If you’re headed somewhere out of Chicago by air, chances are you’re going to end up at O’Hare International Airport or Chicago Midway Airport. In the past month, I’ve flown on United Airlines (headquartered in Chicago) out of O’Hare, and Southwest Airlines out of Midway. Be weary of Midway, in my opinion. Maybe it was just Southwest Airlines, maybe it was the airport. But on my way out west two weeks ago, on April 11th, there was a freak snow storm that delayed flights all day. My flight was postponed for four hours because our plane didn’t have a gate, and then the de-icer ran out of….de-icer! If something like this happens to you, I hope you have an airplane neighbor like I had. The gentleman next to me provided comic relief with his mock profile of the head of the airport: a monkey in a satin robe holding a martini in a leather chair. I would expect another city with less chance of surprise snow to handle the sudden storm better than Midway, or Southwest did that day. I traveled out of O’Hare a month ago on United Airlines headed east, and it was a breeze. I can’t place blame because I really don’t know, but all I have to say is proceed with caution.
I sat next to this dinosaur for 20 minutes watching a large number of foreign tourists take their picture next to it.
To get to O’Hare airport, hop on the Blue Line towards O’HARE, which will head north to the airport at the end of the line. You can get on the Blue Line from the LaSalle, Jackson, Monroe, Washington, or Clark Street stations, all in the loop. Check www.yourcta.com if you’re outside the Loop.
Get on the Orange Line towards MIDWAY if you need to go south to Midway airport. You can get on the Orange Line at any station in the Loop. Just make sure you look to what side of the platform you need to be on because the Orange Line only runs on the inner tracks.
You can also get a cab to either airport for $30 to $40. A cab is probably the most convenient way to go if you don’t want to haul your luggage around, unless you have a ride from family/friends.