Advice on downtown vs. near airport

Hi, flying into Chicago Midway on way to Ohio for a wedding in Oct. Arrive Chicago on 10/18, rent a car, drive to Ohio, and back to Chicago on 10/21.

Want to visit Chicago for 3 days starting that Sunday. Would it be better to turn in the rental car, have a hotel in downtown, and somehow get to the airport; or would it be better to keep the car, have a hotel outside of Chicago, and drive in for the day.

I%26#39;m a bit confused about how to get to/from the airport from downtown, also. I%26#39;ve just started investigating things to do and now need advice from ';those who know!';

SueG

Advice on downtown vs. near airport

It would really depend on what you want to do. If most of what you are looking to do is downtown, then I would suggest returning your rental car, buying a CTA 3-day visitor pass, and taking the Orange Line from Midway. Parking the car downtown would be an expensive proposition. If you decide to stay outside of downtown, then the rental car won%26#39;t be as much of a liability (since the hotel will likely have free parking), but you would probably still want to take public transit into town.

Check the sticky posts on ';From the Airport to Downtown Hotels on the ';L'; and ';Read First: Basic Guidelines for Posting'; (contains helpful links).

Advice on downtown vs. near airport

Definitely turn in the car! You can take the Orange Line from the airport into the Loop. If you stay downtown you can get anywhere using public transportation and cabs are pretty inexpensive (cheaper than driving in and parking!).

Here%26#39;s the CTA%26#39;s website:

http://www.transitchicago.com

My site has a map of hotels in downtown Chicago:

http://www.thelocaltourist.com/chicagohotels/

It%26#39;s easy to get around Chicago by public transportation, especially if you stay downtown. Start by checking hotel prices to see if the extra cost fits your budget. You would save on the car rental and parking of about $30 a day by turning the car in and using the Orange Line train to and from Midway.

Another savings (and a stress reducer) would be to take the train from Millennium Park in downtown Chicago (www.nictd.com) out to the South Bend airport, and pick up a rental car there. The rates are $10-20 a day lower, and you would neatly avoid the Dan Ryan expressway, which is under construction and a traffic nightmare during much of the daytime. The train to South Bend is about $10 each way; South Bend is 100 miles from Chicago.

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