Navigating McCormick Place: Map and Tips for RSNA Attendees
Chicago in late November is a sharp pivot for anyone stepping off a long-haul flight from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth. Winds whip off Lake Michigan while Australians swap summer barbecues for parkas and snow flurries. The RSNA 2020 Annual Meeting runs from 29 November to 4 December, landing weeks after the running of the Melbourne Cup. Arriving prepared for the weather and the scale of the venue will save time and energy.
McCormick Place sits on the lakefront of the Near South Side and is the largest convention centre in North America. Walking in for the first time can feel like stepping into a small city, with skybridge connections and an internal shuttle network. Australian delegations who arrive tired from a Qantas flight via Los Angeles often underestimate how much ground they will cover each day, and a solid grasp of the layout pays off.
This guide is written for radiology professionals travelling from Australia who want a clear picture of the venue before they pack. It covers the floor plan, walking routes and practical advice on adjusting to Central Standard Time, along with a few local customs worth knowing, from tipping etiquette to coffee culture.
For groups travelling together, the same advice multiplies: a missing colleague can delay an entire tour of the technical exhibition. A little planning before departure keeps everyone on the same page, and a useful primer on airport transfer coordination complements the venue strategy below.
Reading the McCormick Place floor plan
The complex is divided into four interconnected buildings: North, South, West and Lakeside Center. Each has its own entrance off Lake Shore Drive or Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, linked by covered skybridges that double as exhibition corridors. The Lakeside Center is the oldest and tends to house smaller refresher courses, while the South and West buildings swallow the bulk of the technical exhibition and poster boards.
Locating a specific course begins with the RSNA programme app, which mirrors the printed pocket guide. Once the room number is known, the digital map shows which skybridge connects the current building to the target hall. Australian attendees accustomed to smaller venues such as the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre or ICC Sydney will find the sheer square footage surprising.
A simple trick is to pin the day's key rooms on the app before leaving the hotel. Group leaders can photograph the building directory near each entrance so lost colleagues can find their way back. The food courts at the junctions of the skybridges are easy to spot on the printed map, serving as reliable navigation anchors.
Getting around the four buildings
Walking is the default, but the venue also runs free shuttle buses between the four buildings during peak hours. These shuttle loops are most useful for attendees moving between the Lakeside Center and the North Building during the morning rush, when the skybridges become crowded. Stops are clearly marked on the kerbside, and drivers know the route by heart.
For those staying along Michigan Avenue or in the West Loop, the CTA Green Line offers a cheap link to the Cermak-McCormick Place station. A single-ride ticket costs only a few Australian dollars once converted and the journey takes around twenty-five minutes from downtown. Those comparing travel options before flying will find the table below useful for choosing between O'Hare and Midway.
| Option | From O'Hare (ORD) | From Midway (MDW) | Approx. cost | Travel time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taxi / Rideshare | Flat lanes to door | Direct to door | AUD $120–180 | 45–60 min |
| CTA Train | Blue Line to downtown | Orange Line to downtown | AUD $4–6 | 60–75 min |
| Airport Shuttle | Pre-booked groups | Pre-booked groups | AUD $35–55 per seat | 60–90 min |
| Hotel Shuttle | Limited hotels only | Very limited | Often included | 45–75 min |
Coordinating a group's first transfer through O'Hare can swallow half a day if everyone arrives on separate flights, which is why arranging coaches is so common among Australian delegations.
Adjusting to Central Standard Time
Chicago sits fifteen to seventeen hours behind Australia's eastern states during the southern summer, depending on daylight saving. Melbourne and Sydney move to AEDT in early October, so by late November the gap is sixteen hours. A 9 a.m. keynote in Chicago happens at 1 a.m. the next day in Sydney, and a full morning session stretches through the small hours back home.
Sleep specialists in Australia usually recommend beginning the shift two or three days before departure. Setting watches to Chicago time on the plane, staying awake until a reasonable local evening and avoiding heavy meals after arrival all help the body clock reset. Even a small head start protects attendance at early-morning case sessions during the six-day meeting.
Delegations from Western Australia have a slightly easier ride, with Perth sitting thirteen hours behind Chicago during AEDT. Brisbane travellers sit on the same clock as Sydney and Melbourne. Knowing which colleagues will struggle most helps group leaders schedule demanding content later in the day, when jet lag has eased for most.
Food, coffee and quiet corners
American conference coffee is functional but rarely the specialty-grade flat white that Australian radiology professionals take for granted. A few good espresso bars sit just outside the South Building on Indiana Avenue and are worth seeking out on day two or three. Inside the venue, the cafes along the Grand Concourse are reliable for a quick caffeine hit between sessions.
Mealtimes follow an earlier rhythm than many Australians expect. Lunch services begin around 11.30 a.m. and dinner rarely starts before 6 p.m. Group dinners booked for 7 p.m. or later will match local habits and leave time for afternoon poster viewing. Tipping of 18 to 22 per cent is standard in sit-down restaurants, higher than the typical Australian rate, so a quick mental adjustment prevents awkward bill calculations.
For moments of quiet, the upper levels of the Lakeside Center overlook the lake and tend to be far calmer than the busy halls below. Several Australian institutions use these corners for informal catch-ups after long plenaries when the main thoroughfares feel overwhelming.
Smart recommendations for first-time attendees
- Download the RSNA 2020 mobile app before departure and pin every room you plan to visit.
- Photograph the building directory at each entrance to help lost colleagues navigate back.
- Wear comfortable, closed-toe shoes with grippy soles; the polished concourses can be slippery.
- Carry a printed copy of your hotel address and the McCormick Place map as a backup.
- Build in a thirty-minute buffer between sessions held in different buildings, especially across the West Building.
Book group accommodation early through a dedicated RSNA 2020 booking portal to lock in competitive rates at three, four and five-star properties close to the venue. Australian teams that secure room blocks near the convention centre save up to forty minutes of daily commute time, and that recovered time translates directly into more sessions attended. Locking in transfers, hotels and meeting schedules as one package turns a long trip into a smooth experience worth sharing with colleagues at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists.