I am going to the Springsteen concert tonight (was there yesterday - it was awesome!).
Yesterday someone else drove but today I’m on my own.
My goals are to get there quickly and not pay a fortune for parking. I’m willing to drive somewhere where I can then take a train or bus. As I was leaving Wrigley Field yesterday I saw a long line of buses that said something like “154 - Express to Parking Lot”. What parking lot would they be going to?
Also, someone else said that maybe I should drive down to Dempster and take the Skokie Swift, but then I’d have to transfer to get to Wrigley Field?
Basically if I’m willing to drive much of the way, but I don’t want to pay $30 for parking. What are my best options. Thanks.
I answered my own question… I can park at DeVry for $6 and take the free Bus #154 shuttle to Wrigley:
Other option is to drive to the Howard Street station and take the Red Line all the way there. You can just park on the street for free near Howard.
You’ve already found the DeVry parking lot option (and that’s a good option). But just in case someone in the future runs across this thread, I’ll answer your question.
If you are coming from the north, especially on I-94, the Dempster Street Yellow Line (aka “Skokie Swift”) station is a good place to park. It’s located just east of the Edens Expressway (I-94) on Dempster.
When you enter the train station you will see “Transit Card” vending machines. Insert $2.25 (one-way) or save time by inserting $4.50 (round trip) into the machine and buy a Transit Card. The machines do not make change. Board a train and take it to the last stop on the south end of the line which is Howard Street. Don’t leave the platform where you get off, there should already be a Red Line train (signs say “95th”) waiting on the opposite side of the platform. (If you just missed a train, one will arrive within a few minutes.) Just board the train and get off at Addison. You will be within a block of Wrigley Field.
For the reverse trip, just board at Addison northbound (signs on the train say “Howard”) and get off at the final stop, Howard. If you were smart and bought a round trip Transit Card earlier, you can just use that card to pay your fare. Again, just wait on the same platform for a Yellow Line (Skokie Swift) train (signs say “Dempster”) and take it to the end of the line.
The last northbound Yellow Line train leaves Howard at 11:00 pm. If you should miss the last train, instead of boarding a Yellow Line train at Howard, board a Purple Line train (same platform) and go to Davis Street. At Davis Street, transfer to the Pace Route 250 Dempster bus. The last bus is at 12:20 am (7 days a week). Take that bus to the Skokie Swift station where you parked. You can use your Transit Card to pay the fare for the Dempster bus, but you may have to throw an extra 25 cents into the fare box if the balance on your card is zero.
The Skokie Swift parking is a good option when DeVry parking is not available (day games on weekdays) or if you don’t want to drive that far into the city. The parking fee is $4 (no change provided).
Of course, schedules and fares are subject to change. Check the links for the most current information.
Wow! Thanks for all the additional information. I’m typing this on the DeVry shuttle, and it’s been easy as pie.
Thanks again for the info.
(Emphasis added)
This answer lacks the smiley it requires, which would have been 
but now is either :dubious: or :eek:.
How about from Oak Park? How long would it take on the Metra/El?
The CTA Blue and Green Line ‘L’ trains serve Oak Park as well as the Metra UP West Line.
If taking the Blue Line, ride to Jackson. There will be a stairway in the middle of the platform going DOWN to a tunnel. Follow the tunnel to the other end and you will be in the Red Line Jackson station. Take a northbound Red Line train (signs say “Howard”) to Addison. You will not leave the paid area, so there will be no additional fare when transferring.
If taking the Green Line, ride to State/Lake. Walk south on State until you see a stairway in the sidewalk going down. This will take you to the Red Line. Proceed as above. You will need to use your fare card to enter the Red Line station, but no additional fare (not even the transfer charge) will be deducted from your card.
If taking Metra, go to the last station downtown which is the Ogilvie Transit Center. Walk north on Clinton to the ‘L’ station at Clinton and Lake. Board any train headed downtown and get off at State/Lake and do as in the previous step.
It will take about 30 minutes to get downtown. 5 to 20 minutes to transfer between trains, and then another 30 minutes to get to Addison on the Red Line.
Be sure to add the time it takes you to get to the train station from your house.
Remember Metra trains run at least an hour apart outside of rush hour and that on weekends, Metra trains can run several hours apart, so if taking Metra, add waiting time for the next train.
Metra runs almost parallel to the Green Line, but make fewer stops on the West Side (just Kedzie on some trains). So Metra might shave another 10 minutes or so off the actual transit time after you actually board the train. Also, Metra does not stop in the west side ghetto, for what that’s worth. On the other hand, Metra charges an separate fare from the CTA.
There are other connections possible such as taking the Green Line to the Brown Line to the Red Line. But that just makes explaining the connections more complicated without any real advantage.
This map will show you where the train stations are in Oak Park.
This map will show you where you will be transferring between trains downtown.This map will show you the area around Wrigley Field.