Below you may find useful information on where to get food, accommodations, travel to and from the neighborhood, parking facilities, and other places of interest around campus.
LUNCH SUGGESTIONS
A variety of options are available in a 5-15 minutes walking radius of the main conference facilities. A comprehensive list of dining, shopping, and other attractions in Hyde Park is provided in the university’s Neighborhood Guide. We also recommend:
Z&H Market Cafe on 57th and Kenwood, which serves gourmet sandwiches and other delectables.
Cafe 57 on 57th and Harper
The food court at Booth School of Business, 5807 South Woodlawn Avenue. Cafeteria style, includes grill, made-to-order sandwiches, pizza, and salad bar. [Select "East of Quadrangles" on interactive map]
On campus, among many other options, the Divinity School Cafe (in the basement of Swift Hall) offers a range of sandwiches and hot food from local restaurants as well as tea and coffee.
ACCOMMODATIONS
A list of accommodation options in Hyde Park and downtown Chicago is available in the Accommodations section of the University of Chicago website. Since the options in Hyde Park itself are somewhat limited, it is advisable to book these well in advance; the options downtown, needless to say, are plentiful.
TRAVEL TO AND FROM THE AIRPORTS
Omega Airport Shuttle – Provides transportation to and from O’Hare and Midway. The ride to O’Hare takes at least an hour. Call for the schedule or to arrange a pick-up or drop-off that is not on the regular schedule. $30 to O’Hare/$29 with student ID; $17 to Midway. [Phone: 773-734-6688]
Public Transportation to Midway - Take the #55 Garfield or the #X55 Garfield Express CTA bus directly to Midway. Monday–Friday: 4:40 a.m.–11:50 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday: 4:38 a.m.–midnight. Trip time is about 40–50 minutes.
Public Transportation to O’Hare – Take the #6 Jackson Park Express bus to Jackson Boulevard. Walk three blocks west to the Blue Line train station and continue on to the airport. Trip time is more than an hour.
By Taxi - Door-to-door taxi service from campus to O’Hare will run you more than $40. A ride to Midway will cost more than $20. Tip not included.
OTHER DRIVING DIRECTIONS
From downtown, take Lake Shore Drive south; exit at 57th Drive (the Museum of Science and Industry). Go west and curve around the museum. Take the fourth right onto the Midway Plaisance and go west to the campus.
From Indiana, take I-65 N or I-80 W to the Skyway (I-90/94 W). Drive westbound on the Skyway, exiting at Stony Island. Drive north on Stony Island and turn left on 60th Street.
From Dan Ryan Expressway (Interstate 94) Exit at Garfield Blvd. (55th St.) and drive east, following the signs for 55th Street through Washington Park. Once you cross over Cottage Grove Avenue, the campus is on your right.
From the Northern Suburbs take I-90/94 to I-55 North to Lake Shore Drive South. Exit at 57th Drive (the Museum of Science and Industry). Go west and curve around the museum. Take the fourth right onto the Midway Plaisance and go west to the campus.
PARKING
Parking is available at the University parking garage located on the south side of 55th Street between Greenwood and Ellis Avenues. Free after 4pm and all day weekends.
Street parking is also available, but generally difficult to find after 7:30am on weekdays.
OF INTEREST AROUND CAMPUS
If you have some extra time on your lunch break, or if you get here early or leave late, here are some things you may want to see around the University of Chicago. Here's a link to an interactive map to help you find your destination.
Seminary Co-op Bookstore, 5751 S. Woodlawn Ave. - One of the best academic bookstores on the planet.
Rockefeller Chapel , 1156 East 59th Street. The Chapel is the tallest building on the University’s campus and has some of the largest stained glass windows in the world. It stands at 265-feet long, 102-feet high, and is capable of seating 1700 people. The Chapel is also covered with odd carvings, including Apostles, philosophers, phrases and mottos, past presidents of the United States, and the coats of arms of several universities, including Harvard’s and Princeton’s as well as Chicago’s.
Oriental Institute, 1155 E. 58th Street. The Oriental Institute (OI) is a museum that specializes in the history of the Near and Middle East. Objects in the OI’s collection include a gigantic statue of King Tutankhamun, a 40-ton winged bull with a human head from Khorsabad (the capital of Sargon II), and an assortment of other objects from all over the Middle East, including Iran, Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Israel and Turkey. Admission to the OI museum is free. Visit the OI website for museum hours.
Robie House, 5757 South Woodlawn Avenue. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House is an example of Prairie Style architecture, characterized by its multitude of horizontal lines and planes that are designed to mimic the flatness of midwestern land, and its geometric art glass windows. Robie House is one of the most historically important buildings in American architecture because of its innovation.
Smart Museum, 5550 South Greenwood Avenue. The Smart Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of over 10,000 objects, spanning five millennia of both Western and Eastern civilizations. For hours, exhibits, and info visit the Smart website.
