What: OctoCon XXVI
When: Friday, April 17th, Noon to Midnight and Saturday, April 18th, 9 AM to Midnight
Where: United In Faith Church, 6525 W. Irving Park Road, Chicago, IL
Who: OOers, spouses, friends, whoever!
Why?: Let's play some games!
The Facilities:
I have acquired the use of the fellowship hall and lounge of my church for us to use for a gaming day. Cost of using said room is whatever donation you care to make. (Note that this is NOT mandatory, just if you feel like donating, donate!)
The church is a converted printing plant, so the main fellowship hall is inside of the main plant space. It is large and roomy and doesn't look very church like (except for the statue of Jesus that will be staring out at the room the whole time. Hoping this might deter cheating.) We will have access to over a dozen 4X8 tables, and more could be grabbed if needed. It is totally handicap accessable. There is also a kitchen that is part of the hall, we should be able to use the refrigerator there for soda and snacks.
The lounge is right off of the fellowship hall, with couches and places to relax if you are not playing a game at the time. There is a 35" TV in there, so if someone so desired we could have video games running in there during the down times as well.
Food:
There are a number of restaurants in the area. Across the street is a Burger King, a Subway, a Dunkin Donuts, and a chinese fast food restaurant. Down the street is a gyros/hot dog place, a typical Chicago corner greek restaurant, a bar, and another Chinese place (non-fast food). The new official favorite restaurant of OctoCon is now The Jolly Inn, right next door. It's a polish all you can eat buffet, and comes highly recommended by those that have eaten there.
There are two grocery stores right by the church; a large chain store, and a smaller Polish market, for your junk food needs. You can bring your own munchies and soda in with you.
We will do our usual Friday night pizza buy in...probably going up to about $7 a person (bring singles!!!). We'll get a bunch of Chicago style pizzas from Giordanos or Al's Pizza.
I would provide 3-4 dozen donuts and coffee for breakfast in the morning, on a first come first serve basis. Everyone would be responsible for their own lunch, but we have a wide selection. It seems like nobody stops playing for dinner, so we play that by ear too.
We always have a snack table, where everyone brings community munchies, as well as a few coolers of soda.
Alcohol:
No alcohol in the church for insurance reasons. Sorry. Regardless, there are a number of neighborhood-style bars and pubs around the church.
Lodging:
The closest motel is the LP Motel, 4605 N Harlem Ave, Harwood Heights. This motel is about 5 minutes from the church. Number for the motel is (708) 457-0600. No guarantees about quality, it looks pretty beat up and run down from the outside.
Another option is the Motel 6 at 9408 Lawrence Ave in Schiller Park. Disadvantage is that it is more like 15-20 minutes from the church. If I were coming here and didn't want to stay in a fancier hotel, that would be my first choice. Phone number is (847) 671-4282.
ThatSteveGuy and Kristie have stayed at the Aloft Hotel in nearby Rosemont and have recommended it highly.
Otherwise, lots of hotel choices all very close because we are near O'Hare. Just look at Google Maps or your other favorite hotel site.
Questions, let me know.
