How to get to Chicago using South Shore Line Railroad

Living in Kalamazoo, big-city entertainment is still well within reach, considering Chicago and Detroit are only a few hours away. Here is what I consider to be one of the best way to travel to/from downtown Chicago (i.e. Navy Pier, Art Museum, Soldier Field, Lincoln Park, etc).

Drive your car to Michigan City for 1.5 hours, then take a train (NICTD's South Shore Line) for 1.5 hours to downtown Chicago. It only costs $7.55 on weekdays and $6.50 on weekends. From there, you can take the city bus or the subway system to get to major attractions near downtown. NICTD's timetable is available online.

Heading from Kalamazoo, you get off Exit 40b (Michigan City). That's the first exit after you enter the state of Indiana. Exit and follow U.S. 35 for a few miles until you see a huge water tank (it will say Michigan City) to your right. Just ahead is an intersection of U.S. 35 and Carroll Ave. Turn right at Carroll, go down several blocks until you see a sign "Carroll Avenue Station". Turn right into a FREE overnight parking lot.

You can pay for your tickets in the office or in the train. As you can see from the picture, the inside of the train is quite clean. The terminal is Randolph St/Michigan Ave. station. From here you can ride the city bus or subway system to go to many places near downtown Chicago. Definitely worth checking out.