O’Hare is both a hub for the two airlines I fly the most (American and United) and relatively close to Dayton, so I end up with a great many flights through there.
Only my home airport and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) beat it for visits as of the time of this writing. DFW built up a commanding lead back in 2009 through 2011 where I was both flying American nearly exclusively and had the Dallas/Fort Worth area as a frequent work destination. O’Hare got close to catching up in the mid-2010s when United operated the majority of my flights, but DFW has remained in the lead.
Even before the flight log started, I’d been to O’Hare a number of times; I have a lot of family in the Chicago area, and we lived in the UK for a few years, so when we came back to visit family we ended up flying through ORD.
Things I Like at O’Hare
Note: Terminals 1, 2, and 3 (B, C, E, F, G, H, K, and L gates) are all connected behind security, so once you’re in any of these terminals you can move around freely between them. Terminal 5 (M gates) is off on its own.
O’Hare Urban Garden
The rotunda at the root of Concourse G has a set of curved stairs (with an elevator behind it) leading up to a second level; on that level is a hydroponic garden which grows food for a number of airport restaurants.
The garden also has seating, and is much quieter than the concourses below; it’s a good place to sit and relax while waiting for a flight.
Tortas Frontera
O’Hare is home to some of my favorite airport food—Tortas Frontera (located in the B, K, and M concourses) provides great grilled sandwiches if you have the ten minutes to spare for them to cook it to order for you.
