Howell

Can anyone offer advice on a hotel ($150 to $250) very close to a metro station (is metro called the lolop here) Wife and I will visit in September and want to see Museums - Navy pier etc, usual tourist spots - will drive from NC so would like to be able to park the car and use metro, loop, underground to get from place to place.

cmlyons

There are quite a few hotels nearby to transit in both the Loop and Gold Coast areas. Here is a link for the Chicago Transit Authority: http://www.transitchicago.com/riding...e/default.aspx

That has both bus and "el" or "L" (train) routes. If you're staying in that general area (bordered on the south by around Jackson St. and the north by around Oak) you'll have good transit options.

ChgoGal

Hi Howell,

We call our subway and "around the city" trains the "el" and the subway. (The Metra is our "city to suburbs" system.)

So, to get about the major tourist sites in September (a fine weather month), focus on the bus systems along Michigan Ave and State Street. cmlyons has the link above for the CTA.

Parking is very high at hotels... maybe you can find long-term parking at one of the STandard or Interpark lots (still pricey) or at the Millennium Park underground garage (which may be a little cheaper).
http://chicago.bestparking.com/
http://www.millenniumgarages.com/

I'd check Quikbook.com for hotels. Staying anywhere in the Mag/Magnificent Mile, River North, Streeterville, Loop will be fine - especially near State Street, or Michigan Ave. I think the Amalfi Hotel is a nice little hotel as my clients stay there, or maybe look at the Holiday Inn Express Cass Hotel, the 4 points Sheridan, the Inn at Michigan Avenue, but do look around on tripadvisor and post which hotels you're thinking of. There are so many hotels that would do.

Buying a CTA "fun pass" either at a Jewel-Osco, Walgreen's or the CTA stations will give you unlimited daily rides on the buses and the subway/'el'.

Have fun!

HappyTrvlr

Museums and Navy Pier are best accessed by bus..Park in Millenium Park garage for best rate, half of what the hotels will charge you for 24 hours.Chicago is a very walkable city in the areas yu are interested in visiting. Make sure you take the River Walk and also the lakefront walking paths, beautiful.

gardendiva

There are plenty of options. I stayed at The River Hotel on Wacker. It is just a few blocks from the nearest Loop stop and the same to Millenium Park. I found the location to be perfect for seeing the tourist sites and a view of the river. The room was a bit small but if you are only sleeping there it is perfect. The hotel does have parking but I am not sure of the cost.

nlg

We are also going to Chicago in September. We are staying at the Homewood Suites on Grand Ave. It is near the el and within walking distance of many shops and restaurants. We are flying so don't need parking, but they are running a parking special-don't know if it will be during your dates. Don't know if you have stayed at Homewood before, but they are great-free breakfast and drinks and dinner Monday-Thursday.

Howell

Our thanks to all for the help. Had pretty much decided on the Best Western Hawthorne Terrace (rates and parking good) but were concerned because the L was a 15' walk. So, checked out a couple of the hotels you suggested and finally went with Homewood Suites - L is only 1 block away good rates and the parking tho higher (Missed out on the $1 parking deal) than Best Western was not too bad.
Really looking forward to this trip.
Thx again.

tomfuller

If you park at a free place outside the city and ride the train in, you could save the parking fees since you won't be driving around the city except to get in and out.

Citylghts

Although you've already selected a hotel, the walk between Hawthorne Terrace and the Belmont station wouldn't have been terrible. Broadway and Belmont are very lively areas with lots of restaurants and shops.

While the L is convenient, it doesn't go everywhere, so keep the buses in mind. There's a bus that runs past the Hawthorne on Broadway to downtown and two express bus routes two blocks east on Sheridan.

As a prior post said, the museums and Navy Pier are easier to reach via bus. At the bottom of each bus stop sign is an ID number. If you text "ctabus ##" to 41411, you'll get a message saying when the next buses will arrive at that stop.

Check www.transitchicago.com for info on the bus tracker, maps and a trip planner.