Chicon 2000 Infobot News - 23-Feb-2000 Chicon 2000, P. O. Box 642057, Chicago IL 60664, fax: 312-946-3779 The Chicon 2000 Infobot News is a service of the Chicon 2000 Web Site, http://www.chicon.org/ . If you know someone who'd like to subscribe, tell 'em to go to our web site at http://www.chicon.org/ and enter their e-mail address. If your e-mail address changes, or if you wish to be removed from the Chicon 2000 Infobot News mailing list, or if you don't have web access and want to be added to the list, please write to listmaster@chicon.org. In this issue: Getting to Chicago: by Air, Train, Bus, Car Getting to Chicago: by Air * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Official Air Carriers Chicon 2000 has made arrangements with United Airlines and Northwest Airlines. These discounts are good for flights on United Airline, Northwest Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines , and Northwest code share flights operated by Continental Airlines. * 10% discount off the lowest applicable airfare if booked at least 60 days in advance (excludes Area/Zone fares). * 5% discount off the lowest applicable airfare if booked 0 to 59 days in advance (excludes Area/Zone fares). * Or take advantage of special Area/Zone Fares. These fares offer substantial savings from unrestricted coach fares when you can't take advantage of nonrefundable fares. A two-night minimum stay is required. To get these fares, and the best fares on all major carriers, call One-Stop Chicago at (800) 621-1083, or +1 847 940-1176 outside of the U.S. and Canada, Monday-Friday, 0800-1700 CT, or the carriers themselves. United Airlines (800) 521-4041, File #567CE Any Day, 0700-2400 ET Northwest Airlines (800) 328-111. File #NYFKJ Book KLM and Continential code shares through Northwest Monday-Friday, 0730-1900 ET In addition to the above fare discounts, United Airlines is offering a $25.00 Travel Certificate, good on future flight with United Airlines. You may purchase your tickets from One-Stop Chicago, United Airlines or your own travel agent. Send a copy of the passenger ticket receipt with your name and address to: United Airlines Meeting Sales, WHQSS PO BOX 66100, Chicago, IL 60666 Chicago Airports O'Hare International is one of the largest and busiest airports in the world, and serves as the primary hub for United Airlines. Chicago's other airport, Chicago Midway is a smaller airport, primarly serving short haul domestic airlines, and is a major regional center for Southwest Airlines. O'Hare International Chicago Midway Southwest Airlines Layout O'Hare features four terminal buildings, holding ten concourses, which feed 162 gates. Terminals 1, 2, 3 are the domestic terminals, and are grouped around the central parking structure. Terminal 5 is the international terminal, and is located at some distance from the the other three. The four terminals, parking decks, and long term lots are connected by a shuttle system, called the ATS, Automatic Transit System. Midway features 36 gates on three concourses in one terminal building. Midway is currently building a brand new terminal complex with 41 gates, expected completion date is in 2001. The Midway Construction Update [www] contains updates on construction related closings and delays. Travel from the airports O'Hare is located 20 miles from the Chicon hotels, Midway 13 miles, so you'll need some means of getting to the convention from the airports. Several choices are detailed below. Taxi Follow the signs in the concourses to the cabstands. Currently, the fare would be around $31 from O'Hare, and around $17 from Midway, for a single person, with minor extra charges for additional passengers. Advantages are simplicity for those unfamiliar to Chicago, or those with plenty of luggage. Disadvantages are cost and travel time, if the Kennedy or Stevenson expressways are congested, which is common. Travellers arriving during rush hours can add at least 1/2 hour to the taxi travel time. Normally, it would take around 40 minutes to get from O'Hare to the Chicon Hotels, and about 25 minutes to get in from Midway. More infomation about Chicago taxi services is at the City of Chicago's How To Use Taxis page. http://www.ci.chi.il.us/ConsumerServices/TaxisAndLiveries/HowToUseTaxis.html Limo A listing of pre-arranged limousine services are posted near the airport information booths in Terminals 1, 2, and 3 at O'Hare, and in the Terminal at Midway. Public phones are available near the ride-boards to make reservations. Online limo reservations for O'Hare can be made at Limousines Online O'Hare and for Midway at Limousines Online Midway (see below). Advantages are similar to taxis, but cleaner and more comfortable. Disadvantages are the same as taxis, costlier, but better if you get stuck in traffic. Chicon is unaware of limousine rates at this time, but we are investigating. Airport Express A company called Airport Express offers transportation from O'Hare to most downtown hotels for $17 one way, $30 round trip, and from Midway for $12 one way, $22 round trip, per person, using small buses. They also offer special deals for groups. More information at Airport Express (see below). Advantages are cost (cheaper than taxis), roomier. Disadvantages are slower than cabs, may have to wait for your hotel. Finally, a sharp-eyed member noticed that Airport Express has an online coupon to save a dollar off the fare. - Airport Express Light Rail O'Hare is tied to Chicago's Light Rail system, commonly called the "El." The O'Hare station is located under the central parking deck, immediatly opposite Terminal 2. Travellers landing at other terminals should use the ATS system to get to Terminal 2, then follow the signs. O'Hare is located on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) Blue Line. The closest stop to the convention is Clark/Lake, but you would have to walk about one half mile (one kilometer) to reach the Hyatt, and more to reach the Swissotel. You can switch to the Loop trains at Clark/Lake, take the Orange, Purple or Green trains one stop east to State/Lake, and save several blocks of walking. Also, taxis are about downtown, and would cost around $3-5 dollars to get from the Clark/Lake station to the hotel. The Chicago Transit Authority Website has more information. Of particular interest to convention attendees would be the Blue Line brochure, which lists the locations of most downtown hotels, and how to get there from Blue Line stops, by walking and bus. The three Chicon 2000 hotels are listed. Chicago Transit Authority Midway is located on the CTA Orange Line. The closest stops to the Hyatt and Swissotel is State/Lake on the loop, it's about a 2 block walk to the Hyatt from there - for the Hyatt and Swissotel, walk north to Wacker Dr, east to the hotels. For the Fairmont get off at Randolph/Wabash, walk east on Randolph, staying on the upper level, and turn north on Stetson. The Orange Line (PDF) brochure isn't as useful for finding the hotels, get the Blue Line brochure, above, as well for a local map. Advantages are cost ($1.50 one way, $1.80 with bus transfer) and speed. Disadvantages are having to haul luggage onto and off trains, and walking or bus transfer to the hotels. Rental Cars Rental cars depots are at both airports, for all major companies, follow the signs. Advantages are you have a car. Disadvantages, cost, for the car, for gas, and for parking. Parking in downtown Chicago is not cheap. The current rate at the Swissotel is $26 a day, other lots are similar. Also, the Chicago Jazz Fest will be occuring over the same weekend in Grant Park, making parking that much harder. Traffic, as well. But if you have to have a car, BNM.COM (below) covers all the majors in one spot, and has discount offers as well. Disclaimer: None of the above mentioned companies are affiliated in any way with Chicon 2000, and are offered for informational purposes only. Getting to Chicago: by Train * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chicago's growth as a city can be traced to the growth of the railroads in the United States. Even with the advent of the airlines and the Interstate System, Chicago still enjoys a monumental train presence, with four active stations in the downtown area, three serving commuter rail, and the fourth serving local and long distance passenger rail. Amtrak Amtrak serves the continental United States, with over a dozen lines running into Union Station, at 210 S. Canal St., Chicago IL 60661, on the west side of the Loop. There are too many routes to try and list here, but Amtrak has a comprehensive listing of routes and fares, and offers on-line booking. Chicon 2000 has made arrangements with Amtrak to offer Chicon 2000 members a 10% discount on travel to the convention, with a stipulation of a return by September 7th, 2000. Mention fare code X-51L-952. Amtrak Reservation can be reached at (800) 872-7245. Getting from Union Station to the convention is best done by taxi (around $7) or Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus (Route 151, board on Canal St, take the southbound bus, which turns west, $1.50 fare. Get off at Wacker Drive, walk 1 block east to the convention). Walking is possible, but it would be nearly a mile from Union Station to the convention. The CTA Downtown Sightseeing Brochure lists most of the hotels and sights in the downtown Chicago area, with bus and train routes connecting them. The Chicon Hotels are listed, by numbers -- 31 is the Hyatt, 20 is the Fairmont, and 52 is the Swissotel. (PDF) Metra Metra, a consortium of 4 independent rail compaines, serves the seven counties around the Chicagoland area, feeding into four stations in the downtown area -- Union Station, Randolph Street Station, LaSalle Street Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center. Trains run as far as Kenosha WI and South Bend IN. The CTA Downtown Sightseeing Brochure lists how to get from the stations to the convention hotels, note that the Randolph Street Station is just one block south of the Fairmont. Online schedules and fare information is at the online Metra Information Center. (PDF) Disclaimer: None of the above mentioned companies are affiliated in any way with Chicon 2000, and are offered for informational purposes only. Getting to Chicago: by Bus * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * For those travelling by bus to the Chicago area, Greyhound has two terminals in the Chicago area. The Chicago-Downtown terminal is the closest to the convention, and the Chicago-Dan Ryan/95th is several miles to the south of downtown. Getting to Chicon from the bus terminal: Taxi Taxi fare from the downtown bus terminal would cost around $10, and from the Dan Ryan terminal would be about $25. Information on using taxi services in Chicago is available on the City of Chicago's "How to use taxis" page. http://www.ci.chi.il.us/ConsumerServices/TaxisAndLiveries/HowToUseTaxis.html CTA Train Both terminals are close to the Chicago Transit Authority's light rail system, commonly known as the "El". The Downtown Terminals is 2 blocks from the Blue Line (Forest Park Branch.) Take the blue line inbound to Jackson. You can then walk, about 5 blocks, or wait on Jackson street and take the #60 bus to Columbus, which is 1/2 block south of the Fairmont Hotel, and 1 block South of the Hyatt. Fare is $1.50, with an addition $.30 for the transfer. From the Dan Ryan terminal, take the CTA Red Line inbound to the Lake Street Station, and walk east 1 block for the Fairmont, and north from there 1 block to the Hyatt. CTA Bus From the downtown terminal, wait on Harrison for the #60 inbound, and ride it to Stetson. See above for directions. Fare would be $1.50 More information on the CTA system can be found at the CTA Homepage (below). Of particular interest would be the Downtown Sightseeing guide [www] (PDF), which covers all the lines mentioned above, and has a map with most of the downtown hotels marked. CTA Contact Greyhound via their web page or by phone at (800) 231-2222 for routes, schedules and fares. Greyhound Disclaimer: None of the above mentioned companies are affiliated in any way with Chicon 2000, and are offered for informational purposes only. Getting to Chicago: by Car * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chicago is well connected to the Interstate System, but does suffer from the same congestion problems that all major cities in the United States do. In general, travel between the hours of 7:00-9:30 AM, and 3:30-6:00, is likely to encounter congestion. There are information boards posted over several of the Interstates, and Illinois Department of Transportation operated traffic radio stations broadcast throughout the area -- signs along the highways will indicate frequencies. Nomenclature Chicago has a somewhat unique layout of highways, dictated by its position along the southwestern edge of Lake Michigan. Because of this, several highways traveling east to west through the country end up heading north-south through Chicago. In addition, various Interstates merge and split off at various points. Trying to describe these highways purely by route and Interstate numbers can get confusing. In Chicago, they don't. Almost every highway and tollway has a name, and they are usually refered to by name, rather than number. So, this page will try to give you the full name of all the highways, so that if you hear a traffic report, you'll know what's where. Simply grab a map, get to one of the Interstates listed below, and follow the directions. Interstates to Chicago The following Interstates run either through or nearby Chicago. I-55 I-55 runs from New Orleans, LA, north through Memphis, TN, St. Louis, MO, and into Chicago, where it ends. In the Chicagoland area, I-55 is named the Adlai E. Stevenson Expressway, or more simply, the Stevenson. To get to the convention, take the Stevenson all the way to the end, and exit at Lake Shore Drive. Take the drive north, into downtown. Once get downtown, take a left onto Jackson or Monroe Drive, and a right onto Michigan Avenue. Head north, along Michigan Avenue, until you reach Wacker Drive, and take a right. The Hyatt will be about 1/2 block east of Michigan on Wacker, the Swissotel is about 2 blocks west of Michigan. For the Fairmont, take a right on Columbus from Wacker, and go south 1 block. I-80 I-80 runs east to west, from New York City to San Francisco, and passes about thirty miles south of Chicago. From the eastern US, I-80 and I-90 are the same, so follow the directions for I-90, which are listed below. From the west, Take I-80 to I-55, and follow the directions, above. I-90 I-90 runs east to west, from Boston, MA to Seattle, WA. In a simple world, I-90 would run two hundred miles north of Chicago, but, because of the lake, it dives around and heads through Chicago in a northwesterly direction. Because of this, and the fact that I-90 combines with and splits off of I-94, I-90 has several names. In the southeastern part of the city, it is a toll road, known as the Chicago Skyway. It then combines with I-94 and is known as the Dan Ryan. In downtown, it crosses I-290 and becomes the Kennedy Expressway. Near O'hare, it becomes a toll road, and is called the Northwest Tollway, heading out to Rockford, IL and points west. From the Eastern US, take I-90 inbound, through the Chicago Skyway to the merge with the Dan Ryan. In downtown, you will meet I-290, which is known as the Eisenhower Expressway. Take I-290 east into downtown, and follow the I-290 directions below. From the Western US, take I-90 inbound, the Northwest Tollway, which is a toll road from near Rockford, IL to O'Hare Airport. Here, it changes to the Kennedy Expressway. Follow the Kennedy to the I-290 interchange, and take I-290 into downtown, following the directions below. I-94 I-94 begins in the southern end of Chicago, at I-80, and heads north, roughly along Lake Michigan, to Milwaukee, WI, then bends west, hitting the northern tier of states until it merges with I-90 in Billings, MT. On the south side of the Chicago, I-94 is known as the Dan Ryan. It merges with the Kennedy Expressway at the I-290 interchange, but splits off again on the north side of the city, and is called the Edens Expressway. From the South, Take I-94 to I-290, and follow the directions listed below. From the north, I-94 merges into I-90, the Kennedy. Follow the Kennedy to the I-290 interchange, and follow the directions below. I-88 I-88, the East-West Tollway, runs from Davenport, IA to Chicago. It's a tollway virtually its entire length. Take I-88 into I-290, the Eisenhower Expressway, and follow the direction for I-290, below. I-57 I-57 runs through southeastern Illinois, and meets up with I-55 in southern Missouri. I-57 meets up with I-94, the Dan Ryan, so follow the directions for I-94. I-290 I-290, the Eisenhower Expressway, heads west from the Loop into the suburbs, where it turns north. Most of the above highways merge with I-290 just west of downtown Chicago. From this interchange, head east on I-290, into downtown. You will find the highway heading underneath a large building, the Chicago Post Office, where it becomes Congress Parkway, and heads through the Loop. The simple route is to take Congress Parkway to Michigan Avenue, then head north on Michigan to Wacker Drive. Take a right on Wacker Drive. The Hyatt will be about 1/2 block east of Michigan on Wacker, the Swissotel is about 2 blocks west of Michigan. For the Fairmont, take a right on Columbus from Wacker, and go south 1 block. Parking Parking will be detailed later, once the construction season opens. Currently, the Hyatt and Swissotel have parking decks under the hotels, and the City of Chicago's Grant Park North Garage is 2 blocks away. Service Mark Notice * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Service Mark Notice: "World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon", "NASFiC" and "Hugo Award" are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society. 20000223.txt sent to 1406 subscribers of CHICON-NEWS.