<p>What is the best way to get from downtown Chicago to the University? By best, I mean safest and involving the least amount of time in the cold weather. And cheaper is always better, of course. </p>
<p>I know taxi is generally an ok choice, but could someone tell me the best public transportation options as well?</p>
<p>depends where you're staying.</p>
<p>Probably your best bet (depending on the time of day) is to take the 2, the 6, or the 173. The 2 and the 173 have odd schedules, but the 6 runs regularly.</p>
<p><a href="http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/2.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/2.pdf</a>
<a href="http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/173.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/173.pdf</a>
<a href="http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/6.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://transitchicago.com/maps/bus/bus/6.pdf</a></p>
<p>The 2 and 6 will require a bit of walking to campus. The 173 will drop you off closest to where you'll want to be.</p>
<p>Or, you can take the Metra from Millenium Park station to 57th street on Metra Electric Line. You'll be about 5 blocks from campus if you take the Metra.</p>
<p>Here's more info:
Chicago</a> Life</p>
<p>Hm, I thought about visiting before I applied in December (like there was ever a question of whether I wanted to go or not!) but now that I've applied, I'm scared I'll goo, fall in love with it, and get rejected. I think that would be the most depressing thing of all XD</p>
<p>It is a very visually alluring campus-- I can't tell you how many times I walk around, minding my own business, and remember "most people would find this place exceptionally beautiful."</p>
<p>You have to kind of dig the neo-Gothic, thing, though, and you kind of have to think that gargoyles are cool I think J.K. Rowling has singlehandedly brought neo-Gothic back into style, as everybody I know who visits just likes to talk about how we're so Harry Potterish-- if your ideal campus is more along the lines of classic American, Harvard or UVA, you will NOT like Chicago's physical plant. Also, if you don't like the idea of hearing cars drive by on the edges of the quads or of having to cross actual streets to get from dorm to class, you're not going to like campus.</p>
<p>^ True, but I've already visited before for my interview. I guess I should have been more specific. I meant an overnight stay sort of thing.</p>
<p>It really puzzles me how some people would reject a UC acceptance to go to an Ivy. I applied to a few very very good schools and even if Oxford itself came down from on high and offered me an acceptance letter, I would still cling to hope that a UC letter is in the mail. Silly people.</p>
<p>Lovely campus, crappy weather (but I've been dealing with it for 18 years now, so nothing new), great students, and a kick-ass city. What more can you want?</p>
<p>This is picky but.... referring to the University of Chicago as UC can be confusing. The University of California schools are the "UC" schools in general. That's why you will usually see "Chicago", UChi, or "U of C" when University of Chicago is the subject.</p>
<p>Chicago is extremely appealing to my son in all ways but one - the weather. Cold is one thing (and something he's accustomed to, being a New Englander), but grey and dreary is another. What's everyone's take on the sunshine factor?</p>
<p>glasses-- I've always been a fan of U(C)... it's old school, but it does the trick. I think the Maroon stylebook does UofC, but I'm not sure. I know some quasi-reputable source (the Chicago Tribune, maybe?) does. The Chicago Manual of Style probably has something to say about it :-)</p>
<p>map-- is going without sunshine for a week kinda tough at times? yeah, it is, but it's tough for everybody, and I have several effective coping mechanisms (coffee, Guitar Hero, complaining, Chicago Dark Chocolate ice cream, xkcd.com, to name a few). When the sun does come out, I'm a very happy gal and I relish in it before it goes away again.</p>
<p>So what do most current students use? I've never seen U (C)! In my day it was exclusively U of C, I thought that was old school, lol.</p>
<p>U of C or UofC, I think. Also Chicago, UChicago. I like just saying "Chicago," though of course it depends on context and company.</p>
<p>On the original topic, if you want the scenic route from downtown Chicago to campus, take the 6 bus to 55th and Hyde Park, and transfer to the 55 bus westbound to 55th and wherever you are going (probably University). If the weather is OK, of course, you can walk that mile or so, but it's also perfectly OK to take the second bus. The 6 goes through the southern half of the Loop, mainly on State. (The other busses run only during rush hours, and the 173 only goes from the University north, not the other way.)</p>
<p>Your main alternative is to take the Red Line or Green Line El to Garfield (different stops, same name), and then transfer to the 55 bus eastbound to the university. This, however, will not be as pretty a trip, and not necessarily any shorter a trip, either, compared to the 6 bus. Plus, if standing at a bus stop on a busy corner in a low income neighborhood makes you feel unsafe, you will feel unsafe. (Kids do this all the time, however. For some reason, the Red Line seems to be more popular with Chicago students, even though it's farther from campus and the transfers to/from the Northside lines are less convenient.)</p>
<p>The Metra is OK, but more expensive and less convenient to get on, and it doesn't get you any meaningfully closer to the main Quad.</p>
<p>I forget how much the transfer costs. What you should be doing is buying a 24- or 48-hour unlimited CTA pass when you get to Chicago. (I think it's $5 for a one-day pass, and $8 or $9 for a two-day pass.)</p>