Geting around in chicago IL ?

Question

am 20 years old and have a 9 month old son and we are going to visit his daddy in IL he is in a-school in the navy on base there.. i would love to fly up but i dont know how i would get around up there since im not 25 and cant rent a car. is there ANYWAY possible i could rent a car?? taxis are so expensive and i wouldnt feel safe taking my son on the train shuttle things.. and it is a FAR road trip to drive up from florida.. any suggestions?? were getting married when we go up there as well.

Answer 1

You won't be able to rent a car under any circumstance unless you find a 25yr old.  You can buy (at least when I was there a few months ago) 2, 3 and 7 day METRO passes.  They allow you to ride the buses and the subway.  Get those - they are a great deal.  The part of Chicago you'll be in is safe and so is the whole "downtown" area with shopping and the bean and Navy pier.  Just don't ride down to the south or southeast side.  Enjoy your time.

Answer 2

no.  besides.. Great Lakes is about an hour away from Chicago.  you could take the EL, that's it, there is a train station just outside the gates of RTC.  and yoru spouse is not permitted to drive while still in A school.

has the Liberty restrictions been lifted?  last I heard NOBODY could leave base.  

Answer 3

Both Budget and Avis will rent a car to you...OR you can have your parents reserve it for you and put you on as an authorized driver....

Answer 4

i have been on the trains and i think they are very nice, they are clean and i have never seen any creepy people on them

and they are only like 2 dolars a ride

i would take them, i wouldnt worry about your son they are nice

Answer 5

Bus fare may be cheaper than air fare. Check on the internet.

Answer 6

Unless it's nighttime, the trains are really safe.

But, don't give up on the car idea.  If you've tried all the national chains, search online for something less well-known, like a local "rent-a-wreck" type place.  Before I was 25, I could occasionally find rental cars.

Answer 7

AVIS-- At participating locations, Avis recently lowered the rental minimum age to 21 years old in all states except for Washington DC.

Rather than requiring customers to be 25 to rent, Avis now rents to customers between the ages of 21-24 with a valid credit card and driver's license. At time of rental, we will automatically apply an additional $25-per-day underage surcharge for these drivers.

New York State will continue to have a minimum age of 18 with a $110 surcharge per day for renters age 18-20 and a $25 per day underage surcharge for renters age 21-24.

In the United States we do not have a maximum age requirement.



Government Minimum Age Policy - Military and Civilian Personnel

Military (Fema, US Postal Dept., Navy and Army) and Civilian Personnel

Minimum age - 18 years (No underage surcharge will apply) with Government Travel or Purchase order

Minimum age - 21 years (No underage surcharge will apply) no travel or purchase order

Additionally, the following restrictions also will apply for renters between the ages of 21-24: Renters of luxury, Mini-Vans, 12-Passenger Vans, Specialty, and Full-Size SUVs, Premium SUVs will not be permitted.

ENTERPRISE--  Enterprise Rent-A-Car is one of the few companies that rents automobiles to people under the age of 25. There is, however, a statistically greater number of automobile accidents involving drivers in this age group. As a result, we do charge renters under the age of 25 an additional amount, which varies by location, to cover the increased exposure. If applicable, these fees are quoted with the total price when searching for a vehicle on our web site at www.enterprise.com.