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In case you guys didnt know, there is NO shuttle from the airport to the Hotel.

If anyone wants to share a cab...PM me. My flight is scheduled to land at 1:40pm Thursday.

Are you flying into Midway?

G

O'hare.

Does the L go there?

I'ma have to make some phone calls.

Well, shoot.

Anyone else getting there Wednesday Morning? The hotel recommended a towncar service.

Wednesday morning....Geez! You ARE an anxious one!

Whats the "towncar" service...some glorified taxi?

Yeah, and rumored to be $25. I'm going to call them later today to find out, but I'll probably just grab a taxi. Convenience, all that.

I'm going early to see the Field Museum, a place I've wanted to go since I was a kid. I'm a huge nerd.

Iorek wrote: I'm a huge nerd.

You're going to a 3 day convention with 100's of grown men playing with toys for 3 days straight. You won't stand out THAT much this weekend!

If you do not have tons of luggage, then take the Blue line and then take the metrarail train to lombard station.

The best part is that it is cheap. Very cheap. Save money for dollies and beer.

Take the blue line from O'hare to Monroe. Get a cab to take you from there to Union Station. From Union station take the UP-W metrarail to Lombard.
http://metrarail.com/System_map/index.html
http://www.metrarail.com/Sched/cnw_w/lombard.shtml
Take a cab from lombard station to your chosen place of iniquity.

Total cost is less than $15 if you are cheap and don't tip the cabbys. $20 if you do.

I highly recommend renting a car though. No substitute for that.

Iorek wrote:Yeah, and rumored to be $25. I'm going to call them later today to find out, but I'll probably just grab a taxi. Convenience, all that.

I'm going early to see the Field Museum, a place I've wanted to go since I was a kid. I'm a huge nerd.

Nice.

Living here, I forget that people look forward to those things. I try to visit the various
museums at least once a year, but they've gotten expensive. So I wait for free passes/
free days to materialize.

Iorek wrote:I'm going early to see the Field Museum, a place I've wanted to go since I was a kid. I'm a huge nerd.

Don't let the dinosaur at the entrance eat you. And definitely do not get lost in the more nerdy portions of the museum, like the antiquated specimen area (tasmanian tiger/wolf for win).

The egyptian and babylonian areas are pure fething sex.

Damn. I can't go, and I wish I could so bad that I'm reading a travel plans thread to compensate!

Yeah, I like dead specimens. Oh, you mean at the museum!

im thinking about making the trip with a few friends next time, missed out on it this year due to work getting in the way :(

Hellfury wrote:If you do not have tons of luggage, then take the Blue line and then take the metrarail train to lombard station.

The best part is that it is cheap. Very cheap. Save money for dollies and beer.

Take the blue line from O'hare to Monroe. Get a cab to take you from there to Union Station. From Union station take the UP-W metrarail to Lombard.
http://metrarail.com/System_map/index.html
http://www.metrarail.com/Sched/cnw_w/lombard.shtml
Take a cab from lombard station to your chosen place of iniquity.

Total cost is less than $15 if you are cheap and don't tip the cabbys. $20 if you do.

I highly recommend renting a car though. No substitute for that.

What kind of cost are you looking at for a straight up cab from O'hare to the Hotel?

I'm not even landing until 11:30 pm on Thursday; it'll be midnight by the time I get my luggage.

Deadshane1 wrote:

Hellfury wrote:If you do not have tons of luggage, then take the Blue line and then take the metrarail train to lombard station.

The best part is that it is cheap. Very cheap. Save money for dollies and beer.

Take the blue line from O'hare to Monroe. Get a cab to take you from there to Union Station. From Union station take the UP-W metrarail to Lombard.
http://metrarail.com/System_map/index.html
http://www.metrarail.com/Sched/cnw_w/lombard.shtml
Take a cab from lombard station to your chosen place of iniquity.

Total cost is less than $15 if you are cheap and don't tip the cabbys. $20 if you do.

I highly recommend renting a car though. No substitute for that.

What kind of cost are you looking at for a straight up cab from O'hare to the Hotel?

Cab costs will be at least $35 from O'Hare to Union station. I never took a cab further than that for O'Hare so you may have to call some cab companies there to find out rough estimates.

However, I can safely say that if you plan on spending that kind of dough on a cab from O'Hare to the hotel in Lombard, then you may as well get a car rental and save some bucks.

Cab costs from O'Hare to the "burbs" are a bit weird, last time I remembered.

Here is an estimate.

http://www.worldtaximeter.com/chicago/ohare/lombard

looks like about $40.

I also found the following. It is from a different convention, but same hotel I believe.

Taxi: Here are a few companies that apparently have a flat rate to and from the airport. The taxi that should be taken is a suburban taxi and not a city taxi.

303 Taxi: O’Hare to Lombard $28 phone 847-368-8916
Citi Suburban: O’Hare to Lombard $30 phone 630-495-5555
AAA Universal Taxi: phone 630-617-5400
AM Regional Taxi: phone 630-971-8888
American Taxi: phone 630-305-0700

There is also a shuttle operated by Airport Express.

(Guest may be paired up with other riders). Ticket counters and loading zones are located at 1E, 2D, and 3F on the baggage claim level. The last shuttle leaves o’hare at 11:30 p.m seven days a week. Reservations are needed. Shuttles depart O’Hare every 15 minutes.

1 person - $33.00

2 people - $38.00

3 people - $43.00

4 people - $48.00

5 people - $53.00

6 people - $58.00

Airport Express contact

# 888-2thevan (888-284-3826)

------------------------------------------------------------------

Airport Express shuttle rates to/from Midway Airport

(Guest may be paired up with other riders). Shuttle pick up and ticket counter is located at door 3 across from baggage claim. Reservations to suburbs are needed. Shuttle is available 7 days a week with the last one leaving at 10:30.

1 person - $37.00

2 people - $42.00

3 people - $47.00

4 people - $52.00

5 people - $57.00

6 people - $62.00

Airport Express contact

# 888-2thevan (888-284-3826)

malfred wrote:I try to visit the various museums at least once a year, but they've gotten expensive. So I wait for free passes/free days to materialize.

Rebecca can get a couple of people in to Field for free, so call me the next time you feel like going. EDIT: Or maybe I'll call you next time we're planning on going...

Iorek, the pirate special exhibit currently there is supposed to be worth the extra money. Not sure if tickets are available, though; I heard something about them being sold out.

I may or may not be at A-con, but if I am I'll be wearing my old "Got Dakka?" button...

Shotgun wrote:Cab costs from O'Hare to the "burbs" are a bit weird, last time I remembered.

Here is an estimate.

http://www.worldtaximeter.com/chicago/ohare/lombard

looks like about $40.

Wow. Thats not bad at all. My experience was from 4 years ago. Looks like they are quite cheap now if those estimates are true.

Airport to the Hotel (assuming O'Hare here). You have a few options. A standard cab you catch at curbside is going to be a little steep (around $60). The hotel has a car service you can arrange in advance that is much more reasonable. You can call Windy City Limo at 1-847-916-9300 (press 5 for reservations) and book at ride from the airport to the hotel for around $25.

The hotel also has some discount taxi deals that come in around $30-35, but you'd have to call the Westin at (630) 719-8000 to get that info. The hotel said anything under $35 from the airport is good.

to pick up a rental car on thursday at 3pm and drop it off on sunday at 10 pm is $75 for the weekend.

One of you locals w/a van should set up a shuttle service on Thursday - charge $20/head, and you'd do pretty well.

Matthias, Windy City Limo is also what the hotel recommended. I just made my reservation for $25 for pickup tomorrow (plus gratuity). Very friendly, and thanks for the heads up!

-=Edit=- Janthkin, that's a good idea. You'd probably want to coordinate it so that you're taking multiple people at once, though.

skkipper wrote:to pick up a rental car on thursday at 3pm and drop it off on sunday at 10 pm is $75 for the weekend.

Travelocity is quoting me about $14/day. As I don't even arrive until midnight, I can do a 3 day rental for ~$54. I think that wins, at least for me. Just have to call and make sure the various companies are actually *open* at that time of night.

Anyone know what drive time is like between the Westin and O'Hare?

I'm trying to set my shuttle time from the hotel back to the airport Sunday evening, and it's a little tight; I wish we had booked a slightly later flight- the one we're scheduled for is at 7:09, and for pickups after 4:30 Airport Express won't promise you'll catch your flight. I'm guessing 5pm should be fine; Google maps shows it as 17.4 miles, about 29min drive time. Will we have to worry about traffic at all on a Sunday?

I made it here in about 20 minutes (or thereabouts). Professional driver, closed course, all that.

The funny thing is that the locals were upset and screaming last year that they had to pay around $10 for parking, and it looks like it will cost at least $30 for us to even get to the hotel.

I'm kind of busy the next couple days. Have to get used to administering a website.

So, I'm here. The good news is that there's a mall right across the parking lot with a food court, so it's easy to avoid the expensive restaurants in the hotel (if you want to). There's a Target, too. One thing that was conspicuously missing was a bookstore.