visiting U of Chicago and Northwestern -- help!

My daughter and I fly to Midway on a Thursday and want to spend the night near University of Chicago which we will tour Friday morning. We will then spend the afternoon in Evanstan, seeing Northwestern and will fly out of O%26#39;Hare Friday evening. Yes, a very quick trip as a detour before going to visit my ill father.

Here are my questions: I%26#39;d like to stay as close to University of Chicago as possible--any suggestions? The school has 3 listed on its website (International House, University Quarters B and B and Wooded Isle Suites) which I will check out.

I%26#39;m thinking I%26#39;ll rent a car at midway and drive to Hyde Park, on to Evanston and back to O%26#39;Hare (hoping there%26#39;s not a drop off fee), unless there%26#39;s such good public transportation that that would be easier. Anyone know?

Many, many thanks. Also, I%26#39;m sure I%26#39;m one of many who make this trip but I couldn%26#39;t find any posts.

visiting U of Chicago and Northwestern -- help!

Given you%26#39;re tight schedule, I would agree with your decision to rent a car v/s taking public transport. I%26#39;m not sure, but I would guess going between U of C and Northwestern would take at least 2 hours on public transport....probably one hour via car.

I would guess there will be a small fee for dropping off at a separate location...it will be considered a one way rental...but I would guess the fee is no more than 25 cents a mile...the two airports are less than 30 miles apart

I%26#39;m not familiar with any of the hotels near U of C.

visiting U of Chicago and Northwestern -- help!

Thank you for your response. I%26#39;ve just been researching and can rent a car for $45 with no drop off fee so, now that you%26#39;ve told me that it%26#39;s faster to drive between the two schools than take public transportation, I%26#39;ve got my decision. Again, many thanks.

You may be able to get a cheaper rental via Priceline or Hotwire, but they are non-refundable/non-changable services. I%26#39;ve seen quite a few people get rentals for $20 via either service.

$20--what a deal. I%26#39;ve not used Hotwire or Priceline before but my Dollar rental is cancelable without fee so I%26#39;ll check it out. Any suggestions on hotel? The three options given by U of Chicago don%26#39;t have high appeal. This one overnight is a treat for my daughter and I would have preferred a bit of a nicer hotel (although not over the top)--the 3 options are guest houses; we%26#39;d prefer a traditional hotel. Ideally, we%26#39;d love to walk to our morning meeting at the University but, in searching, it doesn%26#39;t appear that%26#39;s possible. The Hyatt seems like the closest at 4.5 miles away but it%26#39;s close to $300 for the night. Anything I%26#39;m missing? If not, we%26#39;ll choose one of the guest houses. Thank you so much.

There%26#39;s not much down by U of C in terms of hotels, there%26#39;s a Ramada but I don%26#39;t think it comes highly recommended and it%26#39;s also not within walking distance.

With your requirements, it doesn%26#39;t look like Priceline would work for you for a hotel, the Hyatt at McCormick is lumped in with a very wide area much of which would be more inconvenient than staying downtown. You might be able to get it on Hotwire, check www.betterbidding.com to see if you can narrow it down to which hotel is the Hyatt.

I%26#39;ll give that a try--thank you. Also, DVDmovie, I took a look on Hotwire and you can%26#39;t pick up a car at one location and drop off at another so that won%26#39;t work for me. Still, I can%26#39;t complain about $45--I%26#39;ll have to try Hotwire in the future.

Well, thanks to all your responses, I%26#39;m quite a bit further along than I was a few hours ago. I really appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

%26lt;%26lt;20--what a deal. I%26#39;ve not used Hotwire or Priceline before but my Dollar rental is cancelable without fee so I%26#39;ll check it out. Any suggestions on hotel? The %26gt;%26gt;

What would your max budget be and dates of travel? I%26#39;d be happy to help find a nice hotel, although it may not be right by the U of C.

Thanks--we%26#39;re in Chicago the night of June 7 and I%26#39;d love to pay up to $150 but would go to $200. Definitely need to be in a safe area and somewhere where, by car, we%26#39;d be able to get to University of Chicago easily in the morning. Any suggestions are most welcome--oh, if there%26#39;s a Marriott nearby, we have lots of points and might even be able to stay free. I jsut went to the M website but it said all area hotels were unavailable for June 7. Since that seems unlikely, I%26#39;m guessing the site was having problems and I%26#39;ll try later but, if there%26#39;s a convenient Marriott, that might work well. Again, many thanks!

%26lt;%26lt;Thanks--we%26#39;re in Chicago the night of June 7 and I%26#39;d love to pay up to $150 but would go to $200. Definitely need to be in a safe area and somewhere where, by car, we%26#39;d be able to get to University of Chicago easily in the morning. Any suggestions are most welcome--oh, if there%26#39;s a Marriott nearby, we have lots of points and might even be able to stay free. I jsut went to the M website but it said all area hotels were unavailable for June 7. Since that seems unlikely, I%26#39;m guessing the site was having problems and I%26#39;ll try later but, if there%26#39;s a convenient Marriott, that might work well. Again, many thanks!%26gt;%26gt;

Under $200 is going to be pretty difficult for these dates, as I%26#39;m not seeing many regular rate options under $200, aside from the Whitehall for $127 and the Club Quarters for $189.

If you search for 2 adults for June 7 on Hotwire, there is a 4* in the Mag Mile/Streeterville area with the amenities: fitness/restaurant/internet/spa/business. The price I%26#39;m seeing is $109, although you may see a slightly different price. This is likely (although not guaranteed) the Hyatt Regency Downtown, by the river.

The Hyatt is not the greatest of 4* downtown Chicago hotels (it%26#39;s an enormous, impersonal convention hotel centrally located on the river downtown, near Michigan Ave. and Millenium Park)., but at the Hyatt discount rate (if this the Hyatt, the regular rate is $239), it%26#39;s not a bad deal for a night. You could park in the nearby Millennium Park lot. As with car rental on Hotwire, reservations are not refundable and cannot be changed. You do not find out the exact hotel until after purchase.

If you can redeem Marriott points, the two Courtyard Marriotts are quite nice, as is the Residence Inn. Those would be less points than the Renaissance.

Please ask if you have any questions.

International House is right on campus, so I would recommend it to get the feel of living there - very important in a college visit. What you give up in luxuries will be made up in atmosphere and the convenient location. Look into the University offerings for entertainment on Thursday night. Their Court Theater is highly regarded.

The Wooded Isle Suites has a good reputation, but it%26#39;s a few blocks from campus. I%26#39;m not famiiar with the University Quarters B %26amp; B. The Ramada Lake Shore is nothing special, and that%26#39;s an understatement.

Since your timing is so tight on Friday, you%26#39;ll need to rent the car. Getting from Hyde Park to Evanston is a straight shot; at mid-day, it isn%26#39;t bad at all. You may slow down through Grant Park, and Rogers Park, where Lake SHore Drive ends, can also be very slow going. But it is a pretty drive all the way.

Driving to O%26#39;Hare from Evanston on a Friday evening can take quite a while, so be careful about your departure time. If you are looking for more college advice, check out www.collegeconfidential.com