75 Maiden Lane, Suite 505,
New York, NY 10038 (212) 727-8610
November 11, 2009
Dear Delegate or Alternate
Delegate:
HOW
TO GET TO THE CONVENTION HOTEL ONCE YOU ARRIVE IN
CHICAGO
From
O'Hare
It is possible to use
public transit to get to the Best Western University Plaza (the
convention hotel) from O?Hare. However you have to go towards Chicago and than
back out to Evanston. From O?Hare you take the Blue Line to Jackson and
change for the Red Line to Howard. Transferring to the Red Line at Jackson is
free but involves a one block walk to the State Street subway. You can do this
underground -- handy in nasty weather. There are signs to direct you.
Transferring elsewhere will cost you $0.25. At Howard you change to the Purple
Line to Dempster. This is also a free transfer and you remain on the same
platform. You then walk east on Dempster. Turn left at Sherman Pl., which
becomes Sherman Ave. Stay on Sherman Ave until you reach the Best Western. The
CTA stop is about a third of a mile from Hotel. The fare is $2.25, but the CTA
trip planner estimates the trip will take about 2 hrs. See http://www.transitchicago.com/ for more information.
Using the CTA rapid transit system will require a fare card. These
may be purchased from a vending machine at any CTA rapid transit station. CTA
and PACE buses still accept cash but exact change only. Fare cards can be valid
for unlimited rides for a certain period or for a certain amount of money. In
the latter case, you can always add money to the card if needed. The fare card
can also be used on CTA and PACE buses.
It is possible to take a suburban
bus (PACE) from the O?Hare Kiss-N-Fly stop, which you can get to by taking the
O'Hare people mover to the end of the line. You catch the Pace Bus 250 and ride
it to the end of the line, the Davis CTA station in Evanston. The trip takes a
little over an hour. As this is next to ( just east of) the Davis Metra stop,
the directions to the Hotel are pretty much the same as for "from Union Station"
below. Taxis are also available at Davis though they may be a bit surly over
such a short trip. The bus fare is $1.75 See http://www.pacebus.com/sub/schedules/route_detail.asp?RouteNo=250
for more information; the bus does not run frequently: every 20 to 30
minutes.
TAXI From
O'Hare
A taxi from American Taxi
Dispatch costs a flat rate of $29 plus $2 per additional passenger Once
you have all your baggage and are ready to go, you call them at 847-255-9614,
then you meet the numbered taxi they assign you at the dispatch point. They say
the taxi will be there in 15 minutes. Verify the price when you call. Note this
is not the Chicago taxi service that wait at the terminals to pick up
passengers; the hotel estimates that those cabs would be about $40.
The hotel has a link to a van service on its web site. You have to reserve on
line and pre-pay with a credit card. for one person it is $31, but a
group of 3 is $37. Four jumps to $48. You also have to get yourself to one
of their pick up points at O'Hare. They charge extra to meet you at the
terminal.
From Midway From Midway you would take the Orange Line to Roosevelt and change
for the Red Line to Howard where you take the Purple line to Dempster and follow
the directions above. The transfer at Roosevelt is free but involves descending
from the "L" to the subway. It's all one station and there are plenty of signs
to direct you. The fare is $2.25 and takes about 90
minutes.
From Union Station in Chicago
(Amtrak)
Walk North on S. Canal St.
(It becomes North Canal St.) approximately .3 of a mile to Metra Stop (Union
Pacific North Line). Chicago OTC Take train to Davis St. in Evanston. From the
Davis St stop walk south on Maple Ave. Turn left at Davis St. Turn slight
right at Elmwood Ave. Turn slight left at Grove St. Right at Sherman Ave
to Best Western. Walking distance from Davis St. is less than .4 of a mile. Fare
is $3.35 Estimated travel time is 45 minutes. See http://metrarail.com for more
information.
If you don't mind a walk of
about a half mile, you can also walk east to State Street and catch the Red Line
subway going north to Howard, transferring at Howard to the Purple Line to
Dempster. See directions above. During rush hour, you can also catch the Purple
Line downtown (see below). Union Station is also the start and end for a great
many CTA bus routes but not all of them go east to State
Street.
Other locations in Chicago
CTA is your best option. The Purple line runs into down town
Chicago and around the elevated "Loop" during rush hour. When it is running
downtown you can transfer to and from other lines. Other times you have to get
to the Red line to Howard and then change for the Purple
Line.
Other Important Information
The convention hotel is the Best Western University
Plaza located at 1501 Sherman Avenue, Evanston, Illinois. The hotel
telephone number is 847-491-6400. If you have
specific questions about the convention please feel free to email
me or call me on my cell 718-522-2269.
