How hard is it to get around Chicago with luggage?
trailerville asked:
I’m looking to get from the Amtrak station to O-Hare and I have about 3 hours from when the train arrives to when the plane leaves. Is the regular train system an option when you have luggage? Does anyone have suggestions for how to pull this off?
I’m looking to get from the Amtrak station to O-Hare and I have about 3 hours from when the train arrives to when the plane leaves. Is the regular train system an option when you have luggage? Does anyone have suggestions for how to pull this off?
Either rent a car Or take a taxicab from the AMTRAK station downtown. The L Trains have been slowed down and one line is completely out of service..Enjoy your stay!
Uhm, all of the CTA trains are running just fine, none of them are shut down at all. Some of the stations downtown and on the north side are being renovated so yeah, there are some slow sections but that doesn’t mean you should avoid them.
Look at it this way, it takes 45 minutes flat to get from downtown to O’Hare on the blue line, and it will cost you $2. You can walk from Union Station (where Amtrak drops off) to the Clinton blue line stop:,-87.641032%3B9713351063072405192,41.875539,-87.640984&saddr=41.879115,-87.638927&daddr=Clinton-Blue+%4041.875539,-87.640984&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=0&sz=16&sll=41.879243,-87.638841&sspn=0.008116,0.014462&ie=UTF8&ll=41.877598,-87.640042&spn=0.008116,0.014462&z=16 The trains run about every ten minutes, so you won’t have to wait long for one to show up.
OR
You can take a cab from Union Station to O’Hare which will take 45 minutes to an hour (maybe more depending on traffic/weather), and that will cost you about $40. You would be seriously wasting your money if you rented a car.
And don’t worry about your luggage, though the O’Hare branch of the blue line does make local stops, people totally expect to have people with luggage on that train at all hours of the day and night.
My advice, take the blue line. It’s $2, and it’s just as fast as driving. Prop your feet up on your luggage, read a book or listen to your iPod and O’Hare is the last stop. Besides, people from Chicago will think you’re a tool if you don’t take the public transportation.
I do this all the time when I have to fly out of O’Hare. Just learn how to pack light. One suit case and a backpack is all you need.
If you have more than one bag, I would recommend a cab