The 2023 spring LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA meeting will take place at Northwestern University’s Norris Center, located at 1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60208 – about 15 miles north of downtown Chicago.
Access to the Norris Center
Participants should enter at the main entrance on the west side of the building (shown with red arrow at right). This is a wheelchair-accessible entrance, and there are elevators inside. The registration desk is right inside the revolving doors at the top of the stairs.
Wheelchair access is easiest through the South Ground Entrance. You can be dropped off just North of the Block museum, take the ramp up towards Pick-Staiger Concert Hall, then follow the path to the South end of Norris where there is an entrance to a cafeteria. See the red arrow in this map. There are elevators near the West side of the cafeteria that you can take to the 1st floor to register.
If you have any special accessibility needs, please reach out to lvk2023ciera@gmail.com.
Maps for Accessing Norris Center
From Holiday Inn (18 min walk)
From Hilton Garden Inn (15 min walk)
From Hilton Orrington (15 min walk)
From the Foster Purple Line Train Stop (10 min walk)
From the Davis Purple Line Train Stop (15 min walk)
VISA LETTERS
If you are not a United States citizen and need a Visa letter, you may request one here using the password provided to you via email. Upon completion of the form, a letter will be emailed to you.
General Guidance for Getting Around Chicago/Evanston
Evanston is about ~ 1 hour away from downtown Chicago by public transport and 30-60 mins by car. The city has good public transport, and you can mainly use the Purple and the Red lines to access Chicago city center.
Public Transport
The easiest way to get to Chicago is using the Purple Line CTA and taking the line towards Loop/Howard. The closest stops to Norris are the Foster station (900 Foster St, Evanston, IL 60201) and the Davis station (901 Davis St, Evanston, IL 60201) in Downton Evanston. Note that the purple line direct express to downtown only operates during rush hours on weekdays. At all other times, one will have to switch to the Red Line or the 147 bus at Howard station.
Directions to any location in the Chicago-Evanston area can be reliably found with mapping services such as Google Maps and the Transit App.
Some useful links are shown below:
- https://www.transitchicago.com/purpleline/
- https://www.transitchicago.com/schedules/
- The easiest way to pay for public transport is through the Ventra app on your phone: https://www.ventrachicago.com/app/
- Some electronic ticket readers will directly accept Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, or Google Pay, so one may not need to buy a ticket and can instead tap one’s phone on the reader.
Airports
We recommend O’Hare International Airport for its convenience to Northwestern University’s Evanston campus. You are welcome to fly into Midway Airport, but it is about 15 minutes farther away from Evanston than O’Hare.
TAXI
PREFERRED
Pre-order online, or call 847-673-1000 from airport as soon as you deplane. Company will text taxi number to you (please only take that taxi). Drivers are waiting nearby, and will proceed to terminal to meet you. Ask for the flat rate to Evanston. If you choose not to pre-order a taxi, there are taxis available right outside baggage claim at each terminal. Follow the signage to enter the taxi stand line where taxis pick up. DO NOT TAKE ANY RIDES FROM ANYONE THAT SOLICITS YOU OUTSIDE THE TERMINAL THAT ARE NOT THROUGH THE TAXI LINE
UBER
UberX is also an option for visitors. Please bear in mind that deluxe rides/surge pricing may be in effect, so do check if that can be reimbursed by your travel funding sources.
LYFT
Standard Lyfts are another option for visitors. Please bear in mind that deluxe rides/surge pricing may be in effect, so do check if that can be reimbursed by your travel funding sources.
Parking
For more information, including how to obtain a parking permit, please visit Northwestern’s Parking Information Page.
View the above map here: evanston-campus-parking