In the Windy City!

Call it Chicagoland, The Second City or the Heart of America, it’s our home for Attune ‘22.

Our guide to Chicago

Designed for our Chicago “newbies” and seasoned Chicago visitors, this guide will help you navigate the best restaurants, activities, and more as you prepare for your trip to Attune 2022: The Science of Engagement. We look forward to seeing you there– let’s get ready to experiment!

Bring the team with our group rate!

Accommodations

Can I stay on-site?

Yes! If you’re interested in staying on-site at the historic Palmer House Hilton, a special discounted rate of $279.00 + 17.4% hotel occupancy tax is available. To secure your reservation, please follow the prompts during registration or click on the link in your confirmation email.

What other hotels are nearby?

The Silversmith Hotel Chicago Downtown is about a block away, as is the Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago Theatre District. But in Chicago, most everything is “nearby”, so with either a short walk or a hop in an Uber or a train, you’ll be at Attune in no time. 

The Palmer House was the first hotel to use a lightbulb and a vertical steam lift, which later became the elevator.

Route 66, established in 1926, begins in Chicago at Grant Park on Adams Street, opposite the Art Institute of Chicago. Route 66 is one of the U.S Highway System’s original highways and one of the most famous roads.

Getting around Chicago

Whether via public transportation, Uber/Lyft, water taxis, or just on foot, Chicago is incredibly easy to get around! You can check out Choose Chicago for some great information on all the different ways to travel throughout the city. 

If you’re coming from O’Hare to the Palmer House, for example, you can take the Blue Line subway out of the airport to the Monroe-Blue stop, and walk 2 minutes to the hotel. Added bonus? It only costs a few bucks. See? That was easy!

Things to do!

If you plan on sticking around Chicago after Attune is over, or you’re coming into town a few days early, don’t fret – there are tons of things to do around the city. 

May we suggest checking out The Art Institute of Chicago, the 82-floor Aqua Tower which is the tallest structure in the world to be designed by a woman, architect Jeanne Gang, or maybe Cloud Gate in Millennium Park, hosting the famous Bean, a massive sculpture by Sir Anish Kapoor designed to reflect the Chicago skyline? 

And if you’re up for the thrill of a lifetime, go see a a bird’s-eye view of four different states from 360 CHICAGO, located on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center. Chicago’s highest thrill ride – TILT – is up, and it’s a moving platform that TILTs visitors over the edge of the building! 

For more suggestions on things to do in Chicago, including some “inside info” from Firstup employees on restaurants, check out our recent blog post.

Chicago boasts over 40 annual film festivals, 20 film and filmmaker nonprofit organizations, and 12 arthouse and independent cinemas.