My folks and I are traveling via AMTRAK through Chicago’s Union Station ... like downtown ... so how safe is that? Where are all the shootings taking place? We have to change trains there ... I’m for opting to just stay in the station for the two hour layover ....
Downtown is safe. You can go to the Sears Tower or Navy Pier if you would like. In the Sears Tower (now renamed), you can go to the skydeck and see the entire city for $15.
Just don’t take the Red Line or Green line south, or the green or blue line west. Those are the bad areas.
The terminal is downtown. Things are pretty safe there. If you venture out you will see a lot of panhandlers.
Oh don't be silly.....Chicago's only averaging about 1.5 killings a day so what are the odds you'll be next? :)
I have taken the train From Michigan to Galesburg Illinois many times, I used to live in Galesburg. Union Station in Chicago is relatively safe, if you stay in the waiting room terminals, I usually go to that sports bar behind the elevators and across the hall to eat, they have good food.
You just have to watch for the panhandlers and people trying to con your money. People usually come up to me giving me some sob story about how they don’t have money and need to get to X, Y and Z. One time a guy tried to sell me a watch, and when I declined he then took out a bag of weed and tried to sell me that, and naturally I also declined. I couldn’t believe the guy had the guts to pull out a bag of weed right there in the waiting room, where there were cops and sniffing dogs coming through periodically.
I’d suggest you take a cab up to State Street where it meets with Rush. Walk 2 blocks up Rush, take a right at Division Street to Lake Shore Drive, then head south to Michigan Avenue, (maybe a right onto Oak Street, back to State) for a very safe, lovely short tour of the uptown part of city.