Chicago for fun, first timer
 

Let me preface this all by saying, the trip is a grand total of four nights, shedd's aquarium is on the list, and my girlfriend and i are going to chi-town primarily to see Wicked.


we are going in july, and we're looking to do this pretty reasonably.


I would like to stay somewhere with easy access to the train system...and (call me cheap if you'd like) preferably a rate under $100/night. I know you can stay at hotels downtown and be near everything including the Ford Theatre where Wicked is running for $200+/night.

However, we're both college kids and not looking to spend a grand on a four night trip.


any advice/suggestions/helpful hints about the city and our accomodations is greatly appreciated. thanks all in advance.

I'll scrounge around for some hotels that are under $100. They are not easy to find. Even the Holiday Inn is going to run close to $200.

As for the Shedd's Aquarium, or any museum, get there EARLY the lines are insane, especially on the weekends.

Summer is beautiful here so you should have great weather. The park systems are terrific and free. Millenium Park is cool to visit, even though most locals don't like it, I do. Lincoln Park is great and the zoo is free if you are into that type of stuff.

Suggestion #1. By a day pass for the CTA or even a 5 day pass. It's $2 to get somewhere one-way and to have eto fill up on the machines is a pain. So if you are planning on using the El and busses a lot, I'd suggest it.

Also, if we are in town when you are in, we can get the Chicago crowd together and have a mini meet-up for dinner if you'd like. :)

I'll be back with more, but now I'm off to work.

And with that, a great idea was born... If I'm in town, I'll be there.

Back on topic, I think you're going to be disappointed in any hotel that's $100/night and downtown. The only ones I can think of are the Ohio House at Ohio and LaSalle (across from the Rock n Roll McDonalds!) and a "transient" hotel that I once quoted coverage for as a favor. I won't tell you the name of it because I'd consider it dangerous. The Club Quarters might be better, but the rooms aren't great. It is nicely located (in my office building, btw) and fairly cheap, but I don't know the charge.

As far as alternatives go, how are you getting here? Are you flying in to O'Hare? Midway? Driving? There aren't that many decent places between the airports and downtown, but there are a few. If you're driving, it may be best to stay on Lincoln Ave. north of Lawrence. You'd have to take the Metra downtown, but it's actually cheaper, safer, cleaner and faster than the El. Then there are bunch of places by the airport of course, so let us know which one.

As far as hints go, be ready for streets to shut down because of neighborhood festivals. Depending on when in July you're coming, you might be here for Taste of Chicago, which happen in Grant Park. Lots of food, even more people and fireworks. I'm sure that someone here can put their hands on the festival schedule once we know the dates and tell you what to avoid for traffic or where to go for fun. The water taxis will be running by then (according to the Trib this morning they start 5/14 this year), so you can take one from the train over to Michigan Avenue. The boat tours are also great (especially the ones by the Historical Society), and there are great places to eat.

If we're doing a meetup, just let me know when in advance and I'll be there. :)
I thought it was pretty nice. The layout in some of the rooms is a little awkward, but not a bad place to stay overall. If I remember correctly though, it is definitely over $100.

One of our friends just did a cross-country trip and I believe that she stayed in the Arlington House Hostel in Lincoln Park. I'll check and make sure I have the right hostel, but she did enjoy her stay.

I say this to everyone who comes visit Chicago, so I guess you're no exception. If you're interested, there is a Baha'i Temple in Wilmette right by the lake. Only seven of them ever existed in the world (6 remain standing) and one of them just happens to be near Chicago. It's a beautiful place and I highly recommend checking it out.

Also, if you're into fine dining and classy drinking places, then the Signature Lounge on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Building is a great place to spend the evening. The view is amazing and the atmosphere is great. Expect to pay around $30 for the main course though, but you don't have to eat. The drinks are moderately priced. If you do decide to go, make reservations. People book that place for days in advance.

to get back to everyone, we are planning on driving so it doesn't necessarily have to be downtown that we're staying, which is why i mentioned the bit about the train system, if i have to stay at one of the airports and train it into the city every day i wouldn't really mind if it's cheaper. Because like i said, i know hotels in the city are expensive and the ones under a hundred bucks are probably disgusting. We're not exactly bourgeoisie, i stayed at a howard johnson in toronto and was impressed so...

as far as meeting up, i wouldn't object to that so long as you all don't mind hanging out with some dorky early 20somethings.

I appreciate all the help already guys. I just know zilch about the city as i've never been there or to any real major city with good public transportation. I was looking at hotels at ORD and they seem to have a decent price tag but I dont' know how well that would work as far as getting into the city, that's the sort of stuff that i'm lost on.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Yeah, that's not Chicago. Check this out: www.ctatattler.com It's a blog I read a couple times a week. I don't take the El as much as I used to or should, but I still want to know what's going on. The whole CTA is in pretty bad shape right now, and no one in charge seems to know how to fix it.

I'm going to stop ranting now, but I will warn you that the average time from O'Hare to downtown on the Blue Line is running around 1 hour now with no estimate on when that will improve.

That said, you can stay at a hotel by the airport and take their shuttle back and forth to O'Hare. Get off at Terminal 2, go down to baggage claim then go down again to the walkway between the terminals. The end of the Blue Line will be directly in front of you along with machines dispensing the various fare card options.

I'm a dorky mid 30something, so no worries. Just remember that alcohol is not only the cause of but the solution to all of life's problems, and I'm sure that everyone will get along famously.

Since you are driving, I want to again mention the motels along Lincoln Avenue. Some are much better than others, but they're all pretty cheap and relatively convenient for you. I think that there's a decent one at Ridge and Peterson in the city that's about 3/4 mile from the Elmdale stop on the Red Line. I think the name is "Land O'Lincoln" or something, but it's in my neighborhood and no one complains about it, which means that they keep the prostitutes to a bare minimum (kidding!). There are a bunch of older motels on Lincoln between Lawrence and Peterson that are fairly close to the Metra which stops at Lawrence and Ravenswood, but I don't know anyone who's ever stayed in one. They're convenient because you're closer to the good stuff and in relatively safe neighborhoods. The local police headquarters is at Lincoln and about Bryn Mawr, so keep that in mind when you're looking at a map.

I'm always willing to help out if I'm around and I'll keep checking this thread. However, you can always PM or email me if I'm not around.

Jazz, I was going to mention the Ohio House because I'm sure it's cheap. It's a coupel blocks from us and is close to the Brown line, which means nothing to Lunchbox probably, but it drops off close to the theater. :)

There is a Howard Johnson in the same area, but I looked it up and it's about $130 a night. There is a Howard Johnson by O'Hare that is $55 a night. It would take you about 45-60 minutes to get to downtown using the blue line, but it would drop you off close to the theater and you could easily get around hte city from there. The only thing is the commute, but it's not bad I don't think. Spec lives out there so he could tell you more about that. :)

I know really nothing about this place except that I walk by it all the time. It is in Wikipedia which I find funny because I thought it was just a cheap, little hotel, but it's something to look into and could be an adventure. :lol: It is in the middle of it all being only a couple blocks from the Mag Mile and close to the parks and many eating places. The Tokyo Hotel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Hotel_(Chicago) but if this is the place Jazz was talking about forget it. Maybe he is referring to Hotel Wacker which always makes me giggle when I hear it.

Anyway, I'll keep my eyes opened for cheap hotels and if you have any questions don't hesitate to ask. :)

http://www.secondcity.com/?id=theatres/chicago
Go check out a great comedy show.

I used the el to get from the airport to Michigan Ave for $2 last year. That was a cheap ride and wasn't bad at all. It beats sitting in traffic.

I can vouch for that .. I've taken the blue from ohare and then switched at the Red several times.. the last being just 3 weeks ago - expect a 45 min to 1 hr train ride....

The blue line ride depends on the time and any events going on. Usually, it should take 45 minutes to an hour as previously stated. If you happen to be using the el at a time that will be busy, sit your ass down immediately, because it will fill up fast and people will pack themselves in. The commute really isn't bad, just be careful, it's very easy to fall asleep and miss your stop. I've only done it once, but when you don't know where you're going, it can be a problem. I also would recommend leaving yourself an extra half hour when planning your trip out. The el can be delayed a good amount sometimes, and it's always better to get places early.

Sheus, I've never seen the Toyko Hotel's loss history. I have seen the Hotel Wacker's. Infer from that what you will.

Lunchbox, you should definitely start thinking about food. Chicago's the fatest city in the country, and one of the reasons is all the good restaurants. I will warn you that if I catch you eating at the Red Lobster in River North, I will kick you ass. There's no excuse for that, especially when one of the best lunches in town is at Lawry's or you can have great seafood at Catch 35 or Riva.

Regardless, plan on drinking some Goose Island beer. The regular Honkers is great, as is their Summertime Ale.

Jazz, seafood is out the girlfriend does not like it, and since i'm doing this mostly for her since she's had pretty much no vacations in her life i will treat her.


and i've decided to loosen up a bit...i've been looking at the affinia or club quarters central loop since hotels.com seems to have a great deal going on those two.


any yays or nays on those and are they in a decent locations? seems i can get the affinia for about 180 a night which is a lot, but at the same time this place looks fantastic....

I've never been in the Affina, but I know where it is. It is definitely centrally located with Michigan Avenue. The Club Quarters is actually in my office building, and the rooms are ok but small. It's much closer to the museum campus (Shedd, Field, Planetarium), but still about a mile walk from here (give or take). From the Affina it would be about 2 miles.

If you stay at the CQ, do NOT eat at the Elephant & Castle. Overpriced, poor service, bad food. We avoid it like the plague.

That place is history. So, they're safe. :lol: Overnight it just disappeared.

There are a lot of cool pubs around us in River North. Although I must admit we don't take advantage of all the restaurants around us. We should, but I like to cook too much. :) But I know there are a lot of tasty restaurants and they do have specials if you look ahead and plan.

Oh totally. I miss Chicago... :)

The Hosteling Internation hostel in the Loop is excellent. I stayed there three nights when I was looking for a place to live here. It's near some stuff down there although the Loop isn't hugely full of nightlife. But it's right next to the Jackson Blue/Red line stop and the Library stop for everything else. If you want to park really cheap, find a small neighborhood like Ukranian Village or Roscoe Village, park your car on a small side street (make sure it's not street sweeping day!), and just leave it there. I leave my out of state car on the street for months at a time.

As for stuff to do, check out www.timeout.com/chicago and www.metromix.com. MetroMix has every festival this summer listed too. Just give me a month's notice for the date of the meetup, I'll need to bid the day off.

okay, I think I'm pretty much set on the Affinia, all the review's i've seen say it's pretty much amazing and the price is right....


My question now turns to transportation, should I drive (I hear Chicago traffic is hell and that parking is expensive) or just take the train? I've heard the train is completely reasonable from Detroit to Chicago... assuming that is true my only real concern is transportation from the union station to the hotel, easy to do? recommended?

sorry for the neurosis but hopefully it's understandable. thanks again for all the help i'd be lost without all of you.

Take the train. Between gas and parking you're probably looking at $100. If you're staying fairly close to downtown you can take cabs or the CTA. There's a cab stand at union station and its probably a $10 ride.

restaurants in chicago---there are SO many of them and some of them are excellent. i'd suggest a great one very near my headquarters in logan square: cafe lula.

you should check out the museum of the art institute--the chicago cultural center usually has interesting visuals to look at on 3 floors of galleries--the museum of contemporary art is good as well.

there's a ton of free music during the summer--depends what you'd like to see/hear. and it happens all over the city.
if your interested in more experimental jazz, check out the velvet lounge.
green mill for more traditional stuff.
there are tons of blues clubs..
stranger experrymental options abound as well--on more underground happenings, things will become clearer as the Date approaches.

btw: while i defer to mr, jazz and shesus on things chicago as they've been here longer than i have, i will say that i dont like the loop. well, that's not true quite: i'd get an architecture guide and wander around looking at buildings, many of which are fabulous. a good place to get a sense of it is from the bowl at millenium park, optimally as you sit there drinking a bottle of wine and listening to a show: the loop skyline is quite spectacular, but you need to give yourself a little time to actually look at it (trust me on this one) and hanging out at the park (which has ridiculously good sound for a public outdoor space) is a lovely vantagepoint.
but for stuff to do, especially at night, you'l probably find yourself outward bound. the hothouse is an exception--its on balbo, is a nice space with great sound--they usually book "world music" along a roughly putamayo logic, so the shows are up and down, but the space is cool.


i second or third all ideas concerning gathering.

I third this, since it was already seconded. ;)

Union Station is pretty impressive on it's own and it is in the loop which is where you'll be staying. I still recommend getting the day passes for the CTA if you are planning on using public transportation because it's a pain to refill those tickets everytime and the day passes pay for themselves in 2 uses, at least when I used them last summer they did.

The train is a great option. We tend to drive, though, because we just go in for the day and come back late at night. Parking at Soldier Field is $15/<12 hours, $30/day, and right next to the Field Museum, Aquarium, etc. After we went to the Field we just left the car there and walked downtown, though we could have taken a bus. It was the cheapest under-roof parking we'd come across in the city.

(If there's an event going on, the rate increases, so check before you go.)

I have to disagree with roachboy about the Loop. In the past it was really dead, but it's gotten much better in the last 5 years. There are lots more people living in the Loop, so there's been a noticable increase of "stuff" there.

River North is a completely different story. There's always been stuff there, at least in the last 10 years. Most of the cool restaurants and bars are north of the river, although there's a growing number south of Congress.

The parking at Millenium Park is also pretty cheap.

I lived in Chicago for 13 years so I can offer any advice you haven't already received. I do have to say, I found the Shedd Aquarium to be a bore, especially compared to most other Chicago Museums (Museum of Science and Industry, The Field Museum, Modern Art Museum, etc.)

yeah, if you haven't already booked your hotel tickets, use one of the services, expedia.com or the like. i once stayed at the swisshotel for about $30 just by catching it at the right time. have a good time; that's a fun city.

If you don't mind taking the Metra train into town everyday, I'd suggest the Schaumburg, O'Hare, or Northbrook areas. You can get 3 - 3 1/2 star hotels thru Hotwire for as little as $45/night. Hotel parking is free in those areas as well, which can be $20+/night at a downtown hotel. This is the only way our family of five does Chicago anymore. We used to stay downtown thru Hotwire hotels, but even Hotwire has had trouble getting good rates near Michigan Ave for the past few years. I've stayed in all the above suburbs and never had a disappointing hotel.

Northbrook and the O'Hare areas don't offer much to do, but a short, 10 minute drive will find you damn near anything. The Schaumburg area has a monstrous mall with all of the national chain restaurants to go with it dumped in one area, so that can be convenient. If you like Sushi, try the Todai Sushi restaurant in the mall... it's killer.

The train ride to downtown from these areas is 30-40 minutes, but it costs next to nothing, especially if you buy the unlimited weekend pass for like $5 (http://metrarail.com/tickets.html). Look at the MD West line for stops and times to downtown from the Schaumburg or O'hare areas. Look at the MD North line if your in the Northbrook area.

which weekend?
 

have you decide which weekend you'll be here?

earlier in the thread, someone mentioned the street fairs, and they are one of the reasons i've been in this city so long. they're a blast. not the huge ones like taste of chicago (avoid it at all costs), but the smaller, neighborhoody ones. some are skewed more toward music, food or the arts.

let us know when you're coming & we could narrow it down to a great street fest or 2 for ya.

just to update this for everyone who's been waiting. It's july 5th-8th. We're staying at the allegro. it's on randolph right in the Theatre district.

the allegro is a fantastic hotel - a chain hotel that doesn't take itself too seriously - (the restaurant in the hotel is excellent, just overpriced)- the downside on weekends there's not much open in the area in themornings but the rooms are really nice beds super comfy and the staff is really friendly.. but you're in walking distance from the art institute, grant park and not far from the river...