Buses, trains, boats, planes, and automobiles - a distinctly different

[thully]

Update: The title should read "Buses, trains, boats, planes, and automobiles - a distinctly different CHI trip". It got cut off for some reason...

On my latest trip to CHI now - going for NTD and to do a few things in CHI while I'm there (hopefully including the boat cruise I missed last time). However, this time I decided to bypass the standard trip on the Wolverine and give something different a try. To go to CHI, I am taking Megabus from Ann Arbor - coming back, I'll be flying Spirit out of O'Hare to DTW. Blasphemy, I know - but I wanted to 1) have enough time for a return trip to Revolution Brewing tonight 2) have enough time to do the river/lake cruise after NTD. If I took 354/355, the timing would be a bit tight to do this without taking vacation time or staying Sunday (neither of which I wanted to do). Also, I've been wanting to give the competition a try for a while and have been on the Wolverine a lot recently - so this ended up working out.

Part 1: Megabus

For the trip to CHI, I booked a Megabus departing the Ann Arbor State St. Park & Ride at 5pm, due to arrive at 8:40pm. The time is definitely nice - I can leave work slightly early and get to Chicago with time to do something that night (355 arrives after 11pm, and 353 leaves at 12:29pm - earlier than I'd like). To get there, I called Yellow Car (similar to a cab) and had them take me from where I work to the lot. Could have taken AATA, but it would have been a longish trip so I decided to go this way.

Arrived at around 4:40 and the bus was already there with some passengers onboard. Presumably It must have been ahead of schedule coming from Detroit (as that is where it starts). people slowly trickled onto the bus as it gradually became near-full - which is a change from the steady stream of passengers you get boarding a train. The bus we got was a single-level one - which disappointed me, as I had always seen Megabus using double-decker buses.

We basically departed on-schedule, after the driver asked if we would like to do a rest stop (the majority declined, so we're apparently going straight through). At this point, it has basically been your standard bus ride - similar to the ARB-TOL Thruway bus I've taken in the past, though it seems to have mostly students riding (not that different from the typical Wolverine clientele at ARB). However, it has been a bit hot on the bus (I think there must be no working AC - though it has been a bit better since they opened the windows). That isn't unique to buses, though - on one of my recent Wolverine trips I was stuck in a car which was incredibly hot. Legroom is also a bit tight (definitely more tight than even Horizon coaches), though in line with the larger buses I've been on in the past. I was hoping for a bit better, though, as I had seen some nicer-looking Megabus coaches in the past (unfortunately, it looks like we missed out on those...)

More later...

 

[thully]

The rest of the bus trip was fairly uneventful - though I did find myself noticing the lack of legroom at times. I will say that coming into Chicago on the bus was a bit neat - got to see quite a bit of the city with a bit different view than from the Wolverine. I noticed the L tracks in the middle of the Dan Ryan Expressway - those tracks actually being where I rode to get to/from the Sox/Tigers game last month! We got in around 8:10 pm - a full 30 min ahead of schedule, and only slightly more than 4 hrs after we left (which was 5:01 pm ET). It was definitely nice to get in so early, though I will say that the train is definitely more comfortable (even a Horizon coach car). I will definitely consider this in the future, but will likely stick to the Amtrak unless it is either really high bucket or I really want to get to CHI earlier than #355 does. I may also try it to connect to the Lake Shore Limited - the 5pm bus would get me there in time (tonight, I would have had over an hour), whereas on Amtrak my choice is a 12:29 train or a bus to Toledo that results in a 5hr overnight layover (ick!)

(FYI - the stop is basically right outside Union Station, though Megabus doesn't officially use Union Station itself...)

After getting off the train, I immediately went to the Clinton Blue Line stop and loaded a transit card (I'm only taking the L a few times, so a pass doesn't really make sense). Took the L up to Revolution Brewing (off the California Blue Line stop), and found they were packed - though I found a seat at the bar. Had a few drinks (though unfortunately they were out of the one I really liked from last time), and then returned via the Blue Line to Jackson and made my way to the hostel to check in. Now I'm getting ready to finally get some rest before the NTD festivities begin... All in all, I'm definitely getting the hang of getting around Chicago - I guess being here a week out of the last month will do that (albeit discontiguously)... Actually afraid I'll max out my allowed time at HI Chicago this year (14 days) - I can't exactly afford to come this often in a hotel, and I like the hostel here...

Tomorrow: the rest (NTD, Chicago boat tours, and "Air Greyhound" - aka Spirit Airlines)...

 

[MiRider]

Great trip report so far.

Looking forward to the rest of it.

Not like I have to tell you to but..... have fun!

 

[thully]

Ended up oversleeping - the room I was in had curtains all over the windows, so when I first saw people getting up I figured they were the early birds and dozed off again. When I finally woke up, it was when staff entered the room at 11am, which is what I was supposed to check out! In any case, I'll set an alarm next time I stay in a hostel - maybe I'll get a cheap alarm clock specifically for this purpose (I usually leave my phone in the locker at night , which is what I use for my alarm normally.).Given this, I missed breakfast (which is one of the best aspects of the hostel - talking to people from all over the world), and had to hurry to get ready to check out and head to NTD.

I finally made it over to Union Station at around 11:40, at which point 2 of the 3 excursion trains were sold out (and the third was at 3:30, which overlapped with the boat tour I had already bought tickets for). So no excursion train for me. However, I did get to see all the various railroad cars - both Amtrak and private - which was neat. The first few I went through we're boring (such as the Horizon Club-Dinette, something I see frequently on the Wolverine). However, seeing the various sleepers (including bedrooms and the family bedroom, which I had never seen in person before), was kind of cool, as well as seeing the Great Dome (which was also part of the display). However, the highlight was seeing the private cars - those were quite nice!

After this, I got a quick bite to eat, walked around the exhibits a bit, watched a few of the presentations (including Hill Harper and the Amtrak K-9 team), and went to see some of the commuter/freight cars. After that was done, it was time to head up to the Wendella boat dock for my lake/river tour - I caught a cab right in front of Union Station to get there. The cruise was great - chilly, but I got to see some great views of downtown Chicago. It was definitely worth doing - and if I'm back, I'll probably do the 2 hr sunset cruise there. After the boat cruise, it was 5:45 - time to head back to the hostel to get my bags and hit the Blue Line to O'Hare to catch my flight!

 

[thully]

Part 3: Flight Home and conclusion

After returning to the hostel to grab my bag, I made my way to the Blue Line to O'Hare. It was 6:15, so still plenty of time to make the 8:35 flight - though it might be problematic if I ended up having any significant delays on the Blue Line. However, it's not like that's unique to taking the L - one could just as easily run into an accident on the highway as well. The ride on the Blue Line was fun -on the way, we passed through the subway, went above the streets of Chicago on the elevated portion, and then finally in the median of I-90 to O'Hare. I must say I love the transit-airport connectivity in Chicago - one can actually go to the airport without paying lots of money for a cab, shuttle, or long-term parking! Ended up getting there just after 7, and it took me 25 minutes to get through security and find my gate. Pretty smooth sailing - I was even lucky enough to just have to do the standard metal detector rather than get X-rayed. Once there, I got some food at the terminal and sat at my gate waiting for the flight to depart.

After a while, it was then time to board. Basically your standard airline procedure, boarding by zones and whatnot. I had packed lightly, so I didn't need to pay for a carry-on (Spirit charges for putting items in the overhead) or checked bags. Ended up in a middle seat - though the person next to me offered to switch to sit next to someone and I did, getting a window seat in the process. Seats are pretty cramped - about in line with Megabus or even less. Makes me appreciate the Horizon cars a bit more! In any case, it was a smooth ride - almost immediately after we made our ascent, we started making our descent! One thing I noticed was not having Internet in-flight - I had been so used to having it on Amtrak (via 4G/3G), that I had forgot that most planes didn't have any connectivity. Landed at DTW about an hour after we took off, and then my friend picked me up to return to Ann Arbor.

In conclusion, a good trip - though it would have been better if I had not overslept. With respect to how Megabus and flying compare to Amtrak, I will say that Amtrak definitely wins. Much more legroom and the ability to walk around, beat out the shorter trips (4 hrs on Megabus and 3.5 hrs on the plane (with the whole security/boarding process). Also, Amtrak normally can get you far closer to your destination - it's much more convenient to get to/from the ARB Amtrak than to/from DTW for me, and Union Station is far closer to where I want to be in Chicago than O'Hare. Also, you don't have the security hassles of airlines, and you can use the Internet most of the trip, not to mention that most tickets are fully refundable (unlike Megabus, and unlike most airfares that don't cost an arm and a leg).

However, the alternatives can work well if one wants to arrive/depart at times that don't work for Amtrak (as I did this time) - though when flying, getting to the airport and going through security/boarding and deboarding take more time than the actual flight on these short flights. Once Amtrak gets the whole Michigan Line up to 110mph, though, the speed advantage will be negated. Hopefully that leads to more frequency as well - a mid-afternoon departure to CHI and a late-night departure from CHI would be great to have... Didn't exactly get any Amtrak riding in on NTD, but I did at least get to ride the L trains- which is fun in its own ways...

 

[Old MM]

Nice comparision report.

Another Chicago train excursion you can try, if you're so inclined, is a short day trip on Metra. The tickets are inexpensive and the trains run often. I do not recommend taking Metra south from the Randolph station.. there are apparently bad neighborhoods there and when I tried this little adventure, (back when my kids were both small) the conductor kicked us off after 2 stops and told us to get on the next train going back north to downtown. He was kind but serious. So we headed over to the Ogilvie Transportation station, only a couple blocks walk from the Amtrak station, and there you can take all sorts of interesting little trips to more quaint areas outside Chicago.

 

[thully]

I have definitely thought of taking Metra sometime - they do apparently have an unlimited weekend pass for like $7 or so. Been busy most of time time I've been there, though, so haven't found the time yet. At this point, I'm not sure when I'll be going back, but I'd venture to guess sometime in June most likely. My last remaining trip in May will be to DC on the Capitol Limited (TOL-WAS roundtrip with bus connection ARB-TOL both ways). I still need to check out some of the museums, and I may do Six Flags Great America at some point (it looks like there are some Pace bus routes going there, including an express from the Rosemont Blue Line station during the summer).

(FYI: Pace is the suburban Chicago bus system, separate from CTA. Never used it, but it goes to more distant suburbs that CTA doesn't serve (as is the case with Six Flags). For some reason, they don't put their route information on Google Maps, though Chicago RTA has a route planner which includes Pace)

 

[trainman74]

I do not recommend taking Metra south from the Randolph station.. there are apparently bad neighborhoods there and when I tried this little adventure, (back when my kids were both small) the conductor kicked us off after 2 stops and told us to get on the next train going back north to downtown. He was kind but serious. So we headed over to the Ogilvie Transportation station, only a couple blocks walk from the Amtrak station, and there you can take all sorts of interesting little trips to more quaint areas outside Chicago.

Seems a little bizarre that the conductor would kick you off (or at least strongly advise you to try a different line) -- I assume you had the weekend pass, rather than tickets to a specific destination, and you told him you were just out joyriding?

I've taken that line, including the branches, and felt perfectly safe (granted, I did it as a single man and not as a mom with small kids), and thousands of people do use it to commute on a daily basis without incident -- there's a reason why it has some of the most frequent service on the Metra system!

I think the bigger issue when using that line for joyriding is that the station at the end of the line, University Park, is just a parking lot in what seems like the middle of nowhere; pretty much all you can do there is sit and wait for the train to depart going back north. (If you don't want to ride all the way to the end of the line, though, some of the other stations along the line are within walking distance of coffee shops/restaurants.)

 

[Old MM]

I do not recommend taking Metra south from the Randolph station.. there are apparently bad neighborhoods there and when I tried this little adventure, (back when my kids were both small) the conductor kicked us off after 2 stops and told us to get on the next train going back north to downtown. He was kind but serious. So we headed over to the Ogilvie Transportation station, only a couple blocks walk from the Amtrak station, and there you can take all sorts of interesting little trips to more quaint areas outside Chicago.

Seems a little bizarre that the conductor would kick you off (or at least strongly advise you to try a different line) -- I assume you had the weekend pass, rather than tickets to a specific destination, and you told him you were just out joyriding?

I've taken that line, including the branches, and felt perfectly safe (granted, I did it as a single man and not as a mom with small kids), and thousands of people do use it to commute on a daily basis without incident -- there's a reason why it has some of the most frequent service on the Metra system!

I think the bigger issue when using that line for joyriding is that the station at the end of the line, University Park, is just a parking lot in what seems like the middle of nowhere; pretty much all you can do there is sit and wait for the train to depart going back north. (If you don't want to ride all the way to the end of the line, though, some of the other stations along the line are within walking distance of coffee shops/restaurants.)

Yeah, as I said, he was perfectly kind but stern at the same time. My daughter was just a toddler in a stroller at the time and my son was a little tyke who was in love with trains. (Guess who introduced him to that...) Anyway the conductor asked where we were going and I told him we were just rail riding and seeing the sights. He said, "There is nothing for you to see on this line. You don't want to ride this train. Now get off at the next stop and take the next train back North. It will be along in just a couple of minutes." I suppose we didn't have to listen but he seemed very serious. Now that my son is 6'2" maybe he wouldn't have concerns, who knows.

 

[thully]

Any suggestions for good day trips on Metra? It looks like I could get to the Six Flags via a Metra/Pace combination, but I think the express bus from Rosemont Blue Line station to the park and back will work better if I'm going to do that. I could just take it in a loop, but it's more fun to actually be going somewhere...

 

[Old MM]

We rode Metra to the Botanical Gardens... very nice day trip and at the time, they had a model train exhibit at the Gardens. It was during the summertime of course; highly recommended. You can check their website to see what special events are going on and when the model railroad display is open. If you do this, plan to spend the whole day getting there and touring the gardens before heading back. Another time, during a winter trip we just rode one line all the way North (in blowing snow) to Kenosha, Wisconsin and then back again. There were a few other trips in different directions, from Ogilvie but I can't remember the lines/stops. We always had a fun time.

 

[Old MM]

http://www.chicagobotanic.org/railroad/rr_pictures.php