Useful Information

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.

Medici Restaurant, 1327 E 57th Street. Pizza, burgers, pasta, etc.


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.