Chicago hotel recommendations - Monday 6/11 - Friday 6/15

Planning an upcoming trip to Chicago for the family with the following itinerary planned so far...

Mon 6/11 - arrive around noon, maybe catch a museum

Tues 6/12 - various items downtown

Wed 6/13 - Cubs game @ 7pm

Thurs 6/14 - various items downtown / Navy Pier

Fri 6/15 - checkout %26amp; head back to Iowa

I%26#39;ve been struggling with getting a hotel on Priceline checking in on Monday 6/11 for 4 nights--have been having bids rejected up to $130 for 3-4 stars. In looking at various hotel websites, it appears that the price dramatically drops for the nights of Wed 6/13 %26amp; Thurs 6/14.....anyone know if something is going on the early part of the week?

Ideally, we would like to stay downtown to accommodate our itinerary, but would not like to pay an arm %26amp; leg (plus parking). Any suggestions for burb area hotels with great quality 3-4 star hotels (Priceline biddable) that are close to Metra line with a relatively short commute to downtown? Any other suggestions? I have thought about trying to break up the stay with the first 2 nights in a burb and trying to snag the second 2 nights at a downtown hotel via Priceline, but am not sure if the hassle of the switch is worth it (and again the parking situation--park downtown at the hotel or park %26amp; leave the car at a cheaper overnight station taking the Metra into downtown for the remaining 2 nights).

Appreciate any/all advice folks have to offer.

Thanks in advance.

Dan - dkoch@dwx.com

Chicago hotel recommendations - Monday 6/11 - Friday 6/15

Jun 11-13

NeoCon庐 World鈥檚 Trade Fair 2007

The Merchandise Mart

Delegates: 58,000

www.merchandisemart.com/neocon/

________________________________-

Keep in mind that Priceline only guarantees single occupancy, not double (2 beds.) While you may have better luck with getting 2 beds in the suburbs, your chances are lesser downtown, especially during a busy Summer period.

Once you leave the city, the hotel-dense areas really do not start up for about 35-45 minutes out of the city. The best area - I think - is the North suburbs (see: Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield and Evanston.) In terms of Priceline, the best suburban area to bid would be the Glenview/Northbrook/Deerfield areas, as the hotels there are pretty consistent aside from one or two ';okay'; ones (the 4* Renaissance in Northbrook, which gets some pretty mixed reviews). If you bid Skokie/Evanston, you may end up in Skokie, which is a bit of a drive to a Metra station.

If you bid for a 4* in the Skokie/Evanston area, the only likely hotel is the Orrington, which is in downtown Evanston (walking distance to CTA/Metra), but parking isn%26#39;t free and the hotel gets some pretty terrible reviews (incliuding one clever reviewer who called it ';hotel horriblington';.

If you are in Northbrook/Deerfield/Glenview, it%26#39;s not a far drive to the nearby Botanic Gardens in Glencoe (chicagobotanic.org) or the Ravinia Music Festival (Ravinia.org)

My thought is this if you are interested in splitting time between downtown and the burbs:

1. Bid for the first two nights in either the Northbrook/Glenview or Deerfield Zones.

2. Bid for downtown the last two nights.

3. If you cannot get downtown for the last 2 nights, use the priceline ';extend your stay'; option to try (doesn%26#39;t always work) to get the second 2 days at the suburban hotel at the same price. Hopefully (again, doesn%26#39;t always work but often does) you%26#39;ll get the extension.

4. If you cannot get an extension, bid again for the second two nights in the same area. The new hotel in the Northbrook/Glenview/Deerfield area won%26#39;t be that far.

Chicago hotel recommendations - Monday 6/11 - Friday 6/15

Thanks for your advice/insight. Most of our plans/itinerary will be for downtown Chicago, so I was wondering which of burb areas would be the most convenient for taking the Metra train into the city -- are the Glenview/Northbrook/Deerfield area hotels conveniently close to a Metra station? Approx how long of a commute would it be into downtown Chicago from these areas? Do these areas%26#39; hotels generally not charge for parking, or not charge that much? Sounds like from what you describe of their quality, that they would be good ones to bid on? That is an important factor as well.

Regarding your advice to Priceline bid the first 2 nights in the Glenview/Northbrook/Deerfield area and then possibly try for the second 2 nights downtown. If I would be successful in snagging a downtown hotel for the second 2 nights (6/13 %26amp; 6/14), what would you suggest for the parking situation? Is there somewhere convenient to leave the car parked cheaply in the Glenview/Northbrook/Deerfield area while we stay downtown the remaining 2 nights? Just would rather not have to pay the $40/night rate parking for downtown hotels.

Just trying to weigh factors since it%26#39;s looking like staying downtown Chicago via Priceline all 4 nights isn%26#39;t going to work out (budget-wise). Thanks in advance for any more insight/advice that can be offered. Dan - dkoch@dwx.com

recipes cream