Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Society
(
&
312/670-2550;
www.cmsdocs.org) makes free referrals week-
days, 8:30am to 4:30pm.
Northwestern Memorial Hospital
also has a
Physician Referral Service
(
&
877/926-4664
). See also “Hospitals” below.
Driving Rules
See “Getting Around,” earlier in this chapter.
Embassies & Consulates
See “Fast Facts: For the International Traveler,”
in chapter 4.
Emergencies
For fire or police emergencies, call
&
911.
This is a free call.
The nonemergency phone number for the Chicago Police Department is
&
311.
The city of Chicago proclaims the following policy: “In an emer-
gency, dial 911 and a city ambulance will respond free of charge to the
patient. The ambulance will take the patient to the nearest emergency
room according to geographic location.” If you desire a specific, nonpub-
lic ambulance, call
Chicago Ambulance
(
&
773/521-7777
).
Hospitals
The best hospital emergency room in Chicago is, by consensus,
at
Northwestern Memorial Hospital,
251 E. Huron St. (
&
312/926-2000;
www.nmh.org), a state-of-the-art medical center right off North Michigan
Avenue. The emergency department (
&
312/926-5188
or 312/944-2358
for TDD access) is located at 251 E. Erie St. near Fairbanks Court. For an
ambulance, dial
&
911.
Internet Access
Many Chicago
hotels
have business centers with comput-
ers available for guests' use. Computers with Internet access are also avail-
able to the public at the
Harold Washington Library Center,
400 S. State
St. (
&
312/747-4300
) and at the Internet cafe inside the
Apple
computer
store, 679 N. Michigan Ave. (
&
312/981-4104
). Most Starbucks coffee
shops and McDonald's restaurants in downtown Chicago have wireless
Internet access available.
Liquor Laws
Most bars and taverns have a 2am license, allowing them to
stay open until 3am on Sunday (Sat night); some have a 4am license and
may remain open until 5am on Sunday.
Maps
See “City Layout,” earlier in this chapter.
Newspapers & Magazines
The
Chicago Tribune
(
&
312/222-3232;
www.
chicagotribune.com) and the
Chicago Sun-Times
(
&
312/321-3000;
www.
suntimes.com) are the two major dailies. The
Chicago Reader
(
&
312/828-
0350;
www.chireader.com) is a free weekly that appears each Thursday, with
all the current entertainment and cultural listings.
Chicago Magazine
(www.chicagomag.com) is a monthly that is widely read for its restaurant
reviews.
CS
is a free lifestyle monthly that covers nightlife, dining, fashion,
shopping, and other cultural pursuits. The
Chicago Defender
covers local
and national news of interest to the African-American community. The
Spanish-language
La Raza
(www.laraza.com) reports on stories from a
Latino point of view. The
Chicago Free Press
(www.chicagofreepress.com)
and
Windy City Times
(www.windycitytimes.com) publish both news and
feature articles about gay and lesbian issues.
Pharmacies
Walgreens,
757 N. Michigan Ave. (
&
312/664-4000
), is open
24 hours. The other big pharmacy chain in town,
Osco Drugs,
has a toll-
free number (
&
800/654-6726
) that you can call to locate the 24-hour
pharmacy nearest you.
