Planning a trip to Chicago this summer to take my daughter to her first Cubs game. Will spend one whole day taking in the city & using L system to get around. Would staying out by O'hare, Midway, or downtown be best? Taking location, safety, & price all into account.
Better Place To Stay?
- Thread starter clone4lyfe
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Saftey smafety... Stay downtown. Downtown Chicago is a the greatest city in the world in the summer time. Hyatt and Sheraton have very nice hotels right on Michigan and the chicago River. Tons of things to do. The Loop is very safe. A $5 cab ride to Navy Pier. Go there in daylite hours if you have a small child--but the ferris wheel at night is ver cool. Take small tour boat (docked on the river near Sheraton and Hyatt). One is an historical tour on the river, and another takes you out on the lake. The skyline is awesome on a clear day or clear night.
Other free stuff? Millinium Park (south loop but north of soldier field) $500 million public park/ amphitheater
opened in 2003?
Hampton Suites (illinois and Dearborn St) is another hotel that is clean and affordable. The Cubs free agents and rookies live there during their first season. Very close to Michigan Ave, Weber Grille, House of BLues, Harry Carays. My friend was a manager there for years . I used to see Kerry Wood, Zambrana, and others there as rookies.
Don't stay in a suburb or O'Hare to save a few bucks. A complete waste of time out there unless you're flying out somewhere the next a.m.
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Saftey smafety... Stay downtown. Downtown Chicago is a the greatest city in the world in the summer time. Hyatt and Sheraton have very nice hotels right on Michigan and the chicago River. Tons of things to do. The Loop is very safe. A $5 cab ride to Navy Pier. Go there in daylite hours if you have a small child--but the ferris wheel at night is ver cool. Take small tour boat (docked on the river near Sheraton and Hyatt). One is an historical tour on the river, and another takes you out on the lake. The skyline is awesome on a clear day or clear night.
Other free stuff? Millinium Park (south loop but north of soldier field) $500 million public park/ amphitheater
opened in 2003?
Hampton Suites (illinois and Dearborn St) is another hotel that is clean and affordable. The Cubs free agents and rookies live there during their first season. Very close to Michigan Ave, Weber Grille, House of BLues, Harry Carays. My friend was a manager there for years . I used to see Kerry Wood, Zambrana, and others there as rookies.
Don't stay in a suburb or O'Hare to save a few bucks. A complete waste of time out there unless you're flying out somewhere the next a.m.
Summer here is awesome especially downtown, although I wouldn't say in the world, but it's pretty damn awesome. I look forward to summer BIG TIME here every year. So many people out at all hours and so much to do.
That being said, I agree. if you can get a good price on a hotel downtown, then I suggest doing that versus the suburbs. You get to experience more and the suburbs are well...the suburbs. Not much going on. Don't stay in the Loop though. I suggest finding a hotel in River North, Near North, Gold Coast areas (right north of the Loop and the river). The hotels at standard rates are more expensive, buuuut:
check travelzoo.com..they always have some hotels in the area for discounted prices of usually under $100/night or slightly over where the average for a night is at least $225 for the area at most hotels probably. This page will show other midwest cities too for some reason, but I see there's one deal for the Knickerbocker Hotel which is downtown right near Michigan Ave and some other stuff:
http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/chicago/
I think hotels.com and priceline.com also have a name your own price thing. I have heard people getting decent hotels in the area for $40/night using those services and saving a **** load of money.
Also depending on the nights in the summer, as you mentioned the ampitheatre in Millennium Park has free concerts going on in the summer pretty much every night.
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Downtown Chicago is the place to be, but its defiantly more expensive. If you can afford it, I would do it. Considerably more convenient for everything you would want to do in Chicago.
We stayed out near Woodfield mall last summer for a cubs game, there is a shuttle to Wrigley for every cubs game, I think it picks you up near the mall. There were like 5 full buses of people going. I think it's only $5 a person? but I don't think it's near the L to take downtown on your other days.
We liked it, but we were really just there for 2 days. You can always stay downtown in a few years when your kids are older.
We liked it, but we were really just there for 2 days. You can always stay downtown in a few years when your kids are older.
If you can afford it. Unless you have a special rate, it's going to be at least $300/night there. For that price, you could stay at a place like Sofitel which technically has a better location (especially if you plan to take the El), but for cheaper.
Last time I was in Chicago we stayed in the Best Western near Grant Park. It was quite a bit cheaper than downtown but still close enough to walk to a lot of places, and parking in the garage next door wasn't too astronomical. It is a ways from Wrigley, though.
I would concur that it's not worth trying to stay near O'Hare... did that once and wasted a ton of time riding trains back and forth.
I would concur that it's not worth trying to stay near O'Hare... did that once and wasted a ton of time riding trains back and forth.
There's a Holiday Inn on the top of the Merchandise Mart that I've stayed at and it wasn't outrageous. Right on the river, close to Rush Street and the Mag Mile. Very nice accommodations as well. I agree not worth the savings to stay in burbs- you kill too much time commuting
Took our kids, 8 and 10 years old to the Crown Plaza, rooftop pool, and the view was a hit, plus walking distance from everything downtown. If you don't mind walking. Things have probably changed, that was 15 years ago.
There was a building boom here in the early 2000s, and they've been building since the boom went down too, so the skyline is much bigger now. Still spot on...except who knows, the view is probably different now for the hotel, but the walking in the same. I walk/take the train everywhere. No biggie.
It's funny how 1.5 miles walking for example seems like much less when there's tons of tall buildings and stuff around.
On the river tours, they call the Holiday Inn the ugliest building on the Chicago River!
I like to stay just off N. Michigan Avenue at "The Inn of Chicago."
Definitely stay downtown. Walk Michigan Avenue. Go to Water Tower Place (and Michigan Avenue) for shopping. Downtown is now safer than the Wrigley Field neighborhood.
Get a CTA pass. Get on the Subway under State Street and exit at Wrigley Field. It is awesome to ride with a train full of Cubs fans.
If money is an issue, use Priceline for N. Michigan Avenue/Streeterville. Take what you would spend near O'Hare and spend it downtown at a 3-star hotel. I've gotten the Hyatt Regency for under $100 on a weeknight. It will be great.
PM me if you want more advice.
I ALWAYS stay at the Majestic.
Majestic Hotel, Chicago | Book Luxury Hotel Room Suites, Reservations, Packages, Rates | Broughton Hotels
5 minute walk to Wrigley with tons of amazing restaurants within walking distance. Its a hotel within a great neighborhood so very safe. We always take the bus and / or L to get downtown.
Majestic Hotel, Chicago | Book Luxury Hotel Room Suites, Reservations, Packages, Rates | Broughton Hotels
5 minute walk to Wrigley with tons of amazing restaurants within walking distance. Its a hotel within a great neighborhood so very safe. We always take the bus and / or L to get downtown.
