Here's what you'll find in this page:

General Information  |  Main Events  |  Secondary Events 
How to Get Here  |   Where to Stay  |  What to Eat  |  What to See

General Information

Schedule Changes
While we all do out best to make concrete plans, things happen. This page will have the most up to date information for the organized activities. Once the weekend begins, keep an eye on the Facebook event page for impromptu activities and changes. The secondary events are contingent on interest. If something is proposed, but no one expresses interest, it will likely be cancelled.

Questions
We'll keep this page up to date with all the logistical information. Please search this page first for the information you're looking for. If you don't see your question answered, please post it to the Super Meetup page.

RSVPs
We aimed to keep our planning as simple as we could. Still, it is a difficult to scope out spaces for our events without an accurate headcount. You can help us by updating your RSVP on the main Facebook event page. We may be asking for a seperate RSVP for our Saturday Main Event which accommodates your partners and families. On the secondary events, it is helpful to contact the activity lead to let them know you'll be joining them.

Meals
Finding the restaurant that accomodates everyone's tastes, budgets, allergies/intolerances is pretty much as elusive as spotting an ice squirrel/ice chicken. We generally planned our main events after dinner to allow you to opt in or out of eating there. We will post details as plans firm up. We definitely encourage folks to self-organize on the main event page and find folks to join you for meals. We've included a list of our favorites as a bit of a place to start with Chicago myriad dining options.

Weather
September is usually a beautiful time in Chicago. Hopefully it'll be crisp and cool and you'll get some fall colors. The average temperature for this time of year is highs of 63 F/12 C, nighttime lows of 42 F/ 6 C. Chicago has a very changeable climate, so please check the weather before you pack. Generally, September is light jacket weather.

Main Events
We organized two main events for the weekend. The Friday Night Welcome is at a bar with Grinnell connections and is intended for adults. Saturday's Main Event is welcome to ECNizens and their related muggles, old and young.

Welcome to Chicago
Converge on this Lincoln Park bar's back room to begin our weekend.
Local Option
1102 West Webster Ave Chicago, IL 60614
Friday, 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm

The Grinnell connection: owned by Tony Russamano, who visited Grinnell many a time as a pal and past Luxury Bucket bandmate of Aaron Kassover '96 and Tony Parks '96. Tony has a taste for Miller High Life, but don't let that fool you. Local Option has the absolute very best beer selection in Chicago, ranging from excellent regional beers, hard to find international selections, and Chicago's only decent contract beer label. A menu of intense Creole food is served until 11:00pm. Shorts walks from Brown Line Armitage stop, Red Line Fullerton stop.

Thank you to Kristina Zivich '98 for arranging this great space for our welcome event. We will have exclusive use of the bar on Friday night from 8pm to 10pm, and we can stay longer than that. (By 10pm any of us who want seats should have one, so it wont matter by that point if Tony lets in the general public.)

ECN Reception
Ben Rodriguez and Deana Greenfield welcome us to their condo's party room for our family friendly main Saturday event.
Q Room
565 W. Quincy St, Chicago, IL 60661
Saturday, 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm
$10 adults/$5 kids for snacks + non-alcholic drinks, BYOB/BYOF.

Everyone is welcome to our reception Saturday evening. The Q's party room includes bowling lanes, ping pong, and pool tables.

Secondary Events
More good events over the weekend to enjoy. Each is coordinated by a fellow ECNer. Interested, please look for the event specific threads in the Facebook page to express interest. If no or little interest in expressed in a secondary event, it may be cancelled.

ECN Super Meetup Pre-Party
An *optional* event taking place prior to the 2014 Super Meetup weekend.
Poor Phil's
139 S Marion St, Oak Park, Illinois 60302
Thursday, 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

We will probably be meeting at Poor Phil's, conveniently located near the CTA Green Line and the Metra UP-W Oak Park station. (Venue may change if the combined number of Oak Parkers and out of towners is exceeded by other west suburban attendees, and we get a good arrangement elsewhere nearby.) Further details later this summer.

Doug Schenkelberg ECN 2014 Save the Children Race For the Cure
Early morning run along Chicago's beautiful lakefront.
Meeting Location TDB
Saturday, 7:00am - 9:30am

Family Bike Ride
Bike ride along Chicago's still beautiful lakefront. Out-of-Towners can rent Divvy bikes to join in.
Meeting Location TDB
Saturday, 10:00am - 12:30pm

The Lakefront bike ride will be a slow easy tour of the north lakefront. We'll meet near Grant Park at a Divvy Bikes dock to be announced. Please arrive by 10:00 AM. (Lunch will be do-it-yourself at one or more of Uptown's many fine establishments. Bring cash.)

The Wittstruck1000 Memorial Bike Pub Crawl of Doom!
(adults only, at your own risk)
The Wittstruck1000 beer ride will fork off from the earlier ride at around 12:30, covering 4 beer establishments on the north side. (This ride will leave the lakefront path and involve alcohol and traffic, and is therefore recommended for reckless adults only.)
Meeting Location TDB
Saturday, 11:45am - 4:00pm

The agenda for the Wittstruck1000 will be: Hopleaf, Delilah's, Goose Island Clybourn, and if time permits Clark Street Ale House. We are limiting ourselves to just 3 or 4 stops, so there is enough time to drink and rest between rides, and so we aren't too late for our required Saturday night ECN reception downtown.

The second portion of our bike ride will fork off from the family-friendly ride sometime between 11:30 and 12:30. (You must join the first ride in order to accompany us on the Wittstruck1000 tour, unless you are good at following directions and can catch up to us fast.)

Required Disclaimer: THIS SECOND RIDE WILL INVOLVE ALCOHOL AND BE HIGHLY UNSAFE. So leave your children behind. And tell them you love them. ECN ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR YOUR INJURIES OR UNFORTUNATE LIFE CHOICES.

ECN Night Out
After the Reception, enjoy an adults only night on the town.
Location TBD
Saturday, 9:00pm - 4:00am

Most folks will leave from the reception for possible late dinner, drinks, dancing.

Arts + Eats: public art, architecture tour and lunch
A 2.5 hour walking tour begining with coffee and ending with lunch
Intelligensia Coffee
53 East Randolph St.
Chicago, Illinois 60601
Sunday, 10:00am - 12:30pm, lunch to follow

Brandy Agerbeck '96 shares about highlights of Chicago Architecture and public art in the Loop and the Magnificent Mile. Nancy Ying '95 entices us with stories of Chicago food culture. Get your coffees to go and be ready to walk at 10:00am from the silver We Will sculpture right outside of Intelligensia. It will be a 4 mile walk over about 2.5 hours with two 15 minute breaks and Chicago-centric snacks. At about 12:30, we'll board a water taxi on the Chicago River at the Michigan Avenue bridge and go down to Chinatown for lunch. Space is limited to 20 spots.

Getting to Chicago
Chicago is a transportation hub. You have many options.

By Air
We are served by two major airports:
O'Hare (ORD)
59 minutes by train 40 minutes by car (varies based on traffic and rush hour)
Take the Blue Line train toward Forest Park. Get off at Clark/Lake. Head E on West Lake St toward N Garvey Ct. Continue straight onto E Lake St. Turn Left onto N Michigan Ave.

Midway (MDW)
37 minutes by train 22 minutes by car (varies based on traffic and rush hour)
Take the Orange Line train toward the loop. Get off at State/Lake. Head East on East Lake St toward Wabash. Turn left onto N Michigan Ave.

CTA, Chicago Transit Authority, connects to both airports. The Orange Line can take you from Midway, the Blue Line connects to O'Hare.

By Train
Amtrak is the national train service. Metra is the service that connects the suburbs of Chicago to the city. While the Metra trains tend to run on time, Amtrak is less consistent. Amtrak trains are often delayed by waiting for freight trains to pass, since the freight companies own the lines. Just fair warning to those who live in countries with Grade A passenger train service.
Greyhound and Megabus are the two largest bus services.

The CTA is a system of trains and buses that can get you pretty much anywhere.

Taxis are also plentiful. Traffic on the local highways can be terrible during rush hours.

Parking in downtown Chicago can get quite expensive, nearly all parking is privately owned from parking ramps to parking meters.
If you are open to taking public transportation or cabs, I think far less stressful than renting a car.

Where to Stay
There is no room block or group rate for the Super Meetup. September is a busy time for tourist, so we recommend arranging yuor stay soon. We will be also coordinating a list with local ECNers willing to host guests. Here's a guide to start with, with room rate estimates as of May 10th, 2014:

What to Eat
Chicago is foodie heaven, you can find anything you want from a $5 burrito to a $100+ edible experience. Chicago is most known for deep dish pizza and hot dogs. But a true Chicagoan never puts ketchup on their dog. Here's some suugestions from your welcoming committee:

FOODLIFE
835 N Michigan, (312) 335-3663
Avg. Cost: $10-$20 per person
A bit of everything, sort of an upscale mall food court-14 different types of cuisine.

Brandy: Great for families and large groups with varied tastes. Also has takeaway.Good location if you're staying near Michigan Ave.

GIORDANO'S OF PRUDENTIAL PLAZA
130 E. Randolph Drive, (312) 616-1200
Avg. Cost: $10-$20 per person
Cuisine: American Cuisine (Pizzeria)

Brandy: One of the main Chicago Deep Dish Places, often less crowded than Pizzaria Uno. Just North of Millennium Park.

INDIA HOUSE
59 W Grand, (312) 645-9500
Avg. Cost: $15-30 per person
Cuisine: Indian

Brandy: The palak paneer is super good.

SMITH & WOLLENSKY
318 N. State St. (312) 670-9900
Avg. Cost: $16-$25 person
Cuisine: Steak/Beef (fabulous outside dining)

Brandy: Steakhouses abound near Michigan Avenue/River North. This is my favorite, especially if it's nice enough out to sit outside along the Chicago River. The cream spinach is a tasty side.

SWEETWATER TAVERN & GRILLE
225 N. Michigan Ave, (312) 698-7111
Avg. Cost: $30 and under
Cuisine: American

Brandy: Just north of Millennium Park, good burgers. A bit loud inside with tvs playing sports games, but outside seating is nice if still available in September.

What to See
Our favorite Chicago sites to squeeze in around your ECNing.

The Art Institute of Chicago
111 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, IL 60603

The Art Institute of Chicago's collection encompasses over 5,000 years of human expression from cultures around the world.

Brandy: If you love Impressionists, the AIC has tons. Two highlights for me at the Thorne Miniatures Room and the collection of Joseph Cornell boxes. A new Modern Art wing designed by Renzo Piano opened in 2009

Chicago Architecture Foundation Boat Tour
224 South Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois, 60604

The Chicago Architecture Foundation River Cruise aboard Chicago's First Lady is a "must" for out-of-towners and Chicagoans alike. CAF certified volunteer tour guides-called docents-interpret more than 50 buildings along the Chicago River, revealing how the city grew from a small back-country outpost into one of the world's most important crossroads in less than 100 years.

Brandy: I agree this is a must. I've done this tour 5 times and each time it has been superb. The docents take a lot of care in their work and the ride on the river is lovely.

Chicago Cultural Center
78 E Washington St
Chicago, IL 60602

Drawn by its beauty and the fabulous free public events, hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the Chicago Cultural Center every year, making it one of the most visited attractions in Chicago. The stunning landmark building is home to two magnificent stained-glass domes, as well as free music, dance and theater events, films, lectures, art exhibitions and family events.

Brandy: The Cultural Center was the original public library and it is a stunner. You must see Preston Bradley Hall, which was the grand reading room. Free art exhibit and concerts a-plenty.

Field Museum
1400 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60605

With 4.6 billion years under one roof, The Field Museum is your passport to travel around the world and back in time. Start discovering now!

Brandy: The Field, Shedd and Adler Planetarium make up "Museum Campus" at the South end of Grant Park. The Field is a great blend of classic natural history museum and new exhibits.

John Hancock Center
875 N Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

At the John Hancock Observatory you can enjoy 360° views across 4 states -Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois- including stunning views of Lake Michigan and a beautiful night cityscape.

Brandy: The Signature Lounge just below the observation deck is great for unwinding. The view from the ladies room is incredible.

Millennium Park
201 E Randolph St
Chicago, IL 60602

Millennium Park has a state-of-the-art collection of architecture, landscape design and art. Hundreds of free cultural programs including concerts, exhibitions, tours, and family activities go on each year.
Open Daily 6am-11pm

Brandy: Cloudgate (aka the Bean) and Crown fountain are two fantastic pieces of public art. Watching people splash around at Crown fountain is a joy. There are many free concerts in the park.

Museum of Contemporary Art
220 E Chicago Ave
Chicago, IL 60611

One of the nation's largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945.

Museum of Science and Industry
5700 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60637

One of the largest science museums in the world, is home to more than 35,000 artifacts and nearly 14 acres of hands-on exhibits designed to spark scientific inquiry and creativity.

Brandy: The MSI is MASSIVE. Don't expect to see everything. So worth a visit with everything from baby chicks to coal mines to a Fab Lab. My favorites are the Body Slices, Colleen Moore's Fairy Castle and the circus parade.

Navy Pier
600 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611

Navy Pier is Chicago's number one tourist attraction. It is a family attraction that features entertainment, shopping, dining, cruises, and events, featuring more than 50 acres of parks, gardens, shops and restaurants.

Brandy: I don't really understand the magnetism of Navy Pier. It's very touristy. Great if you want to take your kids to the Children's Museum or want junk food or, yes, it has a lovely view of the city from the water. Many boat tours depart from here. I can highly recommend Tall Ships Windy as something more unique than a standard "booze cruise." Also, the Ferris wheel debuted at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Each of the original cars could hold up to 60 people.

Shedd Aquarium
1200 S Lake Shore Dr
Chicago, IL 60605

The Shedd Aquarium is an indoor aquarium in Chicago that houses over 25,000 fish.

Brandy: Chicago fun fact - between the Shedd, Lincoln Park Zoo and the Brookfield Zoo, Chicago has the largest penguin population in North America.

Willis Tower (Sears Tower)
77 West Wacker Drive
Chicago, IL 60601

At 1,450 feet and 110 stories high, Willis Tower is the tallest building in the western hemisphere.