I've never been to Chicago and may be dooming myself in my response.But,the 21 miles home-I'm going with the urban setting-is not "as the crow flies" and therefore my journey with probably be no more than 10+ miles.If I know the area(I would hope to)I would already know of any police stations,Wal-mart type stores,Pharmacies,Friends and family members homes that are between my work and home if I would be travelling in a relatively straight line.Given the urban setting the tall buildings should give some protection,depending upon wind direction,in between any stops that can be made.I would try for a place where I could ride out the storm and get a ride later but if snow removal is a problem I would be stuck either outside anyway(when the store does close) or left at a friends/family member home until road/bus traffic was an option.If I was able to obtain or already wearing good protective clothing I would most likely continue until I made my way home.Again,never being in Chicago I may be a popcicle by days end. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

I never have tried to bum a ride from the police or a delivery man but i rather look like a jackass than be dead. The senario says you need to get home and those are just options.

Also a good reason to donate to police funds and to know a few cops personally.

21 miles means you live out in the relatively far "newer" suburbs rather than the older suburbs. That means the your public transportation is limited to the train or taxi. The only real options for you to go from Chicago to home are:

1. Personal vehicle
2. Train (Metra or similar)
3. Taxi
4. Buses (plural - there may be a network that can get you there but I've never heard of folks doing it)
5. Bicycle - you'd have to stick to less travelled roads - they exist if you plan ahead, but you'd need to bicycle there in Chicago when you need it.
6. Walk - figuring 3 mph, having to go along side streets, as opposed to major highways, it could take 10-12 hours. With the weather we're having today this could be a nightmare.

Quite frankly the best bet might be to bike or walk out and hope whatever hit the fan is less of an issue as you get away from the city - allowing you to access transportation or have friends/family come and get you.

Or ... just hunker down in Chicago and wait for things to calm down.

Make it 36 miles. (From the Loop to Naperville).

First and second choices, to be excluded, would have to be Metra and personal vehicle.

Now you've got problems. Chicago lacks any long-distance public transportation other than Metra.

If you've ever seen the Eiisenhower during a blizzard, you'll know a cab isn't going to cut it. Particulalry if you've lost your wallet. That's an $80.00 ride when the roads are clear. DAMHIKT.

My first choice would be to hunker down at the office.

If I had to get out, I would pick a spot outside the Loop and coordinate a pick up with SWMBO. Traveling in a midwestern blizzard is not for the faint of heart.

M


By the way, OldBaldGuy, our winters build character... <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

Unless your rules for the game state otherwise, I'm staying at the office with my supplies and basic BOB that I've hidden in my file cabinet. That trip (20+ miles) would take me over five hours walking in good weather. Hunkering down for one or two days is better than dying of hypothermia

Given that I'm a teacher, I'm probably also stuck in the classroom with my students - all high school girls - and I better make certain that I've packed earplugs and aspirin.

Hmm, twenty one miles in a blizzard in Chicago...

Unless there's some public transportation service capable of navigating in the blizzard, then I would suggest staying put till the blizzard is done at the least. By the time you could make alternate transport arrangements you would probably have taken as long anyways. If it were dire for me to get home, I'd probably jack up one of the municipal snow plows and pay the consequences later. Not much of an alternative, not because of the impending jail time later, but because of excessive risk of traveling in very adverse circumstances. If the snow plows aren't running because the weather's too much, then travelling would become pretty pointless.

Having learned the hard way why they call Chicago the windy city, I wouldn't want anything but a tail wind on a bike, and studded tires for the snow and ice...

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. But usually, the worse the weather, the busier the officers are, so that even if they wanted to play taxi, and wanted to drive far off of their beat (something the old Sarge frowns on), they would be too busy to do it...

This is very real to me as my wife works 15 miles from Chicago and commutes about 20 miles farther out.
I can't work out this scenario as in the suburbs, there is only one choice of transportation- car. She can't get within 4 miles of our house from any form of public transportation.
That being said, she works with 90 people, many coming in the same general direction, so grouping up would be the next best alternative. If driving was out, and things were turning SHTF, hunkering down at work would be possible as they do have a cafeteria.
I take this exercize seriously as I was in the 89 SF quake, quite unaffected in the East Bay, while neighbors who had business on the peninsula couldn't communicate home for 6-10 hours, and some didn't get home until the following day.
I guess our current situation in Chicago looks a lot easier to figure out, but I am still stuck on "I don't know" regarding the original premise.

I'll shift to New York, since:

a) this scenario has already happened to me and
b) it could happen again.

The short answer is:

Don't try to get home. Really, that's all there is to it.

Don't bother, you can't do it, don't add to the problem.

The next thing to do is get into warm shelter. A store will do. An office building, a bus station. When I got stuck in NYC, I was in an office. And you can spend a few nights in an office - it's not that horrible.

My NYC overnight was in the blizzard of 1996, and although I didn't have a lost wallet, I had no money and no credit cards, so the wallet was useless. I found a comfy chair, pulled my coat on as a blanket and all was well.

I've also overnighted at airports around the nation. Carry a towel everywhere you go, and all will be fine.