We want to visit U Michigan and Northwestern in one swing. We’ll be flying in. What’s the best way to travel between the two schools? Fly to one airport, then rent a car to drive the four hours to the next school? Is there another good option, like commuter airports (we’ll probably have the cello, which means an extra seat on a flight). Thank you.
I would drive. 4 hours is not worth a flight - by the time you returned a rental car, got to the airport, checked in …
Which are you doing first? O’Hare is a better bet for Evanston than Midway, though Midway is certainly doable.
If you are traveling in January or February (March too, but less so) be aware how weather can affect drive times etc. The drive from Evanston to Ann Arbor includes a lot of road affected by lakefront weather, which means one part can have light snow and 30 miles later, you have drifts and dangerous conditions. Give yourself lots of extra time.
You may want to consider Amtrak.
Look up Megabus between Chicago and Ann Arbor. It is cheaper than Amtrak and its terminal is also at Union Station… If you rent a car, be prepared to hit a lot of toll ways on the way.
Are you suggesting she cab or Uber from O’Hare to Evanston, then do the same from Evanston to Union Station? If so, she will need to stay in Evanston within walking distance of NU, and there are not a lot of options. Renting s car gives her a lot more flexibility esp if she wants to see Chicago or explore the area around Evanston.
@PG No. But if the trip is planned with Northwestern first and Michigan second I wouldn’t hesitate to drop the car and take Amtrak if snow is in the forecast. Of course, you would need to buy a ticket for the cello.
True. Just might involve some logistical challenges in dropping off a rental car some place and schlepping a cello to Union Station.
Hertz has a location in Chicago’s Union Station.
Good to know! Did not know that! Hope that helps the OP.
Are UCinci and Indiana on your agenda as well? All four are within about a 4-5 hour drive from the other.
Also ask in this subforum:http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/music-major/
Personally I would fly to Ohare with the cello, cab to northwestern. It’s an hour in traffic. Then can back and fly to Ann Arbor. I would not drive it. Weather is bad. Roads bad. Rather be stuck in Ohare than in a road side. It’s a long drive.
–Midwesterner
The route btn Chgo and AA can be bad – but it’s not Siberia. It’s a heavily travelled route (I-94) and well maintained. Unless you happen to be driving DURING a storm – it’s not something to FLY to Detroit over. I’ve travelled that route probably 100s of times, including winter.
People in Chicagoland go skiing in SW Michigan all winter long. Really, the kind of weather that will make Chicago-Ann Arbor impassable is going to also ground planes at o’Hare.
Never fly in to O’hare if you can get a flight to Midway. O’hare flights are late quite frequently. I would rent a car to keep the cello at a warmer temperature instead of risking cracks.
Between Ann Arbor and Chicago : both the Megabus and Amtrak - both leaving from /near union station and close to the UM campus are good ways to go. Amtrak is late at least 50% of the time, often by several hours. Megabus is faster and the wifi works on it. You will have to check with them on their cello policies, but you definitely don’t want it in the unheated luggage area unless you have a carbon fiber one. . I prefer driving for two if you can get a reasonable one way rental which you can return at the airport. Hertz with AAA discount sometimes has good one way deals. The only stretch that is bad is usually lake effect snow on I-80 in Indiana and I-94 in western Michigan. On bad days it can stretch from Gary to Kalamazoo, but so far this has been a very mild winter with little snow.
When we toured Northwestern we stayed at The Homestead which is only a few blocks from campus. Charming hotel but I will admit the rooms while spacious were quite dated. However location was important to us and the rest of the hotel had a quirky charm that grew on us. It’s also on a lovely residential street and has a pretty decent restaurant on the ground floor.
OP, if you desire to stay in Evanston (within walking distance of NU) there aren’t really a lot of options so I’d book that pretty quickly. The Hilton Orrington is another option that’s super close to campus, just a block away from the music facilities.
I would definitely plan to drive but get Amtrack tickets in case the weather is bad. Amtrack can be cancelled at the Last minute for a minor fee. Amtrack is often Late though so I’d definitely plan to go in the day before.
FYI, there are set taxi fares from ORD to the suburbs. O’Hare to Evanston - $32, Midway to Evanston - $55. Some additional baggage fees I’m sure.
Others have indicated the snow belt across I-94 and I-80/90 very well. I drive this frequently and have had plans disrupted more than once. The roads can be fine, then suddenly there’s a white out with zero visibility. Much truck traffic which can also make conditions even more nerve wracking. I’ve also crept along at 15 MPH seeing numerous cars in ditches. Other trips, absolutely no problems what-so-ever. It really isn’t highly plan-able from weeks or months out. Having said that, if I needed to get to Ann Arbor sometime in the next couple months, I would plan on driving. As others have said, you are best to know all the options and be ready to switch plans.
I personally would not choose Midway over ORD if going to Evanston, but the previous poster is correct that ORD schedules are often disrupted. If it was me, I would decide based on the airline cost and flight times, noting additional potential taxi cost and distance from Midway to Evanston.
Do post this in the Music Forum. There are probably families who have done exactly these visits for auditions. You may get more specific info, suggestions and experiences.