circumnavigating Chicago Class B

Hey all,

I'm looking at flying my PA 28-161 VFR from Minneapolis to South Bend,
Indiana, in a few weeks for a Notre Dame football game (go irish!). Two
big things, of course, stand in my way: Lake Michigan and the Chicago
Class B airspace.

I've looked at the Chicago Terminal Chart, and have come up with two
possibilities:

1.) Aim for the OBK VOR, then skirt under Class Bravo at 2,900, and hug
the lakeshore all the way around to South Bend.

2.) Take 'er up to 11,500 in southcentral Wisconsin, go above the Class
B airspace. I've never been up that high before! This might let me cut
a little deeper across Lake Michigan.

3.) Accept a transition through Class B from ATC.

I'm a pretty new VFR pilot (you might remember my Duluth post) with
about 80 hrs... but am very comfortable communicating with ATC in /
around MSP Class B airspace.

I will, as always, have VFR flight following. Will ATC be expecting me
to choose one of the above options when I approach Chicagoland? How
much ATC interaction should I expect while I'm over / under their
airspace? Maybe just handoffs?

Also, Meigs Class D is still on the chart. Is it really still in
effect/operation?

Thanks a ton!

Neil Bratney
PP-ASEL