Union Station-Chicago

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I will be changing trains at Union Station in Chicago on July 16th. Does anyone know if there is a bookstore either in the station itself, or in close proximity/walking distance? The new Harry Potter book comes out that day, and if I could get a copy before I get back on a train, it would sure make the last leg of our jpurney more pleasant for my kids!
 
Guest said:
I will be changing trains at Union Station in Chicago on July 16th. Does anyone know if there is a bookstore either in the station itself, or in close proximity/walking distance? The new Harry Potter book comes out that day, and if I could get a copy before I get back on a train, it would sure make the last leg of our jpurney more pleasant for my kids!
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the station has some News stands and a lot of places to eat. :)
 
IIRC there was a bookstore right off the Great Hall between the Metra Tircket offices and the Great Hall. If not, go out the Great Hall, walk south a few blocks to the Blue Line. Take an Uptown train, then (I fogrget the name of the station, it's the last one you can change to a Red Train at) there's a place called Marshall Fields. They've got everything under the sun there, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for there.
 
battalion51 said:
IIRC there was a bookstore right off the Great Hall between the Metra Tircket offices and the Great Hall. If not, go out the Great Hall, walk south a few blocks to the Blue Line. Take an Uptown train, then (I fogrget the name of the station, it's the last one you can change to a Red Train at) there's a place called Marshall Fields. They've got everything under the sun there, I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for there.
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Michigan Ave is the main drag with all the stores it's about a $8-10 one way cab fare. :)
 
I don't think that there are any bookstores in Union Station itself, unless something new has been added in the last year.

However, the simple, easy, and cheap alternative is to walk to the Ogilvie train station. I don't recall which particular book store it is, might be a Barnes & Knoble but I'm not positive, however there is a large bookstore right at the main entrance.

To get there from Union Station, walk to the north gates of Union Station. Pick anyone of the METRA tracks and walk down the platform to the far end, where you will find another exit to the street. Turn left when you reach the top of the stairs and walk to the traffic light. Directly diagonal from that corner is the Ogilvie Transportation Center. You can probably even see the bookstore, as it's on the corner of the station.

I think that you still have to use the main entrance to the station, to enter the bookstore, but maybe they have a seperate door. Then just retrace your steps back to Union Station once you've got your prize. I just hope that they don't sell out before you get there.

You can view what I'm talking about on this map from the Chicago Transit Authority. Scroll down the page about halfway and on the left side you should see two blue squares close to each other. They are marked appropriately. The long thin blue line pointing north of Union Station, represents the tracks & platforms that I'm telling you to walk the length of to reach the northern exit.
 
Hi Guest,

if the lines are anything like elsewhere when the last HP book came out, I would avoid the lines. Unless you have tons of time, but I'd rather spend it out seeing Chicago than standing in a line.
 
Thank you to all of you for taking the time to answer my question; little things make a big difference. No one at Amtrack seemed to have a clue about what was available in the station, so I appreciate your help! Although I've traveled on the Regional route in the Northeast, I've never taken a long-distance train trip before. I never even gave train travel a passing thought until last week, when my doctor told me I could not fly this summer (I have some serious swelling in my middle ear due to an ear infection, and the doctor advised that I risk nerve damage and hearing loss if I change altitudes quickly). We need to travel from Denver to Connecticut to see an ill relative and the trip cannot be postponed...so train travel it is! Since the circumstances of our trip are not the best, I'm looking for any ways I can find to make the journey more pleasant for my kids, ages 11 and 14. We've planned a weekend on the way out in Philadelphia and a day/night on the way back in D.C., but any other suggestions on traveling by train with kids this age would be helpful. This should be an interesting adventure!
 
In addition to reading some of the stories posted under the travelouge section of this site, you might want to check out On Track On Line's hints and tips.

They're chocked full of information for new riders. :)
 

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