My husband and I will be in Chicago for 8 days in September. We are both baseball addicts so we will be going to several games. I'm wondering if we should stay within walking distance to Wrigley Field, or would downtown be better? My husband is a runner and I love to rollerblade so perhaps we should stay somewhere near the lakefront? Any help would be greatly appreciated. We also hope to get reservations for Oprah's show. I'm hoping we won't need a car. We're not really the museum types. Typical sports fans! My mouth is watering at the descriptions of pizza in the previous posts!
Thanks.

Hi Sue

My hubby has family in Chicago and have been there twice. If you like Chinese, check out China Town. Great food. You'll have a fun time when you see OPRAH. It tapes at 9AM and you need to be there early to get a seat and checked in. You feel as if your going through the security check like your at the airport.
Even your purses and pockets are checked. I had a good time at the show but did find OPRAH extremely self centered especially during the commerical break. Good experience. Have fun.

For access to Wrigley Field or Comiskey Park, a car will not only be unnecessary but actually be a burden. Just ride the "El" to either, meaning you could stay just about anywhere in Chicago close to an El stop and get to the ballparks about as quick as staying within walking distance. I do suggest staying downtown so as to have easy access to the lake side parks. All have good sites.

There really aren't any places to stay within walking distance to Wrigley Field. There is a Days Inn, and maybe another chain or two in what's known as the "New Town" area (on Diversey, or roughly about 2600-2800 North, address-wise), but this is a very congested neighborhood and I can't speak for the quality of the lodging. As noted above, your best bet is to stay somewhere in the greater "downtown" area and the el (or subway -- it runs above ground and below ground, so can be confusing) is a quick and easy way to get to Cubs' park, tho if you're in a Michigan Avenue area hotel, it may be a 10-15 minute walk to the train for you. (but a pleasant walk). Museum types, or not -- Chicago has some really special places -- the Museum of Science and Industry is for the kid in all of us (i.e., sports fans!), for instance. And do make time for the Lincoln Park Zoo and a long stroll along the lakefront. And speaking of which...yes, for rollerblading and running, staying near the lakefront would be an excellent idea. The Ambassador West is about a 2-min walk from the lake, and they often offer pretty good packages, but almost any Michigan Avenue area hotel would be handy (there's a Best Western on Ohio or Ontario where we stayed a few years ago and were quite satisfied; fairly reasonable given the area).

I agree with the previous posters that downtown is probably your best bet. There are a couple of hotels near Wrigley, though. There is a Best Western at Broadway and Hawthorne (12 min. walk to the park, two blocks to the lake), and there's the Surf Hotel just a bit further away. Sorry I don't have numbers, but you could look them up. I've heard both are pretty reasonable, but haven't seen the rooms. Good luck!

There is a B&B on Halsted Street-you could easily miss it as it looks like a house. Sorry, I don't know the name, address or quality of the place but it is close to Wrigley. Whether you stay downtown or in Wrigleyville, you will be close enough to the lake and the bike path that runs all the way north past the end of Lake Shore Drive. If you go north on the path from Wrigleyville, there is much less congestion than if you go south towards Lincoln Park and Oak Street. Accidents between bikers and bladers are frequent because the same people who think they own the road when they are driving think that they own the path when they are exercising. I avoid the area if I can help it, especially when you can go just a little further north and have all the room you want.
Either the el or busses run near the major attractions so you don't need a car. You can also easily hail a cab. Paul is right about a car being a burden as traffic is bad and parking is expensive.
Get your Cubs tickets early-they're going fast thanks to the "great" season they had last year. Have fun-maybe I'll see you at the game!

Sue-
The name of the B&B on Halsted that I mentioned in my previous post is Villa Toscanna Guest House (773-404-2643). Like I said before, I don't know much about it other than it's close to Wrigley, but it may be a cheaper alternative to the expensive hotels downtown. Hope this helps.

I also recommend staying downtown and taking the trains. I don't know your price range, but if you can swing it, the House of Blues hotel is a great place. It is right on the river and in the middle of downtown (Near the twin apartment towers where "Bob Newhart's" office was) I stayed there 2 weeks ago and was VERY impressed. Prices went up for the summer though ($175 or so now.)

The Intercontinental Hotel on Michigan is also in a great location and fun hotel. Other recomendation is the Swissotel. A friend of mine stayed there last month and raved over it.

For 8 days, you may get tired of Wrigleyville.
Have a GREAT time.

Thanks, everyone, for all the great advice. I KNOW we'll have a great time.