The race shirt (Nike running) and race giveaway are pretty great. I wear the shirt a lot. In previous years we got a stadium/picnic blanket, which was great too. The medal is dinky, but with some many runners I'd assume that is to keep costs down.

Never had an issue with parking, but my wife usually drops me off. It will get very congested leading up to the race. Soldier Field isn't the most accessible place regarding public transit, but that would probably be preferred over the anxiousness of sitting in traffic & trying to park and make it to the race on time.

Not much in terms of scenery - you don't get special access to downtown Chicago routes. It's basically a 5 mile out, 5 mile in using Lake Shore Drive and the Lakefront Trail. But the coolness factor that is seeing yourself on the jumbo-tron as you sprint down Soldier Field is pretty great.

This also basically kicks off the long distance races in Chicago, so it's very popular. (I'd say that the Shamrock Shuffle officially kicks off the Chicago race season.)