Sisters and travel experts Colleen Kelly and Catie Keogh talk you through all the things you need for smooth thanksgiving holiday travel. Also in today’s show the Trip Sisters talk about their favorite places to get away during the holidays.
Tag Archives: holiday travel
Weekend A-Jenda: May 26th – 30th (Memorial Day Weekend)
Click Here for Weekend Traffic Projects
Click Here for Weekend CTA Travel Alerts
Bike the Drive
Date: Sunday, May 29, 2016
Time: 5:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Location: Lake Shore Drive between Bryn Mawr on the north and 57th Street on the south, Chicago
Traffic Alert: Lake Shore Drive WILL be closed to ALL traffic on Sunday morning from 5:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.
Closures will also be in place throughout Grant Park and at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Seek an alternate route.
For more information, registration and volunteer information, click here!
Belmont-Sheffield Music Fest
Date: Saturday, May 28 and Sunday, May 29
Time: Noon to 10:00 p.m. on both days
Location: Lakeview, Chicago
Traffic Alert: Sheffield will be closed between Belmont and Roscoe from Friday afternoon through Sunday night.
Music performance from 97nine, a local rock band paying tribute to WLS-AM 890 sister station, Chicago’s Loop 97.9FM rock radio. Headliners include Wedding Banned and Catfight.
Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade
Date: Saturday, May 28,
Time: 11:00 a.m – 2:00 p.m.
Location: Downtown Chicago
From the City of Chicago website: Chicago’s Memorial Day Parade honors all men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.
The Wreath Laying Ceremony will begin at 11am at the Eternal Flame on Daley Plaza (Dearborn and Washington Streets). The parade will step off at noon and proceed south on State Street from Lake Street to Van Buren Street.
Traffic Alert: State St. will be closed from Lake St. to Van Buren after 11:00 a.m. for the parade.
Ways to get there without a car:
El: Pink, Orange, Green, Brown, Purple to Randolph; Blue to Washington; Red to Lake.
Bus: 3, 4, 6, 10, 14, 26, 143, 144, 146, 147, 151, 157.
Metra and South Shore to Millennium Station.
Red, White, & Bar-B-Q Competition
Date: Friday, May 27 – Sunday, May 29
Location: Ty Warner Park, Westmont
From the RTA: Billed the state’s largest barbecue competition, this festival will draw more than 20,000 barbecue lovers to sample savory dishes from some of the best barbecue vendors in the Midwest. Learn more at www.westmontbbq.com.
Stay Indoors at the Walker Stalker Con
Date: May 28 – 29
Location: Rosemont Convention Center, Rosemont
From the RTA: Zombie lovers will unite at this event, featuring celebrities, vendors and a costume party. Learn more at www.walkerstalkercon.com.
Traffic and Travel
Thursday Evening Only: The 35th Annual J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge will take place in Grant Park and the North Loop Area on Thursday, May 26 beginning at 7:00 pm. There will be street closures in effect before, during and after the event to accommodate event operations.
Lake Shore Drive Northbound between 57th St/Museum of Science & Industry and 31st Street will be closed from 7:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning for the Soldier Field 10 Mile Run.
The Adams Street Bridge at the Chicago River is closed for reconstruction. Seven CTA Bus routes are rerouted and a detour is posted.
In Orland Park, 147th St, 151st and 156th between Lagrange Rd and Ravina Ave are closed until the end of May.
The North Avenue pedestrian bridge over Lake Shore Drive is closed through June to pedestrian and bicyclist traffic for bridge repair and maintenance.
Randolph Street has two lanes closed downtown between State Street and Dearborn with utility work.
Weekend CTA Travel Alerts
CTA Construction
Blue Line trains heading in the direction of Forest Park will bypass Montrose for platform repairs on weekends from Friday at 10:00 p.m through Monday at 4:00 a.m. until June 7.
Passengers are urged to use Irving Park or Jefferson Park.
Metra’s $8 Weekend Pass
From Metrarail.com: Unlimited rides on both Saturday and Sunday. Can be used in conjunction with Metra’s Family Fares. Not valid for travel on the South Shore (NICTD).
Kids Ride for FREE all Memorial Day Weekend!
Kids can ride Metra trains for free with their families Memorial Day through Labor day as part of an expanded Family Fares program. More information here.
Hiawatha Service offers new Saturday night round trips starting May 21 and running through September 3, 2016. With the start of the new schedules, Train 343 will depart Chicago at 11:10 pm, and Train 344 will depart Milwaukee at 10:40 pm. Trains 329 and 330 will operate only on weekdays during this three-month period.
Submit an Event to Jen
What's on your agenda this weekend? Send it over in an email, and it's just might pop up on Jen's A-Jenda and the Big John Howell Show!
UPDATE: Holiday travel volume highest in 10 years, as airports expect 1.6M in Chicago
(CHICAGO) More than 37.2 million Americans will be taking to the roads or skies this Memorial Day weekend, a 4.7 percent increase from last year and the highest total in 10 years, according to the annual AAA travel forecast.
On the roads, some 33 million travelers will be driving more than 50 miles to their destination, according to AAA.
“AAA is expecting more Memorial Day travelers this year than any time in the past 10 years as confident consumers come out of hibernation ready to explore national parks, beach destinations and America’s great cities,” AAA president Marshall Donley said in a statement.
Also fueling the increase is the fact that drivers will pay less for gas this holiday than they have in at least five years, a national average of $2.66, $1 less than last year, according to AAA.
In the air, holiday travel is expected to increase 2.5 percent to 2.6 million leisure travelers, according to AAA, and a lot of those will be passing through Chicago.
More than 1.6 million people are expected at the city’s two airports over Memorial Day weekend, which traditionally marks the start of the summer travel season.
The city Dept. of Aviation expects passenger volume at O’Hare to reach 1.2 million over the six-day period between Thursday and Tuesday, the department said in a statement. That number would be a 1.5 percent increase over 2014.
Midway is expected to see nearly 380,000 passengers, a 5 percent increase over last year, officials said.
Friday is expected to be the busiest travel day at both airports, the department said.
To mark the occasion, both airports will be sporting decorations in red, white and blue for the Memorial Day holiday, as well as to mark Military Appreciation Month.
Live blues and jazz bands will perform in terminals at both airports Friday. And the USO of Illinois is partnering with airport officials to allow travelers to donate to active and retired military personnel during the month of May.
Travelers to O’Hare should allow extra time because of roadway construction projects at the airport and on nearby Irving Park Road, Mannheim Road and I-190.
Along with low gas prices, a number of factors are getting Americans moving this weekend, according to AAA.
“A strong employment market and low gas prices have driven consumer optimism to new highs and boosted Americans’ disposable income. This is welcome news for the travel industry,” Donley said.
Other than planes and road vehicles, however, holiday transportation by other modes such as cruises, trains and buses is expected to decrease 3.6 percent to 1.64 million, according to AAA.
