Taking a poll here. Have banked airline tickets to use, and are planning on an anniversary trip. Will be traveling in September (probably the 8th through the 12th). Ideally the choice would be NYC, but we're going to try to be economical & I'd much rather do NYC when budget isn't as much of an issue........I'd love to hear suggestions from more all you wonderful fodorites!! Thanks!

cassidy - You're in Michigan, right? If you're in lower Michigan, you could drive to Chicago which would save you ~$500 right off the bat. And Chicago weather should be nice that time of year. Could still be unbearably hot, but unlikely to be bitter cold just yet.

What do you want to do on your vacation?

To me Chicago and NYC have very different feels to them, but offer a lot of similar activities (theater, good food, shopping, museums, parks, people watching, just soaking up the atmosphere). I haven't been to DC since I was a senior in high school and on a class trip, so can't comment on being an adult enjoying that city.

I think you can have a marvelous time in Chicago and do it economically. If you haven't taken the time yet to explore Chicago, that would be my choice. Save NYC for when you can do it the way you want to (though it's great on a budget as well).

NYC. All three are very expensive cities. Average hotel rates: NYC - $300 DC - $250 CHI - $250. There are, however, less expensive options in all three locations. What exactly are you looking for? Central location? Luxury rooms? Service? Romantic B&B?

September is the best month by far for weather in Chicago-usually lower 80s at the hottest and not much rain. DC could still be quite steamy at that time. That being said both are great cities to visit. I agree that you shouold wait until you can really do it up in NYC. It can be done on a budget but it's more fun if you don't have to. I'm not sure how much cheaper DC is going to be than NYC though.

Sorry, I should've been more specific on likes, etc.

jlm mi, yes we live in lower Michigan, but have to use the airline tickets anyway.....perhaps though we not "waste" them on Chicago.....and by waste I just mean use the tickets for a destination further away.

As far as hotel, location is the primary thing, I think. While it would be nice to have a 4* romantic hotel, realistically how much are you in it when you are sightseeing, etc? I'm thinking that we'll do the Priceline thing for hotels.

As far as interests, not that into shopping really. More into museums, history, etc. Which makes me think that DC might be better (unless it a sauna there!)

Good gracious, please pardon all of my typos.

If you want to have fun and don't want to spend a lot of money, I would go with Chicago definitely. Septemeber prices on Priceline are GOOD. Have an adventure. Just pick the Mag.Mile, River area, or Loop and you can't go wrong. I'm going to stay downtown several days in Sept. this year just to have fun, shop and museum hop. That's how good the price I got was. The other two have deals but not in the same ball park. You may have to pay for parking, but if you get a room at $60 a day that is 4 star and in those areas- how can you go wrong?

I posted at the same time, and forgive my typos as well. But regardless, if you do fly- that is an excellent time of year for Chicago- much better than summer for all venues. Check out www.biddingfortravel first. If you go 5 star you may end up getting very large hotels- so stay 4 star or less if you want more of a boutique hotel experience. This last few times I have gotten Hyatt, Swissotel on the River. I like the River area the best, as I am a walker and it is "mid"- so I can get both ways without too much bussing or cabbing. In fact, none the last time I went last Spring.

In DC in September the average high temp is around 80 according to www.weather.com. Of course, it's more likely to be hot there than Chicago . . .

Are those 3 your only choices? Having airline tickets that you have to use could give you lots of fun choices if they're flexible. I say that because airfare to DC and NYC can often be had for cheap from Detroit (cheap being under $200) so if you want to maximize the use of those tickets you could go some place that would usually cost more to fly.

I personally wouldn't use the tickets to go to Chicago. It might even take you longer to fly there than drive, with having to get to the airport early and travel into the city from the airport.

Well then, I would suggest DC:

You'll save money on museums (they are all free).
Hotel is the biggest portion of costs and since you're doing Priceline you'll probably only spend $100/night.
Eating out runs the full spectrum of prices (like any big city) so you can decide to spend anywhere from $50/day all the way up to infinity.
There's enough history and museums to keep you busy for a month so filling your time with things that interest you will be a snap.

Save Chicago for a driving trip and save NYC for a less budget driven trip.

Cassidy, I understand what you mean by wasting an airline ticket as I refuse to pay to fly anywhere I can drive in less than 5 hours-just my random calculation. That being said, I'd pick DC but come to Chicago TOO. It really is the best time of year to be here but get the most out of your free tickets and go to DC.

I agree using free tickets to Chicago doesn't sound like a good idea. I also wonder what the other options might be in addition to NY & DC. I'm not so familiar with DC but you could bid for a room on Priceline for NY, get theater tickets with discounts from broadwaybox.com. The Citypass.com gives you entrance into 5 or 6 museums. Lots of cheap eats too. Sept. is my favorite month in NYC.

For an economical trip, DC definitely beats out NYC: All those free museums and monuments! PL prices tend to be a little lower in DC, too, as are lots of other little factors such as transport from airport into the city, etc. Recently, several people have won the 4* Omni Shoreham in DC's Woodley area ("Dupont/Woodley" per PL), which is just lovely.

DC has free museums and tours.
Chicago has discount theatre tickets at the visitor's center and some free museums.
NYC has 1/2 price show tickets at TKTS and pay what you can night at certain museums.
You can get hotels through Priceline and look for airfares (if you decide not to drive) on Tuesdays when the fares change. Good websites to check for airfares are: Travelocity, Expedia and Kayak.

While I love visiting your other 2 choices, it sounds like DC would make the most sense based on your parameters. It's definitely less expensive than NYC for food, shopping, and, of course, museums and other tourist attractions. There's so much here for the history buff that it can be overwhelming. I've lived here nearly my entire life, and I know I still haven't done half the things that the DC area has to offer (mainly because I take them for granted and prefer to travel to other destinations).

Don't worry about the weather here in Sept. It's really one of the more pleasant months to be in DC with weather patterns more similar to May/June than Jul/Aug. My hubby is from MI, and thinks it's just fine.

Having lived in both DC and Chicago, in your situation, I'd go with DC. As has been pointed out, none of your choices are inexpensive. But I agree that it'd be a shame not to use the tickets for a longer flight. And, given your interests, you can find much more free entertainment in DC. If you do decide on DC, since you're planning the trip pretty far in advance, I'd highly recommend contacting your senator or representative to arrange for some of the free tours. It's been over 20 years since I lived there. And I know that, post 9/11, things have changed. But, at that time, you could get tickets for tours of the White House, the Capitol, the State Dept, the FBI and I think the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. I know that at least some of those are still available.

I agree with DC too. You can always do another long weekend to Chicago. We used PL for hotels in DC and Chicago and have stayed at very nice hotels.
In DC in the old post office that's turned into a shopping center there is a half price theater booth. It's incredible how much is free in DC. The monuments lit up at night are special too.

Whenever you decide to come to Chicago, go to www.metromix.com to check out your options.....

Given your parameters, I'd definitely go with DC for this trip. April-May and September-October are the best weather months in DC by far. September is generally clear and sunny with much lower humidity than in July or August. Sure, it's possible that you could hit a heat wave but on average, that's not likely. As others have pointed out, DC is great for museums and historical sights--and many of the best ones are free.