House Or Rental
We highly recommend staying at an Airbnb or VRBO while visiting Chicago! They're great options if you want more space, a kitchen to cook meals at home, or room more than 2 people. They also seem to be significantly cheaper than hotels in the city. There are so many amazing neighborhoods in Chicago to explore! For ease of exploring the city, we recommend looking for a rental apartment that is off of an "L" station (train stop): ideally the Blue, Red, or Brown lines. Some of our favorite neighborhoods include Logan Square, Lakeview, Old Town, Andersonville, Wicker Park, South Loop, or Wrigleyville. If you want to stay close to the venue (Villanelle), we recommend looking at West Town, Humbolt Park, Ukranian Village, and West Loop!
Train
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is a very reliable system of trains and buses to get you around Chicago! Use Google Maps "transit" feature to help navigate the best buses and trains as you move throughout the city. Vilanelle is off of the 66 bus line, and is about a 10 minute bus ride from the "Chicago" Blue Line stop. We recommend downloading the Ventra app while you're in town to conveniently keep your transit card on your phone instead of needing a physical one! It's also extremely helpful to reload cash, or accurately track how far away your train or bus is. We also recommend to save money by buying the 1-Day Pass on days you expect to take transit more than twice! Ubers and Lyfts are also super accessible in Chicago, running you around $15-30 for most trips around town. Chicago is also super drivable, so feel free to get a rental car while you're here!
Flight
Either of Chicago's main two airports are fine to fly into! Go with whichever airport has cheaper tickets from your city. You can get an Uber, Lyft, or taxi for around $30-60 one way. If you're flying into O'Hare, be aware that you have to go to Terminal 2 by the (free) Airtrain and follow signs to take an Uber or Lyft. To get a taxi, go outside to the curb of any terminal and find the taxi stand. If you're staying off the Blue Line, you can easily take it from O'Hare to wherever you're staying for $5! Midway is off the Orange Line, which isn't as close to our neighborhood suggestions. Learn more about taking public transit from the airports by plugging your address into Google Maps!