Because Chicago is the site of O'Hare Airport (the world's busiest), as well as the hub of the national Amtrak train network, you're likely at least to pass through it. If you plan to spend time in the rest of Illinois, Amtrak, numerous commuter railroads and, to a lesser extent, Greyhound, make getting around on public transportation feasible, and cycling is generally easy on these endless flat plains.

Half a dozen interstates fan out across the country from Chicago. The famous Chicago-to-LA Route 66 has been defunct since the 1960s, though I-55 southwest to St Louis, followed by I-44 and I-40, follow its general route.

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