Our next
Monthly Gathering
is on
February 18th.
AGoG will be held Feb. 17th – 19th. Both
will be held
at the
Westin North Shore Hotel
601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090
The locations
of the MGs vary.
Monthly Gathering
Our next
Monthly Gathering
is on
February 18th.
AGoG will be held Feb. 17th – 19th. Both
will be held
at the
Westin North Shore Hotel
601 N. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, IL 60090
The locations
of the MGs vary.
Our Chicago Area Monthly Gatherings are open to the public. So anyone interested in finding out more about Mensa is welcome to attend. A Gathering of Gamers (AGoG) and the February Monthly Gathering will be held at the Westin North Shore Hotel at 601 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Wheeling. The gatherings are held each month, except for November. So check this site to ensure you’re heading to the correct venue. Members can also check the latest issue of ChiMe or Chicago Mensa Meetup. The website will supersede information in ChiMe should there be a discrepancy.
Typical Monthly Gathering
2:00 PM
Mensa Admissions Test
(for anyone who wishes to become a member) —
Preregister
to reserve a space for this session or for a different
test location/date.
This month the cost of our in-person test is 50% off!
Walk-ins are welcome but you cannot be late. To
see if any of your past tests (ACT, SAT, LSAT…) qualify for membership, see
which tests qualify.
Or arrange for an approved private test.
If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing may be cancelled!!
5:00 PM
Business Meeting — Our five board members and any other interested members discuss various topics and issues. Members are welcome to attend and voice their opinions, but only the Board of Directors can vote.
6:00 PM
Games Room opens for any early-arrivers and game enthusiasts. At recent gatherings, members have played their favorite games such as Chess, Scrabble, Set, and Boggle, as well as current hit games. Our game collection is pretty extensive, so if you have a favorite, there’s a fair chance we’ll have it on hand. Here’s the list of our entire collection (minus a couple of oldies for which the Geek has no entry) over on Board Game Geek, although not all games are conveyed to every Monthly Gathering (there are just too many). Contact our Game Warden to ensure a specific one is available.
7:30 PM
Officer Nominations — Nominations will be taken from the floor prior to the speaker presentation.
~7:35 PM
Speaker Presentation — The gathering usually begins with announcements from our Local Secretary (LocSec), followed by a guest who speaks on an interesting topic for about an hour.
8:30 PM until midnight
Refreshments, Socializing, and Games — After the speaker presentation, our hospitality volunteers provide an assortment of party food and beverages, and people browse and mingle. Conversation and games continue into the night.
The majority of the people start arriving around 7 PM. Usually, about 60-100 people attend the Monthly Gathering. If you prefer a smaller group, try one of our many restaurant gatherings hosted at various locations throughout the metropolitan area. Check out the latest monthly calendar of events for dates, or, for more information, call the Membership Chair.
Babysitting is no longer available unless we get some volunteers willing to do so or to arrange it. If interested, contact our LocSec . In the meantime, we encourage parents and kids to hang out together in a separate room where the children can play together under their parents’ supervision. Also please contact our Gifted Youth Coördinators , who may be restarting the Gifted Youth MG activity held in conjunction with the regular MG.
Fees
| Admission Fees * |
Ages | |
|---|---|---|
| 18-∞ | 8-17 | |
| Members | $10.00 | $5.00 |
| Guests | $12.00 | $7.00 |
| Check-in starts at 7 PM. CAM is now accepting major credit cards at the MGs. |
||
* Children under the age of 8 are free provided they under the supervision of an adult attending the gathering.
Venue Info for
The March Monthly Gathering will be held on Benedictine University’s Campus in the Daniel L. Goodwin Hall of Business (Building 8 on the Campus Map) located at 5700 College Rd. in Lisle. The building is near the southern end of the campus. Note that the campus is only accessible from College Rd. which runs along the eastern edge of the campus.
The business meeting, games, and hospitality will be on the fourth floor in room 411 - aka Sorenson Hall of Leaders. Testing and the parent-child play will be in room 212. The speaker will be presenting via Zoom; the access information is available on our Contact Info webpage. After the speaker, in addition to enjoying the food and conversation, there will be an opportunity to learn to play games published by Facade Games. Use your cunning skills and powers of social deduction as you travel through history with games like Bristol 1350, Salem 1692, Tortuga 1667, and Deadwood 1876. Look for the game table in main hospitality. Note: The rooms tend to be a bit chilly, so you may want to consider bringing a sweater/sweatshirt. Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Benedictine University is located at the southwest corner of Chicago/Maple Ave. and College Rd. The campus is only accessible from College Rd. The interactive Campus Map shows the northern edge (Chicago/Maple Ave.) of campus at a diagonal along the bottom and College Road along the top. Click/tap on the world circle icon in the upper left of the map to change the orientation of the map so north is on top.
The closest parking to Goodwin Hall (Building 8 on the campus map) is the parking garage (Building 7) and the parking lot NW of the garage, both of which are accessible via the campus road which runs parallel to College Rd. So after turning west onto one of the campus entrances* on the west side of College Rd., turn south (left) and follow that road as it curves west along the southern edge of the campus and eventually curves to slightly north (see maps). There are also three large parking lots along College Rd. (the southernmost parking lot is the closest of the three to Goodwin Hall). Parking is free.
If coming east or west via I-88 (north of the campus):
- Exit onto onto Interstate 355 Tollway S toward Joliet.
- Continue on I-355 S for ~3.3 miles to the Maple Ave. exit.
- Turn west (right) onto Maple Ave.
- Head west on Maple Ave. for ~2.4 miles to College Rd.
(Note: At the stop light, it's College to the south and Yackley to the north). - Turn south (left) onto College Rd.
If coming east or west via I-55 (south of the campus):
- Take the Interstate 355 Tollway N/Interstate 355 Tollway S toward Northwest Suburbs/Southwest Suburbs exit.
- Stay right to merge onto I-355 N.
- Head north on I-355 N to the Maple Ave. exit.
- Turn west (left) onto Maple Ave.
- Head west on Maple Ave. for ~2.4 miles to College Rd.
(Note: At the stop light, it's College to the south and Yackley to the north). - Turn south (left) onto College Rd.
From College Rd. (no entrance from Maple Ave.):
- The campus is on the SW corner of Maple and College so turn west (right) onto the campus from Maple.*
- Turn south (left) onto the campus road that runs parallel to College and continue along as it curves to the west along the southernmost edge of the campus and then slightly north.
- Enter either the parking garage (Building 7 on the Campus Map) or the nearby narrow parking lot just past the garage, both of which are on the right and are closest to Goodwin Hall (the first building north of the parking garage and east of the parking lot). Otherwise you may park in the NW region of the southernmost parking lot near College Ave. and it is still a short walk NW to Goodwin Hall.
- Walk to Goodwin Hall (Building 8 on the map).
Warning*: Although the map seems to show an entrance from College Rd. south of the main entrance (1 on the Campus Map) at the very southern edge of the campus that feeds into the road to the parking lot, this is actually a foot path.
The May Monthly Gathering may be held in the North Park University’s Magnuson Campus Center at 5000 N. Spaulding Avenue in Chicago. The University’s campus is basically situated south of Foster, east of Kimball, west of Kedzie, and north of Argyle with some parking lots along the east side of Kedzie. Date & location is tentative! Our main room will be Magnuson 1 & 2, Hospitality is in Magnuson 5, and the Mensa Test and the Presentation will both take place on the third floor in Magnuson 310.
The Magnuson Campus Center is the mostly triangular, polygon-shaped building (16) on
the campus map,
just behind (west of) Burgh Hall (the long building along Spaulding, slightly north of Argyle) that
blocks one’s view of the Magnuson Campus Center from Spaulding.
The building is located on the southeast side of the Chicago River, North Branch,
which flows diagonally through the campus. Thus there is no car access from any of the side streets
near the campus that are north or west of the river although there are foot paths to a
pedestrian bridge. The Magnuson Campus Center is on the river just
northwest of the intersection of Spaulding and Argyle;
Spaulding is one way southbound and Argyle is one way westbound.
Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Free parking in the listed student lots (dark gray areas on the interactive campus map where the bottom of the map is north). Campus security will not ticket any of us who are parked in student parking:
- Anderson Hall Parking Lot, 5000 N. Spaulding - NW corner of Argyle and Spaulding, enter from Spaulding just north of Argyle (closest lot) which is just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
- Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding - SE corner of Carmen and Spaulding (next closest lot) which is a short walk across Spaulding to the path that runs close to river and then between the buildings to the Magnuson Campus Center.
- Carmen & Kedzie Parking Lot, 5115 N. Kedzie - the east side of Kedzie between Foster and Carmen where the southernmost lot (just south of the river; entrance on Carmen) is just a two block walk west along Carmen and south on the path that runs close to river and then between the buildings to the Magnuson Campus Center.
- Argyle & Kedzie Parking Lot, 5025 N. Kedzie - the east side of Kedzie between Carmen and Argyle (entrance on Kedzie) which is also about a two block walk west along the northside of Argyle to the west side of Spaulding and then a bit north and west toward the river to the Magnuson Campus Center.
There is also street parking in the neighborhood so check for spots along Carmen, Spaulding (one way southbound) and Argyle (one way westbound) but read the signs; there is permit-only parking in the area as well as metered parking where you pay at the box using cash or credit/debit cards or via the ParkChicago app which enables you to pay and add time remotely with your smart phone. Chicago parking tickets are expensive so make sure you park legally.
The Magnuson Campus Center is located northwest of the Spaulding and Argyle
intersection (top-center of
the interactive campus map.
Follow the curved foot path along the river that runs
west of/behind Burgh Hall
(the large rectangular red brick building on Spaulding)
and northeast of Anderson Hall (the round building on Argyle).
Warning: Burgh Hall blocks your view of the Magnuson Campus Center
from Spaulding.
The CTA Brown Line Kimball station is less than a ½ mile southwest from Magnuson Campus Center at Lawrence and Kimball. Head north on Kimball to Argyle. Turn right on Argyle. After Anderson Hall (round building), you’ll see the Magnuson Campus Center to your right (north) next to the the river.
There are also several bus lines that service the area. The CTA Bus Tracker makes it easy to find out when the buses arrive and depart on your smart phone.
General directions to the campus can be found on the NPU website. The Magnuson Campus Center is located on the southeast bank of the river and is not actually on Spaulding; it is Building 16 on the map, just behind (west of) the building (Burgh Hall) located on Spaulding; both are located on the northwest corner of Spaulding and Argyle as well as Anderson which is a cylindrical building to the southwest on Argyle. The river prevents automobile access from any of the side streets that run through the campus north of or west of the river (see the campus map); but if you chose to park on any of those streets, there are foot paths that lead to a pedestrian bridge, which crosses the river, enabling you to walk to the Magnuson Campus Center. After crossing the bridge, head south (right) on the curving foot path between the buildings and the entrance is on your right.
- Take the Lawrence Ave. exit.
- Head north on Cicero Ave. to Foster.
- Head east on Foster for 2 miles to Kedzie Ave.
- Turn south (right from Foster) onto Kedzie Ave.
For parking less than a two block walk:- Continue south on Kedzie Ave. to Carmen Ave. (four-way stop).
- Turn west (right) onto Carmen and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen & Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding - which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot, 5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right) and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
-
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
- After you’ve parked, cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
- Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge), stay right and continue on the path that goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
- Park in one of the student parking lots on the east (left) side of Kedzie between Foster and Carmen where the southernmost (just south of the river) lot is a shorter walk to the Magnuson Campus Center. Continue south on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop). Turn east (left) onto Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
- Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
- Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the east bank of the Chicago river.
- Follow the path as it curves south (left).
- Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge) and continue as the path goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
- Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and Argyle by continuing south on Kedzie just past Carmen and enter the parking lot on your left.
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
- Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
- Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
- Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north (right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left) past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly to your right).
- Take the Cicero Ave. exit to Foster.
- Head east on Foster for 2 miles to Kedzie Ave.
- Turn south (right from Foster) onto Kedzie Ave.
For parking less than a two block walk:- Continue south on Kedzie Ave. to Carmen Ave. (four-way stop).
- Turn west (right) onto Carmen and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen & Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding - which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot, 5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right) and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
-
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
- After you’ve parked, cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
- Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge), stay right and continue on the path that goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
- Park in one of the student parking lots on the east (left) side of Kedzie between Foster and Carmen where the southernmost (just south of the river) lot is a shorter walk to the Magnuson Campus Center. Continue south on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop). Turn east (left) onto Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
- Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
- Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the east bank of the Chicago river.
- Follow the path as it curves south (left).
- Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge) and continue as the path goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
- Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and Argyle by continuing south on Kedzie just past Carmen and enter the parking lot on your left.
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
- Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
- Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
- Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north (right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left) past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly to your right).
- Take the Kedzie Ave. exit.
-
Head north ~2¼ miles to Argyle (stop light).
For parking less than a two block walk:- Continue north on Kedzie one block to Carmen (four-way stop).
- Turn west (left) onto Carmen and find parking along Carmen (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or continue west two blocks to Spaulding where there is a parking lot on the southeast corner of Carmen & Spaulding (Burgh Hall Parking Lot, 5051 N. Spaulding - which is the second closest lot). Or park along Spaulding (pay attention to any parking restrictions). Or try the closest lot (Anderson Hall Parking Lot, 5000 N. Spaulding) which you enter only from Spaulding on the west side (right) and you’ll end up just south of the Magnuson Campus Center.
-
If you parked in the
Burgh Hall Parking Lot on the east side of Spaulding:
- After you’ve parked, cross Spaulding to the west side nearest the river.
- Take the path and at the fork (do not cross the bridge), stay right and continue on the path that goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
- Park in this student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and Argyle by continuing north on Kedzie just past Argyle and enter the parking lot on your right.
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie to Argyle (stop light).
- Head west by crossing Kedzie at Argyle.
- Continue walking west on the northside of Argyle to Spaulding.
- Cross to the west side of Spaulding and head a bit north (right) along the fence to the opening and turn west (left) past the building that abuts Spaulding and you’ll see the Magnuson Campus Center to the northwest (slightly to your right).
- Park in the student lot on the NE corner of Kedzie and Carmen, by continuing one block north on Kedzie to Carmen (four-way stop). Turn east (right) on Carmen. The parking lot entrance is on the north side of Carmen (left).
- After parking, walk south along Kedzie back to Carmen.
- Cross Kedzie at Carmen.
- Walk west along Carmen to the path that runs south along the east bank of the Chicago river.
- Follow the path as it curves south (left).
- Stay right at the fork (do not cross the bridge) and continue as the path goes between the buildings. Magnuson Campus Center is on your right next to the river.
The Saturday, April 29th Monthly Gathering will be held at the Rolling Meadows Community Center at 3705 Pheasant Drive in Rolling Meadows. The Community Center is located just east of IL-53, just north of the Algonquin exit and south of the Euclid exit. Use the map on the right for directions.
We will have games and hospitality in their spacious auditorium with overflow space in the lobby. The speaker event will be in the Card Room. There will be a Parents-Kids Play Room available. Please note that we have this venue only until midnight — plan accordingly.
Parking is plentiful and free.
- Heading north on IL-53 north through the Northwest Suburbs, look for the Kirchoff Road exit.
- Exit right (east) onto Kirchoff Road.
- Continue east on Kirchoff Road for ~1 mile to Meadow Drive.
- Turn south (right) onto Meadow Drive.
- Continue south on Meadow Drive for two blocks to Martin Lane.
- Turn west (right) onto Martin Lane.
- Continue west on Martin Lane as it curves south into Pheasant Drive.
- Continue south on Pheasant Drive to the Community Center which is on the west (right) side of Pheasant Drive.
- Pull into the first (northern-most) driveway and head for the rear lot.
- Park near Entrance K (see photo above; northwest inner corner slightly taller with an array of 4×3 windows just to the right).
- Exit at the Euclid Ave East exit.
- Continue east on Euclid Avenue a short distance to Rohlwing Road.
- Turn south (right) onto Rohlwing Road and continue south for a ½ mile to Kirchoff Road.
- Turn east (left) onto Kirchoff Road and continue east for 0.7 miles to Meadow Drive.
- Turn south (right) onto Meadow Drive and continue south for a ½ mile to Grouse Lane.
- Turn west (right) onto Grouse Lane and continue for 0.2 miles to Pheasant Drive.
- Turn north (right) onto Pheasant Drive and continue northwest for 295 ft. to the Community Center which is on the west side (left) of Pheasant Drive.
- Pull into the first (northern-most) driveway and head for the rear lot.
- Park near Entrance K (see photo above; northwest inner corner slightly taller with an array of 4×3 windows just to the right).
Attention, city-dwelling Chicago Area Ms! Until further notice, you can request taxi service
or get reimbursed for the use of a ride sharing service
like or Uber
for our suburban Monthly Gatherings, between the closest Metra station and the meeting
site with prior approval from
Damian three days prior to the MG.
The best location and time is the
Arlington Park station
at 6:30 PM
(Union Pacific–Northwest line
— it leaves
Ogilvie Station at 5:40 PM).
You should then plan to leave the Park District building by 10 PM to return you to the Arlington
Park station for the 10:29 PM train, which is the
final train
of the evening.
Use of any of these services must be requested in advance by e‑mailing
Damian three days prior to the MG.
Note: CAM will cover the cost of the taxi, , or Uber
but you are responsible for your own train ticket.
Double check the Metra Train schedule which may have changed due to the
Coronavirus impact.
Most Mensans enjoy playing games and Chicago Mensa loves to throw a party. Come join us for a long, fun weekend at A Gathering of Gamers (AGoG), which runs from Friday, February 17th through Sunday, February 19th. AGoG and the February Monthly Gathering will be held at the Westin-Chicago North Shore Hotel at 601 North Milwaukee Avenue in Wheeling. The hotel is located on the east side of Milwaukee and the main entrance is at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Wolf Road (just south of Lake-Cook and north of Dundee Road).
The rooms facing east enjoy a great view of the Forest Preserves. The hotel is located just west of the Des Plaines River and is steps away from the Des Plaines River Trail leading into the Potawatomi Woods Forest Preserve. There’s also a pool and workout equipment.
There’s plenty of free parking both on the north and the south side of the hotel. The south lot is closer to the meeting rooms.
The hotel offers a shuttle service from the nearby METRA stations . Please call them well in advance to arrange a pickup given staff shortages have increased wait times. Otherwise use one of the ridesharing services like or Uber .
Monthly Gathering Schedule
2023
A Gathering of Gamers
(February 17th – 19th)
AGoG
‡ If a Monthly Gathering is tentative, both the location and date may change. Please check this site, ChiMe or Meetup about a month before the gathering for any changes, although the info on this site supersedes the information in ChiMe.
Mensa Testing
The test is administered at 2 PM during AGoG discounted by 50% and at 5 PM at every Monthly Gathering where walk-ins are welcome, but you cannot be late.
Get more information about taking a
proctored test to join Mensa
including preregistering to guarantee a spot or to view different dates and locations. You must preregister at certain sites and to take advantage of some special offers from
American Mensa — the cost of the proctored in-person test is 50% off during February.
Or check out if any of the tests you’ve taken in the past (ACT, SAT, LSAT…) can be used as prior evidence to
join.
Or arrange for an approved private test.
If there is a spike in Covid cases, the in-person MG may become virtual & testing may be cancelled!!
