75 Maiden Lane, Suite 505,
New York, NY 10038 (212) 727-8610
October 9, 2009
Dear Delegate:
This letter to delegates is intended
to provide the most up to date information about travel to the convention.
You should begin to make your travel
arrangements, particularly if you are flying. Trains and buses have advance
purchase discounts too. The cheapest fares never last and fares rise the
closer you get to the date that you fly. The closest airport to Evanston is
O'Hare, which is about 30 minutes from the hotel by car. The other Chicago
airport is Midway, which is much further away, at least an hour away by car. We
suggest you fly into O'Hare. In scheduling your travel please keep in mind that
the convention opens first thing Friday morning November 13 and will close
Sunday afternoon. We recommend that Sunday return flights be scheduled in the
evening to ensure that no one has to leave the convention
early.
There is a very limited fund available
to subsidize convention costs for individual delegates. Some locals are able to
assist their delegates with convention costs as well. Most of the available
funds will go to assist students and unemployed members. If you need financial
assistance to attend the convention please email me.
Delegates who have been to previous conventions are
familiar with the mandatory travel share program that is intended to
equalize transportation costs. An estimated travel share is set
prior to registration. If their travel cost is less than the estimated travel
share a delegate pays into the fund at registration. If they spent more than the
estimate they will receive a rebate of the difference after the convention.
Travel expense information is collected at registration so that the final travel
share will be based on the exact cost. Covered expenses include airfare, bus
fare or train fare. Mileage and tolls (based on the IRS charity mileage rate in
effect at the convention (currently 14 cents a mile). Hotel costs,
transportation to or from an airport or other terminal, and meal costs are not
included. Delegates are expected to travel on 21-day non-refundable airline
tickets or their equivalent. Transportation costs deemed excessive may reduced
for the purpose of calculating and dispensing rebates. Travel from outside the
United States is not included. Delegates who travel from outside the United
States may submit a travel cost based on domestic airfares. Convention observers
and alternate delegates that are do not participate in the travel plan. A
committee of delegates will work with the National Director address any
inequities that may arise in the administration of the travel share system.
This year we have added an alternative travel
share option. A delegate may opt to pay a flat fee of $75. Delegates who
opt for the alternative will not receive any travel rebate. We added this option
because we were concerned that members from near the convention site were
declining to participate as delegates because of the travel share cost, which
has often been over $220. We believe that this new option will generate more
revenue for the travel pool reducing the cost to delegates who have to fly.
In order to make the travel share system more
efficient we are asking delegates to advise us of their airfare as soon as they
book their flights. You can send me an email with the information by clicking here. This should enable us
to have a closer estimate of the travel share at the convention. Additionally we
hope that delegates who opt for the alternative will pay the flat fee prior to
the convention; this will also improve the efficiency of the travel share
system. Payments to the travel fund are tax-deductible contributions to the DSA
Fund. Here is a link that will enable you to pay the flat fee now with a MASTERCARD OR VISA.
You can
also mail a check directly to the office with a notation that it is for the
travel share plan.
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. Note this is not the Chicago taxi service
that wait at the terminals to pick up passengers; I don't have information yet
on what those cabs might charge for a trip to
Evanston.
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 not made your hotel reservation you should do so
promptly.
If you have specific questions about
the convention please feel free to email
me or call me at the office.
