DOWNTOWN — Coming to the Cubs parade and rally Friday?
Be prepared to get stuck — in traffic, waiting for trains or behind throngs of crowds, officials said.
RELATED: Here's The Route For The Parade And Rally
Multiple streets will be blocked off or restricted to traffic, including along the parade route, which roughly runs on Addison Street east from Wrigley Field, on Lake Shore Drive to Michigan Avenue, on Michigan to Monroe, and on Columbus Drive to Balbo Avenue. The city said the main viewing areas are:
♦ Addison Street from Sheffield to Pine Grove.
♦ North Michigan Avenue from Oak Street to Ohio Street.
♦ Columbus Drive from Monroe Street to Balbo Avenue.
Here's your options to get there:
CTA
The CTA says it will provide extra service on the Red and Blue subway lines and the Brown, Green, Pink and Orange "L" lines.
The extra service will start after the morning rush period and through midday.
Officials advised fans "to allow plenty of travel time due to street closures, traffic congestion and reroutes." You might want to load your Ventra card before the rally because the lines to do so could be long.
No bikes will be allowed on trains between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Many bus routes will be detoured because of street closures. Check the CTA's website for updates on reroutes.
METRA
Metra will be slammed.
“Tomorrow is expected to be the busiest day in Metra’s history,” said Metra CEO Don Orseno.
They have experience: In 2013, Metra carried 425,000 passengers for the Blackhawks championship rally, the second-highest daily total in Metra’s history, and 421,400 in 2015, the third-highest total.
Officials said it will put every locomotive and rail car it has in service. Even still, expect trains to be filled to capacity, and residents that live closer to Downtown could see trains full before they have a chance to board. Leave early, officials advised.
The rail service will offer $5 unlimited ride tickets Friday. But no bikes or booze will be allowed on the trains.
Exact schedules will be online at metrarail.com.
BIKE
If you bike in, you might want to lock up your bike blocks away from the parade route or rally. No bikes will be allowed on the CTA between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. or all day on Metra.
Divvy riders can check the bike share website's station page to see where they can get bikes, but more importantly, where they can dock them, since stations near the parade route will fill up quickly.
Nearby stations include Michigan at Oak, Pearson, Lake, Washington, Madison and Monroe. There is also a station at Roosevelt and Indiana near Hutchinson Field.
RIDE-SHARE
Expect to pay through the nose to take an Uber or Lyft Friday
The ride-hailing services had surge pricing Thursday morning, with Uber charging 1.5 times as much as it normally does, and Lyft's prices doubling as of 6:45 a.m.
Prices could be higher Friday.
DRIVING
If you plan to drive, there are some deals — but you have to act quickly.
SP+ is offering $1.08 parking spots — for the first 108 customers to book. The next 1,908 can get spots for $20.16.
Soldier Field is offering discounted parking at is North Garage. The cost is $15 (down from $22) for eight hours on Friday. The garage opens at 6 a.m.
Other garages Downtown offered rates of between $19 and $45 on ParkWhiz. The app also has lots in Wrigleyville.
The route the Cubs will roughly take from Wrigley Field to Hutchinson Field.
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