As I was preparing for my return trip to St. Louis from Evanston, IL (I was at the DrupalCamp Chicago this weekend), I realized I hadn't set up any way to get to the O'Hare International Airport in order to board my American Airlines flight. Luckily, I looked up 'Evanston to O'Hare' online, and found a little nugget that many people don't know about.
There's a Pace bus (route 250) that goes straight from downtown Evanston to the airport for a very nice $1.75! What's better, it only takes about an hour to get to the airport; taking the CTA or a combination of the Metra and CTA would take almost two hours, and cost at least three times as much.
Taking a taxicab shaves off 20 minutes, but is that worth paying $30-50? I think not.
What's not apparent from the Pace website is where, exactly, is the location of the bus stop. If you walk to the Davis St. CTA terminal, you'll find the bus stop directly in front of the station. You can pay your fare with a farecard (purchased inside the station), or on the bus itself.
It's actually very easy, in my opinion, to get to and from Evanston using public transport—I came in from Union Station via the Metra and went to O'Hare via the Pace 250.
For the first time since I was a child, I took an Amtrak train rather than drive or fly to another city. I'm currently in Chicago, and the Amtrak ride was a rather uneventful five hours, with many laughing and talking individuals sitting around me… luckily, I had my iPhone and headphones, so I could drown out a lot of that noise!
The train ride was pretty nice, I would say—there were few stops, the ride was extremely quiet (besides some track noise, and the occasional train horn), and besides some side-to-side jolting (which doesn't feel as frightening as rough turbulence, the ride was very pleasant. The price was nice, too: $23 one-way to Chicago (for the 4:30 a.m. Lincoln Express).
The train cars themselves are about equivalent to a charter bus, with a little more legroom, and one amenity that was extremely awesome: every seat had two 120V electrical outlets! I could keep my work-provided power-hungry 15" MacBook Pro quite happy the whole way to Chicago :-)
The train also included a snack car and dining car, both of which were restful until about the time we hit Springfield, IL (and then half the train filled in just a few minutes!). For about half an hour, I had a guy across the way talking loudly and very obnoxiously on his phone... but I drowned him out by watching some of the John Adams documentary film (which is excellent, bye the way).
I'll definitely consider the train again in the future… it costs less, is relaxing, and has some very nice travel amenities you can't find many other places.
Rome, Italy is a truly beautiful city, and a very worthy destination for people of all ages. After having spent four days in Rome, and a couple weeks outside of Rome, I've learned a few things that would, in my mind, be helpful tips for anyone else following in my footsteps:
Wear tennis shoes or comfortable shoes. You have to walk—a lot—if you really want to see and enjoy Rome. The metropolitana (Rome's subway lines) only covers the northern parts of the city, and a few ancient ruins.
Get a good map of the city; there is an illustrated map that you can find at almost any hotel/touristy area which shows pictures of all the major sights, and has every street marked. Even a GPS won't do so well in certain parts of Rome.
Bring a light camera, unless you're a stock photographer. With all the walking, you won't want to lug around a huge digital SLR and a bunch of glass if you don't have to. The memories are what counts - there are thousands of beautiful pictures of every sight in Rome - no need to take more of those pictures! A smaller, lighter camera affords more mobility, meaning you see more places.
Don't get caught in one or two ruins—i.e. don't tour the Colosseum or the Forum unless you really, really really want to. It's better to walk to another destination than to get caught in a four hour tour of a place in which you're not that interested.
Try the gelato. Seriously. Every chance you get, stop in a gelato shop. There are some especially good ones near the Via Merulana and across the Tiber from Castel Sant' Angelo.
If someone approaches telling you they have a special tour, or cool bracelets, or anything, ignore them. Don't even look at them. If you let them hook you in, you'll have to work to break yourself free from their sales pitches. (Also, don't look too 'touristy' if you can avoid it, at least not in the 'touristy' areas where street vendors are hanging around like vultures).
Don't get your picture taken with a gladiator or a mummy or any of the 'interesting' people around tourist sites. You'll be asked to pay up afterwards, usually to the tune of €5 or more!
Always pack an umbrella (get a little purse umbrella if need be) - rain is very random in Italy, and it can come at a moment's notice. If there are no clouds in the sky, don't carry the umbrella with you, but have one just in case. You can always buy one for €2-5 from a shop on the streets.
If you can figure them out, use the buses - they are very convenient if you need to get somewhere fast, or if your feet are worn out.
Try to speak a little Italian, even if you don't know much! Usually, even Italians who don't "parle" English will get the idea. The most important words:
Parli inglese? --> "Do you speak English?"
Ciao. --> "Hello."
Grazie! --> "Thanks!"
Prego. --> "Thanks," "You're welcome," and pretty much anything.
Places you must visit: The Colosseum (at least look at it), St. Peter's Square, St. Peter's Basilica, the Vatican Museums, Piazza Navona, Via del Corso (walk along the fancy shopping street and end at the Spanish Steps / Spagna), Trevi Fountain (just to see it), St. Paul Outside the Walls (if time allows), Termini (it's like the Italian Penn Station), every Gelateria you see, the Pantheon.
Places you could visit if you have time: All the awesome columns and Egyptian obelisks around the city (you could play a game and see who can find them first), the four Major Basilicas (St. Paul Outside the Walls, St. Mary Major, St. John Lateran, and St. Peter's), any other Church in the city, the Forum, the Circus Maximus (you can walk around it and act like you're Ben Hur ;-), Castel Sant' Angelo, Catacombs, the Scavi Tour (exclusive tour of the catacombs under St. Peter's - sign up early!), the Scala Sancta ('Sacred Stairs'), the Trastevere (Piazza di Santa Maria especially).
When eating, be sure to not ask for ketchup, burgers, salad dressing (they only use vinegar), or candy bars. You're in Roma! Enjoy the fish, the pasta, and the pizza... and most especially, the gelato! Crepes are also a nice way to finish off a meal. Ask for water senza gas (meaning without bubbles) or naturale—unless you'd like to try the gassy water ;-)
