I am flying in Saturday, September 23 and hope to be in the Hotel by noon. I am staying until Marriott Suites O’Hare. I am staying until Thursday. This is the first time I will be in Chicago in about 10 years. I thought it might be an opportunity to meet some other dopers. I am hooking up with an old friend one or two nights, but otherwise my weekend and evenings are free.
BTW: Can I get a train and bus map at the airport?
Jim {this thread will probably die a very quiet death, but I figured I should at least post it}
You’re on my short list of Dopers I Gotta Meet too. Right now, the only plans I know I have while you’re in are on Sunday to stay close to home and watch the Bears game with a couple neighbors.
Yes, you can get maps at O’Hare, in fact there’s a subway stop right in the terminal.
Find my e-mail in my profile, and drop me a line. I’ll send you my cell number, and we ARE going to meet, and I think knowing my Chicago-Area dopers, we’ll put a small crowd together.
Actually I am leaning towards meeting up with **Mr Bus Guy ** Tuesday night. I am just waiting to see if anyone else is interested and I have to meet up with an old friend that works as a fireman and so has weird schedules.
**Mr Bus Guy ** said he is busy Sunday and Monday.
I did not realize you were in the Chicago area. It would be great to get to meet you.
I work Sunday, Monday in the morning, Tuesday and leave Tuesday immediately after work to go down to U of I for a grad school thingy. (Boss wouldn’t give me Tuesday off, so now I work 12 and drive 3 hours–I hope I make it).
If you want to come my way on Monday afternoon, I’m free-ish. Sorry to sound so off-putting, but I have some work to do for school. I’d be happy to have a cup of coffee with you, but I can’t take the time to go downtown next week.
I think Bus Guy has my email addy. Just change the URL to mac.com and you’ll find me.
Need a combo smiley here-anticipation and disappointment at the same time.
(not to be forward, but there is a very nice commuter train that is inexpensive and comes straight to my town and there is a Starbucks right across the street from the station and you’d only be here about an hour and it would be fun).
My Email is public. I won’t be out of class til 4:00pm or 4:30pm each day. Email me the trains to take from the Area around O’Hare and what day and I will try to line this up.
I hope my friend gets back to me early tomorrow. It will let me figure out my week.
Wait-you’re at the Marriot near O’Hare?
Crap.
There is no train from there to here. I thought you were downtown near the Loop. I’ve never tried to take public transport from O’Hare to here (Homewood, to give you an idea of distance). It is so sweet of you to want to try. I wish I had more time so this could work.
Unless MBG knows differently, you would have to take a CTA train(like the subway, but above ground) into the city, then get to Randolph St station, and then catch a Metra to University Park. The Metra is electric, clean, fast and cheap. It’s a straight shot from Randolph to Homewood. The rest of it, I dunno bout. Plus, that is too much to ask of anyone, much less an almost stranger but cyber friend. O’Hare is about an hour’s drive for me.
How about you plan your trips here for when I’m not so busy? Show some consideration, Jim!
So, are you gonna be stuck out in the O’Hare area all day until 4:30?
Cause if you are gonna be downtown during the week and want to go to lunch - or perhaps for a run along the lakefront, let me know.
That is why I figured every evening I need to hop the train and go into the city proper. I might even sneak in a Whitesox game. I’ve been to Wrigley twice. If nothing else is going on Sunday afternoon, I’ll just head up to the Stadium. I think they are at Cleveland during the week.
eleanorigby, I am sad I won’t get to meet you, but it sounds much too hard and I planning this as a mass transit trip, as in no rental car. Do you work anywhere vaguely close to US Cellular Field?
Heavens! I would never expect you to rent a car just to see me! I wouldn’t rent a car to see me! I work near 93rd and Stony Island–not too near to White Sox Park (I can’t call it Cellular anything). Security wouldn’t let you in to see me, anyway–they once gave my husband a hard time!
I’ll leave it to MBG to extol my virtues. If this happens again, please give us some more notice (ignore this if you posted it two weeks ago…).
Cool, catch you next time.
I’m hooking up with my friend and his Fiancée Saturday, I will attempt to figure out the trains to the Whitesox game Sunday and it sounds like I am meeting up with **MBG ** Tuesday and anyone else he can corral into coming along.
So is there a really good Blues club I could go to Monday or Wednesday? Anyone know?
Take the Blue line into downtown, and then the Red line south to 35th St. The Green line also gets you close, leaves a 2-3 block walk, and only makes 1, maybe 2 stops before you get to the park. But it leaves you a 3 block walk through a semi-shady neighborhood after the game.
I can’t help you with a good blues club - not my taste in music, but I know they’re out there, in quantity. Check out here , you can probably find something a decent cab ride into the north side.
I’ll get in touch with you after Saturday and figure the where/when. I’m this close to having the Bus Wife ride out from downtown and meet too.
