Hotel
This is the hotel where we have a block of rooms. Kelli and Jaime will be staying here for the weekend. The sooner you book your rooms, the better! The hotel is less than 3 miles from the venue. It is located on I-88, which you can take to I-290, which then leads directly to the city. The hotel is also located near the Lisle Metra Station (see below for more details).
Discount Code - https://www.hyatt.com/en-US/group-booking/LISLE/G-JKCO
Train
I highly recommend using this train to get into the city - up to you if you prefer to Uber or ride the CTA once you make it to Union Station (located right next to Willis Tower, btw!). In order to ride, you will need to download the "Ventra" app. It is blue and the logo is a "V". In the app, you will need to select "Purchase a Metra ticket", then hit "Buy a Metra ticket". Select the BNSF - Burlington Northern rail line. Departure station is Lisle (the stop is at 1000 Front St, Lisle, IL). Destination station is Union Station. Select either the Day Pass (for a weekday) or the Weekend Pass. Then you can go to checkout and enter your payment information. Cost is between $10-13.50 per person round trip. The train typically departs every 1/2 hour during peak travel times and every hour in the afternoons and evenings. You can find the train schedules at https://metra.com/schedules.
Train
The CTA is a different beast. Fortunately it only costs $5 to ride throughout a pretty wide network in the city. The downside is that the trains are dirty and people can be sketchy (one exception: I have never had a bad ride on the red line to Wrigley). You can only buy tickets in the terminals at the train stop in the city. You can buy an all day pass for $5; you just need to follow the prompts. I find it easiest to use Google Maps via train directions (click the train icon) to guide me to the best train route.