Why Chicagoland's Oasis is Disappearing | The Rise and Fall of The Illinois Tollway Oasis

[@SubVet84]

The O’Hare oasis was my lifeline. For all of 2017, and the beginning of 2018, I was living out of my car. This was one of just a couple places I could safely park and sleep while having access to washrooms and food. The oasis helped me get through two Chicago winters alive.

[@teruelwaterworks2884]

🙏

[@lightfantastik]

Shit, why didn't I think of that when I briefly lived in my car in the Chicago area? I'd just park somewhere in the gold coast, thinking I'd be safe among the rich people (while it worked out, I was young and nieve and it was probably a silly idea). Hope you're in a better place now!

[@GTSN38]

Why didn't you just drive some place warmer ? ? Gas was cheap then too

[@lightfantastik]

@@GTSN38 me personally, I had a job in Chicago, but hadn't received my first paycheck yet. The place I moved to when I took the job didn't work out. If I had been suffering long-term homelessness, a warmer climate would definitely be on my mind, but it's not always that easy. Even when "gas is cheap". Like telling people to go live on the beach in Hawaii for free...well, yeah, people do it all the time, but first you gotta get to freaking Hawaii!

[@Trainboy1EJR]

@@GTSN38 Community, friends, health reasons, take your pick. If you have any health issues managed through Medicaid, you CANT leave.

[@woodencoasterfan]

I’m a truck driver myself and places like these service plazas offer us a place to park for the night, eat, and use the restrooms in areas of the country where truck parking is extremely limited. It is sad to see these places get removed without trying to figure out a way to replace those lost truck parking spots.

[@RiverRatWA57]

BwwwwHaHaHaHa.....finding someplace to park.......Good LUCK!!! I drove OTR refrigerated for 22yrs, those would be the LAST Place I would overnite!!!! I'd keep going to a safer area, $hitCago Ain't it!!!!!

[@RiverRatWA57]

@@ericr1 I will WholeHeartedly agree with you on that, if I'm running the Pike and am just after a parking spot for ten hours, Indiana is where I'm aiming for, their truck only parking areas works for me.

[@mjfreespirit]

@@ericr1 True about Ohio. Showers are free

[@Jin420]

@ericr.8344 really?? I know TONS of OTR drivers (and I've tagged along) but none of them had any issues at any of the Illinois oasis (along I-294, 90 & 88). Rest stops along 55, 80, etc... definitely weren't any issues. Along I-294 -- the only ones that still have the over the highway oasis are South Holland & Lake Forest Oasis. Hinsdale & Ohare oasis are gas & parking only, as it stands. I-88 still has the Dekalb Oasis with ample parking. If you're looking for parking on I-80- there are rest stops (generally about 60 miles apart) & tons of loves. Ohio --- I'll agree that their turnpike are great.. not only that they provide free showers. (Well, they did the last time we drove through) But there are more truck stops (i.e. Loves & Pilot) to provide parking. And many of the industrial areas will allow people to park for the night. Walmart -- if you can get authorization then you can park in their lot for the night. It really depends on where you go... unfortunately, the city of Chicago is so packed that it makes it difficult for truckers. Hell, it's hard to find parking for regular cars. (I am a Chicagoland Area resident) Best of luck. Stay safe ❤️

[@jz3572]

​@Jin see, we're talking about the *tollway* stop, not all stops in general. I think you knew this already though. They are not well designed at all and are often abused by unscrupulous drivers who will block you in and try to fight you when you ask them to move. It has happened to me every single time I have to park at one on 294. It's safer to park the truck at the now underused cash booths anymore

[@Mattball82]

I grew up traveling a lot from Chicago thinking these were normal everywhere. I had no idea these were specific to our region. It brings me great sadness to hear and see them going away. Belvedere Oasis was synonymous with camping when I was a kid on our way to the Chain-O-Lakes. Now, watching this, im just realizing that Hinsdale and Ohare Oasis have been gone. A lot of memories from those places and where we were on our way to..

[@CamdenBloke]

I grew up in Chicagoland but I have road-tripped both to the East Coast (Washington d.c.) and to the West Coast (Sacramento) and I found most states have some kind of Oasis type thing that are similar. They don't cross over the tollway/interstate, they're off to the side, but I found it any individual State I could kind of get a feel for what the local Oases looked like - and also I'd see local fast food chains that I hadn't heard of set up at the individual Oasis

[@RustyLid]

Growing up in rural southern Wisconsin I also thought the Oasis were a normal part of big cities everywhere. Once I went to college out west I realized they didn't exit everywhere. Ironically they do exist where I live now, Thailand. They are more like an interstate "Rest Stop", but have KFC, Starbucks, etc for travelers on the tollway.

[@MrRiverGrove]

I arranged a meeting at the O'Hare oasis. I was shocked when I got there and it was gone. It was completely removed in a weeks time. Blew my mind it was gone.

[@gravityissues5210]

The thing that was unique about these was the seating over the road--and that's it. I'm a little flummoxed by the comments making it seem like a highway rest area is some kind of unique Illinois thing. Every state has them, and many are exactly like the newer ones mentioned in this video, with gas stations, food courts, rest rooms, and even sometimes other amenities, like picnic areas, arcades, and massage chairs. Sometimes they're more stripped down with just bathrooms and vending machines, but those are usually on free roads, where you can get off and on without a toll and thus can go find whatever food you want near an exit. Even then, I can think of a half-dozen comprehensive rest stops like these here in the Northeast that are on free roads.

[@scotthovland7380]

​@@gravityissues5210Being over the road is the point

[@tonywalker2334]

That time a Oasis saved my life. Winter of 1997 got off work in Elk Grove Village at 4am to drive way back to the far South Side of Chicago. I leave and drive about 20 mins and my 1987 Caprice ran hot !!!!! Why it was 5 degrees outside and I believe the radiator froze up. Car died on 294 I get out and ran as fast as I could to the Oasis about a mile or so otherwise I would have Definitely Froze to death. Remember this was wayyyy before cell phone became a common thing. I slept there till 10am when my beloved grandfather came and got me.

[@ChillWill-q5x]

I've been stranded outside in Chicago during winter time, it's no joke.

[@jamesm4992]

I proposed to my wife at the Hinsdale Oasis late one night 25 years ago. It was a consistent stop while we were dating due to me living on the south side of Chicago and her going to NIU in Dekalb. We would stop for a bite to eat and watch the cars go by. Great memory, of course, and sad that it was torn down late last year. But that's time for you.

[@Frank00]

Very cool

[@LuigiRandazzo21]

They knocked down Hinsdale oasis. You're kids won't understand how you proposed over the highway

[@carlsaganlives6086]

Casanova/ Jack Benny syndrome. Passionate, yet sensibly frugal.

[@JCW-n8e]

Go Huskies!

[@jamesm4992]

@carlsagan lives Lol, yeah we were in a much lower tax bracket back then 🤣

[@charlesb7019]

I grew up in Wisconsin and have stopped at these so many times! I sincerely hope they won’t all be destroyed.

[@jonathanbott87]

They will likely keep oasis locations in place for many of the sites, even if the bridges are removed. Oasis stops offer the convenience of stopping without paying on/off toll fees but also generate leasing revenue for the tollway.

[@Hvillehermit]

I was also raised in Wisconsin during the 1950s. I loved going through Chicagoland to see the Oasis. I loved watching the cars drive beneath, particularly at night.

[@Arbbal]

@@jonathanbott87 That's exactly why they will get rid of them. Think how much toll money they are leaving on the table by not forcing you to exit and reenter the interstate. Illinois corruption at its finest.

[@truckerkevthepaidtourist]

Lake Forest, belvedere, DeKalb although that's not an over the highway and the Lincoln Oasis down by the ghetto they're keeping all of those. These other ones started with the desplaines and then moved over to Hinsdale then O'Hare we're simply removed because they needed the room to expand the interstate for wider Lanes.

[@Jaydatrucke]

@@truckerkevthepaidtourist south holland isn’t the ghetto

[@man_on_wheelz]

I’m 35 and I’ve been a Chicagoan all my life. My mother has only been a driver since I was 5 and was afraid to take expressways for a few years after that. So when she finally did get acquainted with the highways, she avoided toll roads like the plague because “Why pay to drive on the expressway when I can just get there without paying?” So naturally, I grew up with the same mentality and avoided toll roads at all costs. It wasn’t until I started my current job 12 years ago that they started sending me to far away places in the company car on the companies dime and I would have to take the quickest and most efficient route to get there that I started frequently taking toll roads. With this I discovered the Oasis. I absolutely loved these, because on long trips I can drop in for lunch or for a reliable, clean, and plentiful washroom break. And what he didn’t mention in the video is that they’re mostly mirrored inside! No matter which side you came in on, inbound or outbound, the same restaurants on this side are on that side and there are washrooms on both ends so you don’t have to walk a ways to get what you want from an Oasis for most of the restaurants. Some were only on one side, but you probably had more time to kill if you were going there anyway. So sad to see them disappearing like this, they were a real treat for my long work drives.

[@pacificostudios]

By putting one big building shared in both directions, it as possible to offer a much wider range of choices for travelers. The overhead Oasis was a smart and practical design. The only problem was, as we are finding, is that road-widening requires a total reconstruction, and that isn't happening.

[@zachfakename3747]

Traveling back from Six Flags on I-94 and visiting the Oasis’ along the way were always a treat

[@cedric13]

Ya, for us it was a place to gather for different groups to meet up and then drive up to Six Flags in a big convoy so we could all park in pretty much the same place and enter together. Before cell phones, it was hard to communicate between groups other then meet by the double decker carousel at 10:30 or something like that.

[@pt6792]

@@cedric13 thank you Cedric

[@timothyhennon1510]

I lived the first 45 years of my life in Northwest Indiana and the Chicago Southland. I'm sad to hear that the Hinsdale and O'Hare oases have both been demolished within the 2 years since I moved out of the area; I used them often when driving back and forth to O'Hare. From the time I was a kid and still to this day, I think that eating lunch while interstate traffic passes underneath you is a pretty cool sight.

[@Eabatu]

Only the bridge structure is gone, the gas station and parking areas are still there.

[@SavingAsh]

Hinsdale is still there, and i think they might be planning to rebuild the bridge. Construction yards on both sides with lots of machinery and materials sitting out

[@MrRory]

I often stop at the various oases. Once at the Lake Forest Oasis, I was walking out of the restroom and a man was urgently walking into the restroom. He exclaimed loudly, “THANK GOD FOR THE OASIS!”

[@Religious_man]

lol

[@scoobydoo8498]

😆

[@robertzacharias6815]

Yup, been there!

[@bigapplebucky]

Not as a kid, but that would be me 60 years later.

[@tperk]

Grew up visiting family in Chicagoland and stopped often at the Hinsdale, Des Plaines and O'Hare buildings. To be able to sit and eat while cars and trucks rushed beneath your feet was a childhood thrill. The other option was driving the Dan Ryan, the Skyway bridge and the run through downtown Gary to I-65, so seeing and stopping at the Oasis on the Tri-State made up for missing the skyline scenery somewhat.

[@psdaengr911]

Ironically the Skyway was a worse driving surface than the freeway alternative and more dangerous in fog, rain and snow.

[@markdias8440]

I’ve been to the one in South Holland multiple times. As a trucker it’s nice to have something different then a typical truck stop. I wish more areas had them.

[@juliemanarin4127]

I still stop there

[@robertlee6781]

I remember when they were building that one in 1967. It was designed to span the Tollway without a support in the median. Let’s say it didn’t quite work and sagged. A rework was in order.

[@drewrawlings4614]

I like Crepe Ave at South Holland Great crepes and a mix of balkan foods. Good stop on the way to or from Midway airport for me.

[@wacojones8062]

I live in Libertyville and can remember the opening of the Lake Forest oasis. We went there for special meals. As a messenger, before radio and cell phones were common, they were a major factor in calling in to report deliveries and get new work. I used the side road entrance at Lake Forest quit often.

[@rogerpenske2411]

The Hinsdale Oasis was right by my house. I used to live in Oak Brook in a subdivision called York Woods, which was at 31st St. and 294. I remembered it being a Jack Harvey, and a Howard Johnsons. It was so cool standing out there above the highway looking at cars coming underneath you

[@pauljensen5699]

I liked them as a way to get something to eat on the way to work. Going from La Grange to Riverdale, it was a nice place to stop and get a quick bite.

[@Tunafish262]

Rip the Hinsdale oasis 😢. It was perfect when you were going to Sox games and u forgot to pee before you left home

[@mikehughes4969]

Growing up in Chicago, I've been through every oasis at one time or another. The one that stands out to me is Des Plaines. I didn't work for McDonald's for very long, but I quickly discovered that if a manager was transferred to the Des Plaines Oasis, it was corporate McDonald's version of a gulag in Siberia.

[@gregoryleo4640]

I believe the Des Plaines Oasis was located to McDonalds training center named Hamburger U.

[@crystalbrame7886]

😭🤣😂☠️

[@Lurch685]

Same. I remember that McDonald’s well.

[@Eabatu]

The McDonalds training school was very near that Oasis.

[@davenasty5085]

The loss of the Desplaines Oasis still hurts anytime I pass, so many times that place Saved My Life!

[@jilledmondson6894]

I LOVED the various oasis'. I drove daily the Tri-State 294 from the south suburbs to O'Hare for work. I would stop at either the Hinsdale or O'Hare locations for breakfast and Hinsdale for a nap on the way home. The Dekalb oasis is really nice. i really miss them.

[@SupremeLeaderKimJong-un]

Trains are certainly incredible. Taking a train through a country is how you truly discover its soul. My family has regularly used trains. I still have my own private train that was passed down from my grandpa and father (it was actually on this train that my father died from a heart attack). It's the train I've used to get to summits in Beijing, Hanoi, and Vladivostok. And my grandpa's longest journey was in 1984 (ten years before he passed) when he did a huge trip by train via China to the Soviet Union, Poland, GDR, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia, and then back to the DPRK through the USSR again. Life is a train that stops at no stations; you either jump abroad or stand on the platform and watch as it passes.

[@severalwolves]

I love you and your trains, dear leader

[@africkinamerican]

OMG, I never would have suspected you were such a profound philosopher, Mr. Un.

[@donmarek7001]

If Pinochet were still around, I bet he would take you on a helicopter ride.

[@phonophilo]

The oasises were built for Fred Harvey restaurants. Fred Harvey began as a chain of restaurants in stations along steam railroads. Passenger trains would stop at these stations, and passengers would get off and have meals. On the tollways, the Harvey restaurants went out of business in the 1970s. The oasises were remodeled to remove the Fred Harvey restaurants and convert the spaces to have fast food restaurants.

[@nlpnt]

I've been thinking that electrification could lead to a return to sit-down roadside dining. If it takes half an hour to recharge 300 miles' range, you might as well go inside and eat a bit better.

[@kentfrederick8929]

Actually, Howard Johnson's took over after the decline of Fred Harvey. (Besides the Hinsdale Oasis, Fred Harvey operated The Spinning Wheel, later Shipwreck Kelly's in Hinsdale, both "white tablecloth" restaurants.) It was the decline of HoJo's that the Oases shifted from sit-down restaurants to fast food.

[@kentfrederick8929]

In England, they have facilities like the Oasis (gas, fast food, convenience stores, etc.) called "Services" located on dedicated on and off ramps from the Motorways (Britain's answer to the Interstate).

[@JohnGeorgeBauerBuis]

The Fred Harvey Company had long been a partner of the Santa Fe Railway.

[@chouseification]

@@kentfrederick8929 is right - I lived in the Chicago area in the early 80s and the Oases were all HoJos at that point - complete with bright orange roof accents, etc. so you knew it was a HoJos. At that point, there were sit-in restaurant areas and maybe a sandwich counter area as well plus some convenience store stuff - I forget if that was in the store or a vending machine in the lobby though. We normally just got gas, hit the restroom, took a really quick peek at the traffic below, then back to the car. I never ate at one. :P

[@EmmanuelGoldstein3]

I was a child in Italy in the 60's and 70's, and they have something quite similar on their Autostrada's. Called autogrill's, they are restaurants/cafe's/convenience stores built above the roadway. I always liked stopping at them.

[@tompatchak8706]

Living in Wisconsin, and now moving to Chicago I saw these all the time. But then within the last few years they have been taken down and not replaced. I asked my wife, a red blooded Chicagoan said she wasn’t sure either. Thanks for the video

[@bford71]

I grew up in Rockford and have fond memories of the McDonalds that used to be at the Belvedere Oasis. It was such a novelty to eat burgers over the highway and watch cars.

[@heather8307]

Traveling through Il and WI for my job, Ioved these. Always felt safe and clean.

[@denpat42]

Thanks for the walk down history. I lived in Loves Park, Il and in 1959 my date (future husband) and I went to dinner before our prom at the Belvedere Oasis. Seems crazy now but back in the day it seemed like quite a night out. Thanks again!!!!

[@iannarita9816]

It's sad to see that so many of the Oases gone. I am a retired otr driver, and they were someplace to stop.

[@TinyLordCthulhu]

I live in Belvidere so I just automatically thought Oasis was the norm on the highways. Who knew such few exist and just in Illinois also it's much older than I thought it would be, excellent video.

[@mbryson2899]

I enjoyed the way you said Des Plaines, it took me way back. 👍 I grew up in Cicero. As a kid my parents zoomed on by the oases; as a teen I stopped pretty much every time. In the early 80s a quartet of us were bound for Wisconsin. My friend and his girlfriend (who was driving) bickered then full-on argued about teenage nonsense. We stopped at the Belvidere Oasis (do they still build Mopars in Belvidere?). She and her girlfriend ditched us there. In around 15 minutes I finagled a ride with an older couple frim Minnesota who were bound for a family event in Wrigleyville. They gave us a ride, we guided them to their destination. They wouldn't even take gas money. We took buses downtown and caught the El home from there. You weren't supposed to hitchhike anywhere at the time, let alone at an oasis, but we did anyway.

[@lemonsarelemonade4439]

Sounds like in taking a metra again from Harvard to Downtown again when he said it.

[@dcap1998]

As a truck driver these are a life saver! When running out of drive time or needing to take a break or use the bathroom oasis like these in Illinois are so helpful and save me so much time

[@johnnicpon5783]

The Lake Forest oasis is the one I have visited the most. Unfortunately most of the pictures you show are post reconstruction. The original oasis looked quite different inside. I remember they used to have Howard Johnson restaurants in them. They seem to be unique to the Chicagoland area. I hope the remaining ones stay around for a long time to come.

[@JoanDoe-pq5fu]

I pass the lake forest oasis every day on my commute, and I've lived in this area my whole life, but I've never been to a Howard Johnson's. Honestly, I thought it was a Canadian thing.

[@chooch1995]

It was originally a Fred Harvey restaurant before HoJo’s….

[@forwheelinallday]

Growing up in Highwood, I remember going to the Lake Forest oasis. I remember it being a HOJO's. Moved from Illinois in 1987. Glad to know it's still open.

[@irishsox1]

The Lake Forest oasis had a Wendy’s for most of the 1990’s until it was torn down & rebuilt with the current design.

[@juliemanarin4127]

I go to South Holland one

[@TheJustineCredible]

The Oasis were a cherished tradition whenever traveling back to Chicago. Born and raised in the Chicagoland area (actually born in the city) I was actually shocked to find out these weren't everywhere! They were convenient and made so much sense, especially with the Chicago area tollways. This provided a food & gas stop without having to leave the tollway and paying another toll. As teenagers, my friends and I always made sure to stop at an Oasis!

[@wendell6468]

i like stopping at the Lake Forest Oasis for food, rest and rest room breaks. i like watching the traffic flow under it. great place to chill when im not in a hurry. ☺

[@NealCMH]

My family traveled from Indiana to Northern Wisconsin during the 1960's. I can remember spending time at the Oasises along the Northwest Tollway. I also remember that the Illinois Tollway was unique in that toll was paid every once in a while rather than when you left it. It was $0.35 per toll booth back then. You would throw the change into a hopper.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

Yeah, it was a real pain, and slowed traffic unnecessarily until they got an RFID system working. On the other hand, ticket systems in other states always worried me. They knew what time I entered the system, they knew what time I exited the system, and they knew the mileage between those two points. I couldn't drive 55, and they had the proof, lol...

[@2fathomsdeeper]

@@Backroad_Junkie And now they don't accept cash at all!

[@ninji522]

I'm from Wisconsin and any trip south, particularly Florida, requires a trip through Chicagoland. The last time I drove through, and it's been a few years, we stopped at one of these and I remember being jealous we didn't have them in Wisconsin. It was like the food court at a mall, with a gas station and convenience store, as opposed to just a vending machine and restroom that most rest stops are. I think these should be a national thing near every big city.

[@andykillsu]

Should be, but been illegal to build since the 70s

[@johnfenske9339]

I grew up in southern Wisconsin in the 1950's - 1960's. I have fond memories of going to the Belvidere Oasis on special occasions, such as Easter after church, or even for a birthday. In those days, the middle of the Oasis was occupied by a fairly high-end buffet (I thought it was Hoffman House, but it could have been Fred Harvey). In my little kid memory, we always had to dress-up to go there. I remember the waitresses in uniform, and the buffet servers carving roast beef, ham and prime rib to order. Then sitting down to dine with a sunny view through the big windows, gazing onto the cars and trucks going to places unknown. The 1960's was such a wondrous time, in many ways. If nothing else, a momentary escape from some of the turmoil of that era. Nonetheless, a growing boy's dream of endless food and wonder! Thank you for this memory.

[@roadmonkeytj]

I remember the Belvidere oasis before and after remodeling. We always stopped there. You used to be able to sneak out the employee gate then drive through town and take the back roads for a bit and get back on at the Riverside exit just outside of Rockford. That way you skipped paying the last two tolls. I never understood why we always did that until I was older and could drive myself and realized there were two tolls after the oasis lol.

[@Joshua-of9vq]

I always thought the Belvedere oasis was the only one.....

[@roadmonkeytj]

@@Joshua-of9vq it was just the novelty because it wasn't in the city and it felt like you'd been driving for awhile when you stopped there

[@janetsanford6923]

@@Joshua-of9vq me too, especially with living there (Belvidere)

[@janetsanford6923]

My sister worked there for about 3-4 years, starting in high school until her daughter was about 2 years old (she worked mainly the counter)

[@mileskosik472]

Every time I drive past the now torn down Hinsdale oasis, I give it a little salute. Not sure why, I just loved going to them when I was younger, I found them so neat.

[@realShadowKat]

Also to note is that the DesPlaines and O'Hare Oases were demoed for the Elgin O'Hare Western Access (EOWA)project... and future named Interstate 494 I think? That provides access around the south and west sides of Ohare for traffic relief that currently uses 294 to access 90. You can see the ramps at 13:24

[@patpeters6331]

The Western Elgin O'hare is the 390. 🙂

[@gregoryleo4640]

Also demolished to accommodate new lanes which would not fit underneath the existing Oasis.

[@kosjeyr]

Being born in 1990... I miss them. The O'Hare Oasis on I90 is being turned into an exit for one of the new spur routes around the airport.

[@Sparkl4860]

These Oasis is much needed! We need more!

[@chooch1995]

If you’ve seen the movie The Blues Brothers, you’ve seen the old ( since demolished ) DesPlaines Oasis. Carrie Fisher’s character launched Jake & Elwood into orbit via a flame thrower / propane fueled phone booth rocket which came to rest on its side & spilled its coins out onto the pavement. The Oasis carried the Howard Johnson’s brand at that time ( 1979 ).

[@philmabarak5421]

Ahhh, classic! kzbin.info/www/bejne/rpjKfqqhfNOVntk

[@bobfreedlund2796]

I still often stop at the Belvidere Oasis on the way into Chicago O'Hare to get some gas, but rarely fill it up all the way as there are cheaper options around. The food's also a little more expensive you can especially notice the difference at the McDonalds there) so it makes sense to stop elsewhere or complete the rest of the 40 minute drive home from there. I have been to the Dekalb Oasis more often recently to actually stop, but as mentioned in the video, it isn't built over the interstate, so it doesn't have the same appeal. It is well-maintained and useful, though.

[@lloydirland7006]

Wow, I grew up in Highland Park and going to the Lake Forest Oasis was something we would do just to go out to get a burger there. Loved that. You ought to do one on the Indiana Turnpike. When the Tollway and the Interstates came it changed our lives. Keep it up.

[@robertzacharias6815]

The Belvidere Oasis was synonymous with my welcome to Illinois sign as a frequent visitor from MN. Driving in during the 90s they were great with the massive McDonald’s on the horizon like an “oasis” 😉for refreshments & a place to change fluids. It’s sad to see these being pulled. Just like everything else that’s going away.

[@ludyl3n]

i LOVED these when i was a kid. grew up just north of the hinsdale oasis and my nana lived just south of the lincoln...my earliest memories with her are from driving south back to her house on 294. she'd always buy me auntie anne's when we stopped. the views of the highway below you were just breathtaking as a little kid. miss you nana

[@smarkl54bbin]

I remember the oasises so well they eere unique to the Cicago area. I was about 9 yrs. old when we moved to the Chicago area ftom Utah. The first time my parents took into Chicago on the tollway I remember seeing them as we would drive through to pay toll the stood over the roadway. Seeing a restraunt over the tollway astonished me. It was an icon.. They were great when you had to use the restroom.

[@spiritof1977]

Growing up in Kenosha WI and going to Chicago or to see my extended family in Indiana I always loved stopping at the Oasis! it's sad to see them go

[@geedavia1785]

Man, we used these places so much as a kid & then as an Adult. You leave Chgo-Proper heading to the Dells. By the time you got out if the traffic of the city, you either wanted to stretch your legs or make up time on the tool road. Before the I-pass, we'd grab a jar of coins & hit 294 and it was so much fun to let the kids pay the toll & Count the toll stops the last one being only a few miles from the Wisc-Illinois border. The kids got so good marking the O'Hare Oasis as getting out the city, Belvedere Oasis as the one closest to the auto factory & a place to stop. But the road need widening because most of it was 2-lanes & you had to deal with inexperienced RV drivers & slower trucks. Oh, and you could always count on construction. The roads were impeccable because they were always being worked on. It's hard to remember delays as they fixed some portion of the highway.. Ahh, God times...

[@MrSuperkingtom]

When I was a girl, the Oases were a place to take the family for an activity, as well as for travelers. I know ours was not the only family that visited an Oasis. There were Harvey House restaurants. My parents required us to "dress up" in order to go. For the girls, that meant Sunday dresses and shoes. We had to use our very best manners. Very often we only had ice cream or a dessert. My father was there to watch the cars go by. This was in the early 1960s.

[@markspitzok3064]

Me too...our family use to visit the oasis in the 60's to eat, and it was a big deal. The oasis on I-294 by Irving park Rd was out favorite... the O'Hara Oasis

[@cptbruno]

When I was a kid in the 60s in Milwaukee, my parents would take us down to Chicago a couple of times a year. Pretty sure it was the Lake Forest Oasis that we would stop at. Always looked forward to it.

[@RobertHooper]

Chicago Oasis, The best part of family cross-country road trips. Such a great place to stop to relive memories of running around as a kid. Convenient and fun even today. It's sad to see them first decline and then disappear. Future kids will not know the joy of waving at trucks as they go by underneath their feet. Please bring them back.

[@supertuber120]

Growing up my family would often leave Great America right when it closed so if you needed a quick snack or a last minute bathroom break you were out of luck cause they were kicking everybody out. So on our way back to the city it was nice to know the Lake Forest Oasis was there in case we needed to stop. It's sad to know that it might not be there much longer. It's a nice piece of nostalgia seeing it when I go back to Illinois to visit family.

[@BDUBZ49]

Play at 1.25 speed and skip to 5:50 for the highway oasis portion.

[@sarahritter3891]

I love and do miss these...I live and grew up here in northern Illinois. Always stopped at these always...very sentimental 😢❤

[@TrustySteeringWheelTray]

They are only removing the ones on highways that are getting expanded to allow for more lanes. The ones in spots that are not expanding (Belvidere, DeKalb, Lake Forest, Southland) will stay there. They really should try and find a way to redevelop the spots where past oasises were torn down. There's not as much room, but there should be enough to build some new kind of travel stop with a couple of quick restaurants.

[@johnmcguigan7218]

Back in the 60s, the oasis was the one place me and my high school buddies, and our dates, could count on to be open after hours for a bite to eat and just hang out. There used to be local parking areas that didn't require a highway exit.

[@stringlarson1247]

I grew up in Rockford and my memories are from when all(?) of the Oasis overpasses where run as a single Howard Johnson's. Around 1961, Jacques Pepin passed up an offer to be the head chef at the White House to spend a decade as Director of R&D for HoJo. They had an interesting and tasty menu. I loved the one next to O'Hare with all the trucking, air traffic, noise and 3 kinds of transportation fumes in the parking lot. As a 10y/o, that was romance. Inside the HoJo, it was quiet and the air was good. The service stations we're 24 hr. and had a couple of bays for doing minor repairs. I worked nights at Belvedere for a few summers. Kinda surreal on those muggy summer nights sitting in the middle of farm country filling cars, cleaning bugs, doing minor repairs. Of course, we'd have to go down to the field, spark one up and just make sure nothing was amiss with the corn.

[@Haycadwallader]

I remember seeing so many of them when I was a kid and loved them. My husband and I always look forward going to the lake forest oasis on long road trips

[@IznbranahlGoose]

Having grown up in the area I never realized these were 'strange' or 'unusual' highway features. I never cared for the pre-rennovated ones not just because they 'looked run down' but only had one food option. -- I really enjoy the modern ones which are so much larger and have multiple food options. I try to stop at them every time I travel in the area.

[@carlsaganlives6086]

Yeah, Fred Harvey was a school cafeteria wannabe, only went there to look out the window & take a leak.

[@obsidiansea]

You preferred the renovated ones with more food options over the run-down ones with only one food option? Really?! Lol.

[@aliciavelarde6200]

I for one am very thankful for the Lake Forest Oasis. I drive from Hainesville to Skokie for work and many times on my way home (when I drank too much water, lol) have stopped and made use of the facilities there.

[@JK-dp5xn]

I worked at Lake Forest in the 70's. It was pretty nice then , run by Howard Johnson's, including the gift shops. Started going down hill when Hojo's left. On holiday weekends traffic southbound would back up from the 94/294 toll plaza (then milemarker 53) to under the Oasis (then mile marker 60)

[@chrischristoferson1191]

Such good memories of these oasis’s. My dad used to take us there for McD’s and play video games. RIP Pops.

[@jimbro5223]

I have a few connections to these service plazas myself. I worked for Amoco Oil for many years and one of my former bosses had been the manager of the Hinsdale Oasis before being assigned to manage my department. This happened mostly due to the contract that Amoco had with the toll road had expire and the toll road decided to bring in another oil company to sell fuel there. I also live just 5 minutes walking time from the Lincoln Oasis and visit it quite often. I also cross I-80 there while on walks for the exercise as I then don't have to back track over the same road bridge. Some students who attend the nearby high school also cross I-80 there as it's a shorter walk then if they used the road bridge further west and then can pick up a Big Mack or a coffee at Star Bucks.

[@pulpproductionsgeeks]

I was just at the Lake Forest Oasis less than two weeks ago, I was at the start of a road trip and forgot ice. Back in the 90's, we always stopped there on the way back from concerts in Chicago for Wendy's. I've known it all my life and I remember the others, but to me, it's always tied to my adventures in the city. I know there are more historically significant bridges in Chicago, but in my personal history, this one at least means something. Its unique. Its part of my history and what I think about when I think about Chicago because it was always a landmark. So much is gone. I miss things like the Magikist sign, but my Oasis remains.

[@masterskrain2630]

I remember these from the years that I was an over-the-road truck driver. Sometimes it was difficult to find as parking space with some limited truck parking, but when you could park they were really handy!

[@bbartky]

Wow! Your video revived a memory from elementary school that I had totally forgotten. My siblings and I were staying in Chicago with our dad and stepmom for two months during the summer. We took a trip and stopped at an Oasis. I was totally blown away since I had never seen anything like them before. So, thank you for making this video! 🙏

[@aircooledhead]

Growing up in Chicago but having family in Gary, we stopped Southern oasis (what is the plural of oasis? 🤔) often. Now, as a truck driver, based in Rockford and going between the Gary area and Southern WI at least monthly, I stop at all of them over a few months. The Belvedere oasis is just a toll booth; no place to “rest”.

[@d0lph1n63]

I was also born and raise in the Chicagoland area and NEVER got to go inside even 1 of those Oasis even though I begged to on numerous occasions.

[@burbanpoison2494]

Oases.

[@carlsaganlives6086]

Oasi.

[@JeremyLeech]

Lake Forest still has one. It was weird. I had no idea they tore one of them down. I drove by one day and it was gone. I love the oasis. It means I’m almost home.

[@parsnip7349]

We had them in the UK, it was a highlight as a child, great memories, bumper car 1 2 3, watching the cars and lorries go by, toilet then back on the road again 😎

[@NextNate03]

Japan also has similar rest areas.

[@pattyolson3842]

I live in the near west Chicago suburbs and stop at the Lake Forest Oasis almost every time my son & I return from a trip to Great America. It's not as nice as it used to be, but it is a tradition and the food is much much more reasonable than in Great America. Frequently, the KFC and Panda Express are low or out of food by 7:45-8:15pm.

[@kenfagerdotcom]

The Oasis landmarks were great. There's nothing better than driving to Gary, Indiana to take great urbex photos and grabbing a gyro at the Belvidere Oasis on the way home.

[@Backroad_Junkie]

And stop at the bathroom, lol. They were known, convenient bathroom locations.

[@africkinamerican]

Or do you mean the Lincoln Oasis? The one by the quarry?

[@Hollandsemum2]

I'm so sad to hear that. The Lake Forest Oasis on I94 was closest and had had a great rehab into a modern building. We lived slightly North of there and was the first stop on interstate road trips, for coffee. The two we used the most were the ones near O'Hare. Both the 'O'Hare' one on 294, and the Des Plaines Oasis on I90, near O'Hare. My boys quickly learned to match the weather to which runway was in use and so when we took excursions to watch the airplanes, which Oasis depended on the weather. After getting his degree in Physics at UofI Champaign, he's finally decided he wants to be a passenger pilot and has begun flying lessons. (The younger one has, too). Those two oases were great because being elevated meant therr was a better, fuller. view of O'Hare for observing, than practically any other airport I've ever been to. We moved to The far north burbs in '87, and saw the transition from the old ones w few windows, to the modern airy ones. During holiday travel, we'd inevitably have to stop at the Lincoln Oasis after 5 hours going around the city. When they rehabbed them they worked hard to accomodate the road.

[@joe66692]

This episode was right up my alley. I still live in northern Illinois. Been through the belvedere oasis so many times. Love your videos.

[@ronmueller3074]

Between 62 & 67 My Dad and I drove from Wisconsin to Chicago on Business. I was 12 then.I remember the Roast Beef. & someone slicing it up. I always looked forward to that. Thanks for the memories.

[@TJZTechShow]

I loved the oasis’s. Any road-trip leaving the city as a kid would always include visiting an oasis

[@makerspace533]

I grew up about three blocks from the Congress St Expressway, now called I290, while it was being built. The interstate system was the new "high tech" thing at the time. It was the beginning of the space age and optimism about the future was strong. The idea of putting the "space age" rest stops across the highway was part of that enthusiasm. I wish we had that sort of optimism today, not all the Earth is going to Hell that seems to obsess youngsters today.

[@pauljs75]

The Lake Forest Oasis is a much needed rest stop on the way home. Since there are days where traffic backs up and there's no way to make the full trip without having to use those (mostly well kept) public restrooms. And having a restaurant where you can grab something on the way out was definitely nice too. I thought the design was also clever despite the cost for unusual infrastructure, because it makes pretty good use of that space. You get restrooms, restaurants, and gas stations for traffic going in either direction.

[@Latrodectus_vv_]

The Oasis are such a great place. The Belvidere is the best one. So many happy memories traveling with family. Sadly, lately it looks a little like a dead mall. Weird Starbucks left both Belvidere and Lake Forest.

[@brianglade848]

My sociology professor at Moraine Valley 30 years ago told us throughout the 70s, the restrooms at the oasis"s were called "tea rooms", where guys would be in a stall, one standing in a shopping bag so it looked as if one person was in there.... true story

[@robertreagan2181]

Had many friends that worked at the Belvidere Oasis in the 70's. Many a night when everything in town was closed we would head out to the Oasis. Never thought of it as unique but more of just another place to eat and get gas.

[@riproar11]

Like the Griswald family, we once did a family trip to Chicago and we enjoyed the concept of enjoying Howard Johnson's fried clams and their ice cream while watching cars drive under on the highway. We were kids and wondered "Why over the highway? But it's a cool idea!" Sad to learn that most of these have been demolished.

[@guylo88]

as someone who grew up near the hinsdale oasis, i cant say I ever visited it but once to get a bite to eat on a trip north to Wisconsin.

[@SteelRiderCarl]

I love the Oasis! It's a very innovative design because no matter which way you're traveling, you can get off and stretch your legs and eat. And it's a very practical use of land because only one need be built.

[@brianasbury8315]

When I was a longhaul truck driver I went through Chicago frequently, and it was nice to stop at the oasis along the toll road to park and take a break (as well as grab some food at Panera or an Auntie Anne's pretzel) I don't go to Chicago anymore, but it is unfortunate those oasis are closing.

[@JoeyLovesTrains]

I have some amazing childhood memories from sitting above them and making trucks honk their horns

[@elliebellie3852]

I have lived in the Chicago burbs my whole life and those oases were always so convenient. Not just on the way to the city but my favorite was between NIU and the west suburbs on 88.

[@iiBishop]

RIP Des Plaines, Ohare and Hinsdale Oasis

[@UndeadPigeonFilms]

I still drive under the South Holland Oasis every day on my commute. Haven't been inside since in probably 15 years but I thought it was so cool as a kid

[@DeKalbVideoProds]

I'm a DeKalb area resident and I seem to recall that when McDonald's took over the DeKalb oasis, it was their very first limited access roadway store and Ray Kroc kept a close eye on it.

[@elizabethliska5377]

Fron 1993 to 2002 i drove thru and delivered into Chicago almost weekly driving a truck. Stopped at them often especially the McDonalds by Rockford and the Burger King close to the I 80 Indiana border. Thanks for all the good food and memories.

[@jimpern]

I stopped at the Lake Forest Oasis in 2019, and I think something this distinctive should be preserved. After all, it avoids the need to build two separate structures on both sides of the road. The only other similar structures I know of are along turnpikes in Oklahoma.

[@ramblerdave1339]

Kansas Turnpike has the rest stops in the median, as does the Garden State Parkway, in NJ, and one or two on I-95 in Maryland, between Baltimore and Delaware, a good way to have 1 building serve both directions. The downside to that is, the exit ramp from the rest area, dumps you into the fast lane of the expressway, which too many drivers aren't ready for.

[@jimpern]

@@ramblerdave1339 Many roads have service plazas in the median, but the distinctive ones are the very few that cross over the highway.

[@ramblerdave1339]

@@jimpern Right. But how will I know I'm near Chicago, when they're gone. 😪

[@mikedawolf95]

I love these, I have to travel to Rockford sometimes for work and it’s nice to stop after driving 1 hour from the city to get a coffee or a snack.

[@Knightmessenger]

Widening roads has repeatedly been shown not to reduce traffic congestion. If Illinois wants to fix traffic they should expand the El or put a rail line between the freeway like the Dan Ryan portion of 94. Destroying such a unique rest stop for something that will increase taxpayer liability and maintenance/repair costs is a terrible tradeoff.

[@txquartz]

The expansions are done because the toll authority needs to justify their continued existence and does not want to risk people asking why the tolls are continuing after rolling over the bonds several times. In addition very little of the path enters Chicago itself, so the CTA would not be interested in expanding service. The suburban bus system though is getting dedicated lanes with the expansion.

[@Dulcimertunes]

That’s Illinois!

[@matthewshannon6946]

I worked at the Lake Forest Oasis for a couple of years when it was Amoco. First was Howard Johnsons and then a Wendy's. Had a lot of interesting experiences while I was there!!

[@tommyanderson-filmmaker3976]

Growing up as kids it was always a joy when our Dad would stop at these. I don't know how many times we ate at the Belvidere Oasis. It was a Childs wonder for sure.

[@fantasycamp4000]

In 1968 my family drove from Wisconsin to Washington DC. I remember the Oasis system fondly. I know we stopped at at least 1 on the way and back. Illinois was not the only turnpike on the way.

[@1_Papa]

The Des Plaines Oasis was not removed for a "widening project;" it is the designated location of a trumpet interchange of the forthcoming I-490 Western O'Hare Bypass tollway, which will link up with the Illinois 390 tollway (I-390 when it is competed and a western-access roadway to a new terminal at O'Hare is built) and end at the Tri-State tollway, I-294. Your own video shows that progress @ 13:03.

[@trueword247]

I thought I was the only one noticing a reduction of quality in Ryan's video series!

[@gregoryleo4640]

It was demolished for both reasons: widening of the tollway and the new interchange.

[@theemarydee1610]

Awwww man, I loved the stoping at O’Hara Oasis. It was always a pleasant stop before dealing with I-55 and th risked taken to reach I-80!!!

[@InflatableConan]

Growing up in Chicago I always loved it when we stopped at one of these on our way to Six Flags or Wisconsin Dells. I had no idea they are removing some. It always felt very Americana to me. They should be protected as designated landmarks.

[@MEUProductions]

I'm going to miss these so much. Belvidere Oasis is my jam headed home to Madison, WI.