Several months ago, I posted about traveling to Chicago by train. My column last week about traveling to the Windy City to take part in the U.S. debut of Canadian artist Gordon Halloran’s Museum of Modern Ice got me to thinking. Perhaps this would be a good time to renew the information about day-tripping to Chicago via the convenient South Shore Line.
Operated by the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District (800/356-2079), the South Shore Line provides daily connections with Chicago. It’s a commuter line so people depend on it to get to work. Translation: It’s on time.
For people in our area, the closest connections are Michigan City and South Bend, Indiana. Although trains do go as far east as South Bend (at the airport), there are not as many trains making the South Bend connection. Most of the people I know who use the South Shore just go to Michigan City.
At the Michigan City Carroll Avenue Station, you’ll find a large paved and lighted lot. You can leave your car safely here. We have done it several times, and people do it every day. By the way, there are two stops in Michigan City, Eleventh Street and Carroll Avenue. You want the latter since there is no parking at Eleventh Street. Carroll Avenue station is easy to find. Just take the Michigan City exit from I-94. It’s right on the way to the big outlet mall there.
Once you’ve taken the exit and are headed in the direction of the outlet mall (toward Michigan City) and have traveled a couple or three miles, you’ll see a huge water tower on the right. At about the time you see the water tower, you’ll see a McDonald’s restaurant, also on the right. Turn right on Carroll Avenue, which runs between the water tower and the McDonald’s. A block or two down Carroll you’ll see the sign for the station—another right turn.
In planning your trip, remember that Michigan City is on Central Time. You can buy tickets from the conductor once you board if the ticket office is closed. Try to have small bills, close to the total of your ticket or tickets. They will not accept a bill larger than a $20. A one-way ticket from Carroll Avenue to Millennium Station is $7.70 ($6.50 on weekends). Millennium Station at Randolph Street is the end of the line, and from here, you can go pretty much anywhere in the city using taxis or public transportation. Of course, there are plenty of other stops before you get to Millennium and if you know where you need to go, you can take any of these.
So just think. For about $15 per person round-trip, you can visit Chicago for a day or a few days with minimum hassle and expense. Sure, you have to drive to Michigan City. But, it’s only about an hour and a half and, all things considered, a lot less than the cost and aggravation of driving to the city, trying to find parking and then paying through the nose for it once you find it.
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