This was my second marathon and due to work schedule, etc, I didn't fly into Chicago until the day before the race so didn't get much time to enjoy the city. Checked into the house we were renting and went straight to the expo. I probably shouldn't have spent that much time at the expo but it had so much to offer we ended up spending waaay too much time. There were a lot of give aways, etc
Bib pick up was very well organized and smooth.
Getting to the starting line was easy - not far from the train station and going through security was a breeze. They did close the corrals right at the time they said they were going to close them so people who arrived late had to go to the back.
The race itself was a lot of fun - there were hundreds of thousands of people cheering you on. It felt like there was someone cheering you on every foot of the course. There were adequate aid stations. It got really hot so the cooling sponges were nice. Post race party was fun - not a beer drinker so didn't partake in that
The Nike store downtown actually engraved the medals so we hang out there to get our medals engraved.
Overall, I would do this race again (after I have crossed the rest off my bucket list)
I would highly recommend it. It's worth the money and time...