Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
290
290
through Friday, with select banks r emain-
ing open later on specified afternoons and
evenings.
CAR RENT ALS
See “ Toll-Free N um-
bers & Websites,” p. 295.
DENTISTS
The r eferral ser vice of the
Chicago D ental S ociety
(
&
312/836-
7300;
www.cds.org) can r efer y ou to an
area dentist; y ou can also get a r eferral
online through the website. You also might
try your hotel concierge or desk staff, who
might keep a list of dentists.
DOCTORS
In the ev ent of a medical
emergency, y our best bet—unless y ou
have friends who can r ecommend a doc-
tor—is to r ely on y our hotel physician or
go to the nearest hospital emergency room.
Northwestern Memorial H ospital
has a
Physician Referral Service
(
&
877/926-
4664
). See also “Hospitals,” below.
DRINKING LAWS
The legal age for the
purchase and consumption of alcoholic
beverages is 21; pr oof of age is r equired
and often r equested at bars, nightclubs,
and restaurants, so it 's always a good idea
to bring ID when you go out.
In Chicago, beer, wine, and other alco-
holic bev erages ar e sold at liquor stor es
and supermar kets. B ars may sell alcohol
until 2am, although some nightclubs have
special licenses that allo w alcohol sales
until 4am. D o not carr y open containers
of alcohol in y our car or any public ar ea
that isn't zoned for alcohol consumption.
The police can fine y ou on the spot. And
nothing will ruin your trip faster than get-
ting a citation for DUI (driving under the
influence), so don't even think about driv-
ing while intoxicated.
DRIVING RULES
See “Getting Around,”
p. 58.
ELECTRICITY
Like Canada, the United
States uses 110-120 v olts AC (60 cy cles),
compared to 220-240 volts AC (50 cycles)
in most of E urope, A ustralia, and N ew
Zealand. D ownward conv erters that
change 220-240 v olts to 110-120 v olts
are difficult to find in the United States, so
bring one with you.
EMBASSIES & CONSULATES
All
embassies are in the nation's capital, Wash-
ington, D.C. S ome consulates ar e located
in major U.S. cities, and most nations
have a mission to the U nited Nations in
New York City. If your country isn't listed
below, call for dir ectory information in
Washington, D.C. (
&
202/555-1212
), or
log on to
www.embassy.org/embassies
.
The embassy of
Australia
is at 1601
Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20036 (
&
202/797-3000;
www.austemb.
org). There ar e consulates in N ew York,
Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, and San
Francisco.
The embassy of
Canada
is at 501 Penn-
sylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001
(
&
202/682-1740;
http://geo.international.
gc.ca/can-am/washington). O ther Cana-
dian consulates ar e in B uffalo (New York),
Detroit, Los Angeles, N
ew York, and
Seattle.
The embassy of
Ireland
is at 2234 Mas-
sachusetts A ve. NW , Washington, DC
20008 (
&
202/462-3939;
www .ireland
emb.org). I rish consulates ar e in Boston,
Chicago, N ew York, S an F rancisco, and
other cities. S ee website for complete list-
ing.
The embassy of
New Zealand
is at 37
Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC
20008 (
&
202/328-4800;
www .nz
embassy.com). N ew Z ealand consulates
are in Los Angeles, S
alt Lake City , S an
Francisco, and Seattle.
The embassy of the
United K ingdom
is at 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Wash-
ington, DC 20008 (
&
202/588-7800;
www.britainusa.com). O ther B ritish con-
sulates ar e in A tlanta, Boston, Chicago,
Cleveland, H ouston, Los Angeles, N
ew
York, San Francisco, and Seattle.
EMERGENCIES
For fire or police emer-
gencies, call
&
911.
The nonemergency
phone number for the Chicago P olice
Department is
&
311.
The city of Chicago
