Slightly strange thread title, I know. I’m trying to book my flight home from school and one option is to go to Chicago and catch a 5 PM flight. Problem is, I’d get into Chicago about 8 AM. Now, I can’t spend 8 hours in Midway (well, I could, but I really don’t want to.) I don’t want to cut it real close and get the 11 AM flight since Amtrak can often be late, and giving myself no more than 1 to 1.5 hours of leeway makes me leery. I mean, I could and still might do it, especially since if worst came to worst I could probably hail a cab (though I hate the idea of the fare; I remember the last time I took a cab in Chicago and that was from–well, I don’t remember exactly where, but it was from the last blue line stop outside the Loop heading towards Forest Park to Union Station.)
Now, if I just had my backpack, I wouldn’t worry about it. Sure, I’d look touristy (or maybe that I was attending one of the colleges in or near Chicago,) but at least I wouldn’t be burdened. However, I need enough clothes to get myself through at least 6 days, so I need at least a duffle, even if I don’t take my slightly larger wheeled one. I remember the way I felt vulnerable in one of the bad parts of DC with a heavily-loaded backpack and duffle (just trying to get from the Greyhound station to the red line) even though I’m a big guy. I’ll admit that I’ve never gotten that feeling in downtown Chicago, even at night, but I’m still conscious of the possibility of looking like an easy/attractive victim (yes, just because of the duffle) depending on what part of Chicago I wind up in. Plus, that stuff starts to get heavy after a while. I called my brother to see what he’d be doing that day (he goes to one of the aforementioned colleges in or near Chicago) but haven’t gotten a response yet. So, with all that preliminary stuff out of the way, I have two questions.
1: Is it possible to store gear anywhere for a few hours? I’ve gotten the impression that all public lockers have pretty much been done away with. Otherwise I’d just store my stuff in Union Station (they have lockers, but I don’t think you can use them anymore) for a few hours then go back there to pick it up before I hit the orange line.
2: Assuming I have at least a lightly-loaded backpack and a small, non-wheeled duffel, is there anything I can do in Chicago in early March? I don’t mind using the CTA, though I prefer the light rail over buses. I mean, I know there’s things like the art museum, but I’m not enough of an art buff to spend hours looking at art. Price isn’t be a problem as long as it isn’t more than about 20 bucks.