Midnight at the Oasis

By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jul 1, 2004 8:03PM

With the July 4th weekend rapidly approaching, those taking to the highways will be happy to know that the first two remodeled tollway oases opened on Wednesday.

Both the O'Hare Oasis on I-294 and the Belvidere Oasis on the Northwest Tollway now offer larger bathroom facilities and upgraded food service including the likes of Starbucks, Subway, Panda Express, McDonald's, and Stonebridge Gyros & Cafe. For your car, the oases offer newly remodeled gas stations with car washes.

The remaining 5 tollway oases are either currently undergoing renovations or will close following the holiday weekend. Built between 1959 and 1975, the oases had not been remodeled since.

Chicagoist wants to know if any of the construction workers happened to come across our Ewok action figure that disappeared in the DeKalb Oasis in 1985 on the way to Grandma & Grandpa's.