Traveling to Chicago, hotels, and what else you should be doing!

Quick guide for a friendly Chicago visitor

What to Know about Chicago & Transit

Here’s the basics: there is a ‘0’ point in Downtown Chicago from which everything else is named. South and North, East and West all refer to this point. And the further you are from that point, the higher the number will be.

Also, all the CTA train lines converge to downtown, where some of them form a loop covering several blocks. This area is called the Loop, and is very useful to figure out where you are.

The GLIIFCA meeting venue is in an area called the Magnificent Mile, just north of the Loop.

Chicago’s public transport system is the CTA. It has a bunch of buses and trains going all over the place. The Metra transit system is a series of trains getting people from the burbs to downtown. You can get tickets to either one using the Ventra app, or the kiosk at most train stops.

Traveling to Chicago by Car

– Is it easy to do?

  • Yes, many roads lead to Chicago. Use Google Maps (or equivalent app) to find the best one for you. Or aim for Lake Michigan and drive around until you find us.

– Should you do it?

  • Chicago traffic can be brutal, parking is insanely expensive. I don’t like cars. Cars go beep beep.
– How is parking around Loyola Water Tower Campus?

  • Unfortunately, we do not have dedicated on-site parking at this time. However, there are several nearby parking lots that offer convenient and affordable options. These lots are a short walk from our location and provide a safe place to park during your visit. Please see this list of local parking garages.

    The Corboy Building has a parking partnership with 900 N. Michigan Self-Park. Guests can validate their parking at the Corboy lobby. Please note that validation is done at 25 E. Pearson for this lot, and there is no validation available on Sundays.

    If your guests park at 900 N. Michigan, they can go to the Corboy Building lobby to have their parking validated. The system now uses an app—guests should receive a text to download the app and pay through it. They can also scan the QR code at Corboy to receive the parking discount.

Traveling to Chicago by Plane

– What are the local airports?

– How do I get from the airport to  downtown

  • Both airports have a fleet of cabs, Uber, shuttle buses moving people around.
  • Both airports also have a CTA line going to the Loop (the Blue line for O’Hare, and the Orange line for Midway).

Traveling to Chicago by Train

– Where is the Amtrak Station?

  • It’s actually a few blocks west of the loop in downtown Chicago. From there, many modes of transportation are available to get you to the Loyola Water Towers, including cabs and Uber, the CTA, and biking.

– Can I bring my bike on the Amtrak train?

  • You should bring your bike on the Amtrak train.

Biking in Chicago

  • Biking in Chicago is awesome. It’s fairly safe because cyclists and bike lanes are everywhere. You can reliably find proper bicycle locking spots pretty much everywhere you go. Avoid sucker poles (any pole that can be unscrewed from the bottom).
  • If anything, you’ll want to bike along Lake Michigan on the lakeshore path – very pretty, pretty safe, very nice!
  • Divvy bikes are available if you don’t want to bring your own.

 

Hotels for GLIIFCA

 

 

 

Hotel Name

Address

Distance to 111 E. Pearson (Loyola)

Link to website

Lodging on site at Loyola – first come first serve ->  includes a 2 bedroom suite with kitchenette -> 2 queen beds in each bedroom-> sharable

Loyola Lodging  |  Baumhart Hall.                           26. E Pearson Street  Chicago, IL 60611

on site

Link

The Whitehall Hotel, BW Premier Collection

105 E Delaware Pl, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.11 miles

Link

Warwick Allerton

701 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.18 miles

Link

The Drake Hotel – Chicago

140 E Walton Place, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.23 miles

Link

The Westin, Michigan Avenue Chicago

909 North Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.14 miles

Link

The Chicago Hotel Collection – Magnificent Mile

166 E Superior Street, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.17 miles

Link

Hampton Inn Chicago – Downtown/Magnificent Mile

160 E Huron Street, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.2 miles

Link

Homewood Suites

152 E Huron St, Chicago, IL, 60611

0.2 miles

Link

What to Do in Chicago

While it will be borderline impossible to tear yourself away from the nonstop cytometric action in store for you at this year’s GLIIFCA… you will be in the beating heart of downtown Chicago*, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice if you don’t carve out a little time to explore and take it in.

In no particular order, here’s a selection of some of the worthy attractions around the conference venue according to your friendly neighborhood Exhibitor Liaison.

  • “World-Class Museums” sounds like Chamber of Commerce marketing jargon, but if the shoe fits… So! If you feel the need to cram more knowledge in your noggin:
    • The Art Institute of Chicago. This could easily be your whole day. Special shoutouts to the Thorne Miniature Rooms exhibit and the Arms & Armor collection.
    • Shedd Aquarium. If you just really want to stick with the “flow” theme.
    • Field Museum of Natural History. An absolute classic. Minerals? Check. Ancient Egyptian relics? Check. Big ol’ T-Rex? Big ‘ol CHECK.
    • And–truly–so many more.
  • Architecture Boat Tour. A favorite of tourists and residents alike. The Chicago River is an architectural museum in its own right, with a fascinating history to boot. No one is paying us to mention a specific company, so I won’t!
  • Cloud Gate The BEAN. Yea, you gotta. It’s cool, it’s ridiculous–we love it.
  • We like to eat. We like to drink. We like to party but then go home early because we’re bloated and kinda dizzy.
    • Three Dots and a Dash. Just your classic underground tiki speakeasy. Expect dry ice fog and drinks the size of your head. Reservations required.
    • Tanta Cocina Peruana. Excellent upscale Peruvian food. Get a Pisco Sour.
    • Beef. Yea yea, you watched The Bear, we get it. But hey… it is good.
    • Monk’s Pub. Old world beer haus with a menu longer than your hangover.
    • I could go on, but the amount of good food around is truly staggering. Ask your GLIIFCA locals for recs.
    • West Loop has all the cool stuff: Girl and the Goat, The Publican, Au Cheval, …
    • A note about the deep dish pizza: we feel better food is available. Should you try it? To be honest, if you find a frozen version of a deep dish pizza in your local supermarket, you’ll get the idea…
    • Let us know where you’ll be staying, we’ll let you know what is great in your hood!
  • Shows
    • The Nederlander, Private Bank Theatre, The Goodman, etc. I’m not going to look up what shows are playing, you do that. But I betcha there’s a good one going.
    • Second City Comedy Club. Yes, improv can be good. It can actually be really good. If you don’t think I’m funny, go see a professional geez.
    • Comedians You Should Know. Rotating selection of great local and visiting comics. Feels redundant to put a joke here.
    • And yeah, there’s Riot Fest somewhere…

*pretty much, maybe the right ventricle of downtown Chicago