Newbie2007

Needed a place in the suburb before heading into Chicago the next day. I'm sure if I have the time, I can save a couple more bucks, but this price is not bad. The hotel website listed the price at $69.99/night. I listened to Aaron's about staying in the Naperville/Oak Brook/Downer Grove area in the south suburb. I haven't heard anything about Lombard (but I got this based on the Oak Brook - Downer Grove area in PL). I hope the area is not too bad. Used savingsbarn.com

The hotel is in the La Crosse area. It has good review. As for the mall, it's probably a good place to grab some sovenier and magnet. Aaron, I studied the map of Devil's Lake park, I think it's possible to visit that and the Wisconsin Dells. I'll take a short hike in the park.

This is not a particularly great deal, but there's still some savings there. There was hardly anything in that area. The standard Internet User rate on Comfort Inn's website is $53.99. I may have overpaid by a few bucks, but it's hard to find anything in a small town. Once again, I only needed a place to stay before heading out the next day. Used Savingsbarn.com

I originally was trying for the 3* and bid up to $42 with no success. I instead decided to go for the 2* instead since this area is not bad. Sorry, I forgot to put 2* in the title. I don't know how to edit that. Airport 32 rejected (with an offer to up the bid by $8) Airport, Eagan 33 accepted Used savingsbarn.com

I went online to check on devil's lake. The park area is so huge. How would you go about tackling the area if you only have 1 hour or 2. I also notice the park doesn't open until 9:00 a.m. I've decided to stay in La Crosse, Wi for the night. I notice a 2* in hotwire for 48/night. I'll ask in another thread about possibly identifying it. You have been of great help regarding my exploration of Wisconsin.

Aaron, Thanks for the suggestion. My plan is as follows: 10/24 - 10/25 in Madison 10/25 - 10/26 in La Crosse, Wi 10/26 - 10/27 in Bloomington - St. Paul, Mn 10/27 - 10/29 in Des Moines, IA 10/29 - 10/30 in Wichita, KS (room booked already) 10/30 - Back to Dallas The time is a bit rough, I would like to have more time....but that was not an option. I can skip Minneapolis-St. Paul if necessary (though the Capitol building and the St. Paul Cathedral look really interesting). I noticed the road from Minneapolis to Des Moines passes through very few towns, I would like to keep the driving in the daytime. There are at least 3 towns along the the Mississippi River from La Crosse that I would like to stop by (probably only 30 minutes or so). Looks like I will head out very early from Madison! I appreciate your suggestion (especially stopping by Devil's Lake and Dells instead of going straight to La Crosse). Since I'm traveling to Wisconsin from Chicago, I'm sure I would have my fill of big city.

It was my mistake for not paying more attention to the date in regards to hotel in Chicago for low price. I have another question, suppose I stay in Downer Grove and go to a local park and ride on the metra train, how late can I get back on the station and still be relatively safe? I realize I would probably lose 2 hour a day just getting to/from Chicago. I would hate to be the only person on the train getting back to an empty park and ride station at night. My hostel reservation is easily cancellable and I notice some lower price (lower than hostel) for 2* hotel in Downer Grove. Of course, the advantage of the hostel is that it's so close to everything (Congress & State) in downtown.

AaronJB, Do you think it is realistic to be able to visit the Devil's Lake, go on the Wisconsin Duck tour (thanks by the way for that suggestion, it's great), and make it to La Crosse in a day's time. If I have more time, I would visit all those places. But I'm constraint on time and have to be back in Dallas by October 30. My original plan was to also include Minneapolis, hence I thought about going to La Crosse and spend a day driving along the Mississippi River to Minneapolis. I will then meet up a friend in Des Moines, IA. Afterward I'll head back to Dallas. I have from Oct. 25 - Oct. 30 starting at Madison. If you don't mind, I would gladly listen to your input on how best to spend the time. You seem to know the Midwest really well. I'm mainly interested in scenery and interesting little small towns. If need be, I can skip Minneapolis. Thanks for sharing your thought. Admin, if topic like this is inappropriate for this thread, is there somewhere I can post question such as this?

Thanks Aaron, I'm still deciding whether I should travel north to see Devil's lake and Wisconsin Deli or head westward (La Crosse) to travel through the scenic byway along the Mississippi River. All these places seem very interesting.

I was hoping for the concourse (which is very close to the captial building), but this is not bad. Hotwire listed 3* in central Madison for around $90. The Sheraton website listed the price at $179/night. As before, used Savingsbarn.com. Since I'm travelling to Madison from Chicago (and I'm staying in a hostel in Chicago), decided to spoil myself a little bit in this stop! Downtown 45 rejected Downtown, South 47 rejected Downtown, Southwest 50 rejected Downtown, South, Southwest, 55 accepted

I'm on a road trip just needed a place to sleep on my way back to Dallas. I tried $28 on my first bid, was rejected, up it to $30 and got accepted. This time, I went to Priceline from savingsbarn.com.

It's me again. After looking through a lot of previous post, I've seen some were even successful in getting a 4* hotel in the Loop at $60. Assuming I can get that, is there any other parking option (other than the one by the hotel). I noticed the Hyatt Regency (which someone posted as getting for $60) charged $45 a night for parking. Is there any other parking garage that I can try to save money? If that's possible, I would consider spending a little bit more and going that route. Thanks.

Thank you so much for the information. I will consider all your suggestion and see what kind of price people are getting. Once again, thanks a lot.

Thank you Aaron for the quick reply. I'm actually going on a roadtrip, so I'll be driving to Chicago from St. Louis. I just booked a 3* hotel in St. Louis. I'm thinking I'll arrive at Chicago (10/22 Monday morning). I heard the downtown is quite dead on the weekend. If I can somehow find a good deal in Chicago, I can make it there on Sunday 10/21 afternoon. Since I'm going solo, I actually booked 2 nights at a hostel on Congress St. in the loop (that comes out to almost $40/night + $20 parking). But I can cancel that without penalty (as long as it's at least 24 hour). After stumbling on this website, I was amazed at what some people were able to find. I thought if there's anyone here that might have better suggestion than staying in a hostel. If there's nothing else out there, I don't mind staying in the hostel. The main thing I'm concerned with is safety. I will likely spend most of my time in the downtown visiting the museums (which a lot happen to be free on Monday and Tuesday!). I will also want to attend the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at night. I have a few questions: Is the loop area safe for walking around at night (the symphony ends at 10:00 p.m.)? Is the CTA safe to ride at night? Since downtown at that price range is out of the question, what's a good suburb that I can stay and take public transportation to downtown? Thank you for your help.

Hi, I will be passing by Chicago 10/22-10/24. Do you guys have tips for getting good accomodation close to the tourist area. I don't want to spend more than $50/night. I know I can't expect anything near the Loop or Downtown. Is there anywhere in the northern suburb where I can I get a good rate and be close to the CTA (within walking distance). Also, hopefully there's an area where it's safe to walk to the station at night since I plan on attending the Chicago Orchestra. As for star rating, I hope to get at least 2.5. Thanks for the help. I know now to use the SavingBarn.com when I do my next bidding.

I started really low ($30) for a 3 star. That got rejected, I added another zone (based on tips from previous topic, I added a zone with no 3 star hotel) and upped the amount to $35. That got rejected. Then I added another zone (this time, I added one with a higher star rating) and upped the amount to $38 and got accepted. Before I stumble upon this website, I thought $50 (including tax), the best I could do is stay in a motel. I also got the idea from another poster on here. Thanks!

First off, this is an awesome website. I just booked a 12 day rental for $15/day at Avis for a Compact Car (Oct. 18 - Oct. 30). My first bid of $15/day was accepted, perhaps I should bid lower?