$60 for a passport expeditor is not that bad, there are places that charge more than $100 per passport. Whatever you decide to do, do it quickly-- the turnaround for Chinese Visas in San Francisco can be as much as 6 weeks, not sure what the timeframe is in Chicago. If you really want to be safe, you may have to pay the "rush fee" too.

Incidentally-- don't blame the Chinese consulate for the high fees and "no mail service" policy. They instituted these changes in retaliation for new post 9-11 US consulate policies. Folks in China have to jump through unbelievable hoops to get a US visa.