sulkair

Hoping some ORD guys/gals can help me get an idea about how long it takes to get from the employee parking lot to the furthest gate (United Express)

Also, can anyone recommend nice suburbs 15 to 20 minutes north of the airport? Planning on renting a house with a garage and yard.

Where exactly is the employee parking lot?

Thanks one and all!

3stripes

Forget about it! If you're going to live in the Chicago area you're much better off getting on the CTA blue line. It takes you right to the heart of the airport and most of the time the traffic on I-94 is terrible. I live downtown, on a good day the drive is 25 minutes followed by another 20-25 to get from the employee lot to the crew room. In the same amount of time (45 mins) I can get the CTA from Grand straight into the central terminal area. I live quite a long way from the airport, but a lot of crew live in Logan Square, Lincoln Park, Cumberland and Harlem. From Cumberland the CTA only take 8 minutes.

More often than not the drive from downtown to O'Hare is 45 mins or more. My wife and I sold our second car in August and cope just fine without me driving. She doesn't even really need hers, but it's a company car and they pay her gas and parking, so it doesn't cost us anything to have it. Public transport in Chicago is generally very good.

sulkair

Cumberland looks really close thanks! and with the Train that might be best. Thank you!

sulkair

[/QUOTE] From Cumberland the CTA only take 8 minutes..[/QUOTE]

Just to clarify, are you saying if I drive my car to the Cumberland station, park, jump on the CTA and shoot into the terminal it is better than trying to live close to the employee lot?

I want to be REALLY close - time wise, but no Ghetto.

bernouli

There are a couple different buses. The uax bus runs every 15 minutes from the employee lot (Auckland). It begins leaving that lot at :07 after the hour and every 15 min after. From the auckland stop to gate F12 is never more than 10 minutes. The bus stops at F12, e2a, b4, and c5.

The entrance to the employee lot is at the corner of mt prosect road and touhy avenue (the northwest corner of the airport). There is a pizzeria in des plaines called 'barnaby's' that is just down the street from the entrance to the employee lot. Not only is that pizza awesome, it can give you something to mapquest and get a general idea of where the entrance is.

crflyer

Park Ridge - just a few miles NE of ORD, 10 minute drive. It is probably the nicest area nearby but it isn't going to be cheap to rent a house. I share a 2 BR condo for 1200/mo.

If you're alright with walking/driving to the train and living in the city - somewhere off the blue line would be best, like 3stripes said. I like being away from the city and being able to get in my car and go, but that's just me.

Machwon

Naperville to the parking lot takes 25min from my house. Bus to gates 25-35 min. Worst part of my week is that damn bus! I am on the AMR side of things tho.

bodean

20-25 minutes sounds about right.

snippercr

This, lol. When I am working backwards to figure out what I should set my alarm to, I plan for 40 minutes on the bus (!). That is the worst case scenario of getting there RIGHT as it pulls away then having to wait for the next one and having it take longer than normal. I have about an hour drive and add that 40 minute bus, it gets close to the 2 hour for reserve sometimes. Fortunately I come from the west and don't have too much traffic (88->355->290->Thorndale).

Machwon

The other day I got there around 316 as the 315 bus was pulling away. The next one wasn't until 325, however when he pulled up he yelled IM TERMINATING so I had to wait for the 335 which didn't get there until 340. My si was 340 and I didn't get to the computer until 355. 40 freaking minutes it took! snipper have you tried taking 88 to 294 to 90. It cut a good 5-10 min off the thorndale route, but you pay another toll.