Originally Posted by
Jeff_
Thanks cheltzel & chgoeditor for answers,
I am from France, and I am not sure what brands she spotted but I recall when I studied in the US 4y ago, the premium outlet was really cheap vs France, RL polo were at 50 usd vs more than 100 Eur in France !!! I will be in NY before so I am note sure we can make better deals there
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I do not mind shopping downtown but I thought it would be cheaper at the outlet but if we can find the same deals it will make things easier for us.
The car was actually a way for us to store our suitcases while shopping.
Regarding the transportation from ORD to downtown, I found that by train it takes 45 min, and by taxi 30-90min, i guess the CTA is always a good hedge against traffic, am I correct ?
Thanks again
Definitely do *not* rent a car to get into the city center. It's not as bad as Paris, but it's not good and you'll pay a ton to park. CTA Blue Line is the cheapest option. I see you're not arriving from France to Chicago, that would have added a step to get from the International Terminal to the CTA station, but from NYC, you won't have that problem, just follow the signs for "Trains to City", it's under the hotel/parking garage between Terminals 1/2/3.
That outlet mall really isn't all that great. As toomanybooks notes, "outlet" malls don't really sell outlet much anymore, they're separate lines made more cheaply. $50 for an RL polo is what I'd expect to pay on sale at Macy's (quick check of macys.com, yep, $49.99 on sale), not an outlet mall. There is a big Macy's (formerly Marshall Field's flagship store) on State St. It's worth the visit for sure, as they do holiday windows that are usually pretty good. There's also one in Water Tower Place on Michigan Ave.
If you're just looking for US pricing, you can do okay even on Michigan Ave.
Honestly, my suggestion would be to go straight to your hotel on Thursday night, get something to eat, then go shopping. That close to xmas, the stores will be open late (some as late as 10pm or midnight). See what you can find. Macy's is a department store that has a lot of brands, many brands have their own stores around Michigan Ave that will have sales. Shop Thursday night and Friday morning.
If you still feel you want to do the outlet mall, ride the CTA to Rosemount and grab an uber to the outlet mall (though not sure what to do with your bags at that point).