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The Chicago XDS proposal has additional information that was prepared for the foundation board.
The XDC2011 event is taking place at the Illinois Institute of Technology at the McCormick Tribune Campus Center. It's immediately due-south of downtown Chicago by just a few minutes with easy public transportation. Thanks go out to the Association for Computing Machinery in helping X.Org secure this venue at an affordable rate in conjunction with IIT.
If you would be interested in providing a talk during the event, please add it to the program page.
For anyone arriving the weekend prior to XDC2011, MichaelLarabel will already be showing around a few attendees various places around Chicago and various pubs in the evening. Contact him and you're more than welcome to meet-up with other attendees. His locations will also be tweeted for those that may be showing up at a moment's notice. Sunday evening there might also be a pre-XDC2011 gathering at a local establishment.
Chicago has two main airports, Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Chicago Midway (MDW). Most attendees, especially international visitors, will likely arrive at O'Hare. Midway is common for the budget domestic airlines and other general aviation traffic. ORD is one of the lowest-cost airports in the United States to fly in from Europe with direct flights.
Both airports are connected to the city via local train. There are also shuttle buses to major hotels within the city.
Chicago is much better than most cities in the United States with regard to public transportation. There's buses and trains (also referred to as 'El') that go under and above ground depending upon location. Trains are generally on time and most preferred as buses are often late, missing, or crowded, but still better than most US locations.
All events should be within close proximity to a train line for a quick and easy commute around the city.
Public transportation is served by the Chicago Transit Authority. Local routes can also be planned using Google Maps, which tends to provide accurate information for the city.
The event itself at the McCormick Tribune Campus Center is located along the CTA green line directly at the 35th–Bronzeville–IIT stop. There is also a red line Sox-35th stop within walking distance too, which is the train stop used for accessing the White Sox baseball stadium (Cellular Field).
"The bus lines that run to IIT are the 29 (directly to MTCC from Navy Pier/Loop), the 24 (from the Loop down Wenworth/LaSalle, one block west of MTCC) and the 4 (from downtown on Michigan to one block east of MTCC). They are often slow, but they may be more convenient than the train depending on where you are staying."
"There is a free IIT shuttle bus that takes people directly from the IIT downtown campus to the MTCC. The information is at http://www.iit.edu/directory/2011-2012IITShuttleBusSchedule.pdf Technically it's only for IIT students/faculty but you might be able to hop on by saying you're with the CS department."
With Chicago being a popular tourist destination, there's a variety of accommodations in and around the city of Chicago for all price ranges. Hotels.com is able to provide a list of Chicago area hotels. For those on a budget, the accommodations near O'Hare International Airport may be most economical (with an easy 20~30 minute train ride to reach the center of the city) while the hotels in the proper city center are the most expensive options.
Chicago has many dining options for all price ranges. Chicago is particularly known for unique styles of pizza and hot dogs. According to WikiTravel, Chicago is evidently also known for greasy, large sandwiches that are simply called "Italian Beef."
Beer in America is an unfortunate travesty. Particularly for European visitors, if beer quality is even the smallest concern, avoid most restaurants near Wrigley Field and other sporting venues. For any other recommendations, consult MichaelLarabel.
The XDC2011 dinner and social event is TBD.
Below are some unofficial recommendations on particular establishments.
Below are a few restaurants / bars located near the IIT McCormick Tribune Campus Center itself, if looking for additional food or drink during the event itself. Additional places can easily be found with Google Maps using "restaurant loc: The McCormick Tribune Campus Center, Chicago, IL 60616"
If you will be attending XDC2011, add your name to the attendees page. Additionally, subscribe to the X.Org events mailing list for further details. This is a low-volume mailing list.
If physical participation is not possible but would be interested in participating remotely via IRC and ideally live audio / video streams, make your interest known to MichaelLarabel that you would like live streaming of the event.
The United States uses standard North American 120V / 60Hz power plugs. American Express, VISA, and MasterCard are all common in Chicago and accepted by most retailers and restaurants.
Wikitravel and TripAdvisor are great sources for other travel advice and recommendations.
Feedback and any other inquiries regarding the organization of the event -- or questions if encountered when in Chicago at the event -- can be directed to Michael Larabel <michaellarabel.com> or via SMS / voice-mail at +1.601.871.0456 (US) or +49.089.8091.2991 (DE). Note: these telephone numbers are screened for public callers. Michael can also be contacted on FreeNode IRC via the michaellarabel handle.