CMWC2012

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oh baby we need your body

Volunteer

We Need You
So this event is a lot more than just a handful of organizers, our long suffering significant others, and friends we've tricked into helping out. We need an army of Volunteers to pull this thing off. That's where you come in.

Interested in helping set up, tear down, work a checkpoint, wrangle registration or just generally lend a hand? You've come to the right place! We have 4+ days that we need to cover and can't do it without your help. Let us know where you're available and any special skillz you can bring to the table (like a truck, master-organizing skills, really killer poster making experience, a huge house you want smelly messengers to stay in, etc) and we'll get you in the mix.

If you help us out, we'll help you. You'll be the backbone of this event, and we'll make sure you're taken care of accordingly.

Chicago!

we burned it down to make it better

Finding Your Way Around

After it burned down Chicago was re-built on a grid system with a “major” street every half mile - equal to four blocks. The starting point is at the intersection of State and Madison in the heart of the Loop. State Street runs north/south. All of the other north/south streets are numbered as so many blocks east or west of State, with the addresses increasing by 100 for each block (except downtown, where streets do not always correspond to a full block).

For example, Ashland Avenue runs north/south and is 16 blocks west of State and so its “address” is 1600 West. Since there are 8 blocks to a mile, we can also determine that Ashland is 2 miles west of State. Similarly all east/west streets are numbered as north or south of Madison, which runs east/west. The street that runs parallel to Madison eight blocks to the north (Chicago Avenue) is referred to as 800 North, and is one mile north of Madison.

Using this system you can always figure out how far and in what direction you have strayed from downtown, and by knowing a cross street’s address you can find any building in the city. A building with an address of 800 North Ashland Ave. will be 8 blocks north of Madison on Ashland which is 16 blocks west of State Street, at the intersection of Chicago Ave. and Ashland Ave. A building with an address of 1601 West Chicago Ave. will be on another corner of the same intersection.

click on map to enlarge

There are way more streets than this. This map just shows some main ones.

the po-po

Laws

Chicago has open container laws and public intox laws. Enforcement is all about how much of a pain you’re being. This goes for parks as well. While you’ll see a lot of drinking in public parks, technically it’s not allowed. The brown paper bag is your friend. Use it and don’t be an asshole. Cops here, by and large, live by a “don’t fuck with us and we won’t fuck with you” credo. There are exceptions to that rule, but mostly you’re just a lot of paperwork to them.

trains!

The 'L

We’ve got a public transport system that’s the third busiest in the nation. While not as encompassing (and confusing) as New Yorks it gets the job done. Dating back to the late 1800’s the ‘L consists of eight train lines, identified by color, two of which (the Red and Blue) provide 24hr service. Stations are generally named by the cross street at which they are. If you’re flying in or out of Chicago you’ll be using the Blue Line (heading towards or away from O’Hare) or the Orange Line (heading towards or away from Midway).

There is no L’ stop attached to Union Station (for those coming in or out by train) and the closest stop to the Greyhound station is at Clinton & Congress (Blue Line). A cash fair is $2, with a transfer costing 25 cents. Bikes are allowed on trains every weekday except during rush hour (7am-9am and 4pm-6pm) and are allowed all day on weekends.

Buses in Chicago are equipped with bike racks, so if you flat out somewhere and can’t get going again you can hop a bus with your bike.

click on map to enlarge