TDY Gouge - Illinois

Chicago, IL - The Intercontinental (312)944-4100 is a fabulous hotel located right at 505 N. Michigan Ave (gov. rate) near the bars (Hard Rock Cafe) / restaurants / shopping, etc. About a 30-minute bus ride from O'Hare. Absolutely outstanding location near infinite great restaurants and bars. Superb service and great view, even a doorman in a top hat to open the door for you. The bar section of town is on Division Street. ~Embassy Suites - Downtown Lakefront. Fantastic hotel in downtown, walking distance from good food and drink, plus the free breakfast in the morning and drinks in the evening. Got our rooms at max per diem ($155/night) during JA/ATT conference. Great food at Volare's, an Italian place right off Grand Ave. Huge portions, reasonable prices. Chicago Chop House is supposedly the best steakhouse in the US, and it lived up to its reputation. Expensive (my 24oz. NY strip, 3 INCHES thick, salad, potato, and a beer cost $50), but worth every penny. Dress nice for both places (Dockers are fine, but in jeans you'll stand out). ESPN Zone is nearby as well, good food and drinks, put tons of TVs to watch your favorite team. Get on the train and go to Murphy's Bleachers (right next to Wrigley Field). Good beer, lots of choices, and good bar food.

NOTES: For Banner missions, the City will no longer provide transpo to your hotel. Also, Signiature Aviation FBO provides fuel, etc. -- call ahead for all these. O'Hare International is a High Density Traffic Airport (HDTA), and requires slot reservations for all arrivals and departures between 0745 and 2315L; ensure TACC planners have both reservation numbers annotated on the frag. The KC-135 Guard unit has since moved to Scott AFB; base operations is no longer operational. Therefore, all pre-mission requirements need to be met by calling Kankakee FSS. Hudson Aviation (773-686-2255) supported us for fuel, but did not have the capability to provide us a Dash 86/60-equivalent power cart when we parked on the USAF ramp on the northeast side of the airfield. Contact them on VHF 131.325 (City Ops) with your inbound requests when you get a chance. A taxi costs on the average of $30 one way to downtown Chicago. If you have taxis transport your crew to the military ramp the next day, ensure your drivers know how to get to the old military entrance on the north side of the airfield. It is not the same exit off the freeway that takes you to the terminal. In addition, you must coordinate ahead of time with Mr. Lineman (773-686-6565) to tell the security guards/Secret Service (if on a Banner Mission) to expect your arrival at the airfield.

Peoria, IL - This mainly applies for ANG and AFRES folks. Peoria sits in the middle of farm country, about 2 hours south of Chicago. We stayed at the Pere Marquette, which is the Biltmore equivalent. Very Nice, and the people are very nice as well. Bar and restaurant located inside Hotel, with a LOT to choose from on the menu. Though in downtown Peoria, there is a lot of restaurants to choose from. There are places that serve wings about a few hundred yards from the hotel. I forget the name though..sorry. The personnel at Peoria ANGB are very nice, and are very helpful. They do have UDI's, but have to be arranged accordingly by your Current Ops. If you're going to PIA, it's because you're supporting their ORE/ORI, and are probably heading up to Volk Field, or some other CRTC location. Be aware however, that when sitting on the Guard ramp, the VHF ground freq doesn't work very well trying to contact ground. UHF is a little bit better, but not by much.

Scott AFB, IL - Baymont Inn 618.632.6668 was better than average. Brand new, quiet, & comfortable. Pool, jacuzzi, work-out room, breakfast included. ~Crowne Plaza (314-291-6700) was fantastic! Located at: 11228 Lone Eagle Drive BRIDGETON, MO 63044. Beautiful Business hotel one mile from Lambert Airport/Scott AFB. Has any amenity you want. Two inside restaurants, one is TGI Fridays. Indoor pool, Jacuzzi, and nice gym. Regularly used by local Air Guard to billet drill members. Four Points - Sheraton (618-622-9500 Fax - 618-622-9548) was a great hotel. Since perdiem is only $55, this place is a must. Large clean rooms, all amenities with numerous local activities. Hotel really takes care of their guests...especially all military members that stay here. If you are going to Scott for a TDY, you need to make sure you get a room here. If staying at Scott AFB for an extended TDY (90 days +), stay with MidAmerica Corporate Apartments. They do short term leases in the best apartments in the area close to the Shiloh gate (Green Mount Lakes Apartments). Here is the webpage, http://www.midamericacorporate.com/.

• 12 Feb 09* If staying on base, avoid calling a taxi if possible, because they'll rape you just to get to the nearest restaurant. Also, the on-base rental car company didn't accomodate when we arrived after closing hours, so we were forced to use a cab and get rental cars elsewhere. Highly recommend the Morgan Street Brewery downtown on the river. We were told by the locals to avoid the casinos.