This is where I usually fill my gas tank each week. It is called The Des Plaines Oasis, and it actually spans over the tollway I take to work each morning. It consists of the building you see in the picture and a pair of matching gas stations on either end.

I like to stop at the Oasis for a couple of reasons. First of all, who doesn't like the idea of saying, "I stopped at the Oasis for a cup of coffee"?

Secondly, it is pretty quick. The whole point of the Oasis is that you never leave the tollway, so it's just a ramp in and a ramp out. No turns, no lights, just drive on through.

Lastly, it is the first gas station I come across outside of the city boundaries. This means the prices are about 20 cents cheaper per gallon than my nearest station at home. Still not a bargain at 4.21/gallon, but I will take what I can get.

The building houses a McDonalds, a Panda Express, a Starbucks, and I think some sort of mini Nissan dealership. How that last one is at all practical I still haven't figured out (don't you need a car to get onto the tollway in the first place?) but the parking lot is usually pretty busy. It seems that Starbucks usually has the longest line.