Population: City: 3 million; In the suburbs:
another 5 million.
Time
zone: Chicago is located in the central time
zone. When it is 12:00 noon in New York City, it is
11:00 AM in Chicago.
Weather:
Chicago experiences four very distinct seasons, with
chilly, snowy winters and hot, sometimes humid, summers.
Fall and spring are temperate, and provide pleasant
weather for the many outdoor activities available in
the Chicago area.
National Weather Service's current conditions and forecast
are available at 312/976-1212 (toll call ).
Holidays
New
Year's Day Jan. 1
Martin
Luther King, Jr., Day 3rd Mon. in Jan.
President's
Day 3rd Mon. in Feb.
Memorial
Day last Mon. in May;
Independence
Day July 4
Labor
Day 1st Mon. in Sept.
Thanksgiving
Day 4th Thurs. in Nov.
Christmas
Eve and Christmas Day Dec. 24 and 25
New
Year's Eve Dec. 31.
Area Codes: The 312 area code applies
to the Loop and the neighborhoods closest to it, including
River North, North Michigan Avenue, and the Gold Coast.
The code for the rest of the city is 773. Suburban area
codes are 847 (north), 708 (west and southwest), and
630 (far west). You must dial "1" plus the
area code for all telephone numbers, even if you are
making a call within the same area code.
Business
Hours: Normal business hours are 10am-6pm Monday
through Saturday. Malls are until 7pm and for shorter
hours on Sunday. Banking hours in Chicago are 8-5 Monday-Friday.
Some banks open at 8AM.
Emergencies:
For fire or police emergencies, call tel. 911.
Hospitals:
Newest: Northwestern Memorial Hospital, 251 E. Huron
St. (312/926-2000) has a state-of-the-art medical center
just off North Michigan Avenue. The emergency department
(312/926-5188) is located at 251 E. Erie St. Ambulance:
911.
Police:
For emergencies, call 911. For non-emergencies, dial
311.
Taxes:
The local sales tax is 8.75%. Restaurants in the central
part of the city, are taxed an additional 1%, for a
total of 9.75%. There is also a hotel tax.
Transit
Information: CTA Directory 836-7000 (from any
area code in the city or suburbs)
Getting
around:
The city's streets are set up in a grid pattern, providing
ease of navigation. Parking is often hard to find. Taxis
are readily available. The elevated "El" trains
are color coded and run through the downtown "Loop"
every five to fifteen minutes during the day Walking
is an option year round as the underground Pedway pedestrian
tunnels link more than 40 blocks of the central business
district.
Chicago's
O'Hare International Airport (773) 686-2200 is one of
the world's busiest. O'Hare is located northwest of
the city; depending on traffic, drive time is 30 minutes
to more than an hour.
On
the opposite end of the city, the Southwest Side, is
Chicago's other major airport, Midway International
Airport ( 773) 838-0600.
Getting
Into Town From the Airport: Taxis are plentiful
at both O'Hare and Midway. Public transportation is
convenient from both airports. You can take the El directly
into downtown. O'Hare is located on the Blue Line; a
trip to downtown takes about 40 minutes. Trains leave
every 6 to 10 minutes during the day, and every half-hour
in the evening and overnight. Getting downtown from
Midway on the Orange Line takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Continental
Airport Express (tel. 888/2-THEVAN or 312/454-7800)
serves most first-class hotels in Chicago with its blue-and-white
vans; ticket counters are located at both airports near
the baggage claim.
Free
Ride: During the summer, the city of Chicago
operates free trolleys daily between Michigan Avenue
and the Museum Campus (site of the Adler Planetarium,
the Field Museum of Natural History, and the Shedd Aquarium)
and on weekends in the fall and spring. Free trolleys
also run year-round between Navy Pier and the Grand/State
El station on the Red Line (you can check out the routes
and get details on schedules at
Ticket
to Ride: Visitors can buy a Visitor Pass, which
works like a fare card and allows individual users unlimited
rides on the El and CTA buses over a 24-hour period.
El
& the Subway: Sky Train: Chicago's El:
Chicago has the biggest El in the country, and the second-largest
public transportation system.
The
rapid transit system operates five major lines, which
the CTA identifies by color: The Red Line runs north-south;
the Green Line runs west-south; the Blue Line runs through
Wicker Park/Bucktown west-northwest to O'Hare Airport;
the Brown Line runs in a northern zigzag route; and
the Orange Line runs southwest, serving Midway airport.
A
separate express line, the Purple Line, services Evanston,
while a smaller, local line in Skokie (the Yellow Line)
is linked to the north-south Red Line. Skokie and Evanston
are adjacent suburbs on Chicago's northern boundary.
By
Car
Chicago
is laid out in a very straight forward grid pattern,
and it is easy for visitors to get around the city by
car. Unless otherwise posted, a right turn on red is
allowed after stopping and signaling.
By
Boat
During
the summer, boat traffic greatly expands along the Lake
Michigan shoreline and the Chicago River. Water Taxi
and River Bus service operate every few minutes.
