Road Trip To Chicago

[spot1181]

A quick road trip to Chicago and back Saturday 9-11 on The Cardinal. Any advice on riding the elevated railway or subways. We should have at least six hours.

 

[Eric S]

Have you ever ridden CTA? (Just curious how detailed a reply you need.)

I'd suggest riding the Brown Line from the Loop to Kimball (end of the line) and back. You'll see a variety of neighborhoods and ride along both traditional elevated construction and an at-grade segment. The Quincy/Wells station is about 3 blocks east of Chicago Union Station, and is served by the Brown Line, as well as the Orange Line and Pink Line.

And, in Chicago, it is the 'L' rather than el.

 

[spot1181]

Are there any one day passes or is it pay as you go?

 

[Mackensen]

Are there any one day passes or is it pay as you go?

According to the CTA's website there is a one-day "Fun Pass" but I don't know if you can buy them from the ticket vending machines.

 

[MikefromCrete]

There is a CTA ticket vending machine in Union Station at the Metra ticket office area. I believe a one-day pass is available on the machine.

 

[Trogdor]

Yes, there are day passes. No, you can't buy them from transit card vending machines.

(Side story, for those interested) There are two types of vending machines in the system (well, actually three). One type, the original style of TCVM, only accepts bills and coins, and only sells pay-per-use cards (add value, and it gets deducted as you ride through the system).

A few years ago, CTA introduced two other machines that look similar. One sold passes (I believe it sold three different types of passes, though I don't recall which three it sold; I know that a one-day pass was one of them), and took cash (bills only) and credit cards. The other machine sold pay-per-use cards, and accepted only credit cards (these would work alongside the first one, which took only cash). Back then, the one-day pass was $5.

About two, maybe three years ago, CTA raised fares. Among the proposals was raising the day pass from $5 to $6. Some genius, never-worked-in-transit-never-rode-transit-but-friend-of-the-mayor political hack on the CTA board said that raising it 20% from $5 to $6 was too much, and that the fare increase should be limited to 15%, which made the new fare $5.75.

Either nobody thought about it, or nobody was willing to challenge this hero of the common man (who valiantly saved tourists 25 cents on each day pass for their around-the-town joyriding), but once the new fare was implemented someone discovered that these new machines that had been selling day passes only accepted bills. Hence, no way to pay a $5.75 fare if paying cash. Hence, those fancy day-pass machines no longer sell one-day passes. They do sell three-day passes, and two types of seven-day passes (one that allows CTA use only, and a more expensive one that allows riding on suburban Pace buses).

However, there are a couple of CVS drug stores within easy walking distance of Union Station (one is on the corner of Adams/Canal, "kitty corner" from the main exit, or directly across the street from the Great Hall; the other two are connected to Ogilvie Station, two blocks north).

As for actual advice of what to do with said day pass, if your simple goal is to just ride as much of the CTA system as you can, then, as noted, the Brown Line is a good choice. It's got some good scenery along the route (both of the landscape and of the...umm..."person" kind). It's one of four CTA routes that has at-grade street crossings.

It runs on the "outer" loop, so if you board along Wells, it will take you south and around the loop before heading back north. Once you leave the loop, the running time to the end of the line (Kimball) is about 30 minutes, give or take.

Once you get back to Belmont (returning from Kimball), you may want to head over to the other platform (northbound) and ride a Red Line to Howard, then transfer to either a Purple Line to Evanston or a Yellow Line to Skokie. The Yellow Line is a more interesting route, running two-car shuttle trains on a 12-minute nonstop ride to the other end of its line. Halfway through the trip, you'll pass CTA's Skokie Shops, which is the main railcar maintenance facility. There may be some interesting stuff to see. At Skokie, you have to exit the fare paid area and re-enter with a new fare, which isn't a big deal if you have a pass. If you have a pay-per-ride card, then it will cost you an extra $2.25.

Back at Howard, if you have extra time, you can take the Purple Line up to Linden (it's about a 40-minute round trip). Then Red Line back downtown. You could either transfer at Belmont or Fullerton to a Loop-bound Brown Line, or stay on the Red Line into the subway. The subway will take you a bit further east from where you boarded the Brown Line (assuming you board on Wells). The Jackson stop will be closest to Union Station, and if you walk a short block north to Adams, you can catch any westbound bus along Adams (which, on a Saturday, would only be two routes) and they will take you to Union Station. The same pass/card used for the rail can be used on CTA buses.

Alternately, you could ride down to Roosevelt on the Red Line, then walk through the transfer tunnel over to the elevated, and take a northbound Green or Orange Line train back into the Loop. If you take an Orange Line ("Loop"), you can exit at the same place you boarded the Brown Line (the Orange Line travels the "inner" loop, so it travels clockwise, vs. counterclockwise for the Brown Line). If you take a Green Line ("Harlem"), that operates along one side of the loop only, via Wabash and Lake, and you could exit at Clinton. From there, walk south about five or six blocks and you'd be back at Union Station.

Now, if you actually want to do other stuff in Chicago...well...then you'd probably have to sacrifice some (or all) of the CTA riding.

 

[guest]

Yes, there are day passes. No, you can't buy them from transit card vending machines.

(Side story, for those interested) There are two types of vending machines in the system (well, actually three). One type, the original style of TCVM, only accepts bills and coins, and only sells pay-per-use cards (add value, and it gets deducted as you ride through the system).

A few years ago, CTA introduced two other machines that look similar. One sold passes (I believe it sold three different types of passes, though I don't recall which three it sold; I know that a one-day pass was one of them), and took cash (bills only) and credit cards. The other machine sold pay-per-use cards, and accepted only credit cards (these would work alongside the first one, which took only cash). Back then, the one-day pass was $5.

About two, maybe three years ago, CTA raised fares. Among the proposals was raising the day pass from $5 to $6. Some genius, never-worked-in-transit-never-rode-transit-but-friend-of-the-mayor political hack on the CTA board said that raising it 20% from $5 to $6 was too much, and that the fare increase should be limited to 15%, which made the new fare $5.75.

Either nobody thought about it, or nobody was willing to challenge this hero of the common man (who valiantly saved tourists 25 cents on each day pass for their around-the-town joyriding), but once the new fare was implemented someone discovered that these new machines that had been selling day passes only accepted bills. Hence, no way to pay a $5.75 fare if paying cash. Hence, those fancy day-pass machines no longer sell one-day passes. They do sell three-day passes, and two types of seven-day passes (one that allows CTA use only, and a more expensive one that allows riding on suburban Pace buses).

However, there are a couple of CVS drug stores within easy walking distance of Union Station (one is on the corner of Adams/Canal, "kitty corner" from the main exit, or directly across the street from the Great Hall; the other two are connected to Ogilvie Station, two blocks north).

As for actual advice of what to do with said day pass, if your simple goal is to just ride as much of the CTA system as you can, then, as noted, the Brown Line is a good choice. It's got some good scenery along the route (both of the landscape and of the...umm..."person" kind). It's one of four CTA routes that has at-grade street crossings.

It runs on the "outer" loop, so if you board along Wells, it will take you south and around the loop before heading back north. Once you leave the loop, the running time to the end of the line (Kimball) is about 30 minutes, give or take.

Once you get back to Belmont (returning from Kimball), you may want to head over to the other platform (northbound) and ride a Red Line to Howard, then transfer to either a Purple Line to Evanston or a Yellow Line to Skokie. The Yellow Line is a more interesting route, running two-car shuttle trains on a 12-minute nonstop ride to the other end of its line. Halfway through the trip, you'll pass CTA's Skokie Shops, which is the main railcar maintenance facility. There may be some interesting stuff to see. At Skokie, you have to exit the fare paid area and re-enter with a new fare, which isn't a big deal if you have a pass. If you have a pay-per-ride card, then it will cost you an extra $2.25.

Back at Howard, if you have extra time, you can take the Purple Line up to Linden (it's about a 40-minute round trip). Then Red Line back downtown. You could either transfer at Belmont or Fullerton to a Loop-bound Brown Line, or stay on the Red Line into the subway. The subway will take you a bit further east from where you boarded the Brown Line (assuming you board on Wells). The Jackson stop will be closest to Union Station, and if you walk a short block north to Adams, you can catch any westbound bus along Adams (which, on a Saturday, would only be two routes) and they will take you to Union Station. The same pass/card used for the rail can be used on CTA buses.

Alternately, you could ride down to Roosevelt on the Red Line, then walk through the transfer tunnel over to the elevated, and take a northbound Green or Orange Line train back into the Loop. If you take an Orange Line ("Loop"), you can exit at the same place you boarded the Brown Line (the Orange Line travels the "inner" loop, so it travels clockwise, vs. counterclockwise for the Brown Line). If you take a Green Line ("Harlem"), that operates along one side of the loop only, via Wabash and Lake, and you could exit at Clinton. From there, walk south about five or six blocks and you'd be back at Union Station.

Now, if you actually want to do other stuff in Chicago...well...then you'd probably have to sacrifice some (or all) of the CTA riding.

I bought a one-day pass for CTA in Union Station in April from a machine, no problem. Located near the METRO ticket windows.

 

[uptheirons29]

This is great info to know, as I am going on my first cross country train trip in 3 weeks to Michigan and will stop over in Chicago for one night....so a day pass is $6, give or take....gotcha. I gotta start downloading more Chicago Transit Authority....er, I mean, Chicago songs on the ol' iPod to enjoy the L rides then....

 

[Dan O]

This is great info to know, as I am going on my first cross country train trip in 3 weeks to Michigan and will stop over in Chicago for one night....so a day pass is $6, give or take....gotcha. I gotta start downloading more Chicago Transit Authority....er, I mean, Chicago songs on the ol' iPod to enjoy the L rides then....

Two years ago when we went to Chicago, I ordered the day passes ahead of time. I think they were $5 then. They just mailed them to us and when we used it the first time, that started the "day" for our day pass. It says allow 10 days for mailing them to you. Free shipping so if you have enough time not a bad deal.

http://faremedia.chicago-card.com/store/main.aspx?DepartmentId=34

Dan

 

[spot1181]

The trip is over. We had a great time riding the L's, subway and Cardinal. Even saw a character repelling down the side of a buildig on Clark Street. The one-day passes were only available at CVS. Kind of miss the uncrowded days of Amtrak. Our car was packed, but the attendant kept the restrooms very clean.

 

[Brandon V]

Fyi, I ordered my passes online this thursday at 9:57pm, well.. I just received the Pass in the mail today! That's definately not in 10 days.. that was very very fast!!!!

This is great info to know, as I am going on my first cross country train trip in 3 weeks to Michigan and will stop over in Chicago for one night....so a day pass is $6, give or take....gotcha. I gotta start downloading more Chicago Transit Authority....er, I mean, Chicago songs on the ol' iPod to enjoy the L rides then....

It says allow 10 days for mailing them to you. Free shipping so if you have enough time not a bad deal.

http://faremedia.chi...DepartmentId=34

Dan