quote:

Originally posted by Black Jacque:
I think BtB isn’t paying attention to my advice, because she’s afraid I’m seeking revenge for what she did sending poor remote home from Vienna.

She got him an ‘economical’ fare, from an airport ‘servicing’ Vienna.

Anyway, after the second day, the last leg of which was by donkey cart, the blindfolded remote reached the airfield. It was a dirt strip somewhere in the Carpathians. He flew out in a clapped-out Ilyushin running on three of four engines (a chicken was sucked in to one during take-off) with what looked like a brush applied paint job. He said the passenger windows were painted over.

He made some interesting friends.The Russian flight crew was drunk, and very friendly. His fellow passengers included: a gaggle of scared, very young, eastern European women, and three hard men in cheap suits and bad haircuts who spoke no English and were each shackled to their very own, very large all metal briefcase. They shared the interior of the plane with several heavy packing crates marked ‘Agricultural Implements’ that smelled of gun oil, and many shrink-wrapped pallets of cigarettes.

There was one advantage to the flight. It was a smoking flight, everyone got to smoke as much as they wanted, for free.

Anyway, if I had to make a suggestion,

I’d fly Lufthansa into JFK. Take the train from NYC to DC (Amtrak). Take United from Regan (DCA) to O’Hare (ORD). (United code shares with Lufthansa.) Then take Lufthansa from ORD to that dirt strip in the Carpathians via Frankfurt (FRA).

quote:

Originally posted by not-quite-so-Hooliganish Intellectual:
Let me repeat a bit of what was said here:

Order of airports in DC is definitely DCA>BWI>IAD. Regan National is by far the easiest to get to, but it is also by far the most expensive. That said, they do a good bit of business in the commuter travel between DC, NY, and Boston, so you may be able to find a fairly inexpensive flight. Next best option is BWI, which is much cheaper. If you go to BWI, DO NOT take a taxi into DC. Take the bus to the Amtrak station and take the MARC train into DC Union Station. It should only be about $10, and it will be MUCH faster than taxi. Dulles should be avoided at all costs, unless the plans change and you are flying directly to the US via Dulles (in all my trips from DC for work, the only times I flew out of Dulles were for trips to Europe).

As for DC to Chicago, check to see if Southwest has any flights (from BWI). They will be fairly inexpensive, and I've always had good luck with flights out of there.

Finally, you may want to consider taking the train from NY to DC. I've made the trip for about $150 day return, and it was a very stress free way to travel - much easier than making my way through the airport. Also, it will drop you right off in Union Station, and from there it is easy to get anywhere in DC via Metro.

Now, I need to go read the rest of the thread to see if I can add anything else...

**ETA - the other benefit of flying into Regan National is the possibility to see the city from the air. Depending on which way you take-off/land (which depends on the winds each day), you may flight directly down the river, right over downtown DC. If you do fly into Regan, try to get a seat on the left side of the plane (left side you will see DC, right side the Pentagon). Reverse these for departure...

quote:

I'd second flying Southwest into Chicago - they use Midway airport, which is much less huge and confusing than O'Hare, and has direct metro service to the loop (main downtown area).

quote:

Originally posted by Black Jacque:

quote:

I'd second flying Southwest into Chicago - they use Midway airport, which is much less huge and confusing than O'Hare, and has direct metro service to the loop (main downtown area).

The issue with that is Southwest flies out of BWI to Midway. BWI is 30 miles from Washington DC. Midway is 10 miles to Chicago on the excellent Orange Line.

Reagan is 3 miles from Washington DC. O'Hare is about 15 miles to Chicago on the ropey Blue Line.

Its about 40 miles on public transportation to use BWI/Midway versus 20 miles using Reagan/O'Hare. The issue is the Washington leg with its long trip with a transfer out to BWI versus the short direct trip to Reagan.

On the Chicago leg, I've found the difference in rail times between Midway and O'Hare to be about 15-minutes (non-rush hour) to the loop. (Midway to the loop being quicker.) Neither lines require tranfers.

Travel on public transportation in the summer heat with baggage in a foreign country can be trying. I guess its going to depend on BtB's budget, travel schedule, and level-of-pain.

quote:

Originally posted by Lan Martak:
I want to try and get overlap with people without making the Chicago natives sick of me.

quote:

While fireworks and Independence Day seem to go hand in hand, what better way to see the flashes and hear the booms than along the lakefront at Navy Pier? Each year the City of Chicago hosts its annual Independence Eve Fireworks celebration held the night before the Fourth of July. This year will be no exception, with the 20-minute display containing more than 5,000 works from manufacturers across the globe. Led by conductor Christopher Bell, the Grant Park Orchestra will accompany the spectacular display, with live renditions of 'America the Beautiful,' 'Bell of Chicago' and 'The Stars and Stripes Forever,' among others.

 if JP lets us get any sleep the night before!