Chicago O'Hare - How early should I arrive

I haven't flown in or out from the US in a long time and reading this group
I get a feeling that the security checks at airports in the US can take some
time. I will return to Oslo from Chicago on Sunday the 14th of March. My
plane is scheduled to leave at 10:05 PM. If I arrive two hours before, is
that enough? I'm only in Chicago for the weekend and want to get as much
time in the city as possible.

What is the fastest and/or most convenient way of getting from downtown
(around Grand El station) to the airport a Sunday afternoon?

Trent

Trent Stensnes wrote:

I haven't flown in or out from the US in a long time and reading this group
I get a feeling that the security checks at airports in the US can take some
time. I will return to Oslo from Chicago on Sunday the 14th of March. My
plane is scheduled to leave at 10:05 PM. If I arrive two hours before, is
that enough? I'm only in Chicago for the weekend and want to get as much
time in the city as possible.

What is the fastest and/or most convenient way of getting from downtown

2 hours should be plenty. Do you have any issues with taking the EL to
the airport? There are Els to both. Otherwise a taxi would be fastest.

Trent Stensnes wrote:

If I arrive two hours before, is that enough?

Yes, two hours should be more than enough.

What is the fastest and/or most convenient way of getting from
downtown (around Grand El station) to the airport a Sunday afternoon?

The Grand "L" station is on the line that serves O'Hare airport. Trains
run every 10 minutes on Sunday, so you won't have to wait very long.
The fare is $1.75 per person, and it will take about 35 minutes to the
airport.

Keep in mind that if you don't already have a ticket, you need exact
change for the machine. The ticket system for Chicago's transit system
uses magnetic cards that you charge up with money. You deposit up to $20
in the machine, and a card is issued for the amount. Every ride you take
deducts the basic amount ($1.75) from the amount you have on the card.
Transfers are $.25, if you ride on a connecting bus on the same trip.
You don't get a refund of any unused amount on the card.

If you are leaving from the international terminal, you have to walk
from the "L" station to one of the other terminals, and then take an
airport shuttle train to the international terminal. Plan on an
additional 10 minutes to do that.

You can get more information on

http://www.transitchicago.com/

"mtravelkay" wrote in message
om...

2 hours should be plenty. Do you have any issues with taking the EL to
the airport?

No, not really, unless you are about to tell me that it is often very
delayed or considered very unsafe. How long will it take?

Do you know how much a taxi would cost and how long it will take?

Since you guys seem to know Chicago so well.....The first part of the week I
will stay in the suburb of Schaumburg. I have all of Tuesday available and
was planning to do some shopping at the Woodfield mall since I'm staying
within walking distance of it. But just in case I want to do something else
instead, is there any public transportation available from Schaumburg to
downtown Chicago and how long would that take? If a taxi is the only
alternative, how much is that?

Anything else to do in Schaumburg or close by?

Trent Stensnes wrote:

Since you guys seem to know Chicago so well.....The first part of the week I
will stay in the suburb of Schaumburg. I have all of Tuesday available and
was planning to do some shopping at the Woodfield mall since I'm staying
within walking distance of it. But just in case I want to do something else
instead, is there any public transportation available from Schaumburg to
downtown Chicago and how long would that take? If a taxi is the only
alternative, how much is that?

Anything else to do in Schaumburg or close by?


Here's a good transit link for CTA (it even includes Woodfield Mall as
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/

Here is an example from Woodfield Mall to Sears Tower

For 100pm tomorrow, I got a time (not counting the walking) of 1 hr 17
minutes and a cost of $1.75

Pace Bus 606 to the Rosemont CTA bus terminal
CTA Blue Line to Jackson/Dearborn
Walk .4 miles to Sears Tower

mtravelkay wrote:



Here's a good transit link for CTA (it even includes Woodfield Mall as
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/

Here is an example from Woodfield Mall to Sears Tower

For 100pm tomorrow, I got a time (not counting the walking) of 1 hr 17
minutes and a cost of $1.75

Pace Bus 606 to the Rosemont CTA bus terminal
CTA Blue Line to Jackson/Dearborn
Walk .4 miles to Sears Tower


Sorry, I missed the obvious.. This is an RTA link. It includes CTA, but
it is an RTA website.

mtravelkay wrote:



Here's a good transit link for CTA (it even includes Woodfield Mall as
http://tripsweb.rtachicago.com/

Here is an example from Woodfield Mall to Sears Tower

For 100pm tomorrow, I got a time (not counting the walking) of 1 hr 17
minutes and a cost of $1.75

Pace Bus 606 to the Rosemont CTA bus terminal
CTA Blue Line to Jackson/Dearborn
Walk .4 miles to Sears Tower


Sorry, I missed the obvious.. This is an RTA link. It includes CTA, but
it is an RTA website.

Trent Stensnes wrote:

Do you know how much a taxi would cost and how long it will take?

A taxi from downtown Chicago to O'Hare costs about $35 or $40, plus
tip. It takes about 20 or 25 minutes on a Sunday.

Trent Stensnes wrote:

The first part of the week I will stay in the suburb of Schaumburg.
I have all of Tuesday available and was planning to do some
shopping at the Woodfield mall ...

The mall is quite large, so you can spend a fair amount of time in it.

... is there any public transportation available from Schaumburg to
downtown Chicago and how long would that take?

There are a number of alternatives. There is a transportation center a
bit south of the mall, where you can catch a PACE bus to the CTA "L"
line. Your hotel might have a shuttle van that could drop you off at the
transportation center. In the rush hours, there are non-stop buses, and
during the rest of the day the buses make some local stops along the
way. Total time into downtown is probably about 75 to 90 minutes. The
fare is $1.50 for the bus, plus $0.25 for the transfer to the "L".

http://www.pacebus.com/

Unfortunately, Schaumburg is between two commuter rail lines, so they
really aren't that convenient, so the PACE bus connection to the "L"
would likely be faster. Both rail lines are about 5 miles from the
mall. If you want to take the train, your hotel might drop you off at
one of the nearby stations, or you could take a taxi. There are trains
about every hour during the day, with more during rush hours.

http://www.metrarail.com/

You would be interested in the Milwaukee District West line or the Union
Pacific Northwest line. I believe the closest stations would be Medinah
on the first line, and Arlington Heights on the second. PACE runs an
hourly bus between the transportation center / Woodfield mall, and the
Arlington Heights station. It takes about 30 minutes.

If a taxi is the only alternative, how much is that?

A taxi isn't the only alternative. I would guess the fare each way
would be something like $50.

Anything else to do in Schaumburg or close by?

Schaumburg is somewhat quiet. Motorola's headquarters is in Schaumburg,
and they have a museum of electronics if you are interested in such
things. Other than the mall, there is also an IKEA store, if you are
really desperate.

Here is a link to the visitor's bureau web site, where you might get
some ideas:

http://www.chicagonorthwest.com/

Overall, I would go into Chicago, since there is so much to do there.
The Science museum is huge, with a Boeing 727, a captured German
submarine, and one of the original streamlined trains that you can
visit, plus exhibits on mining, time, space travel, and so on. Well
worth a visit.

There are also the art museum, the Sears tower, the Navy pier, and lots
of shopping and good food.