I highly recommend North Michigan Av, River North.. The Loop area is mostly a business district, more dining options in River North.
There is excellent bus service up and down Michigan Ave to Millenium Park and the Art Institute. It's not a long walk either which is what I usually do.

Thanks so much, HappyTrvlr! Indeed, having convenient dining options is important so that's really helpful info.

I wouldn't hesitate to book either of those locations. Chicago is very easy to get around, there are restaurants everywhere. I really have never read a review where someone hated the hotel they won on a Priceline bid in Chicago. You can easily walk or hop on a bus from N Michigan area hotels to Millenium Park/Art Museum/shopping/theaters in the Loop.

Check Hotwire to see what rates the hotels are going for during the time you are visiting. Rates vary greatly depending on how many conventioneers are in town.

When we first visited Chicago, we did stay in the N. Michigan Ave area.

Have you checked www.biddingfortravel and www.betterbidding.com? You can see successful bids, what hotels are being awarded, and the cost of winning bids.

Indeed, both those sites are my research tools for my bidding strategies. And I am glad to have your input, too!

Agreed - either is fine, but I'd prefer River North. Just feels like it's easier to get around than if you ended up in the southern part of the Loop/Grant Park, especially if you plan to go to Wrigley Field, Second City or anywhere else not downtown. I've used Hotwire a few times in that zone, and have always been pleased with what I got (Hyatt on E. Wacker once, Westin on... Clark, I think, once, and Hotel Monaco last fall). Those sites are great tools.

Just to reiterate Linda's point about conventions - they will greatly affect the price you're able to get. That Westin was won for around $250/night and it was the cheapest thing I could find - both baseball teams, a marathon, and and a two-night stand from U2 were all happening!

A quick geography lesson to try and help place things:

The Loop is the central business/shopping district. Strictly speaking, it's the area bounded by The L tracks on Lake, Wabash, Wells and Jackson. In general usage, it is the area bounded by the Chicago River on the north and west, Michigan Avenue on the east and Congress Parkway on the south. These boundaries can be very elastic depending on the creativity of the marketing person.

The Loop contains the State Street retail district, anchored by Macy's; the live theatres; the financial district and government offices. It has several hotels and restaurants but, aside from State Street, tends to be quiet in the evenings and weekends because of the high number of large office buildings.

Grant Park is east of Michigan between Randolph Street and Roosevelt Road. The Art Institute is near the north end and the Museum Campus with the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, is at the south end of the park with Soldier Field. Millennium Park is contained within the northwest portion of Grant Park.

The Magnificent Mile is the portion of Michigan Avenue between the River and Oak Street. It has become the city's prime retail district and has stores that range from H&M, Marshall's and The Gap to Neiman Marcus, Tiffany's, Chanel and Rolex. The area east of Michigan Avenue ending at Lake Shore Drive is Streeterville. The area extending west to the North Branch of the Chicago River is River North.

All three have a high concentration of hotels and restaurants. Many hotels will tout being on the Mag Mile and it can be difficult to know if that's true because some front Michigan Avenue but, the primary entrance (and address) is on another street.

For transit info, check www.transitchicago.com. It has a trip planner, fare info, maps and how to track buses and trains with your smart phone. For sights, events and restaurants, check www.chicagoreader.com or www.chicagomag.com. You can search the restaurant listing of either by cuisine, neighborhood or price.

Both areas are fine IMO. The CTA is easy to navigate and you can do a lot of walking from both areas. And honestly, I walk to both "zones" all the time.

Before I moved to Chicago, I used hotwire for a room. We chose Millenium Park/Grant Park/Loop and got the Palmer House Hilton for less than $100 per night.

Thinking about this for our trip in May - with Priceline, you get a room with one bed, right? Does Hotwire work the same way?

Lee Ann

With Priceline, you're only guaranteed one bed, room for 2. With Hotwire, you can input 3 or 4 adults, in which case you will only get rooms that have 2 beds - likely a few more dollars than the rooms that will be available for only 2 people.

Thanks, sf7307.

Lee Ann

I've gotten the Palmer House Hilton, which was good.

We really liked our score last summer, the Blackstone Rennaissance Chicago Hotel in the Millenium Park, Loop and Grant Park area for $102. It was me and my son, looking at colleges, and they gave us a room with 2 beds with no problem (although he was prepared to sleep on a rollaway or the floor).

It was across the street from the lake, during flight week and we could hear the jets and occasionally see them out our side window. Just across the street was an outdoor concert and dance party with a Latin band, where they gave dance lessons for an hour or so beforehand. We just happened by for a few minutes and it was lots of fun. The city had them scheduled many times throughout the summer, each focusing on a different type of dance and music. Fun!

citylghts--Thanks for the crash course on the geography. It can be overwhelming to someone unfamiliar with Chicago.

The bidding begins. And I am in no hurry on booking so plenty of time to get something good.

Thanks, all!

LeeAnn, the two websites, Priceline and Hotwire, work pretty differently. Unlike Priceline, you are not technically "bidding" on Hotwire. They offer you an unnamed hotel in the zone you request with a star rating, list of amenities and a set price. You either accept or reject the offer. You can get a good idea from betterbidding.com what the secret hotel is likely to be before you accept.

Thanks, 5alive.

Lee Ann

Popped back in to report a "win" on Priceline. I had booked The Allerton hotel as a backup and didn't think I would do better than their $168/night (incl. taxes and fees). I had bid quite a bit on Priceline back when I originally posted this and never got anything.

Then, on a lark, I bid today and got the Sofitel Chicago Water Tower for $125/night. I'm pleased. (I am posting here about my win and not on betterbidding or biddingfortravel because, unfortunately, I forgot to go there and use their links to bid).

Looking forward to my trip and thanks for all the help here.

The Sofitel is in a great location. It's a couple blocks west of the Mag Mile, but a world away from the bustle of Michigan Avenue. Just across the street is the Gold Coast Auto Gallery, that deals in Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari and other high-end cars. There are usually several parked around the building, so you can oogle and take pics of what your neighbors in Chicago parked outside your door.

For breakfast, try Yolk on N Wells or Original Pancake House on Delaware Place.

Great win Schlegal! I love to stay in Sofitels.
Walk north on State to Bistro Zinc, between Cedar and Elm, for a good French bistro meal. It's a favorite of ours. In your hotel's area, also Le Colonial, Vietnamese-French Colonial, on Rush, just north of Walton.

citylights and Happytraveler, thanks so much for the food tips! I know Chicago is a foodie's dream and I really enjoy trying new foods and restaurants.

I lived fairly near where you're staying. Also, look at N. Wells St, from Divison to North Ave. Many good places to eat. Topo Gigio and Dinotto's(on North) for Italian.

That Sofitel is beautiful. I have stayed there and it has a very modern vibe, furnished nicely and really lovely. If I remember, the floors are lit up in the lobby--or there was some other really cool lighting feature as you walked into the hotel.

I'm psyched about it--not our usual hotel by any stretch.

Ooh, HappyTraveler, Dinotto's is going on my list, we LOVE Italian food. I already picked what I want from the menu (which doesn't show prices, though--any idea on the average entree price?)

Topo Gigio's is our favorite and we also like Dinotto's. it was hard to get up the energy to cook at home with those places so close by. I love Dinotto's Rotolo and Topo Gigio's Calamari alla Griglia( why don't more restaurants in the US grill it?) and Linguine Vic Damone (linguine with clam sauce plus cherry tomatoes).You can't go wrong. When we return to Chicago we always make sure we eat at Bistro Zinc, Topo Gigio , and Kiki's Bistro. Sorry , I can't recall the prices. Not high end, neighborhood places.
On N. Wells there are also places to get ribs, Japanese, Lebanese, burgers. O'Brien's, The Fireplace Inn.
This is making me count the days until my trip back!