One of the easiest and best means of reducing your environmental impact, and shed a few pounds in the process, is to walk. Hyde Park is easily navigable by foot and bike, and several bus routes run by the University make it easy to get from home to class. For trips out of Hyde Park, the Chicago Transportation Authority (CTA) provides an efficient and inexpensive means to get around Chicago.
[Biking]
Biking is a cheap and efficient way to navigate both Hyde Park and Chicago. The Lake Front path provides easy access to 18-miles of trails and a quick trip to both Downtown and the Museum Campus. It's a good idea to register your bike with the University police. Pick up registration forms in any residence hall or at the Young Building, 5555 South Ellis Avenue, 2-8181.
Blackstone Bikes
Your best bet. Cheap and tons of options. Plus, the shop teaches at-risk youth from the Woodlawn neighborhood the basics and beyond of bike-repair.
Location: 6100 S Blackstone (part of the Experimental Station)
Phone: (773) 425.2011
Hours: go to www.blackstonebikes.org
Working Bikes
Your next best bet. Same deal, but a bit further away. Most bikes get repaired and sent to poor areas in developing countries, with the store front providing the financial means to ship the bikes overseas.
Location: 1125 S. Western
Phone: (312) 421.5048
Hours: Saturday, Wednesday, and Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 PM
Web: www.workingbikes.org
Marketplace.uchicago.edu and Chicago.craigslist.org are also useful for finding bikes.
Get involved with the cycling community on the last Friday of every month with Chicago's Critical Mass. The ride meets at about 5:45 at the Daley Plaza.
Check out Millennium Park's Bicycle Station, which has secure, heated, indoor parking for bikes, showers, and a repair shop. It's located sat the north end of Millennium Park.
Bikes are allowed on all CTA trains (not the Metra), except during rush-hour in the mornings and evenings, Monday through Friday. Bikes can also be easily mounted on the fronts of buses. Train stations, such as the Garfield Green Line stop, often have safe bike racks inside the station.
[Public Transportation]
The CTA and Metra are invaluable services for those without a car. The Metra line runs directly downtown and is much more reliable, though less extensive, than the CTA. The CTA provides a convenient trip almost anywhere in the Chicago area. Use the CTA's web site, www.YourCTA.com, to plan out your next trip. Also, use the CTA as the start of a much longer trip; the CTA connects with Amtrak and Greyhound services to outside the Chicago area.
Campus CTA connections include the free 170, 171 and 172, which circulate Hyde Park, as well as the standard fare 6, 173 and 192 hospital shuttle, all of which run downtown, and the 55, which runs west to the Red and Green Line trains downtown.
University owned shuttles transport students around campus for free during limited night hours. See UChicago Evening Routes for information and schedules for the North, South, East and Central routes for undergraduate residence hall students.
Use the 'drunk van' for late night service. The van runs from midnight to 4:00 AM Monday through Thursday and from Midnight to 6:00 AM Friday through Sunday. Call (773) 702-2022 to get picked up.
Students can buy CTA cards in the Identification and Privileges Office on the first floor of the Reg. Be warned, transfers cannot be bought on buses with cash; you must purchase one at a train stop or other CTA vending machine.
Use the Ride Share Map in the basement of the Reynold's Club to hook up with rides from campus to anywhere in the country. Craigslist.org also hosts a list of ride share opportunities to and from Chicago.
[ Web Resources ]