where to stay in Chicago area
 

We are 3 women traveling to Chicago area by car October 7-11. Wonder where is a good place to stay at reasonable cost. Not luxury but nice. We are interested in Pullman or Frank Lloyd Wright neighborhood, Millenium Park, relaxing at outdoor cafe, gardens, walking. . Are there good hotels with free parking in outlying areas near public transit ? Will downtown work better ( considering Priceline for a deal) ? We will have a car to park but will use public transit where convenient.

What's the hotel budget per night (including parking, taxes, fees)???

Three beds or is two OK?

Shared bath OK?

A downtown budget hotel that time of year is about $300/night (total cost).

Is VRBO a possibility?

Staying downtown is a good idea here, specifically along the Magnificent Mile or in the Loop area. The former in particular has many good food and entertainment options nearby.

Millenium Park is an easy walk from the Loop and reasonably reached via subway/el from MM.

By "Frank Lloyd Wright neighborhood," am assuming you mean Oak Park, which is reached via the Green Line el heading west from the Loop. Note that the long stretch here between downtown and Oak Park is a bad area, so avoid exploring that region in between -- you should be fine riding through on the el during the day, however.

Pullman is reached best via Metra Electric commuter train originating in the Loop area -- there's a Pullman/111th Street stop here. Again, Pullman is surrounded by not-good parts of town, so keep to the immediate area.

Parking downtown is very expensive although Millenium Park garage is "only" about $23 or so per 24 hour period. Having said that I would still stay downtown. Perhaps you could park at long term parking at O'Hare and take the Blue Line into the city. The Blue Line costs $2.50 per person. I don't know if it is allowed but you could check it out. Also check the hotel sites for a deal. I would never pay $300/night. That weekend may be the Chicago Marathon, not sure. Try La Quinta, Hampton Inn & Suites, Comfort Inn, etc for lower prices, usually. Also, check out www.explorechicago.org for ideas on things to do. And as mentioned earlier, use the trains and buses to get around, taxi if needed. Have a great time.

<<<( considering Priceline for a deal)>>>

Do not use Priceline for 3 people -- or one of you might find yourself sleeping on the floor! Priceline only guarantees sleeping for two, which might be one double bed!

If you want to try one of the discount sites, try Hotwire, because you can input 3 people, which obviously means 2 beds -- not more, and don't count on being able to put a rollaway in your room; depends on the hotel. Hotwire is showing a hotel (likely the Talbott) for $205 a night for your nights for 3 people. Don't know how much they charge for parking.

I would look into suite hotels if 3 of you want to share one room, which gives you a bit more space. There are Residence Inn, Homewood suites, Embassy Suites, Comfort Suites, Affinia Chicago etc.

I agree with the others that staying in the city would be the best option. If you want to park outside the city, one of yout best options would be at the Cumberland Park & Ride garage. It's just east of O'Hare on I-90 (exit 79) adjacent to the Cumberland stop on the Blue Line. It's a staffed garage that's open 24-hours. The other P&R facilities in that area are open lots where you need to pay daily.

The Cumberland garage is $12 for 24-hours. You can buy transit passes from the vending machine in the station. A 3-day pass is $14 and allows unlimited rides on all CTA trains and buses. A single fare is $2.25.

If you do opt to stay outside the city, the largest concentration of hotels is around O'Hare. Some are walking distance from the Blue Line while others require a shuttle. Keep in mind that you'll spend around 60 minutes commuting from the airport into the city plus time you'd have to wait for a hotel shuttle. You also wouldn't be able to stop back at your room to drop bags or rest after several hours of sightseeing and shopping.

I know Residence Inns have 2-BR suites that have 2 baths. I'm not sure if the other suite hotels have something similar. If that's not an option, you could request connecting rooms which would give you many of the same amenities.

To locate less-expensive parking in the city near your hotel, you can check www.chicagoparkingmap.com or www.parkingcarma.com

You have chosen one of the busiest travel weekends in Chicago.

Oct 10 is the Chicago Marathon - one of the largest in the country - with 45,000 runners. It may be tough to find a room in the city for less than $300 a night because of that. The race starts and ends at Millenium Park so that area will be a zoo.

You may want to check out their website:

www.chicagomarathon.com
for potential hotel deals, though at this late date you may be out of luck.

Its fun to watch the race as a spectator!

<<<Oct 10 is the Chicago Marathon - one of the largest in the country - with 45,000 runners. It may be tough to find a room in the city for less than $300 a night because of that. The race starts and ends at Millenium Park so that area will be a zoo.>>>

Forgot about that -- we wanted to come that weekend for the USA-Poland soccer game at Soldier Field, but both airfare and hotels are prohibitive because of everything that's going on that weekend.

Perhaps you know this already, but here's the website for FLW studio & home tours: http://www.gowright.org/visit.html

Thank you for all the great helpful information. I had begun to suspect that something big was going on that weekend.