need inexpensive hotel close to downtown

June 21 or 22 through June 25

There will be four of us, but we only need one hotel room. We would rather spend our money somewhere else beside the hotel, so we are looking for something cheap yet close to downtown.

We will have a car, but would rather not have to drive it into downtown on the weekend, as I can imagine parking will be horrible. Is there a suburb with a train that would take us into downtown?

need inexpensive hotel close to downtown

www.midwayhotelcenter.com - from there you can take the CTA orange line train to/from downtown.

I assume you%26#39;re driving in from MN. Also consider hotels in Evanston, Highland Park, and Deerfield, IL. From those towns - metrarail.com - will get you downtown. Evanston is the closest suburb to downtown. You can also take the CTA purple and red line train from Evanston to/from downtown. Visit transitchicago.com for details.

need inexpensive hotel close to downtown

Thanks Dave. This is just the info I was looking for!

Moving to Chicago- Either December or March- which month?

Which month is better for moving? We dont want to get stuck in a blizzard, and we are not sure which month has better weather. In Detroit, it seems like december is more predictable where as march is all over the place... is that how chicago is too? thanks in advance.

Moving to Chicago- Either December or March- which month?

Flip a coin. Less chance of snow in March vs. December. We had a ';late'; winter here this year. It actually snowed here last month.

Moving to Chicago- Either December or March- which month?

March. Less busy than December and better chance of decent weather.

Both months have a likelihood of snow, and it%26#39;s completely random as to whether you%26#39;ll have decent weather or not. The difference is that December%26#39;s snow can stick around for a while, while March snows generally disappear via rain or warmer weather. However, March is not springtime here - reliably warm weather only comes after the second week of May.

Since you have a choice, I see no reason to sign on for an extra 3 months of cold weather. Move in the spring - however, you should know that a lot of apartments in Chicago have leases that begin on May 1 or September 1, and your options on other dates may be limited.

I would recommend march for the two reasons pgo mentioned...very few apartments are going to be available in december. I guess I don%26#39;t know why I think any more will be available in March....but with the holidays and the weather I think a landlord would be crazy to end their lease in March.

I also would advise coming when the weather is warming rather than when it is cooling.

however, if you come the beginning of December, you might be able to get a good deal because a landlord isn%26#39;t going to want to let their apaertment sit vacant for th winter...

I had no idea about landlords not letting people lease in the winter... how do i find out before hand? I%26#39;ll be moving from south carolina to chicago, so i%26#39;ll need everything to be arranged before we get there, since its such a long/big move. Any tips on finding a place?

it%26#39;s not that landlords won%26#39;t let you START a lease in December...they just normally won%26#39;t let you END one then. In such a circumstance, that means the apartment will have been vacant for a couple of months, probably meaning it is for some reason undesirable. If you found a place you liked at that time, you would most likely be forced to sign a slightly longer or shorter lease so that your lease will expire in april or september.

I would recommend apartmentpeople.com. It%26#39;s a good apartment service that will drive you to any apartment your interested in until you find one to your liking. They have a very large stock. The downside is, they charge the landlord on month%26#39;s rent if you take it, with the cost being passed along to the tenant in the form of slightly higher rent. There is no direct fee for the tenant to be.

There are other apartment services out there...I%26#39;ve tried many...I like apartment people the most, but normally end up finding one on my own.

you can also check craigslist.com or chicagoreader.com.

There are always apartments available in Chicago...never fear. If you wanted to move in on feburary 8th...on the nose...you%26#39;d still find a place.

Transfers

Does anyone know a good reliable (hopefully cheap!) company for transfers from O%26#39;Hare to Downtown? We%26#39;ll probably want a large Premium SUV, and would definately like to prebook.

Thanks in advance

Transfers

I%26#39;m sure you could rent a limo...probably a hummer limo but it would be very pricey....you don%26#39;t offer many specifics...maybe a search on google would be helpful.

cab (you can get a van), CTA or an airport shuttle (also a van) are your options.

Transfers

Specifics: There will be 3 of us, we want a smart vehicle, we%26#39;re staying in the Hilton %26amp; Towers in August.

I guess a stretch Hummer would do it, but we don%26#39;t want to look like we%26#39;re going to a high school prom.

I%26#39;ve had a look on google, but was wondering if anyone had a company they%26#39;ve used that can be recomended? I always prefer personal recomendations to google%26#39;s own.

Thanks

I use - http://www.ohare-midway.com/

I would second Dave%26#39;s advice for O%26#39;Hare-Midway. I used them almost weekly a few years ago and still do on occasion. The are very reliable and professional. I am not sure if they have SUVs in their fleet, though. They do have large limousines and luxury vans.

Excellent. Thanks for the recommendation. I%26#39;ll give them a try.

With a stretch hummer, you will more than likely look like you are attending a prom. That being said, try and contact Douglas or Donald the the Hilton concierge desk and see what they can come up with.

millenium park/frank loyd wright house questions

we are coming up june 1 to see the braves v cubs and after the game i have decided to go eat pizza at giordanos on n rush and then get dessert in the signature room.

afterwards i thought we could stroll down n michigan (mag mile?) to millenium park.

they have a gospel show there.

i like gospel fine butr will it dominate the place or will we be able to do other things?

is it too far to walk from the sig room to the park?

also the frank loyd wright (sp?) house interest me.

i%26#39;m a carpenter but i%26#39;ll have my wife and son in tow, plus the inlaws.

is it interesting enough for them to like it?

we are staying by o%26#39;hare so on our other day i thought about riding out to check it out.

any thoughts?

thanks.

millenium park/frank loyd wright house questions

I think the Gospel Fest might dominate the area. It%26#39;s quite popular. Go for it. It%26#39;s a little over a mile from the Signature Room to MP.

The Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit is in Oak Park. It borders Chicago to the west. If you%26#39;re going there from your hotel and pressed for time, you might want to consider a cab. The other option is to take the blue line train downtown and switch to a green line train to Oak park. There isn%26#39;t a train that runs direct from the O%26#39;hare area to Oak Park. Visit transitchicago.com for details. Metra also runs trains from downtown to Oak Park. Visit metrarail.com for details.

millenium park/frank loyd wright house questions

Usually, the big music festivals are in Grant Park (south of Monroe Street), not Millennium Park. Yet information I%26#39;ve seen online for the Gospel Festival does say Millennium Park.

The Pritzker Pavillion (music shell %26amp; lawn) is pretty large, so you should still be able to enjoy the Crown Fountain, Cloud Gate (';the Bean';), etc.

The Frank Lloyd Wright house (Home %26amp; Studio) and surrounding historic district are a popular attraction that appeal to a wide audience. Guided tours of the house, and of the neighborhood, are only an hour each and should hold your family%26#39;s interest, unless your son is very little.

Will you have a car? A drive from O%26#39;Hare to Oak Park isn%26#39;t bad. As was pointed out, though, it%26#39;s kind of a haul on public transit. Rather than going thru downtown, you could take the Blue Line only as far as Harlem Avenue (a couple stops east of O%26#39;Hare) and then transfer to a #90 Harlem Avenue bus. If you have farecards for the Blue Line the transfer to the bus is just 25 cents -- and of course free if you have a visitors pass. The FLW Home %26amp; Studio is a few blocks east of Harlem, on Chicago Avenue.

Be sure to check on the hours that the FLW Home and Studio is open at www.wrightplus.org

zits

howtogetevenwithyourex

chicago 8/18/07

I am looking for a downtown hotel for 4 couples on 8/18. Right now we have the Comfort Inn and Suites for 159. It looks like the James is offered on Hotwire for 132. Is it worth it to switch? Also I don%26#39;t really like to have to book it all on one card. Any loopholes? Should I wait and see if anything comes up later on travelzoo? Thanks.

chicago 8/18/07

How many rooms - 4?

If you have a discover, you can go through their ';shopdiscover'; section on the discovercard.com website and get 5% cashback bonus for Hotwire purchases. Not sure about booking it across multiple cards.

Hotwire deals can vanish at any time. If you see a deal you like (and while the James is no different location-wise than the CI, it%26#39;s nicer hotel for less than you%26#39;re paying for the CI), then take it, as it may not be there tomorrow. In terms of location, the James is just about 1 block East of the CI, putting it slightly closer to Michigan Ave.

I wouldn%26#39;t recommend waiting, as this is also the date of the Air/Water show, which will also attract additional crowds downtown.

Going from O'Hare to N Michigan Avenue

Do you recommend driving or using the train/bus?

I need to go early morning for a business meeting.

Going from O'Hare to N Michigan Avenue

If you give us a specific address - we can give detailed directions. The CTA blue line train is your best bet. Visit www.transitchicago.com for details.

Driving downtown is a pain. Parking is very expensive.

Going from O'Hare to N Michigan Avenue

In the vicinity of the Wrigley Building

Take the CTA blue line train to Clark/Lake. From there it%26#39;s a fairly easy walk or you can take a cab for the remaining short distance.

Wonderful!

Thanks!!!

I assume it is a safe area to walk from the Clark/Lake station to the Wrigley Building?

Thanks

From Clark/Lake is about four blocks to where you are going. A relatively short walk -- head north on Clark to Wacker then turn right on Wacker to go to Michigan. Cross the bridge and you are there. It is a pretty nice walk.

For a business meeting though, I would take a cab from O%26#39;Hare. Cabs tend to be cleaner than the Blue Line (not saying much) and also you spend the ride thinking about the meeting rather than about the trip itself.

The cab ride is about $40.00.

Thanks for all the suggestions and help!

Wondering if this route (CTA blue line) will be too crowded early Monday morning. Any personal experiences?

Thanks!

The train may become crowded as you ride toward downtown, but you are getting on at the end/beginning of the line. There will not be other people on the train when you get on.

Sounds great!

Thanks!

restaurant recommendation near Cadillac Palace

Can someone recommend a nice restaurant within walking distance of the Cadillac Palace for a pre-theatre dinner?

restaurant recommendation near Cadillac Palace

There are lots of nice restaurants within walking distance of the theatre. You can do a dining search from the theatre and read reviews using metromix.com and chicagoreader.com.

restaurant recommendation near Cadillac Palace

A few suggestions:

312 Chicago - is next door.

Petterino%26#39;s - 2 blocks away

Nicks Fishmarket - 5 blocks away

Italian Village - 6 blocks away

Word of advice:

Do some research yourself. Look up places in metromix.com. In addition use google or yahoo maps. Zoom around on the maps. Get a lay of the land. How far places are. etc....

-gregdove

Thanks! Your post was very helpful.