may alternate with "places" of the same name (e.g., 48th Place). In conversation, however, Chicagoans rarely distinguish between streets, avenues, etc. (unlike New Yorkers).

A handful of streets follow diagonal or meandering paths and radiate away from the city center, including Clark St, Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee Ave, Ogden Ave, and Archer Ave.

By public transit

The best way to see Chicago is by public transit. It is cheap (basically), efficient (at times), and safe (for the most part). The Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) [1] oversees the various public transit agencies in the Chicagoland area. You can plan trips online with the RTA trip planner [2] or get assistance by calling 836-7000 in any local area code between 5AM-1AM.

CTA

The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) [3] operates trains and buses in the city of Chicago and some of the suburbs. Put simply, the CTA is Chicago. It is a marvel and a beast, convenient, frustrating, and irreplaceable. Even if you have the option of driving while you're in town, no experience of Chicago is complete without a trip on the CTA.

Fares are paid with transit cards, which can be purchased and re-charged up at kiosks in the lobby of every CTA station, and bought in packs ($10/$20 each, or ten one-ride cards for $17.50) at currency exchanges and major grocery stores. Many locals use the Chicago Card, which cannot be purchased at stations, but can be ordered online [4] and also purchased at grocery stores and currency exchanges. Chicago Cards earn a $2 bonus for every $20 added to them. Rides of any length, from one side of the city to another or just one stop, are $2 in cash or $1.75 with either a transit card or a Chicago Card, and $0.25 for a transfer within two hours.

At certain stations you can transfer to other train lines at no extra cost. Once you have exited the turnstiles, entering another CTA station or boarding a CTA bus costs $0.25 — and doing it a third time is free, provided it's still within two hours of when you started the trip.

Visitor passes are sold for unlimited travel on the CTA and Pace: 1-Day (24 hours) for $5; 2-Days for $9; 3-Days for $12; 5-Days for $18 and 30-Days for $75. These passes are on sale at currency exchanges and some convenience stores, and online [5] (free postage).

Locals refer to Chicago's public train system as the "L". (Most lines run on el-evated tracks — get it?) All train lines radiate from the Chicago/Loop|Loop to every corner of the city. The "Loop" name originally referred to a surface-level streetcar loop, which pre-dated the elevated tracks; that any form of transportation preceded the present one may come as a surprise, given how old some of the stations look. But they work.

CTA trains are divided into the Red, Green, Brown, Blue, Purple, Yellow, Orange and Pink Lines. All lines lead to the Loop except the Yellow Line, which is a nonstop shuttle between the suburb of Skokie and the northern border of Chicago. The Red and Blue lines run 24/7, making Chicago one of only two American cities with 24-hour rail service. Hours for the other lines vary somewhat by day, but as a general rule are from about 4:30AM-12:40AM, slightly later on weekends.

Before you travel, find out the name of the train stop closest to your destination, and the color of the train line on which it is located. Once you're on-board, you'll find route maps in each train car, above the door. The same map is also available online [6]. The name signs on platforms often have the station's location in the street grid, e.g. "5900 N, 1200 W" for Thorndale.

There should be an attendant on duty at every train station. They can't provide change or deal with money, but they can help you figure out where you need to go and guide you through using the machines.

Buses run on nearly every major street in the city. Look for the blue and white sign, which should give a map of the route taken by the bus and major streets/stops along the way. Once inside, watch the front of the bus — a red LED display will list the names of the streets as they pass, making it easy to stop exactly where you'd like, even if it's a small side-street. To request a stop, pull the cord hanging above the window and make sure you hear an audible 'ding'. Hollering at the bus driver will raise tempers but works in a pinch.

Major bus routes run 7-15 minutes apart during daylight hours, depending on the route. Less-traveled routes or routes during off-peak hours may run less frequently. Check the sign to be sure the bus is still running. There are several bus routes that are on a 24 hour/7 day a week schedule — these are called OWL routes, and the signs usually have an owl to belabor that point. (See individual district articles for major bus routes through different parts of the city.)

CTA buses accept transit cards but do not sell them. They also accept cash, but do not provide change. If you overpay, the CTA keeps the extra cash, so carry exact change if possible.

In compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, all CTA buses and some train stations are accessible to wheelchairs. Wheelchair-accessible 'L' stations are indicated by the international wheelchair symbol and have elevators or are at ground level. If you are trying to get to a place with a non-accessible station, there will be alternate routes by bus — contact the CTA for more information.

Crime on the CTA is low, but as with any major urban area, travelers should be aware of their surroundings when traveling in the wee hours of the night, and sit close to the driver if you feel uncomfortable for any reason. Buses are being equipped with video cameras as the fleet is upgraded. Some train cars have a button and speaker for emergency communication with the driver, located in the center aisle of the car on the wall next to the door. Do not press this just to chat — the driver is required to halt the train until the situation has been confirmed as resolved, and your fellow passengers will be unamused.

Metra and South Shore

Metra [7], ☎ +1 312 322-6777, runs commuter trains for the suburbs, providing service within Illinois, to Kenosha, Wisconsin, and to the South Shore railroad, which provides service to South Bend, Indiana. Metra trains are fast, clean, and on-time, but unpleasantly crowded during rush hour.

Metra's Electric Line provides service to the Chicago/Near South|convention center (McCormick Place), Chicago/South Chicago Shore|Hyde Park (Museum of Science and Industry, University of Chicago), and the Chicago/Far Southeast Side|Far Southeast Side's Pullman Historic District and Rainbow Beach. The Electric Line is fast, taking at most 15 minutes to reach Hyde Park from the Loop. Unfortunately, service outside of rush hours is infrequent (about once/hour), so be sure to check the schedules while planning your trip.

Although there are plans to change this in the future, none of the commuter trains currently accept CTA transit cards as payment. The fare to McCormick Place and Hyde Park, however, is only $2. Buy your tickets before boarding the train at one of the automated vending machines. You can buy a ticket on the train, but that comes with an extra $2/ticket surcharge.

Ten-ride, weekly, and monthly passes are available. If you have a group of four or more people, it may be cheaper to purchase a ten-ride card and have all of your fares punched from that one card. If using Metra on Saturday and/or Sunday, you can purchase an unlimited ride weekend pass for just $5. Keep in mind that Metra only accepts cash at this time.

Pace

Pace [8] runs buses in the suburbs, although some routes do cross into the city, particularly in Chicago/Rogers Park|Rogers Park at the Howard (Red/Purple/Yellow Line) CTA station and the Chicago/Far Northwest Side|Far Northwest Side at the Jefferson Park (Blue Line) CTA station. Pace provides paratransit services should you need to go somewhere inconvenient via CTA.

Trolleys

Free trolleys [9] run in the Chicago/Near North|Near North and the Chicago/Loop|Loop. They use specially-marked bus stops, but they'll usually let you off wherever you want. (Make sure you're boarding a free trolley, though; for-profit trolleys do tours of the downtown area.) They run every 20 to 30 minutes. Most run from late May to early September, M-Sa 10AM-6PM, Su noon-6PM, but the Navy Pier trolley runs seven days a week, year round, during hours in which the Pier is open.

By car

Avoid driving in downtown Chicago if at all possible. Traffic is awful, pedestrians are in a daze, and garages in the Loop can cost as much as $30 per day. And although downtown streets are laid out on the grid, many have multiple levels which confuse even the most hardened city driver. Even outside of the city center, street parking may not be readily available. If you do find a spot, check street signs to make sure that a) no residential permit is required to park here and b) parking is not disallowed during certain hours for "street cleaning" or something along those lines. Parking restrictions are swiftly and mercilessly enforced in the form of tickets and towing. In general, street parking is much easier to find on the South Side, so long as you are not near major destinations like the University of Chicago or the Museum of Science and Industry.

Be advised: talking on a handheld cell phone while driving is illegal in Chicago, and the police are eager to write tickets for it. If you need to take a call, use a hands-free headset — or better yet, pull over.

The perpetual construction is bad enough, but drivers on the city expressways can be very aggressive. For those used to driving on expressways in the Northeast, this may be a welcome reminder of home. For everyone else, though, it can be intimidating.

By taxi

Chicago has some of the cheapest taxi fares in the US. Taxis are readily available throughout the major areas of interest for tourists and can be hailed from the street. All taxis are carefully regulated by the city. Taxi fares are standard and the initial charge ("flag pull") is $2.25 for the first 1/9 mile, then $0.20 for each additional mile or $0.20 for each elapsed 36 seconds. As of June 11, 2008, there is a $1.00 fuel surcharge added to the initial charge. There is also a flat $1.00 charge for the second passenger, and then a $0.50 charge for each additional passenger after that (for example, if four people take a taxi together, there will be $2.00 in additional flat fees). There is no additional charge for baggage or credit card use. Taxi rides from O'Hare International Airport|O'Hare and Chicago/Midway Area|Midway to outer suburbs cost an additional one half the metered fee. Taxi drivers work best if you give them the nearest major intersection to which you are heading and then the specific address.

Outside of the downtown, North Side, Near West and Near South neighborhoods, you will likely have greater difficulty hailing a taxi directly from the street. In these situations, you can easily call for a taxi to come pick you up. Taxis typically take less than 10 minutes from the time you call to arrive. The principal Chicago taxi companies are:

• American-United Taxi, ☎ +1 773 248-7600
• Checker Cab, ☎ +1 312 243-2537
• Flash Cab, ☎ +1 773 561-1444
• Yellow Cab, ☎ +1 312 829-4222

The above applies only to City of Chicago taxis. Suburban-based taxi cabs have their own fares and rates, depending on the laws and regulations of the town in which they are based.

By bicycle

Chicago has a bike path along the shores of Lake Michigan, making north-south travel very convenient if you're far enough east, as long as the weather is favorable by the lake. Most major city streets have bike lanes, and the biking culture is established enough that cars tend to accommodate and (grudgingly) yield to bicycles. Bike trips can also be combined with rides on the CTA. See the Chicago#Bicycles|bicycling section below for more details.