Parking in or near Chicago Amtrak station

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Mn Mother Mary

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Hello everyone,

I love reading and learning from all your posts. We booked our spring break last May from Mpls. to Miami on 3/12/2014. Got the call on Friday that they were no longer guaranteeing the connection in Chicago to the Capitol Limited leaving the same day @ 6:40pm. Rather than taking an extra day's vacation and the expense of the hotel we will just drive to Chicago that morning if the Empire Builder is running late. Where is a safe and cheap place to park? We will return to Chicago on 3/22/2014.We are taking the train to Chicago this weekend and would like to check out the great advice we get on where to leave our car. Thanks.
 
The parking garage next to union station charged 26 dollars a day iirc. It's not secure IMHO . I had an after market car radio stolen from a car in 2007. I think I left a door unlocked which contributed to it being easier. The payment machines fail when it's cold. I have a like/hate relationship with this place. Love location, hate incompetence.

I think parking at Mitchell airport in Milwaukee might be cheaper and easier and then riding to Chicago on a Hiawatha Service train. Traffic into Chicago can be agonizing.
 
Always worth considering an out of town place to leave your car, and then catch a local "EL" or Metra train into town. Many hotels out near O'Hare airport have parking lots...

Ed :cool:
 
If you are comfortable and familiar with Chicago, you can find free parking in various neighborhoods (pay very close attention to any signs you see, as you never know if it's a snow zone or residential permit zone). Then, you can hop the bus or L to Union Station. I can usually find stuff in Bridgeport (Orange Line), Andersonville (Red Line or Brown Line), and Logan Square (Blue Line). If you aren't familiar with the city, I do not recommend this.

You can park at Midway Airport for $15/day (Economy Lot - Yellow) and take the shuttle bus to the airport. From the airport, you just hop on the Orange Line and take that to the Quincy stop. Then, it's a half-mile walk to Union Station. If you go one stop further to Washington/Wells, there is an elevator, and a couple buses stop there and take you to Union Station.

If you park in O'Hare's Economy Lot (Lot F), it's $9/day, and you can take the bus shuttle to the airport. From there, pick up the Blue Line and get off at Clinton. It's a three-block walk to Union Station. This option takes a little longer, but it'll be closer for you coming from the north, and the parking is cheaper.

Most parking garages downtown charge about $18-20/day. As Steve mentioned, the lot at Union Station is $26/day now.

I'm not sure how much it costs to park at the Milwaukee airport, but if it's cheaper or about the same cost as parking at O'Hare, taking the Hiawatha is a GREAT option. It would save you driving into the city and lugging all of your stuff on public transit.
 
http://www.mitchellairport.com/parking/

According to that link, there is a dedicated "rail lot" for Amtrak passengers only. It's $6/day. :)

Note: They do check tickets, so you'd want to make sure you booked the Hiawatha in advance.
 
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We looked into this over Thanksgiving (coming from southeast). Expensive. Find free or cheap parking along the Hiawatha or drive further and find one along a Metra line.
 
The parking garage next to union station charged 26 dollars a day iirc. It's not secure IMHO . I had an after market car radio stolen from a car in 2007. I think I left a door unlocked which contributed to it being easier. The payment machines fail when it's cold. I have a like/hate relationship with this place. Love location, hate incompetence.

I think parking at Mitchell airport in Milwaukee might be cheaper and easier and then riding to Chicago on a Hiawatha Service train. Traffic into Chicago can be agonizing.
We always park at the Union Station Parking Lot and we feel that it's very secure - for a parking lot in the middle of the city of Chicago :p - read my hints below.

It's super convenient and connected to Union Station via a tunnel.

I don't remember who it was, but a member here posted about making discount parking reservations using Park Whiz

We are forever grateful for that tip.

In Jan '13, we paid over $200 to park for 8 days.

In Nov '13, using Park Whiz, we paid less than $100 for the same amount of time.

You have to pay in advance but they have a great cancellation/refund policy.

Using Park Whiz, the dates you need will be around $130

Of course, you're in a major urban area so you should take precautions

Do not leave ANYTHING of value in your car in plain sight.

Take your registration and anything else important like it with you.

Empty out your glove compartment, put all of the stuff in a bag and under a seat.

Leave your glove compartment open and if you have a console compartment, leave that open too.

No electronic, ie:gps, sirius, etc, cables or wires or mounts in view.
 
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At Milwaukee Amtrak Intermodal station parking is $6 a day its a prepay machine and right next to the station
 
Also, if you do typically have a GPS mounted to the windshield or dash, use some cleaner to wipe that little circle off (the circle the suction cup leaves when you remove it). Thieves look for it because it's a sign you probably have a GPS hiding in your glove box.
 
The parking garage next to union station charged 26 dollars a day iirc. It's not secure IMHO . I had an after market car radio stolen from a car in 2007. I think I left a door unlocked which contributed to it being easier. The payment machines fail when it's cold. I have a like/hate relationship with this place. Love location, hate incompetence.

I think parking at Mitchell airport in Milwaukee might be cheaper and easier and then riding to Chicago on a Hiawatha Service train. Traffic into Chicago can be agonizing.
We always park at the Union Station Parking Lot and we feel that it's very secure - for a parking lot in the middle of the city of Chicago :p - read my hints below.

It's super convenient and connected to Union Station via a tunnel.

I don't remember who it was, but a member here posted about making discount parking reservations using Park Whiz

We are forever grateful for that tip.

In Jan '13, we paid over $200 to park for 8 days.

In Nov '13, using Park Whiz, we paid less than $100 for the same amount of time.

You have to pay in advance but they have a great cancellation/refund policy.

Using Park Whiz, the dates you need will be around $130
I just checked out the Park Whiz website. This is pretty cool. But I am confused as to how you would get out of the garage if there was no attendant present. I recently parked their for a New Years trip to St. Louis using the Lincoln service. We returned about 11 p.m. and there was no one on duty. The machines inside and the machine at the gate were not reading credit cards. I think this was because of the cold. I was able to eventually get assistance by pushing a button by the credit card reader, and got out for free. This was rather stressful at first.
 
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The parking garage next to union station charged 26 dollars a day iirc. It's not secure IMHO . I had an after market car radio stolen from a car in 2007. I think I left a door unlocked which contributed to it being easier. The payment machines fail when it's cold. I have a like/hate relationship with this place. Love location, hate incompetence.

I think parking at Mitchell airport in Milwaukee might be cheaper and easier and then riding to Chicago on a Hiawatha Service train. Traffic into Chicago can be agonizing.
We always park at the Union Station Parking Lot and we feel that it's very secure - for a parking lot in the middle of the city of Chicago :p - read my hints below.

It's super convenient and connected to Union Station via a tunnel.

I don't remember who it was, but a member here posted about making discount parking reservations using Park Whiz

We are forever grateful for that tip.

In Jan '13, we paid over $200 to park for 8 days.

In Nov '13, using Park Whiz, we paid less than $100 for the same amount of time.

You have to pay in advance but they have a great cancellation/refund policy.

Using Park Whiz, the dates you need will be around $130
I just checked out the Park Whiz website. This is pretty cool. But I am confused as to how you would get out of the garage if there was no attendant present. I recently parked their for a New Years trip to St. Louis using the Lincoln service. We returned about 11 p.m. and there was no one on duty. The machines inside and the machine at the gate were not reading credit cards. I think this was because of the cold. I was able to eventually get assistance by pushing a button by the credit card reader, and got out for free. This was rather stressful at first.
We left on a Sunday night and had no problem getting an attendant by following the instructions (shown below) from Park Whiz .

It's the most convenient way, imo, to find and pay for parking.

The Union Station Garage office is near the Canal St. exit.

Upon arrival, please pull a ticket from the machine and proceed to a vacant parking stall not marked "reserved."

Upon leaving,take your parking pass and the ticket from entry to the office next to the Canal St entrance.

If an attendant is not in the office, go to the exit and press the customer assistance button.

This lot is unattended on weekends outside of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please use the customer assistance button upon departure for validation during this period.
 
Thanks for the great advice. I was going to park at the Milwaukee airport for $6.00 a day until I added in the train ticket cost of $48.00 each way:( I will take a look at the union station parking lot this weekend. I can pre pay the morning we leave if needed for $120.00.

Next I will need to decide how late the Empire Builder usually is between Mpls. & Chicago. I know from Seattle to Chicago there has been BIG delays. We plan on deciding what to do the morning of departure. If the train is on time should we just take it and hope for no delays to Chicago or just go ahead and drive? Should I post this question separately now or wait until March 1st to see if on time performance is improved?
 
Why did you decide not to ride a Hiawatha into CHI from either MKE, MKA or SVT? It loks like the Amtrak station and parking lot (250 cars) is the only thing out on the entrance road to SVT.

If you take the Hiawatha in you can store your bags in a locker and enjoy a few hours in downtown Chicago. If you've never been, the ride up to the observation deck of the Willis (Sears) tower is good.

It is not likely that the EB performance will improve any time soon with all the oil moving on the same line from ND.
 
I would give you cousin Sarah's phone number in the burbs, but she doesn't do valet. Great to have relative who find it an adventure to drive in the city to drop you off / pick you up,,,,
 
...If you take the Hiawatha in you can store your bags in a locker and enjoy a few hours in downtown Chicago. If you've never been, the ride up to the observation deck of the Willis (Sears) tower is good.

It is not likely that the EB performance will improve any time soon with all the oil moving on the same line from ND.
I agree. There's plenty to see and do to occupy your time. Also if you're leaving Chicago in a sleeper there is a luggage check room in the first class ambassador lounge in Union Station.

A Montanan who enjoys train travel.
 
I'm also considering parking in Chicago, and I'm wondering whether any of the hotels (especially airport hotels) offer free parking. The airports near me offer basically unlimited free parking as long as you stay at the hotel for one night. I've seen 4-star hotels at O'Hare for as cheap as $80. We're thinking of driving to Chicago the day before our train departs, and then staying at a hotel the night before - if they'll let us leave our car there while we're gone.
 
I'm also considering parking in Chicago, and I'm wondering whether any of the hotels (especially airport hotels) offer free parking. The airports near me offer basically unlimited free parking as long as you stay at the hotel for one night. I've seen 4-star hotels at O'Hare for as cheap as $80. We're thinking of driving to Chicago the day before our train departs, and then staying at a hotel the night before - if they'll let us leave our car there while we're gone.
Many of the hotels offer a parking option. We stayed at Candlewood Suites (LOVE them), and we paid $80, which included one night's stay and up to ten nights of parking (additional nights are $8/night). They gave us a parking permit to hang on our rearview mirror.

They have a shuttle to ORD that runs every 15 minutes. It took about 10 minutes to get from the hotel to our terminal.
 
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The parking garage next to union station charged 26 dollars a day iirc. It's not secure IMHO . I had an after market car radio stolen from a car in 2007. I think I left a door unlocked which contributed to it being easier. The payment machines fail when it's cold. I have a like/hate relationship with this place. Love location, hate incompetence.

I think parking at Mitchell airport in Milwaukee might be cheaper and easier and then riding to Chicago on a Hiawatha Service train. Traffic into Chicago can be agonizing.
We always park at the Union Station Parking Lot and we feel that it's very secure - for a parking lot in the middle of the city of Chicago :p - read my hints below.

It's super convenient and connected to Union Station via a tunnel.

I don't remember who it was, but a member here posted about making discount parking reservations using Park Whiz

We are forever grateful for that tip.

In Jan '13, we paid over $200 to park for 8 days.

In Nov '13, using Park Whiz, we paid less than $100 for the same amount of time.

You have to pay in advance but they have a great cancellation/refund policy.

Using Park Whiz, the dates you need will be around $130
I just checked out the Park Whiz website. This is pretty cool. But I am confused as to how you would get out of the garage if there was no attendant present. I recently parked their for a New Years trip to St. Louis using the Lincoln service. We returned about 11 p.m. and there was no one on duty. The machines inside and the machine at the gate were not reading credit cards. I think this was because of the cold. I was able to eventually get assistance by pushing a button by the credit card reader, and got out for free. This was rather stressful at first.
We left on a Sunday night and had no problem getting an attendant by following the instructions (shown below) from Park Whiz .

It's the most convenient way, imo, to find and pay for parking.

The Union Station Garage office is near the Canal St. exit.

Upon arrival, please pull a ticket from the machine and proceed to a vacant parking stall not marked "reserved."

Upon leaving,take your parking pass and the ticket from entry to the office next to the Canal St entrance.

If an attendant is not in the office, go to the exit and press the customer assistance button.

This lot is unattended on weekends outside of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Please use the customer assistance button upon departure for validation during this period.
Ok, thats the button I used. This is great. Thanks.
 
I love reading and learning from all your posts. We booked our spring break last May from Mpls. to Miami on 3/12/2014. Got the call on Friday that they were no longer guaranteeing the connection in Chicago to the Capitol Limited leaving the same day @ 6:40pm. Rather than taking an extra day's vacation and the expense of the hotel we will just drive to Chicago that morning if the Empire Builder is running late. Where is a safe and cheap place to park? We will return to Chicago on 3/22/2014.We are taking the train to Chicago this weekend and would like to check out the great advice we get on where to leave our car. Thanks.
One major caution & consideration that you must deal with if you decide to drive is that you MUST[/u call Amtrak and have them modify your reservation. If you don't do this and the Empire Builder reaches Mpls before the Capitol limited departs Chicago, then you will be considered a no-show at Mpls and your entire reservation with all connections will be cancelled.

You don't want to go try to board the Capitol only to find that you have no reservation.

So again, if you decide to drive, please make sure that you call the toll free number and get your reservation changed.
 
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