Travel

Travel Note

Airports - O'Hare and Midway

There are two airports here in Chicago, O'Hare International (ORD) and Midway (MDW). We recommend Midway whenever possible because it's smaller, closer, and more convenient, but only Southwest Airlines and a few Delta flights go there, so O'Hare is likely to be the most accessible. Choose whichever works best for you! Both airports have public transit options, taxi stands, and ride share pick up points to help you get into the city.

Train

The CTA - "L" Trains, Subway, and Buses

Check out the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) website for more info about public transit in Chicago. The L - short for "elevated train" - is the major way to get around, but we also have a huge bus system! You can purchase passes or individual ride tickets at most of the stations, and the easiest way to figure out which trains to take is to use the Public Transit Directions option in Google Maps!

Travel Note

Leaving the Airport

There are two great options for leaving O'Hare and Midway! PUBLIC TRANSIT: The first option is to take the public transit system, which is free! ust follow the signs for CTA/Public Transit/Blue Line once you've picked up your things and are ready to go! Both of these trains go from their respective airport into the center of the city, and you can transfer to other trains if need be depending on where you are staying. From O'Hare Airport: You can take the Blue Line! (Takes approximately ~1 hour to the center of the city) From Midway Airport: You can take the Orange Line! (Takes approximately ~40 minutes to the center of the city) RIDE SHARING: This option is the easiest and most convenient, but it does cost a bit more. After getting your bags, follow the signs for Rideshare Pickup and call an Uber, Lyft, or Via to pick you up! Via is usually the cheapest! The amount of time this will take depends on the traffic at the time you land and whether you choose a shared or private ride.

Travel Note

Ride Sharing Info

Never used a Ride Sharing app before? We can help! Download one or more of the following apps and use them to request rides anywhere you need to go. They work like taxis, but they're safer, cheaper, and give you exact information about your driver, their car and license plate number, and direct customer service contacts. This is the easiest way to get around the city if you don't want to use public transit! You can use each of the following promo codes to sign up and get a discount on your first rides. Uber: https://www.uber.com/ Use promo code: 99c6s Options: UberPOOL (shared with others), UberX (private ride), UberXL (more seats), UberBlack (fancy cars!) Lyft: https://www.lyft.com/ Use promo code: MAY158 Options: LyftLine (shared with others), Lyft (private ride), LyftXL (more seats) Via: https://ridewithvia.com/#cities Use promo code: may2d2 Options: Via (shared ride), Via Private Ride (private)