What area to stay in Chicago, first time visit
 

My wife and I are planning a first time trip to Chicago in October. We're stumped as to what area or neighborhood to stay in. We know nothing about the area and what neighborhoods are safe or not. We'll get around with a rental car and CTA which sounds very good to get around the city. We plan to see the downtown area, architecture, old homes, museums, and good food. Does anyone have any tips on where first timers would best stay?

Stay downtown and skip the rental car. Anywhere along the Magnificent mile or Michigan ave would work the best. I stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel last year and it was a great location. Central to everything and easy to get to the El.

We stayed at the Dana Hotel recently. Beautiful end room with floor to ceiline windows look straight up State St. It's in a very nice area - corner of State and Erie. Walking distance to Water Tower Place, Hancock Bldg, Michigan Ave., and Navy Pier...albeit a long walk there. The area is very nice, beautiful arcitecture, safe for wandering around, tons of shopping and dining choices. Saw many hotels nearby on my walk including the Ritz Carleton.

I have stayed at the Hotel Monaco two years in a row, and it's a great location. It's right on the River. Last summer, we easily walked to the Bean, the Art Museum and other activities in the Loop. We also easily walked to the Hancock Center and the rest of the Magnificent Mile, and all of the great restaurants and stores between the Mag Mile and the Merchandise Mart. It's a block and a half from the El, and a block and a half from the CAF architectural boat tour.

Hotel Monaco is a good choice, or any hotel near the river. If you're budget-conscious, Club Quarters on Wacker is a good deal. Have an awesome time. You'll LOVE Chicago.

Junk the car -- a car in Chicago is a liability. Buy at multi-day transit pass at the airport on the way into town. The subway, "L" is easy to use and so are the buses. Ask a tourist information to explain the routing and bus numbers on the bus map. It is mostly a grid system -- N/S buses meeting E/W buses. And the cabs are reasonable within the core city. Any hotels along Mich Ave are great locations and hotels north of the river will work well. Use Hotwire or Priceline.

Most hotels and sights are within a relatively compact area and you can easily walk. Public transit is abundant and relatively inexpensive.

For transit info, maps and a trip planner, check www.transitchicago.com. You can purchase 1 or 3-day passes at either airport or online. A 1-day pass is $5.75 and a 3-day is $14. They allow unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses.

If you're arriving at ORD, you can take the Blue Line train into the city. The trip will take around an hour. If you're arriving at MDW, the Orange Line will get you to the loop in about 45-minutes.

As others have said, a car is a liability in the city. Parking at most hotels is in the $50/night neighborhood.

In the Mag Mile/River north neighborhood, you can find hotels to fit any budget with any amenities ranging from the Ritz Carlton and the Peninsula to the Red Roof. You can also find literally hundreds of restaurants. Keep in mind that hotel rates are very sensitive to demand.

The weekend of October 10-11 is the Chicago Marathon and rooms will be at a premium. There are also large conventions Oct 6-9 (18,000 people) and Oct 17-23 with 30,000 attendees. You may still find hotel bargains on those dates, but they may not be available until mid-September when hotels release their blocked rooms.

For hotel and sightseeing info check www.choosechicago.com. For events, concerts, theatre and restaurants look at www.chicagoreader.com.

Wow! This is great information and a lot to chew on. It sounds like we'll be there during the peak convention season too. It sounds like a great, vibrant city and we're starting to think of taking everyone's advice and ditching a car. I had originally thought about getting hotel 'outside' of the city and then driving in to the things we want to see. However with parking so high and the desity of traffic, transit sounds like the best way to go.

Thanks to all for the great ideas.

sandywood, I'm going to give you something to consider.

If you like "old houses", you won't find many in the downtown (the Loop), Mag. Mile and River North areas. You might consider staying in one of the few Chicago B&Bs (take a look at the apartment-like Flemish House B&B in the Gold Coast area, for example).

Keep in mind that CTA service is quite extensive and easy to use, so you still do not need to have a rental vehicle in the city.