Chicago Travel Forum

We're in Toronto and considering to fly out of Buffalo. Any help with questions would be greatly appreciated:

1. Is there a low cost shuttle from O'Hare aiport to our hotel (near Magnificent Mile)? We don't want to take the train for $2.

2. Is the Go Chicago card available once we get to Chicago? I see the card on sale via internet, but not sure if that is the lowest price we can get.

3. We're interested in shopping and "some" attractions, how many days would we need (4, 5, 6, etc)?

Any other tips would be nice.

Thanks in advance!!

The shuttles are not particularly cheap. A taxi would probably be about as cheap as any of the shuttles if there are 2 or more people sharing it.

CTA passes can be bought at O'Hare and many other places in the city. See:

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/fares.html#outlet

In all honestly, if you can stay downtown near Michigan Ave you can spend $2 on the train... Barring large suitcases, it is the both the most economical and way into the city from the airport.

Yes, I've researched the shuttle prices and they are very expensive,
Thanks.

we spent 7 busy days in chicago last year and thought they were not enough.

the bigger museums of chicago, all located in the same area, will take a day each. 1 day is required to see the brookfield zoo, if you are interested. even a full day of shopping in chicago may be too less.

i will suggest that you keep a day for each activity of your interest.

First of all- I have been living in Chicagoland most of my life- 36 years and I haven't seen it all. So it is somewhat hard to say whether the difference between 2 and 7 days will help. That depends on the things that you are interested in. But I have been to Toronto and I can tell you a couple of things that come to mind when I compare the two.

To me- tall buildings are tall buildings. Yours is cool and so are ours- I wouldn't "waste" your time unless you happen to be right near the Sears Tower or John Hancock with an hour or two to spare and really want to see the skyline. But keep in mind the skyline from either of these two skyscrapers is only going to be about half of the skyline because both of them are part of it and you will be looking out from the middle. I don't like shopping on Navy Pier, but if the weather is nice, it is probably the best overall view of the water, shoreline, and skyline. It is also a nice walk on the outside. Your Chinatown is better. Ours isn't exactly convenient to get to like Toronto's. The tax is quite high in the city of Chicago- I think it is 9.5%. It is actually going up to 10.5% soon! The baseball stadiums, Italian food, music, and variety of shopping are better in Chicago. But the overall feel is more aggressive, too. There are more people in a small place- that may be one of the reasons.

Overall- if you have heard of it, it is probably good. Not just in Chicago, but most places. I would get a book and do what grabs you. Because, like me, you can spend a lifetime chasing the next fun thing that you forget to enjoy THIS thing. Those are my thoughts without knowing what your interests in music, food, lifestyle, etc. are.