Lodging

Your accommodation options can vary greatly depending on where you stay in Illinois. Some great booking platform options I would recommend looking into are Airbnb, Expedia, and VRBO for booking your lodging. When I went to Chicago, I stayed at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk hotel. This stay was LUXURIOUS -- my room overlooked the river. the service was incredible, and there were countless amenities and benefits for Marriot Members. I would highly recommend a stay here if you don't mind a little bit of a splurge!

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Transportation

Similar to factors for accommodation, where you are wanting to travel within a state will vary greatly depending on whether it is more rural or urban. Keep in mind, the United States is incredibly large! Our public transportation here in America is nowhere near up to the standards of Europe – we have limited trains, metros, and it is almost impossible to walk anywhere. If you are looking for more of a road trip, I would recommend booking a rental car with Hertz or Enterprise. Google Maps is a great navigating tool for your trip to the United States. 

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For Chicago specifically, the public transportation is actually amazing! The "L" tram system is incredible. Traffic got to be horrible in Chicago, and while many of my colleagues took an Uber from the airport and were stuck in traffic for two hours, the L went straight from the airport to central Chicago where I could walk to my hotel! From there, the city itself is very walkable and I had no problems navigating. Please keep in mind there are some accessibility concerns, specifically with stairs bordering and near the river specifically that you may need to plan for. 

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Activities

I was in Chicago for about six days for a work conference, and I did not run out of things to do! In a long weekend, you can certainly fit in some of my favorite activities:

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• Marvel at the infamous "bean"

• Take an architecture boat tour

• Stroll The Magnificent Mile and go shopping!