This short guide is intended primarily for those who have limited experience living in large US cities. Any participant not local to Chicago may find some of the info useful, however. Some of what follows represents my (Jared Wunsch) personal opinions, and is not necessarily endorsed by my employer or coorganizers.
Safety:
Chicago, despite a tough reputation, is by and large a surprisingly safe and pleasant city to explore as a visitor, and I encourage you all to take advantage of what both Evanston and Chicago have to offer.
The parts of Evanston near Northwestern and the parts of Chicago that you are likely to visit as a tourist are as safe as any large city in the US or Europe, which is to say you’re unlikely to get into much trouble as long as you avoid walking around by yourself late at night (please don’t do this even in bucolic Evanston). The violent parts of Chicago are mostly concentrated on the south and west sides of the city, and you are unlikely to end up there by accident. The area around the Chicago/Evanston border (e.g. near the Howard El stop) can be a little bit sketchy late at night, and you should exercise some caution there.
At any event, I do by all means recommend exploring the downtown and near north areas of Chicago: you can take the CTA (the “El”/subway) or the Metra (commuter rail) to get there. Unless you’re experienced, I suggest not riding the Red Line alone late at night, but it’s fine during normal hours.
Health:
Healthcare in the US is excellent (for those with the means to pay for it) but complex. This note assumes that you have some form of health insurance that will at least cover emergency medical treatment in the US: if this is not the case, you should remedy this immediately, as a need for serious medical treatment could result in crushing bills.
The main thing to know if you are accustomed to medical care under single payer health-care systems is that emergency room treatment at a hospital is for serious emergencies only. If you are indeed undergoing life-threatening medical problems, you should certainly go to the nearest hospital; in Evanston this would be North Shore University Hospital at 2650 Ridge Ave. This is an excellent hospital and they are required to treat you if you show up at their door; the ER is open 24/7. But you should know that the bill for such treatment can be high: the copayments alone, even if you have excellent insurance, can easily be over $1000 if any kind of medical imaging or procedure is involved.
A much better option for problems that are not acutely time sensitive is to go to one of the many walk-in clinics that proliferate in the US. Northwestern Medicine Immediate Care, at 1630 Sherman Ave., for instance, is open 8am-7:30pm every day, and can treat most routine ailments (and refer you to more specialized care if it is necessary).