Illinois Prairie Path to Butterfiled,
east to Washington Blvd, to 25th Ave.
North on 25th, past St. Charles, Main,
(right to 24th and north until North if traffic is heavy on 25th),
Lake, North, Fullerton, Grand (25th becomes Rose), Irving Park, to Lawrence.

For Rosemont Convention Center:
Right on Lawrence past railroad overpass, then immediately turn left on
Michigan or Forster to Foster, briefly right to Otto, then left on
Otto to 63rd (Balmoral?), then right to River Road, arrive at
Rosemont Convention Center.

For Ohare Airport:
Left on Lawrence, under 294 and across Mannheim, right on service road(?)
curving left, right on (Bessie Coleman?), under 190, to Parking Lot C?

From R-Kastigar@neiu.edu Sat Dec  7 07:09:34 1996
Newsgroups: chi.general,rec.bicycles.soc
Subject: Re: Bike To O'hare
References: <57v2h5$1nh@nntpa.cb.lucent.com>
Organization: Educational Computing Network, Illinois  USA
Apparently-To: peter@lucent.com

In article <57v2h5$1nh@nntpa.cb.lucent.com>,
Peter Chen  wrote:
>Does anyone have experience riding a bicycle to O'hare airport, leaving it
>there, and picking it up a few days later?

Getting into O'Hare:

Approach the airport traveling south on Manheimm Road, from Devon Avenue.
There is a street (begin's with a "Z", I think) and a sign saying entrance
to long-term parking lot.  This leads you to Bessie-something drive.

Down this road, on the right, you see an entrance to a "Commerical Vehicle
Staging Area" which is where the taxis enter, and wait, to be allowed into
the airport.  Go into this area,  you'll need to ride through a
gatekeeping system which allows the cabs through.  You get a lot of
strange stares and comments, but nobody will stop you.

You'll be on a very wide, one-lane, ramp reserved for the taxis.  There is
a low speed limit, mostly ignored but not by much.  Riding on the right,
on the wide shoulder, there is plenty of room.  This road will take you to
the lower level of O'Hare, right by the United Terminal.

Getting out of O'Hare:

This is somewhat more difficult.  

Follow the road or sidewalk all the way around to the end of the loop.
You will need to ride on what amounts to the expressway shoulder for a
couple of thousand feet, until you come to a ramp that says "Terminal 5"
and "Long Term Parking Area."  Take this ramp.

This will lead you onto a wide two lane (but no shoulder) road and
eventually you will come to a traffic light.  This is that
Bessie-something drive.  You will need to make a left-turn at the light.
Stay on this road, past the long-term lots, and eventually you'll be back
on Manheimm Road again.

I've riden this a couple of times.  It works.  

There really isn't any bike racks to secure the bike, however.  You will
be alone on the bike.  You may get stopped by security and asked how you
got in, and all kinds of questions.  Be cooperative - they won't ask you
to leave, because if they did you might ask them HOW to leave!  

As for securing the bike (I took mine on the plane) you might find a
well-lit, high-traffic area someplace inside a covered parking area and
lock the bike up someplace where it won't be in anybody's way.  Or you
could lock it up outside the terminal, again out of the way, right along
the Arrival Area sidewalk.  Lots of people, and unlikely that anyone would
tamper with the bike in such an obvious location.

Good luck.

-- 
Bob Kastigar         International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
R-Kastigar@neiu.edu      -       http://www.ecnet.net/users/urkastig
    IBEW Local 1220 | Chicago, IL USA | BBS phone (773) 693-1223