"Anyone been in Admiral's Club @ O'Hare?"
You mean that place at ORD where everyone yells out "Spiff!" when I come in? Yeah, I might have been there once or twice...
As for the J/F ticket, you don't need elite status if you're traveling internationally. You do need Plat or EXP status if you're traveling internationally on a Y ticket.
Have fun and enjoy the "Fish Tank" at the H/K AC.