Local Hotels

• There are rooms available at the Best Western University Plaza Evanston.

• You can also find great rates for other Evanston hotels at Orbitz and Priceline.

• We may be able to host a few presenters at graduate student homes; if you are interested in this option, please email us as soon as possible.

 

Flying to Chicago

 

O’Hare International Airport (ORD), the largest airport in the country, is located on the NW outskirts of Chicago, about 20 miles west of Evanston. It takes approximately 40 – 60 minutes, depending on traffic, to drive between Evanston and O’Hare. Directions from O’Hare to Northwestern

 

Midway International Airport (MDW)  is located on the SW side of Chicago, about 30 miles from Evanston. It takes 60 – 90 minutes, depending on traffic, to drive between Midway and Northwestern University.   Because of its smaller size, some people find Midway more manageable than O’Hare.  Flights on Southwest Airlines are also only available through Midway. Directions from Midway to Northwestern

 

Taxi Service to Evanston, IL

 

Northwestern’s main campus is in Evanston, IL (a small city in its own right, which is bordered by the City of Chicago to the South, and by scenic Lake Michigan to the East).  All of the conference events will take place on the Evanston campus, but Northwestern also has a sizable campus in downtown Chicago.  Therefore, if you ask your taxi driver (or anyone else) for directions to Northwestern, please be sure to verify that they are directing you to the Evanston campus.

 

Taking a taxi from the airports to Evanston:  Simply follow the signs within each airport to the taxi curb.  An airport official is on duty at all times to help passengers load into taxis efficiently.  Throughout most of the day, there is an abundant queue of taxis and you should not have to wait very long.  But if you arrive during inclement weather or late at night, there may be a long line for taxis.

 

To avoid such delays, you may want to book a taxi before you arrive in Chicago.  If you want to arrange your taxi pickup in advance, you can call either Norshore Cab (1-800-244-9200)  or  303 Taxi ( 847-303-0303).  The fare should be approximately $35-$40 from O’Hare and $55-60 from Midway, plus tip, to Evanston. When the cabbie arrives and wants to know where in Evanston you are going, the hotel name should be sufficient.

 

Taking a taxi to return to ORD or MDW:  The easiest way to catch a ride back to the airport is to ask your hotel concierge or valet desk to call a taxi for you.   If you want to arrange your taxi pickup in advance, you should call either Norshore Cab (1-800-244-9200)  or  303 Taxi ( 847-303-0303), because they service the Evanston area.  (Chicago cab-drivers are not allowed to pickup fares in Evanston.)

 

Uber

 

Uber is a more affordable option than taxis, especially if shared. Uber requires the Uber application and must be ordered from the app, but Uber does drive to and from both airports.

 

Public Transportation

 

Once you arrive in Evanston, public transportation is readily available to/from all of the major destinations within the city of Chicago. The  Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States, and is world-famous for its elevated Subway system (the “el”).

 

Unfortunately, public options between the airports and Evanston are tedious, requiring multiple transfers between buses and subway lines.  During rush hour, this system can be almost as fast as taking a taxi to/from the airports.  At other times of day, however, it can take more than 2 hours to get from Northwestern to the airports via buses, trains, or subway. For directions via public transportation, please visit the CTA website, or simply use the public transportation icon on Google Maps to plan your trip.