Priceline Hotel: 1st time Chicago bidder: zones to avoid + free-low parking $$

[TravelPhotographer]

9/5-9/9 four nights; rental car; visiting as many attractions as possible; safe bus or train OK as needed;

seeking $55 & under bid deep discounted 3*, 3.5*, multi-property-stay OK; flying in & out STL;

 

a. parking city center seems to be typically $44/day no in-out-in, or $65/day valet in-out-in;

are there low end hotels with big parking lots that offer cheaper rates to non-guests?

(in otherwords, stay at 3*+ but park cheap at nearby 1*)

(came across that in Atlanta, a Days Inn downtown offered $7/day no in-out-in)

 

b. what zones should be avoided due to crime, shooting, unsafe outside hotel in evening, etc.?

 

c. what closest-in city center zones start to typically include free parking or, say, under $10/day in-out-in?

 

Read in another thread about North Nghbrhd zones, are they "the ticket"?

Any advice from Chicago veterans appreciated!!

[AaronJB]

Various thoughts:
 
Parking:
There are a couple of hotels downtown that offer free parking, but they don't appear that often on HOTWIRE (one is for these dates, but unfortunately it's $200 on HOTWIRE) and one is not very convenient. Otherwise, parking is generally going to run $30-40 + city tax or as much as $65-70ish at hotels. 
 
The way Chicago is, space (and parking) is at a premium and no hotels have really large lots. I'm not aware of any properties that will let guests from other hotels park and really, there aren't any hotels that offer cheap parking - it's the couple of hotels that offer free or otherwise, everything else: and I can't believe how much parking costs have risen downtown.
 
Zones:
The two main downtown zones are Millennium Park-Loop-Grant Park (basically downtown South of the river) and River North-NMA (downtown North of the river.)
 
Pricing:
$55 downtown is really seen only during the slowest periods of the year. Unfortunately, downtown looks like it's going to run $150+ per night for these dates.
 
Alternative: 
The alternative I often suggest is the North burbs (Glenview, Northbrook, Deerfield). Those hotels offer free parking and will likely cost around half of downtown prices. You can drive to the nearest Metra station and then take the Metra downtown. The Metra trains are much more comfortable and nicer than the CTA trains. They don't run quite as often, but there are express trains during the morning/evening rush during the week and a couple of times during the weekend.
 
The North Burbs are very safe and very pleasant, with a great deal of shopping and restaurants. Additionally, in terms of photography, the Chicago Botanic Garden (chicagobotanic.org) is in this area and offers some absolutely fantastic opportunities for photography - it's an absolutely gorgeous place (and giant.) It's also spread out in a way where, if you wanted to do photography, you wouldn't be interrupted by a lot of people nearby.
 
Let us know your thoughts on the above and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.
 
Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

 

--------------------------

 

Edited to add a couple of additional notes:

 

I haven't parked there, but you could park in Evanston at one of the city lots, then take the Metra or CTA downtown. Evanston is actually a great city right on the border of Chicago (it's the first 'burb to the North.)

 

http://www.cityofevanston.org/parking/lots-garages/

 

Aside from the Botanic, there are some gorgeous natural areas scattered throughout the suburbs and the towns themselves are cute - particularly cute (and historic) is the very quaint Long Grove Village (http://www.longgrove.net/)

 

Chicago is somewhat cheaper on 9/5-7 than 9/7-9, but rates are still definitely going to be over $100. You could potentially split your stay part in the burbs and part in the city to average down the overall per night cost.

[TravelPhotographer]

Thanks for parking advice!

Will Marta rt for (2) every day from North Neighborhoods be near same as Loop hotel typical parking fee?

 

Are either of following a reasonable Loop hotel stay parking strategy?

a. park in Marta lot at $1.50/day -- that's what I read elsewhere it costs

(rely on city center transportation rather than car for 4 days)

b. use one of these Loop parking lots which appear to be as low as $44 total for 4 full days

(are these OK lots, seem to all be close to Loop hotels)

 

Am willing to go higher on Loop zone bidding if lowering parking expenses!!

Will use your PRICELINE link above to bid!!

[AaronJB]

Metra is probably about $5 each way (depends on which stop you start from, maybe a little less),but on the weekend you can get a weekend pass for $7 - so that would cover downtown and back for both Saturday and Sunday. So, while it may be a little less, you are looking at $5 each way for friday and monday and $7 total for Saturday and Sunday so around $27. You're likely looking at $1.50 per day parking in the Metra lot.

 

However, even with cheaper parking downtown, rates are still high when looking for the stay as a whole (as noted above, 9/5-7 is cheaper than 9/7-9, but rooms downtown are still going to run over $100.) When looking at 9/5-7, Hot.wire rates at the 4* level are $180-200+. 3/3.5* seems similarly priced. 

 

Depending on the star rating, $55 and under is much more likely in the burbs.

 

What would be your desired max bid per night if staying downtown?

 

Splitting the stay half burbs half downtown is an option (the first half of this period is cheaper than the second downtown), but the per night average is still unfortunately going to be higher than your desired budget per night.

 

Thank you for using the board's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[TravelPhotographer]

Thanks for info!!

 

Decided, due to

a. wanting to be in-near downtown

b. preferring 3* or better

c. watching budget

 

to use points: 2 nights Residence Inn Downtown, 1 night Hilton Conrad, 1 night IHG Indigo

 

did find (2) in-out-in-out parking lots that seem reasonable & within mile of lodging

(could use bus back & forth?)

 

510 W Taylor St. - Lot
0.90 mi away
$44Reserve (4 full days total)
9/05
4:00 PM
UNTIL 
9/09
4:00 PM

550 W Kinzie St. - Lot
1.0 mi away (20 minute walk)
$50Reserve (4 full days total)
9/05
4:00 PM
UNTIL 
9/09
8:00 PM

 

Any comments on safety, logistics, of these lots appreciated!

 

Will use your PRICELINE link above in future!

[AaronJB]

I don't think either option seems great - if I look at the W Kinzie address on Google Street View, it seems to be an industrial area, I'm not seeing what appears to be a real, defined "lot" - I see what appears to be a small, unattended group of parking spaces with not much else around. The 510 Taylor address at least appears to show a more defined "lot", if I'm looking at the right spot. There's also a bit more nearby - including a Whole Foods.

 

I'm not crazy about either of these options, although if I had to pick one, the Taylor looks better to me from a visual standpoint and from the idea that there's more *right there*, including a Whole Foods and other things.

 

I'd consider looking in the Old Town or Lincoln Park neighborhoods - if something there for not much more, I'd suggest considering that instead.

 

Enjoy your stay.