Chicago area from the southwest - advice?

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Thanks for the reply (and you too, Andrew). I had initially selected
Lewis University Airport (KLOT) as my destination until I realized that
Google Maps was showing "Lincoln Park, IL" much further to the
southwest than it is. Once I entered an address, it was correctly
displayed. Strange and a little confusing. :-) I had hoped to avoid
a long drive for our hosts to pick us up, not knowing how bad traffic
would be.

Maybe an additional question should have been "How much hassle is
Chicago traffic on the weekend for a visitor?" I'd love to rent a car
if I can actually get around to some of the interesting places without
much hassle.


I've not flown into the Chicagoland area .. but I've driven there a lot.
Chicago freeway traffic can be some of the worst you'll ever see in the USA.

Picture your typical rush hour crush in most major cities (excepting LA or
NY) and this is what is normal for about 20 hours a day around the Chigago
area. Now add another 40% more cars and then you have actual rush hour in
Chicago. No lie, I've had it take over two hours to go from the Loop out to
O'Hare...at 430 in the morning!!! Using the major surface streets can
actually work better if you are going from point a to point b and don't mind
altering your route at will.

The suggestion offered regarding using the train to downtown is a good one,
IMO but whatever means you use to get downtown, Chicago is actually a pretty
good walking city. Michigan Ave, along the lake (the Gold Coast), Rush
Street area, all are fun to just meander around on foot.

Good luck with your trip...

Jay Beckman
PP-ASEL
Chandler, AZ