Need Advice on Chicago Trip

[GRDadof3]

thanks alot. that give's me quite a few options. how risky is "risky" to park 4 nights in the Kingsbury area. If i don't leave anything out in view, or in my car period, is it still likely to be broken into? would that are be any more risky than leaving it at a park&ride for 4 nights?

edit; thinking i don't really want to take that risk, do you have any favorite garages/secured parking near the Westin that is near or below $20 day? is that even possible? my hotel is asking $46 per/day(no way im paying that!), but i could do $20 or so, if it's worth it(secured).

also, if i did take commuter rails in from Univ. park, what would the fare be?

THANKS!

[Mr.Marc]

What I would do is go to the Metra's website:

http://metrarail.com/System_map/index.html

Metra is Chicago's commuter rail service (not the subway).

Find one of the Southern lines and look for a station that has free or cheap Park-N-Ride. For instance, assuming you're coming in from the South (Nashville), I would grab one of the Southern lines like the University Park line:

http://metrarail.com/Sched/me/university_park.shtml

(the blue areas mean there is parking available, usually free or maybe $1/day)

Call the parking contact phone number to see how you pay for multiple days if they charge for it.

Or Richton Park (2nd station on the same line):

http://metrarail.com/Sched/me/richton_park.shtml

One-way from University Park to Millennium Station (right along Michigan Ave) is $5.15. You'll love not having your car downtown to worry about. The train ride on the South Side into Millennium Station is spectacular.

The other option is to find an area like Kingsbury Street West of N. Clybourn & North Ave where there are no parking meters, and park your car on the street. For 4 overnights, that might be risky though.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=U...047035&z=15

Then you can just grab the Red Line subway into downtown, which has a station at North and Clybourn, for a couple of bucks:

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/maps/200804N.html

Actually, if you're not huffing a bunch of luggage, you can probably walk the 2 or 3 miles from Kingsbury Street to the Westin on Michigan Ave.

[GRDadof3]

Maybe you should change your plans and just do what I'm doing; fly in and use the trains and buses.

[nashvillwill]

With the price of gas these days, maybe flying is cheaper than driving.

[mgman]

Well, i've figured it out that driving will be much cheaper for me than flying. When factoring in parking cost, it might be a wash. The main reason i am driving is because i have a short trip, and don't want to have to work around an airlines schedule. I can spend more time in the city if i drive, than if i fly.