How do I get there?
There are two international airports, both located within 17 miles from downtown, O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and Midway International Airport (MDW). Once you land you can hail a cab from O'Hare to downtown for around $40. A taxi from Midway will cost you about $30. To take public transportation to downtown, hop on the CTA's "L" Blue Line from O'Hare for $5 or the CTA's "L" Orange line from Midway for $2.25. If you prefer the scenic route, driving from New Orleans to Chicago will take around 15 hours. The "quickest" route from New Orleans would be I-10 W to I-55 N to I-57, passing through Memphis, Tenn. For those who don't want to drive but want to go along for the ride, opt for a train. Amtrak has trains leaving daily from New Orleans at 1:45pm and arriving in Chicago at 9:00am the next morning. For tickets and more information visit, http://www.amtrak.com/home.
Where do I stay?
Loop and Downtown
Mag Mile and River North
Gold Coach and Old Town
Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville
Are there any RV Parks?
If you make the 15 hour drive to Chicago in your RV, there are a few parks within just an hour outside of the city.
- Kankakee South KOA - 425 E. 6000 South Rd., Chebanse, IL 60922
- Yogi Bear Jellystone Park Camp-Resort - 5300 Old Porter Rd., Portage, IN 46368
- Chicago Northwest KOA - 8404 S. Union Rd., Union, IL 60180
What should I do?
Millennium Park -Located between 2013 E. Randolph St., between Michigan Ave and Columbus Ave, is a 25 acre state-of-the-art park featuring unique architechture, landscape and public art. This park is home to "The Bean," Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the Lurie Garden.
Navy Pier - Nestled on 50 acres in the heart of Chicago is the ultimate playgroud for all ages. Attractions include a 150-foot Ferris wheel, carousel, miniture golf. You take the kids to explore the Chicago Children's Museum for some educational fun. This is also where the famous Harry Caray's Tavern is located or you can grab a bite to eat at a number of other resturants inluding, Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co., Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville, City Porch and for some sweets, Garrett Popcorn Shops.
Magnificent Mile - A 13-block stretch of North Michigan Avenue, running from the Chicago River to Oak Street, where you can find the best shopping in Chicago with a mixture of upscale retail stores, restaurants, hotels and landmarks.
Willis Tower -Formerly known as the Sears Tower, the Willis Tower is a 108-story skyskaper hosts one of Chicago's most famous tourist attractions, the Skydeck. Tourists can step into a glass box that allows them to get a bird's-eye-view of the city from 103 floors up.
Shedd Aquarium- Chicago is home to the largest indoor aquarium and contains over 1,500 species including fish, marine mammals, birds, snake, amphibians and insects. Located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, right next to the Field Museum of Natural History.
Field Museum of Natural History- Dating back to 1893, is one of the largest natural history museums in the world. It's exhibits range from gems to fossils to a DNA Discovery center and it is home to the most complete and best-perserved Tyrannosaurus rex fossil, Sue.
What are the best places to...
Eat?
Two of the most notable foods in Chicago? Pizza and Hot Dogs. Gino's East of Chicago is known around the world for it's deep dish pizza and graffitied walls. The original Gino's East of Chicago is located at 162. E. Superior St but there are three other downtown locations. Visit Hot Doug's on 3324 North California Ave. to try a traditional Chicago dog.
Drink?
Watch a game?
If you make the trip and decided not to enter Soldier Field, the best spot to join forces with other members of the Saints fanbase as they take on the Bears is at Frontier, 1072 N. Milwaukee Ave.
How do I get to the stadium... The #128 CTA Soldier Field Express bus is a nonstop service from Ogilvie Transportation Ctr., Union Station and Soldier Field for games. Round-trip is $5 cash. The first buses with leave the stations 2 hours prior to kickoff until 30 minutes after. The CTA "L" trains have the red, orange and green lines that will drop you off in walking distance from Soldier Field at the Roosevelt Station/State Street.
Parking? There are a few options for parking at Soldier Field. Pre-paid parking is guaranteed and you can reserve your spot here https://soldierfield.clickandpark.com/For cash parking, go to the Adler Planetarium of Burnham Harbor lots. All parking lots open 4 hours prior to kickoff and close approximately 6 hours after kickoff for afternoon games and approximately 3.5 hours after kickoff for night games.
RV Parking?
RVs may park in the Adler Planetarium Lot located northeast of Solider Field on gamedays. Parking is first-come, first-serve and no overnight parking is allowed. Pre-paid parking is avaiable for RVs at http://soldierfield.clickandpark.com/.
How do I get around?
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is the nation's second largest public transportation system. A 1-day Visitor Pass can be purchased for $10 and a 3-day pass can be purchased for $20. You can find out how to get from point A to point B by visiting http://www.transitchicago.com/maps. Travelers can also call Regional Transportation Authority's information line at (312) 836-7000 with their staring point and destination and your route will be provided to you. There are plenty of cab and private car companies in the Chicago area. Here are a name and numbers to a few:
Cab Companies
- Yellow Cab (312) 829-4222
- Flash Cab (773-561-4444
- Chicago Carriage Cab (312) 791-1273
Private Cars
- Chicago Limo (773) 653-5466
- Windy City Limousine 866-94-WINDY
- Chicago Private Car 888-227-7187
Pierre Thomas' must-dos of Chicago
