Des Plaines Oasis

Had to visit today as it’s the end of an era. Can’t remember how old I was when we first visited, but I do remember it was always a special stop on the way home. Back then it was a Howard Johnson’s and it had table service, we always got a cheeseburger platter, fries, coleslaw and a coke, sometimes a chocolate shake. It was always a fun time especially if you were lucky enough to snag a table by the window. Not knowing anything about nutrition or the meaning of calories made the visit special.
Today, it’s McDonalds’s, so to mark the last day occasion I grabbed a Big Mac and tried my first Shamrock Shake today, I figured I’d do something memorable, while I pretended not to know anything about calories. I made sure to snag a table by the window so I could watch the oncoming traffic and the planes taking off from O’hare in the distance.
So farewell and thanks for the memories!

This is a convenient place to stop if your car is shaking and you want to stop to see what the problem may be. Just pull off onto this ramp exit and merge left for cars. I did a quick check and was on my way right back onto the highway.

This is the last stop I would want to make before entering the busy hustle and bustle of the urban Chicago freeways. Easy to enter, and there is a drive thru McDonald’s when going East bound (not a huge fan but always convenient). Very open layout of the rest area itself, but there always seems to be a restaurant under construction while we’re there. I guess it’s a good thing as there are constantly different food options. My favorite part of this oasis is the claw arcade game. It’s shaped like a little 1960s bus and there are always toys that would intrigue a 5 year old, or myself (must resist… crane game). All in all, a nice spot to stop and rest your eyes after a long, or short trip on I-​90.

There is nothing to dislike about this place. Clean bathrooms (a huge plus!), lots of food choices for different tastes (although they’re all closed later at night), some arcade toy boxes, enough tables with nice views over the highway, plenty of parking, easy access on and off the highway, and a nice gas station nearby. And a couple geocaches (to add a little fun to this stop). Whee!

Today, being a mobile teaching machine, traversing the globe, I rolled into ye olde Des Plaines Oasis for a number of reasons. The pumps were jammed with weary looking motorists, but the price was pretty good.
The Oasis itself is a decent sized place to really stretch your legs and clear your brain, which is a good thing. The food court has many options (though ¾’s of them shut down when it’s late).
But I have to hand it to the cleaning crew (which seem to be going non stop), as well as the restroom detail. Every public venue in the world should have these touch-​less mega blower hand dryers in their facilities.
Not only could you dry your clothes with those things but any frail adult or child under 50 pounds could potentially find themselves plastered against the mirrored wall. They are awesome and the place was immaculate.
I stopped at Mickey D’s to get a hot tea for the remainder of my voy-​age home. Very pleasant service and also exceptionally clean.
Nice work Des Plaines Oasis! Keep doing what you are doing!

Very conveneint place to stop and relax. A lot of restaurants. Will always stop again

I’m losing the battle-​of-​the-​sphincter so I’m relieved the oasis is here… And I’m tired & bored of driving too…
These things alone are reasons enough to stop at the oasis, but also I’ll fill myself up at the Subway, McDonald’s, or Starbucks when needed. Also, there’s sbarro, Taco Bell, Panda, KFC, and more, if one so desires those places.
Moreover, I should mention to check your fuel gage when nearing the oasis and, if it’s closing on empty, filler’up at the Mobil 7 Eleven gas station where it’s convenient and you don’t need to exit the tollway, get your car washed too…
Oh the Oasis

This place has a variety of quick-​service restaurants for travelers, including a 24-​hour McDonald’s, KFC, Taco Bell, Panda Express, Sbarros, Auntie Anne’s, Baskin Robbins and a brand-​new Doc Popcorn. The prices here are a bit higher than what you would find off the freeway, but that’s the price you pay for convenience. Service is usually passable to great at these establishments.
Restrooms are large and clean, however I wish the automatic dryer machine would blow hot air instead of cold. Minor gripe.
Give this place a shot if you’re driving on I-​90 near O’Hare International Airport.

Price wise is more than off the tollroad. Clean…

The Des Plaines Oasis is an old bridge over the Kennedy Expressway (I-​90) that was turned into a rest stop. There are a couple of gas stations. a food court which includes a Starbucks, gift shop and rest rooms.
I stop here frequently on my way into Chicago for a few reasons. First, the gas prices are typically the same as off the highway, and sometimes they are lower. That in and of itself seems strange to me since they have captive audience and could charge more. Now — I’m not complaining…
The Starbucks is also a draw. One drawback to this Starbucks is that they don’t participate in any of the Gold Card extras. So, they won’t scan your smartphone application for payment, and you can’t get any free drinks you earned here. But, the convenience factor overrides that for me.

A highway oasis is only as good as it’s bathroom’s no-​touch hand dryers are powerful, and this oasis is up there with the big boys in that department.
My palm was literally ‘fapping’ underneath the power of their women’s restroom dryers. Don’t believe me? Peep the 3 (three!) pics I uploaded of my flesh being blown off the back of my hand. It was amazing. I think I spent longer under the dryer, mesmerized by the movement of my skin than actually peeing.
Also, big points for beign such and easy (and immaculate) place to get off the highway and pee. I *almost* had to go in favorite jar inside the car, and that would’ve been unfortunate because my favorite mason jar looks just like all my other mason jars so I know as soon as I brought that guy inside my place, it would’ve gotten mixed up with all the other jars and who knows, maybe one day I’d have invited you over and you’d be drinking out of my former pee jar and not even known it and things would’ve just gotten weird.
Des Plaines Oasis: Good Clean Fun.

Let’s see, you get clean bathrooms with plenty of toilet paper and no one makes you feel guilty for not buying anything. There’s also an array of dining options on the go, a picnic area if you just want to get out of your car and there’s a little area in case your dog needs a pit stop, too. Plus, it’s easy on, easy off. What’s not to love?

Easy on, Easy off. Gas here is usually comparably priced to local gas stations. Helpful place to have when you’re heading back from IKEA and trying to fill up your gas tank while you’re still in the suburbs!

It truly is an oasis. Gas used to be more expensive due to the captive audience. But now they are the same as anywhere else in the area. The oasis’s were all remodeled and modernized a number of years ago, they did a great job! Plenty of food choices and who doesn’t love a Starbucks on the way to wherever your going!

Heaven. Best oasis ever. It’s clean and the bathrooms are actually usable, unlike just about any other oasis around. We have a family tradition of eating Thanksgiving day lunch at the Des Plaines Oasis, and it is the highlight of November.

I looked up the word «Oasis» in Merriam-​Webster, and this is one of the definitions. Oasis: «something that provides refuge, relief, or pleasant contrast.»
To me, that is what the Des Plaines Oasis provides on the thousands of times I have driven on the Northwest Tollway (I-​90). I have often found myself doing the «pee-​pee» dance in my car driving to work/home…where do I go to relieve my bladder? Des Plaines Oasis. After a long night of revelry, I often find myself too sleepy to make it all the way home… where do I stop to sleep? Des Plaines Oasis. My low fuel light has been on for the past 2 miles, and my wife is panicking… where do I go get gas so I can shut her up? Des Plaines Oasis. I’m cruising down I-​90 and I suddenly have the munchies… where do I go to get a #1 with Coke? Des Plaines Oasis.
Des Plaines Oasis has always been there for me. It gives me plenty of fine dining options: McDonald’s (open ²⁴⁄₇), Subway, Starbucks, Panda Express, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, KFC/​Taco Bell Express, and Baskin Robbins. Those are most, but not all of the places to eat at this oasis, and most stay open until 10pm or midnight. They have the faux leather massage chairs that will give you a message for $ 1. They have a cell phone kiosk, Illinois Tollway kiosk, and plenty of seats with a nice panoramic view of the vehicles zipping down the tollway.
The Mobil Gas Station/​On The Run Convenience Stores are open 24÷7÷365. They have a car wash, and even have a Free Air station for your tires. As far as Oasis stops in Illinois, this is the freakin «Taj Mahal» of them all. Next time you are doing 120mph down I-​90 and you see the Des Plaines Oasis coming up, exit and give this place a try. Fill your car up with some Petrol, take a whizz, grab some Starbucks, get a Big Mac, and tell them Peter R. sent you.

I’ve probably stopped off at this Oasis fifty times in my twelve years of living in Chicago. The newly renovated look, from the outside at least, is fairly utilitarian and very government/​State-​like, ie, blah, drab, not so good, imo. However, the inside is nice and it’s always pretty spotless; from the concourse and food court area all the way to the restrooms.
The food court offers up such chain fare as Auntie Anne’s Pretzals, McD’s, Subway, Sbux and a Familigia Pizza; the last of which aint a bad za. They have some other amenities such as a few cellular/​wireless services, Tollway Authority customer service and a decent sized newstand/​travel mart. They also have a few massage chairs out in the open but rarely see anyone use them… who can blame them, tbf, as these sorta things are a bit creepy and always seem unsanitary due to the heavy traffic rolling through this place.
Overall, it’s a nice stop off for locals and travelers alike when you need to fuel up on gas, food, etc whilst on the Go.
Lastly, when you leave, you have a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ chance of a Jumbo Jet or Air Bus flying right over head out of O’hare and practically taking your head off, always a treat.