We will be driving up to Tinley Park for a Steely Dan concert on July 8. (any other Dan Fans out there?) As it is a 7 1/2 hour drive, we will need a hotel Friday and Saturday night. A quick search show the standards...Fairfield Inn etc.. but thought I would just check here and see if anyone had any input on what was most covenient to the ampitheater. So far I'm leaning towards Fairfield Inn just to get the Marriott points.

Most- and all I think are less than 5 years old- are located very close to the Tinley Park Convention Center at Harlem (RT 43) and I-80 interchanges.

Fairfield Inn is one of them. The access to Tweeter for the concert is excellent from all the hotels. You enter via Oak Park Ave mere blocks east from the hotels' locations.

You'd be fine from any of them- as they are all in visual sight of each other, but the Holiday Inn is closest to the Convention center on the east side of Harlem and almost every other is west side of Harlem.

There is one brand new Hilton Garden Inn that looks quite lovely, a mile west of all these at I-80 and Rte. 45(Lagrange Rd.). It has a Texas Roadhouse Steak (very good steaks/chops by the ounce) next door. This would be a slightly longer ride to the concert. But all other ie.The Fairfield Inn are close. There are tons of chain choices around the hotels on Harlem, but if you go to Old Tinley downtown (Oak Park Ave between 167th and 183rd) there is a restaurant row that includes 3 to 5 restaurants that are rated highly in the entire Southern and SW burbs. Also Gatto's on 80th Ave. by the train station is excellent for drinks/dinner.

Bogart's, Casto's and Isabella's on Oak Park Ave.- good choices.Bogart's is higher $$ steak. Casto's is my favorite.

If you just want pizza, go to a good sit down pizza at Ed & Joe's on Oak Park Ave. - best thin crust in South suburbs by C. magazine.

Have a great time. In the library where I used to work I could hear the entire concert and the announcements. From my house we can just barely make out the applause of hum now- they put up huge retaining hills around the concert venue.

Also depending on your age, there are some great bars on Oak Park Ave. Some are Irish bars and real vintage old Tinley from 1800's. So don't stay in the hotel area if you'd rather go native.

As JJ said, any of the hotels located at the I-80, Harlem Ave interchange are the most convienent-walking distance for a longer walk-about a 5 minute drive tops. They were all built within about 5 years of each other so there won't be much difference age wise. I'd go with the Fairfield Inn.

Thanks so much for the quick replies, and as well the extra info about restaurants! I hadn't even thought that far ahead yet.