I was wondering if anyone could help me out with decent places to stay in Chicago. I'm looking for something that will be within walking distance to downtown. Even reasonably nice hostels are in the realm of consideration. I'm thinking plus/minus the $100 price range.
the travellodge on harrison ave. was pretty cheap and decent when i stayed... less than 100 if i recall. but that was 7 years or so ago. worth checking out.
i stayed at the Palmer Hilton Hotel - a four star establishment and apparently where Mrs. Palmer invented the brownie - for $100. found it through hotwire...so you're not entirely sure what you're going to get, but you can specify a location within the loop.
I'll second Hotwire for downtown chicago. Much better than $130 for a Travelodge. Several times I've got the Hilton, both Palmer house and the one on Michigan, for under $100.
LIG, what hotel did you recently stay at when you moved?
Looking for a crashpad during greenbuild as I post for Archinect. Possibility of mrs. tk joining me, so we'd need a decent establishment (not a fleabag hotel). Otherwise I'd consider couch surfing.
lletdownl- will you accept a six-pack/pitcher of a finer brew (like bells) for the privilege of your sofa (if the mrs. stays home)?
just a short set of links (to remind myself) on chi-town 1 2 map 3 4 5 6
tk i wouldnt have a problem if you needed to crash on my couch... email me if its something youd like to do. I have a pretty decent place, good neighborhood... LiG has actually been there he can vouch for its decency
on another note, glad my map is being used/is helpful! i just added some stuff today also
I stayed at the Club Quarters at Clark and Adams this past weekend for $99 (before taxes). I found it through either expedia.com or hotels.com; I can't remember which.
The room was on the small side, but it was certainly a step up from your typical Holiday Inn. Nice furnishings, and decent water pressure in the shower. It was fine for me since I only needed to crash for one night, but that part of downtown pretty much goes dead after 5 PM.
Yeah, lletdownl's place isn't bad... Although I was fairly drunk that night, so my memories are a bit fuzzy.
I was just at the westin on michigan ave (right across the street from hancock). it was about 160 for 2 nights but I shared it with someone. a good place if you're willing to splurge. other than that, there's a motel 6 near ohare that I stayed at last year.
last time i was in chicago i got a hotel for 110 per night.. and it was on a weekend.. it was the Conrad downtown. it was a 4 star hotel and i think it was worth over 300 per night
priceline is good... you can select only the specific area you want too.. im not sure about hotwire.com.. but im sure it will allow you to do the same
To answer your first question - Palmer house is being renovated and has a fairly low prices right now, some relatives just stayed there 3 weeks ago for $115/ night, but really what your getting for that price is truely amazing accomadations. Its a palace right downtown - great location for jumping off on your archi-tour.
ep-
Now I know why the Palmer house showed no vacancies for the timebeing. I'll drop them a line - but i'd be in town monday nov 5th thru friday nov 9th. thanks for the hotel info.
Check out this thread for more info on whats going down. the skinny is that Los Angeles screwed the USGBC over when they tried to reschedule a second time, more here.
lletdownll's sofa is booked - so are there any other sofa's available near downtown for next week? Since I've announced the new acorn in my life, you now know why I'm trying to travel on the frugal side.
most places that have vacancies and are in my price range of uber cheap are out by ohare. So how long does it take to get from ohare to mccormick place? I was hoping to finds somewhere to park my car and then deal with the horror of the CTA.
The CTA is in such bad shape, by this point I think they could shut it down and nobody would notice.
O'Hare to McCormick Place would be a very long haul even if the CTA were running smoothly. You may want to look into one of the hotels in the South Loop area. You'll be convenient to McCormick, and probably save some money compared to staying the Loop itself or the Near North Side.
Southside Joe would prob let you rent out his guest room - he lives accross the street from me, gold coast. You would have to deal with his constant bong smoking, nagging live in girlfriend and worthless little dog. But then again he does have a DLP projector and Halo 3, is 1 blk to clark/Division St., and loves to eat. Hes got 4 story townhouse, being remodeled, its like 90% done and empty. You like bongs?
yeah tk, ohare to mc place is probably an hour. the slow zones up near ohare or beyond ridiculous these days...
i second looking for a place in the south loop, there have to be cheap hotels there somewhere
as for IIT guest housing. i know they have rooms for visiting families available, so you might contact them and ask. you might even get to stay in a mies building! plus its practically walking distance from IIT to mccormick.
last but not least, the blue line is in serious trouble at O'hare... BUT, its not so bad once you get to rosemont which is a few stops in... business park area, some hotels. Thats 45 min or less once you are to rosemont so dont be too discouraged.
LIG and Evil are a bit over dramatic with the state of the CTA. it sucks for us who have been using it for years and years, but if your not familiar with it you honestly wont even notice most of the stuff we bitch about.
TK- spend the extra $50 a night and get your ass downtown. Its supposed to be beatiful autumn weather, and the extra hour commute time each way wouldnt be worth 50$ a day. Splurge man, splurge. You want to take your wife to a Holiday Inn out by the airport? Or do you want to dance with her downtown?
I'm just trying to save, so I can splurge on a baby bjorn and one of those super duper strollers that costs $900 next spring. The wife is staying at home this trip (she just got back from big easy.)
I'm about to start calling hotels and see what I can find in the loop/south loop. (maybe the boss will cover this)
That motel looks familiar. If it's the one I think it is, it's way the hell up on Ridge Avenue near Clark Street, practically in Skokie. The nearest Red Line stop would be a good 30-minute walk away, and you'd still have a long ride into the city.
Have you looked at the Club Quarters in the Loop? I slept there for only $99 a night last month, it was clean, and in a convenient location. It would certainly be worth the extra $30 compared to the dive pictured above.
FYI, there's no subway service to McCormick Place, but it's served by CTA busses and the Metra Electric and South Shore commuter railroads. If you can find a place in the South Loop or in Hyde Park, chances are you'd have a pretty easy commute. And unlike the CTA, Metra runs a pretty tight operation.
If you can find a hotel near one of the official convention hotels you won't have to deal with CTA:
Shuttles will run throughout the day between Greenbuild Conference hotels and McCormick Place. Check the schedule in the information booth and your hotel for more information. The shuttle drop-off/pick-up area at McCormick Place will be at the South Building main bus drop-off area. Shuttles will also run from McCormick Place to the evening events: Party at the Pier and the Leadership Awards Celebration and back to the conference hotels.
LiG - thanks for the suggestion, I'll check. Ohio House Hotel had a room for $100 too.
that place is in wrigley town and seems to be a five minute walk from the CTA. but if ya'll say avoid that part of town, I'll ask mrs tkette if I can spend the extra dough.
If I end up within the loop (like ohio house) I may just walk.
what cross streets is that motel on? do you mean wrigleyville?
also, McCormick place is walkable from the red line harrison stop. you just have to be willing to go more than 1/2 mile... which is more than most people will do.
andersonville is a very nice area. just hop the brownline in to town. fuck the loop is boring man. that area has the green mill and carols pub and simons and the hop leaf.
well the bryn mawr stop is out near there... thats red line too. i would venture a guess that if its near rosehill its a short walk to the red line... cant be more than a mile
i got a great deal at the swisshotel (great location and views, with excellent service), via hotwire.com. you don't know what hotel until you book it, but you know the star rating, amenities, and location of the hotel.
ooo swiss hotel... my parents stayed there once on a vist... they really liked it... it is indeed a beautiful location Paul you'll enjoy it... hopefully you get a room on the east side so you can see the lake
lletdownl - i already stayed there, last week, and was very impressed... especially with the service. i had a view of the lake and millennium park too... which was a nice bonus.
Chicago Hotels
I was wondering if anyone could help me out with decent places to stay in Chicago. I'm looking for something that will be within walking distance to downtown. Even reasonably nice hostels are in the realm of consideration. I'm thinking plus/minus the $100 price range.
the travellodge on harrison ave. was pretty cheap and decent when i stayed... less than 100 if i recall. but that was 7 years or so ago. worth checking out.
not bad. looks like the cheapest is about $130 now but that's still pretty good. thanks
sleep on lletdownl's couch...it'll cost you a case of PBR...(btw, i get a 6 PBR finders fee)
DONE!
i stayed at the Palmer Hilton Hotel - a four star establishment and apparently where Mrs. Palmer invented the brownie - for $100. found it through hotwire...so you're not entirely sure what you're going to get, but you can specify a location within the loop.
good luck
The hostel downtown is about $30/night with breakfast included. The rooms are super clean, but you have to share them (dorm style).
ohio house hotel (motel?)
$100...look it up, it's really great
I'll second Hotwire for downtown chicago. Much better than $130 for a Travelodge. Several times I've got the Hilton, both Palmer house and the one on Michigan, for under $100.
hotwire.com
Never been disappointed.
check out travelzoo.com
swissotel for $109 nice!
*bump*
LIG, what hotel did you recently stay at when you moved?
Looking for a crashpad during greenbuild as I post for Archinect. Possibility of mrs. tk joining me, so we'd need a decent establishment (not a fleabag hotel). Otherwise I'd consider couch surfing.
lletdownl- will you accept a six-pack/pitcher of a finer brew (like bells) for the privilege of your sofa (if the mrs. stays home)?
just a short set of links (to remind myself) on chi-town
1
2
map
3
4
5
6
tk i wouldnt have a problem if you needed to crash on my couch... email me if its something youd like to do. I have a pretty decent place, good neighborhood... LiG has actually been there he can vouch for its decency
on another note, glad my map is being used/is helpful! i just added some stuff today also
You rang?
I stayed at the Club Quarters at Clark and Adams this past weekend for $99 (before taxes). I found it through either expedia.com or hotels.com; I can't remember which.
The room was on the small side, but it was certainly a step up from your typical Holiday Inn. Nice furnishings, and decent water pressure in the shower. It was fine for me since I only needed to crash for one night, but that part of downtown pretty much goes dead after 5 PM.
Yeah, lletdownl's place isn't bad... Although I was fairly drunk that night, so my memories are a bit fuzzy.
thanks! I'll get back to this thread in a few days.
I was just at the westin on michigan ave (right across the street from hancock). it was about 160 for 2 nights but I shared it with someone. a good place if you're willing to splurge. other than that, there's a motel 6 near ohare that I stayed at last year.
i use priceline.com
last time i was in chicago i got a hotel for 110 per night.. and it was on a weekend.. it was the Conrad downtown. it was a 4 star hotel and i think it was worth over 300 per night
priceline is good... you can select only the specific area you want too.. im not sure about hotwire.com.. but im sure it will allow you to do the same
the good thing about downtown hotels is they slash their weekend prices since they cater primarily to business travelers.
TK- tell us more about the greenbuild convention - I have a vague recollection of hearing about it, i didnt know it was here.
greenbuildexhibitors
To answer your first question - Palmer house is being renovated and has a fairly low prices right now, some relatives just stayed there 3 weeks ago for $115/ night, but really what your getting for that price is truely amazing accomadations. Its a palace right downtown - great location for jumping off on your archi-tour.
ep-
Now I know why the Palmer house showed no vacancies for the timebeing. I'll drop them a line - but i'd be in town monday nov 5th thru friday nov 9th. thanks for the hotel info.
Check out this thread for more info on whats going down. the skinny is that Los Angeles screwed the USGBC over when they tried to reschedule a second time, more here.
lletdownll's sofa is booked - so are there any other sofa's available near downtown for next week? Since I've announced the new acorn in my life, you now know why I'm trying to travel on the frugal side.
most places that have vacancies and are in my price range of uber cheap are out by ohare. So how long does it take to get from ohare to mccormick place? I was hoping to finds somewhere to park my car and then deal with the horror of the CTA.
does IIT or U of C have any guest rooms?
the cta is shutting down next week isn't it?
vado - you live 'near' chicago? don't you?
if a three hour car drive is near, i do.
The CTA is in such bad shape, by this point I think they could shut it down and nobody would notice.
O'Hare to McCormick Place would be a very long haul even if the CTA were running smoothly. You may want to look into one of the hotels in the South Loop area. You'll be convenient to McCormick, and probably save some money compared to staying the Loop itself or the Near North Side.
find a hotel in hammond and hop the south shore in to mccormick.
hammond's happening man!
man im f'ing up 2nite...
Southside Joe would prob let you rent out his guest room - he lives accross the street from me, gold coast. You would have to deal with his constant bong smoking, nagging live in girlfriend and worthless little dog. But then again he does have a DLP projector and Halo 3, is 1 blk to clark/Division St., and loves to eat. Hes got 4 story townhouse, being remodeled, its like 90% done and empty. You like bongs?
yeah tk, ohare to mc place is probably an hour. the slow zones up near ohare or beyond ridiculous these days...
i second looking for a place in the south loop, there have to be cheap hotels there somewhere
as for IIT guest housing. i know they have rooms for visiting families available, so you might contact them and ask. you might even get to stay in a mies building! plus its practically walking distance from IIT to mccormick.
last but not least, the blue line is in serious trouble at O'hare... BUT, its not so bad once you get to rosemont which is a few stops in... business park area, some hotels. Thats 45 min or less once you are to rosemont so dont be too discouraged.
LIG and Evil are a bit over dramatic with the state of the CTA. it sucks for us who have been using it for years and years, but if your not familiar with it you honestly wont even notice most of the stuff we bitch about.
TK- spend the extra $50 a night and get your ass downtown. Its supposed to be beatiful autumn weather, and the extra hour commute time each way wouldnt be worth 50$ a day. Splurge man, splurge. You want to take your wife to a Holiday Inn out by the airport? Or do you want to dance with her downtown?
i would take my pregnant wife to the hotel burnham myself. except i have friends to stay with so problem solved for me anyway.
I'm just trying to save, so I can splurge on a baby bjorn and one of those super duper strollers that costs $900 next spring. The wife is staying at home this trip (she just got back from big easy.)
I'm about to start calling hotels and see what I can find in the loop/south loop. (maybe the boss will cover this)
what about chicago hoes?
How's the transit connection from Wrigley Town to McCormick Place (and what is the fare)? Just found this motel up there for $70/night + breakfast!
I can swing that sort of dough...
That motel looks familiar. If it's the one I think it is, it's way the hell up on Ridge Avenue near Clark Street, practically in Skokie. The nearest Red Line stop would be a good 30-minute walk away, and you'd still have a long ride into the city.
Have you looked at the Club Quarters in the Loop? I slept there for only $99 a night last month, it was clean, and in a convenient location. It would certainly be worth the extra $30 compared to the dive pictured above.
FYI, there's no subway service to McCormick Place, but it's served by CTA busses and the Metra Electric and South Shore commuter railroads. If you can find a place in the South Loop or in Hyde Park, chances are you'd have a pretty easy commute. And unlike the CTA, Metra runs a pretty tight operation.
If you can find a hotel near one of the official convention hotels you won't have to deal with CTA:
Shuttles will run throughout the day between Greenbuild Conference hotels and McCormick Place. Check the schedule in the information booth and your hotel for more information. The shuttle drop-off/pick-up area at McCormick Place will be at the South Building main bus drop-off area. Shuttles will also run from McCormick Place to the evening events: Party at the Pier and the Leadership Awards Celebration and back to the conference hotels.
LiG - thanks for the suggestion, I'll check. Ohio House Hotel had a room for $100 too.
that place is in wrigley town and seems to be a five minute walk from the CTA. but if ya'll say avoid that part of town, I'll ask mrs tkette if I can spend the extra dough.
If I end up within the loop (like ohio house) I may just walk.
what cross streets is that motel on? do you mean wrigleyville?
also, McCormick place is walkable from the red line harrison stop. you just have to be willing to go more than 1/2 mile... which is more than most people will do.
If that motel is where I think it is, it's way up in Andersonville and nowhere at all near Wrigleyville.
google map placed the hotel on N. Ridge ave near West Patterson and the Rosehill Cementery. Should I be afraid of Summerdale/Westridge?
no you shouldnt be afraid but its way the hell out there.
andersonville is a very nice area. just hop the brownline in to town. fuck the loop is boring man. that area has the green mill and carols pub and simons and the hop leaf.
well the bryn mawr stop is out near there... thats red line too. i would venture a guess that if its near rosehill its a short walk to the red line... cant be more than a mile
Its about a mile from the Bryn Mwar stop. Its about a mile from Andersonville. It is however near the Fireplace Bar on ravenswood.
i got a great deal at the swisshotel (great location and views, with excellent service), via hotwire.com. you don't know what hotel until you book it, but you know the star rating, amenities, and location of the hotel.
just walk over to the bryn mawr redline that's a nice hood in there.
ooo swiss hotel... my parents stayed there once on a vist... they really liked it... it is indeed a beautiful location Paul you'll enjoy it... hopefully you get a room on the east side so you can see the lake
lletdownl - i already stayed there, last week, and was very impressed... especially with the service. i had a view of the lake and millennium park too... which was a nice bonus.
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