Getting To Chicago
From GSLISWiki
[edit] How to get to Chicago, from best option to worst
One thing to note, many students find it a massive headache to get to Chicago to catch a flight. I have found that by using Travelocity (I use it through Yahoo!, but the price is not affected by which service you use) I can always get tickets to my destination directly from Champaign Airport, and I have never paid more than $50 extra, which is less than most of the transportation costs listed below, and much more convenient.
- Bum a ride
- Check out the Illini Union Ride Board at: http://www.union.uiuc.edu/rb/
- Ask around. Post it to the GSLIS bulletin boards. Many people at GSLIS are Chicagoans and drive back a lot.
- Suburban Express
- Suburban Express operates large coach buses and goes to Oakbrook, Woodfield, Old Orchard, Chicago Ridge, basically all the far suburban malls.
- Mainly catered to students, thus the buses run at peak travel times such as weekends and University holidays. In the summer, some of the less popular bus routes may be cancelled, but they will contact you and offer a refund.
- Suburban Express fares range from $10 - $25 depending on which stop you get off at and what time you leave.
- Suburban Express does not let you change travel times or get a refund after buying a ticket.
- Amtrak (2/day), one in the early morning, one in the evening/night.
I've gotten $6 one way fares before...if you go to the home page, then click on Hot Deals, then Weekly Fares, you can find some pretty good prices. This is good especially if you plan on traveling an off peak day (not Friday or Sunday). The trains are also frequently late, so don't take the train if you are on a time crunch.
- Greyhound
- Illini Bus ([1]) goes to Oakbrook and Woodfield and costs $14.95.
- Illini Shuttle ([2]) offers service to O'Hare and Midway for $29.95.
- Lincolnland Express (LEX) ([3]) provides vans or buses between Champaign and Chicago every three hours, but usually have multiple stops on a whole trip.
- LEX can be late, and drives to a lot of stops before getting on the road. Sometimes there may be transfers to different vans.
- There is a charge if you refund or change a ticket.
- Illini Express fares are around $20 as of 2007.
- Airplane through Willard Airport: American, Northwest, Delta (the latter two might be round-about)
- Tends to be ridiculously expensive, but included for completeness.
- Check out the Airports page if you want to see what other airports are nearby.
Note:
- Bluebird Express NO LONGER SERVES CHAMPAIGN
- Illini Swallow is defunct. They were liquidated in early 2005.
[edit] Related Links
- 1000 things about Champaign-Urbana
- This is a blog that aims at publishing 1000 small snippets of info on Champaign-Urbana area. Lots of useful information.
