I'm notorious for having a bad race at the Chicago Half, but ended up running it again in 2013 because it is a good distance from the Chicago Marathon and a good time to check your fitness level if you're in marathon training. However, here's my attempted unbiased breakdown:
Pros - Great time of year weather wise for a half marathon, great weather and good for marathon training. It's located in hyde park, there's ample parking, and not too terrible of a drive down from the northside (do beware the drive back. Race day often ends up being the same day at the first Bears game). Lots of people do this race, and each year it seems to double in participants ( which can be a good or bad thing)
Cons - The expo is at Navy Pier, on a Friday or Saturday. DO NOT drive there. It's all the way in the back, and I highly suggest walking outside to the back auditorium to avoid the inside foot traffic. The course is flat, but pretty boring. You get to run down LSD, but it's not very scenic. The post race party has pizza and beer, however the lines for each are incredibly long, and not really worth it ( I'm not a big fan of deep dish pizza right after running 13 mi).

Overall, it's not a bad race, however I think there are better organized, more scenic half marathons to do.