# Pokémon GO Fest 2026: Chicago — Raid Maximization Plan **Trainer:** Jeff Smith · IGN **Archeious** · Friend code `3847 6500 8556` **Hotel:** Palmer House Hilton (17 E Monroe St) — Mon-Fri-Sat-Sun, departure Mon June 8 **Side trip:** Beyond Wonderland (Northerly Island) — 🎟️ 2-day VIP pass purchased · attendance TBD · decide in the moment based on energy **Power kit (shipping to Palmer House):** 3× Anker Prime 26,250 mAh / 99.75 Wh / 300W (A110A) · UGREEN Nexode 300W 6-port GaN desktop charger · Black Shark MagCooler 5 Pro · 2× KIYODA coiled USB-C cables (daily) + straight 100W cable for overnight bank refill. **Park session:** Saturday June 6, 14:00–18:00 CDT (Afternoon, Premier Access) **Citywide gameplay tickets:** Thursday Jun 4, Friday Jun 5, Sunday Jun 7 (Saturday citywide auto-included with park ticket) **Add-ons:** Raid Lover, Egg-thusiast, Premier Access (Sat afternoon) **Strategy:** Hybrid park-adjacent (anchor Grant Park / Buckingham Fountain corridor, one Thursday citywide expedition for the four-district medal/Mega Mewtwo voucher, Saturday park is the apex) --- ## 🚧 Restricted Zone — Read This First The event footprint, per the **official Niantic venue map (May 2026)**, is the strip of Grant Park east of S Columbus Dr and west of Lake Shore Dr, organized into 3 zones from north to south. **CLOSED to non-ticket-holders during the event**. ``` E MONROE ST (north boundary — labeled on official map) ┌─────────────────────────────────────┐ │ RECRUITMENT ZONE (yellow) │ │ - Team Lounges, Trainer Belonging │ │ - Mobility Charging Station │ S COLUMBUS ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ LAKE DR (west, │ E JACKSON DR │ SHORE labeled │ CULTIVATION ZONE (blue) │ DR on map) │ ◇ CONSERVATORY ZONE (pink, center) │ (east, │ - Buckingham Fountain inside │ labeled │ - PokéStop Powerbanks, First Aid │ on map) ├─────────────────────────────────────┤ │ E BALBO DR │ │ TEAM GO ROCKET HIDEOUT (red) │ │ - 4 Shadow Legendary raid zone │ │ - Rideshare pickup at SW corner │ │ ↓ (peninsula extends south) │ └─────────────────────────────────────┘ toward E ROOSEVELT RD ``` **Inside the zone (verified via SQLite): 9 gyms, 61 stops. ALL off-limits except during your park session.** - **✅ Saturday June 6, 2:00–6:00 PM only:** you can enter via the official Niantic entries at **S Columbus Dr + E Jackson Dr** (north) or **S Columbus Dr + E Balbo Dr** (south). Buckingham Fountain (Cultivation Zone core), Hutchinson Field, the Super Mega Raid gyms are all inside. Jackson entry = closer to Pop-Up Store + Premier Access Lounge; Balbo entry = closer to Hutchinson Field + SMR staging. - **🚫 Thu / Fri / Sat morning / Sat evening / Sun / Mon:** off-limits. Walking down Michigan Ave (west side) and along Roosevelt Rd (south side) is fine — you just can't cross *into* the event footprint. - **✅ Outside the footprint, always public:** Millennium Park, Cloud Gate, Pritzker Pavilion, **Maggie Daley Park** — all north of Monroe St, all unrestricted all five days. This kills Buckingham Fountain as the evening raid hour anchor for 4 of your 5 days. New apex anchor: the **8-gym Millennium Park / Lakeshore East cluster** (Cloud Gate → Aon Center) within a 378m walking loop, just 7.3 min from Palmer House and entirely outside the event footprint. --- ## Executive Summary — The Five Things That Matter Most 1. **The Millennium Park / Lakeshore East mega-cluster is your evening raid-hour anchor every day except Saturday** — DBSCAN confirms this is a **single 8-gym cluster** spanning Cloud Gate → Pritzker Pavilion → Millennium Park Ice Rink → Prudential Plaza → Aon Center in a 378m walkable loop. **7.3 min walk** from Palmer House. North of Monroe Drive, OUTSIDE the restricted park zone. Standing at the cluster center puts you within raid-invite range of 4-5 gyms at once. Be there by 5:55 PM Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon. 2. **Saturday 5:30–6:00 PM is the apex moment of the entire trip:** the Super Mega Raid spawns 1000-trainer gyms with both Mega Mewtwo X AND Mega Mewtwo Y inside Hutchinson Field — INSIDE the restricted zone, only accessible to ticket holders during the park session. Do not be elsewhere. 3. **Thursday June 4 is now the second-most strategic day.** First citywide day = four City District Timed Research challenges unlock; ≥2 completed earns a guaranteed Mega Mewtwo X **or** Y encounter with Mega Level 1 already unlocked (a backup if you whiff the Super Mega Raid). 4. **Zeraora debuts here.** Special Research in your Saturday park session leads to the first-time Zeraora encounter. Start the SR immediately at 2 PM. 5. **Pass supply is irrelevant.** 400 stockpile + 18 free/day (Raid Lover) + park-included passes. The constraint is raids/hour, not pass economics. Don't decline raids for cost — only decline a tier-1 or tier-3 when Mewtwo / Primal / Shadow legendary is actively up. --- ## Confirmed Event Facts (from Niantic / Leek Duck / pokemongohub, as of 2026-05-20) - **Dates:** Friday June 5 – Sunday June 7, 2026. Citywide gameplay tickets extend access to Thursday June 4. - **Park location:** Grant Park, "open footprint" (no perimeter fencing — Grant Park public access continues, but in-park *event* features are scan-gated). - **Hours per ticket type:** - Morning park session: 9 AM – 1 PM CDT - Afternoon park session: 2 PM – 6 PM CDT *(yours)* - City Experience (citywide gameplay): 9 AM – 6 PM CDT same-day - **Citywide raid bosses** (rotating throughout the event): - 3★ Paldean Tauros (Blaze Breed) — **shiny debut for ticket holders** - 5★ Mewtwo, Zapdos, Raikou - Primal: Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon - **In-park-only raid bosses (Saturday afternoon session):** - 5★ Shadow: Shadow Zapdos, Shadow Raikou, Shadow Kyogre, Shadow Groudon - **Park structure — four skill-based Zones in Grant Park:** - **Recruitment Zone** — raids + PvP, team-leader showcases - **Cultivation Zone** (includes Conservatory core around Buckingham Fountain) — wide variety of wild Pokémon, event-themed Field Research, event-themed Eggs - **Team GO Rocket's Hideout** — Team GO Rocket battles + Shadow Raids - **Mega Mewtwo Unity Raid:** During the FINAL 30 minutes of each park session, **1000-trainer gyms** host the **Unity Raid** (Tokyo May 29 reveal — Niantic marketed this as "Super Mega Raid" but the actual mechanic at the park is a Unity Raid: NO shields, NO active-Mega prerequisite, finishing move = collective phone-raise-overhead "Unity Attack", no flee allowed once entered). Both Mega Mewtwo X AND Mega Mewtwo Y appear. Catch background = "GO Fest 2026 Location". Ticket holders are **assigned a designated gym in advance via email** (PER-TRAINER RANDOM — friends sent to different gyms). Catch arrives at **Mega Level 1, 2, OR 3**. **Energy drop: ~300 Mewtwo Mega Energy per completion** (X energy for X raid, Y energy for Y raid). True Super Mega Raid format (with shields + Mega prerequisite) is reserved for Global Jul 11-12. *Your window: Saturday 5:30–6:00 PM CDT.* - **Citywide special research:** Ticket holders get Special Research that ends in a **Zeraora encounter** (Zeraora's Pokémon GO debut). No expiration date. - **Four City Districts citywide:** On your FIRST day of citywide gameplay (= Thursday Jun 4 for you), four Timed Research challenges unlock, one per City District. Completing ≥2 unlocks a guaranteed Mega Mewtwo X OR Y encounter (with first Mega Level unlocked). Completing all four = "Pokémon GO Expert" medal. - **Raid passes:** Up to 9/day from spinning gym Photo Discs (free); Raid Lover doubles to **18/day**. - **Premier Access:** Expedited entry, Premier Lounge (charging kiosks, lockers, seating, upgraded restrooms), Pokémon Center pop-up skip-the-line. ≠ extended park time. - **Ticket holder bonus:** Increased shiny rates during event hours on ticketed event days. Sources: leekduck.com, pokemongo.com/gofest/chicago, pokemongo.com/news/mega-mewtwo-gofest-2026, pokemongo.com/news/gofest-2026-ticket-options, pokemongohub.net --- ## Pre-Fest Preparation (start NOW — you're ~15 days out) ### In-game (time-sensitive, do over the next two weeks) **Bag & storage:** - [ ] Empty Pokémon storage to ≥250 free slots (expect 2000+ catches over 4 days) - [ ] Empty item bag to ≥500 free slots - [ ] Clear all completed Special Research from inventory - [ ] Verify you have **12 incubator slots** open (Egg-thusiast triples returns — never let them sit idle) **Buddy:** - [ ] Set buddy to a max-CP Mewtwo (or a high-CP candidate) to make catching boss Mewtwo cheaper / get bonus damage if applicable **Friends:** - [ ] Sweep friend list — open all gifts daily for the next 14 days to push friends to Best Friend status (2x XP catch bonus + remote raid damage bonus) - [ ] Verify your top-20 most-active remote raiders are Best Friend (your Super Mega Raid backup) **Mewtwo counter teams** — Ghost-led doctrine: **Why Ghost over Dark:** Mega Mewtwo X is Fighting/Psychic. Fighting resists Dark (0.625×), so Dark damage on X is neutral (1.6 × 0.625 = 1.0). Ghost is super-effective against all three Mewtwo forms (X, Y, regular) and gets +30% boost from Mega Gengar's Ghost/Poison typing. Ghost-led is strictly more robust than Dark-led across the apex Saturday raids. - *For Mega Mewtwo X (Fighting/Psychic) — GHOST ONLY:* Mega Gengar (Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball or Lick + Shadow Ball), Chandelure (Hex + Shadow Ball), Shadow Banette / Mega Banette (Shadow Claw + Shadow Ball). Chandelure and Banette tank Psystrike at neutral (Mega Gengar eats SE Psystrike via its Poison side). - *For Mega Mewtwo Y (pure Psychic):* Same Ghost squad works; Dark squad also viable. If running Dark, pair with Mega Tyranitar or Mega Houndoom for the Dark mega boost — NOT Mega Gengar. - *For Psystrike Mewtwo (regular):* Same Ghost squad. Dark squad (Shadow Tyranitar, Hydreigon, Shadow Weavile) also works. - *For Focus Blast / Ice Beam Mewtwo:* Mega Gengar (Lick + Shadow Ball), Hisuian Typhlosion (Hex + Shadow Ball). - **Target: have 6 maxed (≥3000 CP) Ghost attackers, plus a Dark backup squad for Y/regular only** **Mega energy stockpile:** - [ ] Verify ≥200 Mega Gengar energy — your primary mega, lit up across multiple Mewtwo lobbies on Saturday for the +30% Ghost boost - [ ] If running Dark backup for Y: ≥200 Mega Tyranitar or Mega Houndoom energy - [ ] If short, run a Mega Gengar / Mega Tyranitar / Mega Houndoom raid this weekend **Other:** - [ ] Stock up on Golden Razz Berries (Mewtwo will need 8-10 per catch attempt) and Ultra Balls - [ ] Verify Daily Adventure Incense is unlocked (free legendary chance each morning of the trip) ### Physical / gear - [ ] **Two 20,000+ mAh portable battery packs** with USB-C output (your phone will die 2x/day at dawn-to-dark pace) - [ ] **Two short cables** in your pocket (one in reserve) - [ ] AR scan off, battery saver mode ON in Pokémon GO settings, screen brightness auto-dim - [ ] **Layers:** Chicago June afternoons can hit 85°F; mornings/evenings on the lakefront can be 55°F. Pack a light shell. - [ ] **Sunscreen** — Hutchinson Field is wide open - [ ] **Refillable water bottle** — there are fountains, in-park hydration stations - [ ] **Comfortable walking shoes worn-in already** — 15–25k steps/day for 4 days - [ ] Light backpack (T-shirt, charger, water, snacks) ### Logistics - [ ] **Thursday June 4 morning:** Delta 879 lands ORD 11:52 AM. Blue Line "Forest Park" train → Monroe stop (45 min, $2.50). Walk 4 min to Palmer House. ETA Palmer House lobby ~12:50 PM. (Uber/Lyft = $40-65, ~30-45 min — Blue Line is faster + drops you 1 block from the hotel.) - [ ] **Saturday June 6 1:45 PM:** Be at the Premier Access entry point at Hutchinson Field NW Entrance (41.871942, -87.619881). Walk from Palmer House is 14 min via Michigan Ave south → Roosevelt → into park. Leave hotel by 1:25 PM. - [ ] **Monday June 8:** Field Museum day. 🎟️ 9 AM Legendary Late Nights GA ($30) + 🎟️ 12:15 PM Pokémon Fossil Museum ($18). Hotel checkout 8:30 AM (early — Palmer House holds luggage), walk south to Field Museum (~25 min via Grant Park). Return to Palmer ~3:45 PM to retrieve luggage. Delta 2376 departs 7:37 PM — **CLEAR + first class boarding means ~60 min at ORD is plenty**, Blue Line from Monroe ~4:30 PM, ORD ~5:30 PM, gate by ~6:00 PM. --- ## Strategic Framework **Anchor:** Palmer House → Cloud Gate → Pritzker Pavilion → Millennium Park Ice Rink → Prudential Plaza → Aon Center (the 8-gym density-connected cluster, 378m diameter, 7.3 min walk, outside restricted zone) for Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon. Hutchinson Field / Buckingham Fountain Saturday 2-6 PM only. Your entire raid universe is within a 15-min walk. **Raid pass deployment:** - Never decline a 5★, Primal, Shadow 5★, or Mega Mewtwo raid for cost reasons. - Skip 1★ raids unless they're on the way and shiny-eligible. - Skip 3★ raids during active 5★ / Primal / Shadow windows. **Exception: Paldean Tauros (Blaze Breed) — shiny debut, always raid.** - For 3★ Paldean Tauros: best caught in-park (Saturday) since shiny rate is boosted and ticket-only. **Lobby fill math:** - **Citywide 5★ Mewtwo:** start raid from any gym, invite 5 from your Best Friends, fill remaining 4 slots from walk-ups. With Best Friend remote-invite damage bonus, 6-trainer solo is feasible. **Mewtwo is not a Shadow boss in this event → remote invites work.** - **Citywide Primal Kyogre/Groudon:** same — start + invite. These are even rarer than Mewtwo in raids; do not skip a sighting. - **Saturday in-park Shadow Zapdos/Raikou/Kyogre/Groudon:** Shadow raids historically do NOT accept remote invites. Must be physically present with crowd. Park session = your only window. Plan zone time around hitting all 4 shadow legendaries. - **Super Mega Raid (Mega Mewtwo X/Y, Saturday 5:30 PM):** 1000-trainer gym, no lobby fill concerns. Worry instead about **lag and CP damage output** — see playbook below. **Evening raid hour:** 6 PM CDT every day = traditional Pokémon GO raid hour ("Mystery Bonus Hour" if active, otherwise just elevated spawns). Cluster: **the 8-gym Cloud Gate → Aon Center loop** (378m diameter, north of Monroe Dr, outside restricted zone). Stand near Pritzker Pavilion / Millennium Monument as the cluster center — you're in invite range of 4-5 gyms simultaneously. On Saturday 6 PM you exit the park session — this same cluster is a 5-min walk north from any park exit. Be there 5:55 PM. Stay until 7 PM. **Egg-thusiast leverage:** With 1/4 hatch distance + 3x XP/Candy/Stardust on hatches, keep all 9 incubator slots full at all times. Walk every block. Lakefront Trail north of Monroe Drive (Maggie Daley → Du Sable Harbor → Navy Pier) is your dedicated km-on-foot route Thu/Fri/Sun/Mon — the Lakefront Trail south of Monroe inside the restricted zone is OFF-LIMITS. South-of-park access works via Roosevelt Rd → Museum Campus → Lakefront Trail south, but you have to circle around the closed park. --- ## Day-by-Day Routing ### Thursday June 4 — Arrival + the 4-District Timed Research Day **Why this day matters:** It's your *first day of citywide gameplay*. Niantic unlocks **four Timed Research Trainer Challenges**, one per City District. Complete ≥2 to claim a guaranteed Mega Mewtwo X OR Y encounter (with Mega Level 1 unlocked). Complete all 4 to earn the Pokémon GO Expert medal. **Districts officially announced May 28, 2026 (Niantic map):** - **Investigations** (pink, north) — Rogers Park / Edgewater / Lincoln Square / Lincoln Park / Near North Side. Anchors: **NEWCITY** (1457 N Halsted St) · **Lincoln Park Zoo West Gate** (2400 N Cannon Dr). - **Scouting** (yellow, NW + west) — Portage Park / West Town (Wicker Park) / Near West Side / O'Hare Airport zone. - **Friendship** (green, south) — Bridgeport / Chinatown / Hyde Park / South Shore / Midway Airport. Anchors: **Field Museum** (1400 S Lake Shore Dr) · **Rate Field** (333 W 35th St) — Pikachu raid with Rate Field special background tied to this anchor. - **Collection** (purple) — **The entire LOOP community area** (NOT just Grant Park). Bounded by Chicago River (N, W), Roosevelt Rd (S), Lake Michigan (E). Includes Palmer House Hilton, Cloud Gate (the Bean), Millennium Park, Theater District, State Street shopping, all downtown skyscrapers. Park-session entry: S Columbus + E Balbo or E Jackson. **Your natural coverage:** - Thu morning: Walk out of Palmer House → **Collection** ✓ (Palmer House is in the Loop) - Thu later: Lincoln Park Zoo → **Investigations** ✓ - Thu side-trip option: West Loop (Madison + Halsted, ~5 blocks W of Palmer) → **Scouting** ✓ - Sat: Grant Park park session → **Collection** ✓ (already covered) - Sun: Wrigleyville Cubs → **Investigations** ✓ (already covered) - Mon: Field Museum → **Friendship** ✓ ; ORD departure → **Scouting** ✓ (incidental backup) **All 4 districts can be hit on Day 1 alone** with a short side-trip into the West Loop. Expert medal is essentially free. **Schedule:** - **11:52 AM** Land ORD. Blue Line to Monroe. - **12:50 PM** Drop bags at Palmer House (request early check-in; if not ready, gate-check at bell stand). - **1:00 PM** START GO Fest. Activate Daily Adventure Incense if not used today. Spin Palmer House Hotel PokéStop (right outside the building) for your first passes. Open the Timed Research tab to confirm the four City Districts. - **1:00–2:30 PM District 1 (Loop):** Walk Palmer House → Cloud Gate (the Bean) → Chicago Cultural Center → Daley Plaza Picasso. Hit *Luke's Giant Italian Beef gym cluster* on the way (5 gyms within 200m). ~25 unique stops, 5–6 gyms. Lunch at Lou Malnati's, Giordano's, or Portillo's (all within 3 blocks). - **2:30–4:00 PM District 2 (Museum Campus — south of restricted zone):** Walk Michigan Ave south to Roosevelt Rd (south boundary of the closed zone) → enter Museum Campus from the west → Shedd Aquarium → Field Museum → Adler Planetarium → return north along the lakefront *only* on the path south of Roosevelt (the Lakefront Trail north of Roosevelt is inside the closed zone). Hit the Soldier Field cluster (3 gyms, very tight at 193m diameter) and Museum Campus cluster (4 gyms near Shedd). Return via Roosevelt → Michigan Ave. **Do NOT detour into Grant Park interior — it's closed.** Egg-thusiast goal: 3-4 eggs on this loop. - **4:00–5:00 PM District 3 (Streeterville / River North):** CTA 151 bus north to Michigan & Pearson, or walk 20 min. Hit Water Tower Place (5 gyms cluster), 875 N Michigan, Tribune Tower area. Best Italian beef of the trip at Mr. Beef on Orleans if you want to detour. - **5:00–5:55 PM** Walk south back to Maggie Daley Park / Prudential Plaza. Egg-thusiast distance bank. - **5:55–7:00 PM EVENING RAID HOUR @ Millennium Park / Lakeshore East cluster (Cloud Gate ↔ Aon)** (NEW apex anchor — 5 gyms, 28 stops, 8 min from Palmer, NORTH of Monroe Dr so outside restricted zone). Start with 18+ unique gym spins to hit your daily free-pass cap. Mewtwo, Zapdos, Raikou rotate — raid them all. - **7:00–10:00 PM District 4 (Lincoln Park Zoo — UPDATED based on SQLite analysis):** CTA Brown/Purple Line from Adams/Wabash (3 min from Palmer) to Sedgwick (~15 min train), then 13-min walk east into the zoo. **This is a 16-gym mega-cluster** — two adjacent 8-gym clusters covering the Lincoln Park Zoo grounds (Chicago Sky Line area + "DTC Campsite" area near the Lincoln Park Zoo Eastern Entrance/Fountain). By far the densest area outside walking range. *Caveat: "DTC Campsite" stops have an unusual naming pattern (could be event-themed/temp); confirm on arrival.* Dinner at Stan's Donuts after, or Athenian Room (807 W Webster, classic Greek). Alternate District 4 if you'd rather stay closer: **Chinatown** (Red Line Monroe → Cermak-Chinatown, 15 min; 5-gym cluster around Lion Statue / Cermak-Chinatown Station — fastest CTA roundtrip option, dinner at MingHin or Triple Crown). - **10:00 PM** Return to Palmer House. Plug in phone, lock chargers in, sleep. **Thursday targets:** - Citywide Timed Research: all 4 districts complete → claim Mega Mewtwo X or Y - Mewtwo raids: 6+ - Other 5★ raids: 4+ - Eggs hatched: 6+ - Stops spun: 80+ - Unique gyms: 18+ (free pass cap) --- ### Friday June 5 — First Official Event Day; Pure Citywide Grind **Theme:** Repeat the Thursday loops with raids at 2x intensity. Mewtwo will be more frequent today. - **6:00 AM** Wake. Light coffee at Toni Patisserie (Palmer House lobby) or walk 4 min to Intelligentsia in Millennium Park. - **6:15–7:30 AM** *Dawn Daily Adventure Incense.* Walk the 8-gym Cloud Gate → Aon Center cluster loop (5-8 min from hotel, all north of Monroe Dr, outside restricted zone). Daily Incense legendary chance + 8 unique gym spins to start your free pass count. Hatch 2 eggs. - **7:30–9:00 AM Breakfast at Hotel Essex or Wildberry (next to Cloud Gate).** Field research on Maggie Daley + Millennium Park stops. - **9:00 AM CITYWIDE START.** Open daily timed research. Begin raid grind. - **9:00 AM–12:30 PM Loop sweep:** Palmer House → State/Madison → Daley Plaza → Lasalle/Wacker (river) → Chicago Cultural Center back. Hit Luke's Italian Beef cluster (5 gyms, tight 364m diameter) and Daily News Plaza / Union Station cluster (7 gyms, wider 685m spread). Run all available 3★ Paldean Tauros (shiny eligible!) you encounter; never skip 5★ Mewtwo. - **12:30 PM Lunch** — Italian Village (35 W Monroe, 2 blocks from hotel) for old-school red sauce, or French Quarter at the Palmer. - **1:30–4:30 PM Museum Campus + Lakefront-South circuit (avoiding the restricted zone):** Palmer House → south on Michigan Ave (west boundary of Grant Park is fair game) → Roosevelt Rd east → Museum Campus → Lakefront Trail south past Soldier Field cluster (3 tightly-packed gyms in 193m) → return via Roosevelt. **Do NOT enter Grant Park interior.** ~3 miles, 8–12 raids. Egg-thusiast distance: huge. - **4:30–5:55 PM** Recovery at Palmer House. Charge phone in room. Snack. - **5:55–7:00 PM EVENING RAID HOUR @ Millennium Park / Lakeshore East cluster (Cloud Gate ↔ Aon).** Same anchor as Thursday — every gym, every cycle. - **7:00–10:00 PM Dinner + late raids.** Dinner options near Buckingham at the Park Grill (Millennium Park) or stay east at Hilton's Kitty O'Sheas. Late raids around Maggie Daley + Millennium Park (lure-rich stops there per data). - **10:00 PM** Crash. **Friday targets:** 30+ raids (mix of Mewtwo, Zapdos, Raikou, Paldean Tauros shiny attempts, Primal K/G), 8+ eggs hatched, 18+ unique gyms hit. --- ### Saturday June 6 — THE BIG DAY ⭐ **Saturday is built backward from the Super Mega Raid at 5:30 PM.** Everything else is supporting that single moment. **Morning (no park ticket yet, but citywide is active since you have a Saturday park ticket):** - **6:00 AM** Wake. Phone fully charged + two batteries packed. - **6:15–8:00 AM Dawn warmup:** Daily Adventure Incense + a full lap of the 8-gym Cloud Gate → Aon Center cluster for early free-pass spins. Hatch eggs at high speed (1/4 distance). - **8:00–9:00 AM Breakfast** at the hotel restaurant or 7-Eleven snack (don't waste park-window energy on a long meal). - **9:00 AM–12:00 PM Citywide raids around Prudential Plaza / Maggie Daley / Loop** — the restricted park interior is still closed to non-ticket-holders this morning (you're a ticket holder for the AFTERNOON only, not the morning). Target: 8–10 raids before park session. Mewtwo as priority. Stay close to Roosevelt Rd entry corridor so the 1:25 PM walk is short. - **12:00 PM Light lunch + final charging pause at Palmer House.** Restock water, snacks. Verify all incubators are full of eggs (5 km / 7 km / 10 km — Egg-thusiast pushes them all WAY down). - **1:25 PM Walk to park.** Palmer House → south on State to Roosevelt → east to Hutchinson Field. 14 min. *Today is the only day you can enter the restricted zone — make the 14-min walk count.* - **1:45 PM Premier Access entry** at Hutchinson Field NW Entrance. Get scanned in. Pick up T-shirt (3XL), pin. *Premier Access advantage: faster entry — use it.* **Park session (2:00–6:00 PM):** | Time | Zone | Goal | |---|---|---| | 2:00–2:15 PM | Recruitment Zone | Open Zeraora Special Research immediately. Start it ticking while you raid. | | 2:15–3:00 PM | Recruitment Zone | Burn through regular 5★ raids (Mewtwo, Zapdos, Raikou). Run Mega Gengar (or Banette) to power up Mega level. | | 3:00–4:15 PM | **Team GO Rocket's Hideout** | **THE SHADOW LEGENDARY HOUR.** Hit all four: Shadow Zapdos, Shadow Raikou, Shadow Kyogre, Shadow Groudon. These are in-park-only with no remote invite — you cannot get them later. Use premium passes liberally. Target: 6+ shadow raids. | | 4:15–5:00 PM | Cultivation Zone (Buckingham Fountain core) | Wild spawn hour: Pikachu-visor Bulbasaur, Poké Ball–hat Caterpie, Alolan Raichu, all Unown forms, Lileep, Combee, Comfey, Dhelmise, Varoom, Galarian Corsola. **Shiny rates are boosted.** Catch everything; transfer trash post-session. Should advance Zeraora Special Research significantly. | | 5:00–5:15 PM | Cultivation Zone | Pick up event-themed Field Research, ensure all 9 egg slots have event eggs. Last regular raids here. | | 5:15–5:25 PM | **Move to your DESIGNATED Unity Raid gym** | 🚨 **Tokyo-confirmed May 29:** Niantic emails ticket holders a specific gym assignment ~3 days before park (expect ~Jun 3-4 for you). **Assignments are PER-TRAINER RANDOM — friends sent to DIFFERENT gyms.** Plan to split from the Utah crew here. Confirm from email + in-game News tab before park entry. | | 5:25–5:29 PM | **Position at designated gym** | Open Mega Gengar (Ghost doctrine — SE on both X and Y), full HP/healed Ghost team loaded. Phone ≥70%. | | **5:30–6:00 PM** | **🚨 UNITY RAID** | Mega Mewtwo X AND Y at your assigned 1000-trainer gym. Catch background: GO Fest 2026 Location. Catch arrives at **Mega Level 1, 2, OR 3**. **Energy drop: ~300 Mewtwo Mega Energy per completion** (Tokyo-observed). Finishing move = **Unity Attack (phone raised overhead)** — brace your phone, mind cooler clip position. No shields, no flee. **Run BOTH X and Y if both spawn — they're separate raids = ~600 energy total + 2 catches.** Use Golden Razz + Excellent Curveball on each catch attempt. | **Post-park 6:00–10:00 PM:** - **6:00 PM** Park session ends — you exit the restricted zone. Walk north out of Grant Park to the **Prudential Plaza / Lakeshore East / Maggie Daley** anchor (5–8 min from any park exit). The ticketed crowd disperses here too, so lobby fills remain great. - **6:45 PM 🍕 Lou Malnati's Pizzeria, 439 N Wells St (River North)** — non-grindy pizza meetup with the **Utah Valley PoGo group**. Phone down. Order the butter crust. Walk from Hutchinson Field NW exit ≈25 min, or stop at Palmer House first to drop park gear (~18 min from hotel). CTA alt: Brown Line Adams/Wabash → Merchandise Mart + 5 min walk. - **8:00–10:00 PM Late raids** in Millennium Park (lure-rich per dataset) + Maggie Daley. Buy Tribune Tower / Cloud Gate stops one more time. - **10:00 PM Sleep.** **Saturday targets:** - Mega Mewtwo X + Y caught: **both** (the trip's apex) - All 4 Shadow legendaries caught: yes - Zeraora Special Research: completed (Zeraora encounter unlocked) - Costume Bulbasaur / Caterpie: caught (shiny attempts) - Total raids: 35–45 (in-park raids are fast — many sub-2-min lobbies) - Eggs hatched: 12+ (you have nothing better to do walking the park) --- ### Sunday June 7 — Final Citywide Day + Cubs Game - **6:30 AM** Slightly later wake (Saturday will leave you tired). - **6:30–8:00 AM Daily Incense + Millennium Park / Maggie Daley loop.** All north of Monroe Dr, outside the still-restricted zone. Cleanup theme: anything missed (specific shiny, specific Mewtwo IV target, specific district raid). - **9:00 AM–12:30 PM Loop / Prudential / River-N raids.** Focus exclusively on Mewtwo. Solo lobbies via remote invite are fine since Friday/Saturday partners are still in town and active. **The restricted Grant Park zone re-closes today — don't try to enter.** - **12:30 PM Lunch — try something not yet hit.** Pizzeria Uno (29 E Ohio), Lou Mitchell's (565 W Jackson). - **1:30–4:30 PM Museum Campus + Lakefront-south circuit (around the closed zone).** Palmer House → Michigan Ave south → Roosevelt → Museum Campus → Soldier Field → Lakefront Trail south (south of Roosevelt only) → back via Roosevelt. Hatch every remaining 10 km egg. **Cut this short by 90 min vs original plan** — you're heading north for the game. - **4:30–5:15 PM Back to Palmer.** Freshen up, change into something for Wrigley (lighter layer — June nights at the lakefront are chilly even when downtown's warm). Charge phone to 100%. - **5:15–5:45 PM Quick early dinner near Palmer** OR plan to eat at Wrigley. The ballpark dog + Old Style at your seat is more on-theme. Either works. - **5:45 PM Red Line "Howard" northbound from Monroe** → **Addison** stop (~25 min ride). Addison station is one block from Wrigley's main gate. **Heads-up:** the Red Line northbound at 5:45 PM Sunday is busy with game traffic — expect to stand. Don't try to play Pokémon GO underground (signal dies between Lake and Fullerton). - **6:15 PM Arrive at Wrigley.** Gates open ~6:00 PM (90 min before first pitch). You have ~45 min before you need to be in your seat. - **6:15–7:00 PM Pre-game Wrigley raid mini-loop.** This area is one of the audited 60-min loops — anchor (41.9484, -87.6553), 15 gyms / 47 min / 3.0±2.7 min cadence. You won't do the whole thing pre-game, but the gyms within 2 blocks of the stadium are dense (Cubs Park, Murphy's Bleachers, Sluggers, etc.). Get 6-10 quick raids in. - **7:00 PM Enter Wrigley.** Section 213, Row 3, Seat 23 (upper level, third-base side). Wrigley itself has gyms inside (the stadium counts as a single large PokéStop network on event days). Spin the in-stadium stops between innings, don't dig in for raids. - **7:30 PM First pitch · Cubs vs San Francisco Giants.** Sunday night game. Enjoy it. The ballpark is the experience. - **~10:30 PM Game ends** (typical 3-hour 9-inning game). Crowd surge through the Addison station. - **10:30–11:00 PM** Choose: 1. **Direct return:** Red Line "95th/Dan Ryan" southbound from Addison → Monroe (~25 min). Trains will be jammed; expect to wait through 1-2 packed trains before boarding. 2. **Wait out the crowd + Wrigley loop:** Walk 20 min of the Wrigleyville raid loop (gyms around Sheffield/Clark) while the station empties, then board ~11:15 PM. Costs 30 min, gains 8-10 raids and a much easier train ride. - **11:30 PM–midnight Sleep.** Late night but the cap of the GO Fest weekend is the game, not raids. **Sunday targets:** Anything missed Thu-Sat. 20-25 raids (lower than Fri/Sat because game). All citywide Special Research lines closed. Cubs game enjoyed without phone-doomscrolling through it. --- ### Monday June 8 — Field Museum + Departure - **5:45 AM** Wake (15 min earlier than original plan — line-drop priority for Field Museum doors-open). - **6:00–6:45 AM** Quick warmup: activate Daily Adventure Incense, do a short raid sweep around Cloud Gate cluster. *Skip the long lakefront walk this morning — being among the first 10-20 in the Field Museum line is worth more than a final-morning grind* (the museum activities will fill the morning with PoGo content anyway). - **6:45–7:15 AM** Back to Palmer · pack · last shower · gear organized for the airport tail (2 banks in carry-on, 1 bank prepped for UPS Store drop after museum). - **7:15 AM Check out** of Palmer House. Hold luggage at bell stand (avoid the 11 AM rush). - **7:15–7:45 AM Walk south to Field Museum** via Grant Park (~25 min, 1.2 mi). DAI still running. Spin every stop and gym you pass — Grant Park stops are dense along Michigan Ave + the lakefront trail. Bus 146 from Michigan/Monroe is the backup if it's raining. - **7:45–9:00 AM Line-drop at the Field Museum main entrance.** Target: be among the first 10-20 in the General Admission queue. Most museum-goers don't show up until 9:30+ so a 7:45 arrival should put you near the front. Bring water + a light snack (75-min wait). **Do NOT activate the snapshot bonus or start Timed Research yet** — those trigger when you cross the museum threshold, not in the queue. - **9:00 AM 🎟️ Doors open — Field Museum General Admission ($30).** **Sprint to the Field Museum Store FIRST** to grab the **Excavator Pikachu Plush** (1-per-customer limit — sells out fast on event-day mornings) plus any other Fossil Museum merch you want (5-item cap per customer). Only AFTER merch is locked, walk back into the museum proper and let PoGo content activate. - **~9:15 AM PoGo Fossil Museum gameplay active.** PAUSE Lucky Egg + Star Piece — Fossil Museum bonuses *replace* them, don't stack. Resume on museum exit later. - **9:00 AM–12:00 PM Museum + in-person PoGo raids.** Per Niantic, the Field Museum activates: (a) **Excavator Pikachu** in Timed Research + Field Research (shiny debut), (b) **in-person raids "at no cost"** for Excavator Pikachu AND **Mega Aerodactyl** (both shiny-eligible), (c) **fossil Pokémon wild spawns** nearby (Aerodactyl, Tirtouga, Cradily, Bastiodon line), (d) snapshot bonus, (e) Collection Challenges. Stake out the Pokémon Fossil Museum public-program entry by 12:00 PM. - **"At no cost" reality:** no premium pass required to JOIN the raid, but each raid still consumes a Daily Raid Pass or Premium from inventory. Mon Jun 8 is not citywide-ticketed → Raid Lover (18/day) does NOT apply → you get 1 free Daily pass + Premium stockpile. Plenty for several lobbies. - **Mega Aerodactyl counters** (Rock/Flying): Shadow Tyranitar (Smack Down + Stone Edge), Black Kyurem (Ice Fang + Glaciate), Mega Diancie if available. Worth running multiple lobbies if there's time. - **12:15 PM 🎟️ Pokémon Fossil Museum public program ($18).** Timed entry. The exhibit cross-references real fossils with Pokémon designs (Aerodactyl/Pterodactyl, Tirtouga/Archelon, Cradily/Crinoids, Bastiodon/Triceratops, etc.). Solid 60-90 min experience. - **1:45–2:45 PM Lunch** at Field Bistro (in-museum, fast) or Eleven City Diner (1112 S Wabash, 10 min walk back toward Palmer). Take the extra time — you don't need to rush. - **2:45–3:15 PM Linger or walk back.** Three options, take whichever calls: 1. **More museum** — Hall of Gems, Sue the T. rex, anything you skipped 2. **Grant Park raid walk** — slow walk north back toward Palmer, raiding the Museum Campus + Buckingham (if reopened) gyms 3. **Direct walk** back to Palmer if energy is low - **3:15–3:30 PM Retrieve luggage** at Palmer bell stand · grab the 3 Anker Primes from the bell stand too (kept in original boxes from inbound shipment). - **📦 3:30–4:00 PM UPS Store · 175 W Jackson Blvd** (5 min walk west of Palmer). Ship all 3 Anker Prime power banks home via UPS Ground. ~$30-50 total in one box (~6 lbs). Declare as "lithium battery, ground only" — UPS Stores handle this routinely, under-100Wh per bank = no hazmat surcharge. Banks arrive Pleasant Grove ~Thu Jun 11 – Fri Jun 12. **No TSA/Delta lithium variance to worry about · no FAA carry-on-only rule applies.** - **4:00–4:15 PM** Walk back via Jackson → State → Monroe Blue Line entrance (~5 min). - **4:30 PM Blue Line "O'Hare" direction** to airport (~45 min). - **5:30 PM ORD.** **CLEAR lane** at security → through in ~10 min. First class boarding means no boarding-group anxiety. Aim for gate by 6:00 PM, lounge or seat for ~90 min before boarding. - **7:07 PM** Boarding begins (typically T-30 min for first class). - **7:37 PM Delta 2376 departs.** Sleep on the plane. **Monday targets:** Field Museum visited · Pokémon Fossil Museum visited · light raid count (~10-15 morning/walk-back) · flight made with the CLEAR+FC buffer working *for* you, not against you. **Why this works:** Without CLEAR + first class the rule of thumb is "arrive 2 hours before departure" = 5:37 PM at ORD. With CLEAR (security in ~10 min, no ID-check queue) + first class (zero boarding queue stress), 60-70 minutes is comfortable. That's the hour we're giving back to the museum/Loop afternoon. --- ## Gym Cluster Reference Table (All distances from Palmer House Hilton, 17 E Monroe St. Density figures cross-validated against `/home/jeff/projects/PokeScrapper/pogomapper.db` which has broader citywide coverage than the JSON files.) **Within walking range (≤35 min):** 🚧 = inside restricted park zone (Sat 2-6 PM only). Ranked purely on cluster geometry — size, walking distance, compactness. EX-eligibility and Power Spot status NOT used as ranking criteria (EX raids are a discontinued mechanic). | Cluster # | Gyms | Diam | Walk | Zone | Anchor name | |---|---:|---:|---:|---|---| | **#24** | **8** | 378m | **7.3 min** | | **🎯 Cloud Gate → Aon Center (apex)** | | #18 | 7 | 324m | 12.1 min | 🚧 | Buckingham Fountain (Sat only) | | #23 | 7 | 685m | 10.1 min | | Daily News Plaza / Union Station (wider spread) | | #21 | 5 | 364m | 7.5 min | | Luke's Italian Beef / Willis Tower (tight Loop) | | — | 5 | 270m | 24.3 min | | Chicago Water Tower (Mag Mile) | | — | 5 | 211m | 35.0 min | | Jungle Waterfall (very tight) | | — | 4 | 187m | 29.5 min | | Paul and Gabriella Rosenbaum Garden (very tight) | | — | 4 | 358m | 10.3 min | | Inspiration Garden | | — | 4 | 351m | 14.1 min | | Thank You Andy Warhol | | — | 4 | 303m | 22.9 min | | Onterie Center | | — | 3 | 122m | 17.5 min | | Agora Sculptures (south of restricted zone) | | — | 3 | 193m | 23.8 min | | Soldier Field (Museum Campus) | | — | 3 | 80m | 33.6 min | | Navy Pier: South Pillar (extremely tight) | **Beyond walking — CTA reach (Thursday district candidates / detour days):** | Cluster | Gyms | Diam | CTA route from Palmer | Door-to-door | |---|---:|---:|---|---:| | **Lincoln Park Zoo (Cluster #38)** | **17** | 806m | Brown Line Adams→Sedgwick, walk 13 min | ~30 min | | Guaranteed Rate Field (Cluster #1) | 11 | 440m | Red Line Monroe→Sox-35th | ~22 min | | Chinatown (Cluster #8) | 7 | 397m | Red Line Monroe→Cermak | ~15 min | Full data: `analysis-dbscan-clusters.json` (DBSCAN result, all four parameter presets) and `cluster_gyms.py` (re-runnable script). --- ## The Super Mega Raid Playbook (Saturday 5:30–6:00 PM) This is the single most important 30 minutes of your trip. Do not screw it up. **Pre-positioning (5:00–5:29 PM):** - Be inside Hutchinson Field, mid-park. Niantic has not pre-announced where the "new gyms" will spawn — they appear at 5:30:00. - Have your Mega already evolved (you should've Mega-evolved Gengar/Banette/TTar earlier in the park session — it lasts 8 hours). - Phone at ≥70% battery. Brightness low. - Have Golden Razz Berries and Ultra Balls ready. **At 5:30 PM:** - Watch for new gym icons popping up on the map. Walk to the closest. 1000-trainer means everyone in the park converges — expect server load. - Tap to join the raid lobby immediately. Don't wait for it to fill — it'll fill. - Mega Mewtwo X: dual-typed Fighting/Psychic → Mega Gengar (Lick + Shadow Ball), Hydreigon (Bite + Brutal Swing), Shadow Tyranitar (Bite + Crunch) are all top counters. - Mega Mewtwo Y: pure Psychic → same Dark-type counters; Shadow Ttar is best non-Mega. - **Both X and Y appear** — if a raid is X, run your team; relobby for Y next. - Use Excellent throws + Golden Razz on the catch screen. Mega bosses have famously low catch rates — every premier ball matters. **Catch insurance:** If you whiff both Mewtwo X and Y catches at the Super Mega Raid, you still have the **Mega Mewtwo X OR Y voucher** from the Thursday 4-district Timed Research. That's your safety net. --- ## Battery / Charging Strategy - **Nightly:** Plug phone in at Palmer House when you return; full charge by morning. - **Pack:** 2 × 20,000+ mAh portable batteries, 2 short USB-C cables. - **Saturday:** Premier Lounge has charging kiosks. Plan one 10-min lounge break between Zone rotations (~3:00 PM is ideal — after Recruitment Zone, before GO Rocket Hideout). Don't waste lounge time during Super Mega Raid window (5:25–6:00). - **In-game settings:** Battery Saver ON (rotates screen off when phone is flat). AR Plus OFF. - **Cab fallback:** If you ever hit <15% battery away from hotel, call an Uber to Palmer House. Never let phone die mid-Mewtwo lobby. --- ## Lobby Fill Playbook (Remote Invites) You have an "extensive friends list." Use it as follows: - **Citywide Mewtwo from a sparse gym:** Start the raid. Open invite. Send 5 invites to Best Friends. Walk-ups will fill the remaining 4. - **Citywide Primal Kyogre/Groudon (low-spawn boss):** Same playbook. Don't pass on a sighting. - **Citywide 3★ Paldean Tauros (Blaze Breed):** Solo-able for endgame players. Send 1 invite for damage bonus + insurance only. - **In-park raids:** Never need invites — crowd density handles it. - **Saturday Shadow legendaries (in-park only, no remote invites historically):** Must rely on park crowd. Position yourself where the most ticketed trainers are clustered. **Friend management 14 days before:** Open every gift daily. Anyone not at ≥Great Friend by Jun 4 is dead weight — promote your top 50 to Best Friend. --- ## Things to Verify on Arrival / Day of - [x] **City Districts named (May 28):** Investigations / Scouting / Friendship / Collection. Itinerary already covers all four naturally. - [ ] **Habitat rotation schedule** — Niantic typically publishes the hour-by-hour habitat for each park zone ~1 week before the event. Check pokemongo.com/gofest/chicago and Leek Duck closer to date. - [ ] **Niantic Wayfarer updates** — Any new gyms or Power Spots that pop up between now and Jun 4 will appear in-game. Pre-scout your morning walk on Thursday to spot them. - [ ] **Weather** — Chicago June lake-effect cool fronts can sneak in. Check forecast Wed Jun 3. - [ ] **Mewtwo CP** — Once you see one in a raid, check expected CP boost: Windy weather boosts Psychic, Foggy boosts Shadow. Plan team accordingly. --- ## File Reference - `analysis-dbscan-clusters.json` — DBSCAN cluster output (4 parameter presets across 4,065 gyms, citywide) - `analysis-gym-clusters.json` — older fixed-radius output, retained for comparison only (do not use for ranking) - `cluster_gyms.py` — re-runnable DBSCAN clustering script (pure Python, spatial grid index) - `pokestop-1.json` ... `pokestop-7.json` — Raw stop dataset (~1,946 unique stops after dedup) - `pokegym-1.json` ... `pokegym-9.json` — Raw gym dataset (~211 unique gyms after dedup) - `/home/jeff/projects/PokeScrapper/pogomapper.db` — SQLite database with 685 gyms + 4,686 stops covering a wider citywide area (Bronzeville to Lakeview, Western Ave to lakefront). Used to discover the Lincoln Park Zoo / Chinatown / Sox Park mega-clusters that the JSON dataset missed. `is_ex_raid` column is not yet populated, so EX-eligibility flags come from the JSON dataset where they overlap. Sources for event facts: - https://leekduck.com/events/pokemon-go-fest-2026-chicago/ - https://pokemongo.com/gofest/chicago - https://pokemongo.com/gofest/chicago/gameplay - https://pokemongo.com/news/mega-mewtwo-gofest-2026 - https://pokemongo.com/news/gofest-2026-ticket-options - https://pokemongohub.net/post/news/pokemon-go-fest-2026-chicago/