Where to park in Chicago a

I am staying at an Elk Grove hotel in the middle of June. I am traveling with my wife and 3 young children. I would like to see the downtown sites, but have been told it is very difficult to get into the city and park. Are there lots available at decent prices? When is the best time to leave for the city in the morning? When is the best time to leave the city to return to the hotel? How long should I plan to get into the city, and what routes would be best? We would like to go to the Navy Pier area, and Michigan Ave. Please Help!!

Rhank you,

Jeff

Where to park in Chicago a

It is not difficult to get into the city if you avoid rush hour (generally, 6-9:30am, 3-7pm M-F). After 7 or 7:30 you should be able to make it out to Elk Grove pretty fast, maybe in a half-hour or so. However, if you try to go inbound on a Friday at 5pm, you may be looking at 90 minutes or more.

It is not difficult to find parking either, it just isn%26#39;t cheap. 12 hours at the Millennium Park garage will cost $21 and other garages can be as much or significantly more. Some hotel garages are in the $40+ range now. Definitely you will want to park once and then get around on foot, CTA or taxi.

There are some weekend parking deals, though, such as the Sterling self-park garage (search the forum for details).

From Elk Grove to Chicago, just get on I-90 (Northwest Tollway) eastbound, and exit at Ohio Street; basically, no ';decision points'; on that route. Use Mapquest, Google Maps or your in-car nav for best results.

Coming back, be sure to keep left where I-90 and I-94 split, and again where I-90 and I-194 split.

Where to park in Chicago a

You could also take the CTA Blue Line from O%26#39;Hare. Most hotels around the airport have shuttles to the terminals. Follow the signs from the baggage levels of Terminals 1-3 that say ';CTA Trains to City.'; In addition to saving the hassles of driving and parking, your children may think taking the train is fun. The Blue line runs as a subterranean line along the median of the Kennedy Expressway, as an elevated train and as a subway downtown.

The trip downtown will take about an hour. You can exit at Clark/Lake, Washington or Monroe for Navy Pier, Millennium Park and the Mag Mile. All are only a short walk from those stations.

Thank you for the information. It will help.

I too, would recommend taking the Blue Line and saving the hassle of driving and the expense of parking. To get to Navy Pier, take the Blue Line to Jackson and transfer to a North-bound (Howard) Red Line train to Grand. Walk east on Grand (or take the Grand bus), and you will be there. Plan on the trains taking a bit over an hour each way.

You%26#39;re qelcome,

eBob