I dare say that I enjoyed my stay quite a bit, despite my room’s painfully non-premium characteristics. The tawdry shower soap dispensers don’t help either.

Louvered bathroom doors only further degrade the accommodations. My room was actually very clean, but these imperfections make the room feel cheap. Chipped furniture, peeling wallpaper, and a multitude of scratches paint the space. They’re impressively large for such a modest hotel, but they’re in serious need of a refresh. It’s a shame that these rooms are many visitors’ first impression. Any swaying you feel is likely cocktail induced.

Because the riverboat gambling law is now more relaxed, it once required gambling boats to leave the dock every couple of hours, Harrah’s is really just a couple of large, stationary barges. In Illinois, we pronounce the ‘s’ at the end of Des Palines, by the way. Because of Illinois law, Harrah’s is a riverboat casino on the Des Plaines River. Harrah’s Joliet is south of Chicago, just over 30 miles and 50 minutes away from Midway Airport. If you’re a midwestern casino enthusiast, Harrah’s is worth a visit if you’re looking to add to your chip collection. Joliet has two of the best casinos in Illinois in Harrah’s and Hollywood. But there is a little more to the city beyond simply housing the now-closed Illinois State Penitentiary, namely gambling. The city and the prison have a shared history. Joliet’s centerpiece is the old prison, an intimidating penitentiary palace famously loathed by Jake and Elwood.

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