lyttleone

I am looking at taking a "single" trip to Chicago in November. There is a chance I will have a friend going, not sure yet. I am looking for some nice hotels (not expensive though) near downtown. I want to start my Chrsitmas shopping while i am over there, and definately want to check out Marshall Field's State Street store. I just need some good ideas for where to stay, where to eat, things to check out. I normally take day-trips over there, so this is the forst time for an overnight (I live about 3 hours from Chicago). Anything will help.
Thanks!!

jlm_mi

I'd recommend priceline for a place to stay. You could bid the Loop or the North Michigan Ave. area and get a nice hotel in a good location. www.biddingfortravel.com and www.betterbidding.com can give you pointers for how to get the most from your bidding.

I'll leave where to eat to others, though will say that if you can provide price range for these meals it will help them out tremendously.

As to what to do - how many days will you be in Chicago, and what have you done before that you've liked and do or don't want to repeat?

TKT

I agree, priceline is great for Chicago.

When I go there I enjoy the Blues Clubs on the North Side at Halstead and Lincoln and the Second City Improv.
If you are there when it is warm make sure you enjoy the beach on the north side/downtown.

lyttleone

Thanks for all of the suggestions. Hotel wise i am looking between $100-150 night. I mainly want to be close to "stuff" so that I can just park my car and walk.

Brookside

The Palmer house Hilton is around the corner from Field's State St. location. Depending on what time of the week, your should be able to get decent rates. Crowne Plaza Silversmith also a good choice for the area. Both are walking distance to Millenium Park/Michgan Ave. bus line, as well as State St. subway stops.

Check out choosechicago.com and 877chicago.com for more info.

jlm_mi

For that price range and requirement, I still suggest priceline. Actually, in November you can typically do considerably better than that price range for a 4* on priceline, but I did have to pay that much for a particular weekend in November last year that was just busy for some reason.

At this point, make backup reservations at a hotel you can live with that you can cancel. Wait until your travel plans are sure to bid on priceline.

www.choosechicago.com has hotel maps. Anything in the North Michigan Ave. or Loop areas (particularly eastern part of the loop) would suit your purposes. Close to the river is well situated for both Loop and Michigan Ave. shopping.

enjoylife

Check out www.biddingfortravel.com and bid on Priceline for your hotel. I recommend staying on/near North Michigan Avenue if you are serious about your shopping. If you are a bargain shopper, make sure to hit Filene's Basement.

Also, head over to the 1/2 price ticket place in the visitor's center across from the John Hancock Center and get a ticket for whatever is playing at the Steppanwolf Theatre.

BTilke

I hope your November trip isn't scheduled for Nov. 26-30. At that time of year, a very large convention (65,000+ attending) will be in town and most hotels already have 90% of their rooms blocked off for those dates (the convention actually runs Nov. 27-Dec. 2)--rooms that are available go for a premium. I just did a hotrooms check for 3 nights starting Nov. 25 and the pickings were slim and expensive. Then I put the dates back a week and there were lots more choices at much better rates.
Those convention dates aside, I recommend the Sofitel as a good spot for singles. It's modern 4 star hotel with good amenities and a very lively bar. It's a good walk to Marshall Field's, but it's close to Mich. Ave for the other shopping areas. I stayed there last November and enjoyed it. Aside from a lucky Priceline bid, you can usually find the best rates on the www.sofitel.com web site (or www.accorhotels.com --Accor owns the Sofitel chain). They run excellent Internet specials, but you generally can't book on their web site any earlier than three months in advance.

lyttleone

My trip is planned for the first week of November. Thanks for the heads up BT!!

tuckerdc

You should be able to save a bundle and get a very decent room on P'line, at a very decent price. But...if you are going to drive in, you will then need to factor in another $20+/day for parking near (within a couple blocks) of any downtown hotel. You might want to scout out some of the parking lots a several blocks away from Michigan Avenue - you'll be able to save maybe $8-10 a day that way. If you're not going to use your car while you're in town, that'll be a help to the pocketbook. (Our classic case was once getting the Michigan Avenue Hilton on a Sunday nite for $25...and the parking was $22!)