Chicago with kids--where to stay--what to do

I will be in Chicago with 3 kids Aug.2-4. Would it be cheaper and more time efficient to stay outside of Chicago and take the bus/train in or to stay downtown and pay for parking, etc. I don%26#39;t want to pay much more than $150 a night for hotel, but don%26#39;t want to waste too much time getting into Chicago if we%26#39;re in the burbs.

Also, what are some must sees for kids 10-15. We%26#39;re from LA, so I%26#39;m not too hip on museums--we have plenty here unless they are exceptional. I know they%26#39;d like Navy Pier and Sears Tower, but what else? Please help.

Chicago with kids--where to stay--what to do

You don%26#39;t need a car here. Public transit is abundant. Visit transitchicago.com for details. A CTA visitor pass night come in handy for your visit.

Parking downtown is expensive - up to $40/day. Unless you%26#39;ll need a car for something else, skip it.

Your kids might like - http://www.msichicago.org/

It%26#39;s the best museum in the city, IMO. Plan on spending at least a 1/2 day there.

Take a look at metromix.com. You can enter the dates of your visit to see what%26#39;s going on here. You can also do dining searched there.

Hotel rates here change from day to day. Chicago is a big convention town.

If you%26#39;re looking to stay in an upscale suburban area, consider Northbrook, Highland Park or Deerfield. There are several Marriott properties. It%26#39;s an easy commute downtown on Metra trains. Visit metrarail.com for details. Usually, you can get more bang for the dollar in the suburbs, plus the hotel tax is less. But you need to consider the value of your time commuting.

Chicago with kids--where to stay--what to do

One thing I%26#39;d recommend with kids those ages is the Seadog speedboat tour. It takes off from Navy Pier and you get to fly down Lake Michigan.

The Art Institute is free on Thursday evenings. Besides having the largest Impressionist collection outside the Louvre, there%26#39;s an impressive armor and weapons collection which kids find fascinating (and so do adults!).

Since LA doesn%26#39;t have much of a public transportation system, ours may be fun for the kids. There are also free Loop tour trains on Saturday mornings.

http://www.thelocaltourist.com/ThingsToDo.htm

Thanks! Those are great ideas--just what I%26#39;m looking for. Now as for a hotel, how practical is it to stay in the suburbs and take the L in or to stay near O%26#39;hare or Midway and take the L in to town. I%26#39;ve noticed prices are much cheaper outside of the city. I%26#39;ll also have a car so I need to pay for parking if I%26#39;m in the city. I%26#39;ll pay the extra money if it%26#39;s a huge hassle to commute in, but I%26#39;m not sure how much time it really takes to get into town using buses and trains. I pretty sure I won%26#39;t be going during any rush hour periods. Any suggestions?

The biggest problem with commuting in from the burbs in the summer is the construction on the freeways which causes major delays. traffic here is a pain most of the time but it seems to get much worse in the summer.

You can also consider going the bed and breakfast route which may be cheaper with three kids. One web site is www.bbonline.com which then takes you specifically to Chicago sites. There are quite a few in the lincoln Park area, where you could get street parking (with a permit) and then just jump on the train or the bus to downtown. It%26#39;s close to downtown and a nice place to stay.

There is a Days Inn North Lincoln Park which is in a pretty happening area. The parking might be cheaper there. Not sure about street parking as it%26#39;s quite busy there.

You could stay in the suburbs and take either Metra or the ';L'; in (depending on where you stay). The only problem with this approach is that it will probably take at least an 45 minutes to an hour to get downtown. While downtown Chicago is compact, the rest of the area is spread out. I would normally recommend staying downtown, but if I had to choose a suburb, I would choose Evanston. From there, you would have both Metra and the ';L'; as options for getting downtown. Also, if you got tired and wanted to go back to your hotel early, there are plenty of good dining options in Evanston.