STATE MOTTO: GO CUBBIES!
AND: 'IT'S ILI-NOI' the 's' is *SILENT*, DAMMIT!

THE VERY FIRST THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT ILLINOIS IS THE FOLLOWING PIECE OF *REALLY CRITICAL* INFORMATION:
ILLINOIS ONLY HAS 4 "CLASS 'X' FELONIES" (CRIMES FOR WHICH THE STATE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO EXECUTE OFFENDERS)
THEY ARE:
1. 1ST DEGREE MURDER
2. RAPE
3. CHILD MOLESTATION
4. POSSESSION OF LSD - yes kids, if a particularly ambitious D.A. wanted to, he could fry you for fry!

Rob's advice: if you have hits on you in Illinois, keep them where you can (discreetly) eat them in an emergency (it's only illegal to have it ON YOU - not IN YOU.
Advice # 2: if you have hits don't have pot and vice versa. Dogs cannnot smell lsd - neither can humans.

However, IF THEY SMELL POT AND DO A SEARCH AND FIND THE PRIZE, IT'S CHRISTMASTIME DOWN AT THE STATIONHOUSE, whoeee.
You won't get penalized too much for herb, but life as you know it is OVER if they find acid....
And a cop who was just gonna do a routine ID check and maybe even give you a ride to a nice warm truckstop gets an extra stripe...

Now the good stuff:
The absolutely best on-ramp on I-80 (in either direction) is the 'Lincoln Oasis' in Calumet City: its' a service plaza over the tollway run by Mariott and you may hitch from where the cars go onto the road undisturbed...(it may take a couple of hours to get a ride but usually never more than four) - the Burger King and the Popeye's Chicken inside both sell dr.pepper and they're pretty close to 'street prices'.
I just wish they hadn't got rid of the pinball machine...

Another good on-ramp is the twin towns of PERU / LA SALLE on I-80.
THE TIKI INN ONLY CHARGES 19.95 a nite (total - includng tax - they're pretty lenient about Id in cold weather, they have great water pressure, excellent heating and a/c. The building has weathered 2 or 3 tornadoes w/guests undisturbed and they also rent 'all the movies you can watch for $9.95' (even the dirty ones - REAL dirty ones - NOT spectravision). They're also near an OTB and a WALmart and 3, count'em, 3 truckstops, plus the Pine Cone restaruant next door always has AMAZINGLY cheap specials like - All you can eat chicken for like 3 dollars...

Other good I-80 points: 'R' Place restaurant west of Joliet.
'Big Ethyl' burger - 4 lbs for 14.95 - eat it all and fries and it's FREE! (3 time limit).

I recommend taking metra to: Deerfield and walking the mile or so up to 'Half Day Rd' on - ramp for Milwaukee travel.
Amtrak to Danforth for like 10 bucks and going down 57 from there...
(You can stop in Champaign @ the Garcia / Fying tomato pizza place while you're there...)
Also, to go down 55 toward St.Louis (also 80 toward IOWA) take METRA to Joliet for 6 bucks and go from there.
It is illegal to walk on interstate in Illinois but 99% of the time you won't be bothered in rural areas...(you may very well even be given a RIDE along the I-70 corridor by troopers...like 40-50 miles).

IT's CHEAP AND THE GIRLS ARE CUTE: OAK ST BEACH ON LAKE MICHIGAN.
(Take subway) Joliet metra station is 'La Salle St station - it's ALSO for 'Tinley Park' (World Ampitheatre).
Soldier Field is in 'Grant Park' off Lake Shore Drive (U.S.41).
Take bus or metra 'electric line' from 'Randolph Station'.
North bound metra (toward Wiconsin) - don't get on the Kenosha line; take the train to Deerfield and walk - trust me...(downtown Kenosha is 10 miles from I-94).
Was gona put rta URL in but it sucks the pc into a black hole so screw 'em.

Avg xing time= e-w 4-6
n-s 6-10

One final note: HAVE A CHICAGO STYLE 'VIENNA BEEF" hot dog if you can - the right way to make a hot dog!

Write to Legendary Rob.