shedd aquarium: i am bringing my three year old daughter and four year old niece to visit shedd aquarium, but i don't know about transportation. I can't decide if its better to get a hotel near the airport and try to take public transportation to the aquarium, or find a hotel near the navy pier, and use a hotel shuttle to/from the airport which would cost $20 per person each way? I would prefer to save some money, but i am not sure how difficult it will be trying to figure out the trains/buses with two little girls. any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated!|||Okay - I work at a hotel in downtown Chicago, and I have a five year old son so I'll give you my advice... Your best bet at either airport is to take the blue line (o'hare) or the orange line (midway) into the city. It would cost you $2 flat to get downtown...both kids will ride for free. There is also no transfering involved from either train: http://yourcta.com/maps/rail/rail.html If taking two very young kids on the train wouldn't work, you can take a cab...I haven't met a cab driver in the city who refused to take me around with my son without a car seat, and that should cost you about $40 with tip...though the whole car seat safety issue is up to you. The city has it's own shuttle service Airport Express http://www.airportexpress.com/ which is probably the prices you were quoted for the shuttle. Airport Express also does not offer car seats. As far as hotels go, if you plan on visiting Navy Pier and the Aquarium, stay in the Loop. You can take the free trolley to both attractions http://egov.cityofchicago.org/city/webpo鈥?/a> that is, the free trolley to Navy Pier runs year round, the free trolley to the aquarium starts again after Memorial Day. As far as hotels in the Loop go, the Hotel Monaco and Burnham both are in excellent locations(less than two blocks from both the midway and o'hare trains), have excellent concierges to help you find everything (free trolleys, bus routes...), and are child and pet friendly. Oh, and Lincoln Park Zoo is free - and open year round. Hope that helps!|||Getting to the aquarium can be cheap and easy. But it depends on where you're coming from or where' you're staying. You don't indicate exactly where you will be coming from or staying, so I will just let you know that the short, simple answer is to go to State Street in downtown Chicago and catch the 146 bus. It goes directly to the museum campus, which included the Shedd Aquarium. The bus goes by Soldier Field first, so stay on it and ride it all the way around until it comes back and stops right in front of the Aquarium. The ride will cost you $2. Children under the age of 7 ride free with a paying customer. You can also catch the No. 12. Bus. If you are coming from Midway airport, catch the Orange Line train from the airport and ride it toward the Loop. Get off at the Roosevelt Road stop, walk downstairs and catch the No. 12 bus. Again, it goes directly to the aquarium (after going around Soldier Field, etc.|||See if you can find a hotel that has a free airport shuttle so that would solve that problem. I'd take a cab to the aquarium, because the idea of public transport with two toddlers makes me want to pull MY hair out. But if you must... If you end up staying by midway, take the Orange line downtown and then grab a cab to the aquarium.|||Well, first of all, it depends on which airport you're flying into. Midway is to the SW of Downtown, O'Hare to the NW. Typically, the commute from either is easy, as both have El stations (subway, metro) coming from right in the airport. There are stops along the way that would make that the most efficient way of getting into the city. The difficulty is two-fold: First, you have your arms full with the children and second, the Shedd isn't near an El stop. It's right along the lakefront. I can't suggest which method would be cheaper. I don't know the prices for hotels in either area. But given that you have two young children with you, it would seem to me that a hotel near Navy Pier with a short cab ride down to the Shedd would be easier than trying to commute in from either airport. Here's a link to public transportation lines. http://www.transitchicago.com/ Click on the System Maps on the right side and then click on the View Downtown Map. You can also play with it to see just how far away the airports are from the Shedd. Good luck.