Welcome back to Chicago, one of the nation’s largest and most culturally diverse cities and host of the 2010 Annual Spring MAC Meeting. The meeting will be held April 22–24, 2010, at the DoubleTree Hotel Chicago–Magnificent Mile. In the heart of the historic Streeterville community, the hotel is just minutes from North Michigan Avenue’s “Magnificent Mile,” Navy Pier, the Museum of Contemporary Art, theaters, cultural and educational institutions, restaurants, pubs, and clubs. Innovations for this meeting include two plenary keynote addresses, two new session formats, and a suite of mini-tours to nearby sites in addition to the always-enriching program of tours, educational sessions, special events, and workshops.
Program
Program will be available early February 2010.
Registration
There are two ways to register for the meeting—via credit card online or by check via mail. Advance registration for MAC members is still a great value at $70 and $45 for students.
Registration Rates
Advance registration for MAC members (by March 29, 2010) $70
Advance registration for nonmembers (by March 29, 2010) $85
Advance registration for students (by March 29, 2010) $45
March 30–April 12 and/or on-site registration, MAC members $80
March 30–April 12 and/or on-site registration, nonmembers $90
March 30–April 12 and/or on-site registration, students $50
One-day registration (Please specify which day: Thurs. Fri. Sat.) $40
Register Online at the MAC Web site
To register by mail, fill out the form included in the Program
Accommodations
Doubletree Hotel Chicago
300 E. Ohio
MAP
The meeting headquarters is the DoubleTree Hotel Chicago–Magnificent Mile, located two blocks east of Michigan Avenue at 300 East Ohio Street. The recently renovated DoubleTree is ideally located for taking advantage of much of what Chicago is famous for: the lakefront, museums, cultural and recreational attractions, architecture, shopping, dining, and people-watching extraordinaire.
The MAC room rate is $189 per night (single or double—triple or quad ranges from $189 to $225), plus Chicago hotel tax (currently 15.4%). In-room Internet is $9.95 per night, with free Wi-Fi for guests in the lobby areas. Check-in time is 3:00 P.M.; checkout is at noon.
To receive the special MAC rate, reservations must be made by April 4, 2010. Call the hotel at 312-787-6100 or 1-800-222-TREE and mention that you’re attending MAC (Group Name: Midwest Archives Conference 2010; Group Code: MAR). Or, reserve online – click here.
For additional information about the DoubleTree Chicago–Magnificent Mile, see the hotel Web site.
Planning committees
Local Arrangements Committee
Leigh Moran Armstrong, Freelance researcher and archivist
Andrea Bainbridge, American Medical Association
Stephanie Giordano, Rotary International
Peggy Glowacki, University of Illinois at Chicago
Glenn Humphreys, Chicago Public Library
Benn Joseph, Northwestern University Archives
Kelly Kress, Newberry Library
Glenn Longacre, NARA-Great Lakes
Morgen MacIntosh-Hodgetts, DePaul University, Special Collections and Archives (co-chair)
Elizabeth Myers, Women and Leadership Archives, Loyola University
Janet Olson, Northwestern University Archives (co-chair)
Sue Sacharski, Northwestern Memorial Hospital
Frank Villela, Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Nathalie Wheaton, Rush University Medical Center Archives
Program Committee
Leah Broaddus, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Janet Carleton (co-chair), Ohio University
Rosemary Flynn, Energy & Environmental Research Center, University of North Dakota
Adam Groves, Illinois Fire Service Institute
Sara Holmes, NARA-National Personnel Records Center, St Louis
Dina Kellams, Indiana University
Noah Lenstra, student, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Rick Pifer, Wisconsin Historical Society
Bart Ryckbosch (co-chair), Art Institute of Chicago
Lynn Smith (ex-officio), NARA-Hoover Presidential Library
Karen Spilman, University of Minnesota
Alison Stankrauff (ex-officio), Indiana University-South Bend
Rachel Vagts, Luther College, Iowa
Nancy Webster, Chicagoland
Local Information
Getting Around Chicago
The Doubletree Hotel is located at 300 East Ohio, 2 blocks east of Michigan Avenue.
Els, buses, taxis, and your own two feet make getting around Chicago easy. Buses require exact change. For the el, as in other cities, you must purchase a travel card at a machine in the station. Your best bet may well be a “Chicago Card.” For details about the el and bus lines, fare information, travel card options, and ordering travel cards online, see the CTA Web site.
Taxis are everywhere. Expensive, yes, but handy when you need them. Hail them with the classic wave.
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Metra commuter trains help you get to Chicago’s suburbs (as far away as Wisconsin, Indiana, and Michigan!) and back. About ten train lines leave from four or five stations. See the Metra pages for train lines, schedules, and fare information.
A Salute to the Grid System
With a few exceptions, Chicago streets are laid out on a simple grid system, making it extra easy to figure out where you are in relation to where you want to go. Street numbers north, south, east, and west all start at the corner of State and Madison, outside the landmark Louis Sullivan building that used to house the Carson Pirie Scott department store. A mile is approximately equivalent to eight blocks.
While the South Side includes many numbered streets, the streets on the north and west side are all named.
It helps to remember that Lake Michigan is always East.
Weather
One of the many cities of which it can be said, “If you don’t like our weather, wait a minute.” The average high temperature for April is 57 degrees. But it’s always cooler by the lake.
Basic Tourism Information
For lots of useful info, go to the City’s official tourism site, Explore Chicago.
For listings and reviews of events, theaters and movies, and restaurants, see also the online version of Chicago’s historic free weekly, the Chicago Reader or Metromix Chicago.
