Please help me! Here's the deal~ my dd and I are flying in on a Wed. night to O'hare and I'll rent a car. She has an interview at Wheaton College the next morning and a "college connection" all day Friday. We plan to stay in Carol Stream Wed. & Thurs. night. Here is my dilemma:

Do we return the rental car Fri night to the airport and then take a taxi into the city or public transportation? I'm assuming I won't need the rental car or will I??? We'd like to spend Fri. night - Sun afternoon exploring the city. Hotels are so pricey! I don't want to spend $300 a night but like decent hotels. Any suggestions for some in a nice and safe area? Or, is it better to stay by the airport and take public transportation into city both days?

I have read through the various Chicago threads and I am overwhelmed and short on time. Please help. I appreciate all suggestions. Thank you,
Laurenzo

If you don't want to pay downtown prices, your best bet for an inexpensive hotel on a weekend is usually the airport area, especailly since you'll be leaving from there.

You can return your rental car whenever you want, but take public transportation into the city on a Friday evening. Saturday and Sunday aren't too bad for driving. Expect to pay $15 or more to park for the day.

Personally, I'd return the car ASAP, take the metro into the city, and stay in a hotel that is simple, clean, and in a great part of town - even if it doesn't offer much in the way of amenities (like the Red Roof Inn on Ontaria St.) Hope you enjoy Chicago as much as I do!

someone on here (nanabee I think) highly recommends the Hampton Inn & Suites downtown. It might be in your price range, and will certainly be better from a location standpoint. Take the "el" from the airport to the city.

thank you for the suggestions so far! I will check out the Hampton Inn for prices. Any others?

When we went for college tours in 2005, we stayed at City Suites, Very reasonable, a really clean little suite, very quiet (despite being a few bldgs down from the El). Easy to get to everywhere on the El, and even a taxi from the M Mile was not terribly expensive. We were given a discount when we mentioned the colleges that we were visiting. I know they have two other hotels in different neighborhoods as well.

I've noticed by staying at the airport you save at least $100/night on a hotel. If I chose this option, how long does it take to get to downtown from there? My flight out on Sunday is at 11:00 am so if I stayed in the city, how early would I have to leave to get to the airport on time? What would the cost of a taxi be versus the subway? Thanks!

laurenzo, I can't help you with your question, but I wanted to tell you that a good friend of mine teaches at Wheaton College. It is supposed to be a really good school.

The train from the airport is taking about an hour because of track repairs; you could shave off a few minutes because your hotel would be closer than the airport stop. If you stay downtown, you would need to get to the Blue Line train by 8 A.M. on Sunday morning. Taxi fare is about $40 vs. $2 apiece for the train. The taxi would take a half hour.

Be sure to check the Renaissance Suites (marriott.com) by the airport. They've been running a $109 rate with breakfast.

Samsaf: thanks for that. We have heard it's good too and know a few girls who attend there from our small town in CA.

patg: thank you, I appreciate the information and will look into the Renaissance Suites. I found the Sofitel for $109 and Hyatt Rosemont for $119 w/ breakfast. Great rates!

I don't know Chicago at all, but we stayed near Wrigley field and liked the Hawthorne Terrace. Here are my notes from last June:

"It is a charming little boutique hotel, 3434 N. Broadway, at Hawthorne and Broadway, 1 888 675 BEST, www.hawthorneterrace.com. The neighborhood has coffee shops, markets, and nice little restaurants. It felt very safe at night.

Hawthorne Terrace has a European flair to it. It's set back from the sidewalk by a garden area which creates a nice quiet space between the street and the front door. There's a fireplace in the entry way, and it's been recently re-decorated in a charming old style.

A continental breakfast is included. Coffee and tea is available in the lobby at all times. Front desk service there is excellent. Our very large room had two queen beds and a small frig and a microwave. Very nice overall.

We were there two nights. The price was unbeatable: $160 + taxes. The desk clerk gave us a discount off the rack rate of $185, since we were checking in so late and agreed to take a smoking room (which smell really was not even detectable).

I highly recommend this hotel."
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