Champaign, IL Driving Tips
There really isn't much to say. It isn't as busy as a city like Chicago. However, it's also not as dormant as a small farm town. If you know what you're doing then you should be fine. The drivers can be unforgiving but it shouldn't be a problem unless you mess up majorly. It is a good place to pract
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ice driving for the bigger cities. You have some similarities. The stop lights are similar to what you would get in a big city. You have lots of one way road areas that you need to pay attention to. I remember one of my friends went the wrong way down a one way and it wasn't pretty. Definitely be alert and careful of your surroundings. But don't be afraid. It truly isn't that bad. Any mediocre driver can handle this city with ease. And new drivers can also gain experience from it.
Champaign, IL Buying Tips
You can get a car anywhere. The dealerships are sprinkled all around town. Anywhere you happen to be is where they will be. Don't be fooled though. Like any other city, the dealers are only looking out for themselves. You'll get that anywhere though. Do your research and you'll be fine. Besides the
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dealerships you can find many good cars online. Sites such as Craigslist and Auto Trader. But like with the dealers they are looking out for themselves in a lot of cases. Do your research and make sure you know what you're getting into. And like with any interaction with a non licensed individual, be careful. People are friendly in this city but you never know what can happen. Always stay aware of everything. Stay safe and you'll be fine.
Favorite Driving Memory
My favorite memories all involve past and current friendships. Being able to drive anywhere with numerous selections is a must have. I can't begin to tell you how often I've cruised around this small city. It doesn't have the skyscrapers like Chicago, but it more than makes up for it with it's atmos
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phere. My favorite memory would have to be driving into this place for the first time with a couple of friends. We decided to go to the mall and hang out all day doing this and that. It was the middle of summer and I had just received my drivers license. We had the windows down, the radio turned up, and we were just enjoying the scenery. There is so much to see when you first go to this city. It's hard to pick a place to begin. There's so many shopping opportunities, dining choices, and recreational activities to be done. It was a great time. I could relive that moment over and over. My friends still talk about it to this day. It marks a great day in my life. I time when we were young and free. A time when we could just be dumb kids. A time without all the responsibilities and decisions you have to make on a daily basis as an adult. It would definitely be nice to relive the memory.
Favorite Road
Neil Street
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It's my favorite road because of the memories it holds. My friends and I have been on that road so many times. It's where I bought my first dog. There is a very nice pet shop on Neil Street. It's called sailfin. I used to go there even as a kid. My dad and I have many great memories on this street.
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He was a fish fanatic and that is what they specialize in. It was a hobby me and my dad shared. Heck it was a hobby my friends and I shared as well. Me and my friends would go to this pet shop all the time. They didn't mind that we would just look. And because of this kindness it kept me coming back. Which is why I now have my current family pet. My dog bruiser has been with us for four years. We still only get our supplies from that pet shop on Neil Street.
Champaign, IL Driving Tips
I would say to be careful of pedestrians and bikers while driving in Champaign, specifically if you are driving on the University of Illinois campus. Pedestrians and bikers have the right of way and are not necessarily very careful when crossing streets, so I would definitely try to be more aware of
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pedestrians and bikers. Also, there are a lot of one way streets and most people do not realize those are one way streets so oftentimes someone will drive the wrong way down a one way street, so that is something to be cautious of as well.
Champaign, IL Buying Tips
There are a LOT of car dealerships on Anthony Drive, but students also sell cars sometimes before moving away from campus.
Favorite Driving Memory
I was driving back from a Mexican restaurant with a bunch of my friends and we were just driving down the open road with no one in front of us. We were laughing and singing along with the radio and it was really fun to just be driving through the city with a few of my best friends.
Favorite Road
Neil Street
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My favorite road to drive in/around this city is probably Neil Street because you can kind of get anywhere within Champaign by taking that street. You can take it towards Savoy and see one side of Champaign with a bunch of restaurants and new developments, or you can take it through downtown Champai
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gn all the way over to 1-74 and near the mall. It can get you almost anywhere in Champaign
Champaign, IL Driving Tips
Although this isn't really A huge city, there are a lot of college student drivers, which means both that there are a lot of young drivers and a lot of people don't know the city well. People drive aggressively, almost like they're in Chicago. This is probably because a lot of them are from Chicago.
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People also drive stupidly and do stupid things, so it's very important to drive defensively. I have not been in an accident here, but I have witnessed multiple fender benders, a couple of them not very pleasant.
Champaign, IL Buying Tips
Honestly, I'd recommend going to one of the smaller towns in the area. I bought my car in Mattoon, because the dealership there came highly recommended as honest and fair. I've heard bad stories about probably every car dealership in the city itself, sorry to say.
Favorite Driving Memory
Unfortunately, Champaign is not really a particularly great place to drive. I guess if I have to have a favorite memory it would probably be going to the film festival that's called Ebertfest, and easily finding a good parking spot near the theater. We were also lucky this year when we went to Ebert
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fest, to somehow manage to avoid traffic. That was nice.
Favorite Road
Race Street
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This street goes through an interesting older neighborhood, with lots of quaint houses. It's also shady and pleasant, giving a small town feel. For part of the stretch of this road, there is graduate student housing and large lawns. That reminds you that you are in a college town. Frequently, in oth
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er parts of Champaign it seems easy to forget that. Also, on this street there are often pedestrians strolling, walking dogs, walking with children, etc. And there are lots of bike riders, again, giving that small town feel.
