Where: Normal, Illinois
When: Saturday, February 21, 2014

You’ll take Amtrak’s train #303, leaving Chicago’s Union Station at 9:25 a.m. and arriving at Uptown Station in Normal, Illinois at 11:39 a.m. Between Dwight and Pontiac, Illinois, you’ll experience Amtrak’s initial leg of high speed rail service at 110 mph. Normal’s new Amtrak station is the fourth busiest Amtrak station in the Midwest, and doubles as Normal’s City Hall and public transit hub.

The nine-story Marriott Hotel and Convention Center is just across the street. Fans arriving by car can meet up at the Marriott. A variety of local guided tours are available: bar and restaurant hopping in historic Uptown Normal; walking tours charting Abraham Lincoln’s visits in the area; tours of handsome restored houses of the 19th Century; a nearby driving tour of local colleges (ISU and Illinois Wesleyan) and historic sites (David Davis Mansion, Adlai Stevenson House, Ewing Manson, Miller Park); a taste of Bloomington-Normal's extensive bike paths; and funky/eerie 19th Century oddities like the Bowles Patent Medicine Factory, Fell Park and Tower, and the creepy, abandoned Illinois Soldier’s and Sailor’s Home.

At 7 p.m., Loyola will face off with Illinois State at Redbird Arena, just a ¾ mile walk from the hotel. Following the game, Loyola fans will gather at an appropriate venue for post-game eats, drinks, talk and revelry. Choices include the Medici Restaurant/Bar, Maggie Miley's (an Irish Pub with food), Pub II (a sports bar with food), Firehouse Pizza, and the Marriott Hotel Bar.

Amtrak trains the following day leave for Chicago at 7:31 a.m. (arriving at 10 a.m.) and 9:46 a.m. (arriving at 12:20 p.m.). There is a slightly later train, but it's not always on schedule.

I'd be really proud to show off some of the great things about Normal, and help introduce Loyola fans to some of the charms of MVC road trips. A Saturday game in Bloomington-Normal would be a great way to do it, and it would feel great to have a hearty rooting section for Loyola in a game against Illinois State.

Gosh, I would like to come--Probably cannot but it truly would be fun---Except--you could lose the Pols--I had enough of them lately to last for years !!

I can offer a somewhat similar tour of Southern Illinois the weekend of the SIU game in Carbondale on the 18th...although I won't guarantee you'll be at the arena on time or within 15 miles at tipoff.

The tour is THAT good?

Sounds like a good time to me... I also would LOVE to see a few hundred Loyola fans at the game. I know I'm dreaming, but sure would be nice to see Loyola send a couple charter buses full of students down there too!!!

JCT, any chance you know about how much a round trip train ticket would cost?

JCT, It would save everybody some hard-earned money if you would let them stay at your place and cook for them.

fyi, Walter will only sleep on cotton sheets with a thread count of 500 or higher, and likes his steak medium rare.

Train tickets are $13 each way if you buy a couple weeks in advance.

I believe the Marriott runs about $99 a night, but there are other decent options within than 3 miles from the arena in the $70 range and less. Hampton Inn is nice, and it's next door to a brewery/restaurant called Destihl-- great food and unique brews.

I am hoping to come down. Maybe we can get a ticket package.

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With the team having 3 wins in the conference already, is anyone planning on making this road trip a reality?

I've heard rumors that alumni relations is organizing a bus and tickets for this game.

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MBB Scholarship Chart