I'll be arriving next Thursday, getting rental car and staying in Deerfield. Will be going back to O'Hare on Friday afternoon to pick up daughter who is flying in around 4.

Will traffic be horrendous going and/or coming?

Unfortunately, yes.

I am guessing it will take you about an hour both ways. Friday evening don't be surprised if it takes you 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

Good luck to you.

chasecow, please forgive me for butting in on your thread. But I have to ask Patten a question.

Assuming your screen name is related to your name or a family name of some sort, does your family have any ties to central Illinois? I ask because Patten is my maiden name and my father was from Rutland. Patten with an e is not all that common of a name.

CAPH52, Patten is my married name, but my husband's family has been in the far western Chicago suburbs for about 4 or 5 generations.

No connections to Rutland that I know of, but you never know I guess. If you have any B.C. Pattens in your family history, then you would probably be related to my husband's family.

Thanks, Patten. We're actually in the western suburbs too! DuPage county. But my husband and I moved to this area fairly recently (compared to 4 or 5 generations)!

No B.C.s that I know of, so probably no relation. Thomas was the big name in our Patten line. But I appreciate your responding.

Don't know whether it would be of any interest to your husband, but I posted a trip report on the Europe board back in April in which I mentioned finding Pattens on Achill Island, County Mayo.

I will now turn the thread back over to you, chasecow!

Thanks Patten and "No Worries" CAPH52. LOL - I was wishing otherwise, but I pretty much got the answer that I was expecting.

HI-we were just driving from O'Hare on the East-West Expy on a Friday in early June and--sorry to say --it was awful!! I felt like it was exactly like our worst LA freeway adventures.