Peruse22

Hey Jesse, I just saw on Travelzoo that the Omni has a sale going on...$169/night for Aug 1 to Aug 3, with a $25 credit per night. It would save more than $100 per night for those nights, if you didn't mind switching hotels once. And the Omni is a SUITE...you get a bedroom and a living room. PLENTY of room for everyone. I've stayed there. Very nice, and one of the best locations you could ask for. Just a thought...

an advantage of the suites over the Hyatt is that the Suites has a pool. Always good with kids. Excellent breakfast places nearby, the West Egg and Eggceptional. Also, an excellent Dominicks Grocery store justa few blocks away. Always good for finding snacks and treats without going into a restaurant. Hope it's great! :)

I don't know if your dates are flexible at all. But when I checked July 31 to Aug 4th, there were a lot of nice choices for $140ish. You should book fast though. Just a week ago, Sat was the only hyper expensive night. Now, Friday is already very expensive. And Thursday has risen quite a bit. There are several nice places around O'Hare, and some of them are right by the L (Elevated train). The ride from O'Hare downtown is about 35 minutes and costs $2.25. Good suburbs, in my opinion, for getting into the city by Metra, (the train system) are Evanston, Deerfield, Chicago North Shore, Arlington Heights, Glenview. I'm sure there are others., These are just the ones I know about.

I'm not usually prolific about a specific stay, but my sister happens to be coming just about the same time. lol. So I'm gathering a lot of info. We are looking into condo rentals via VRBO for those dates. It's about the same as the hotels, but we are finding we get a LOT more for the money. Small condos, but the buildings have bigger, nicer pools, great workout areas, big public areas, doormen etc. In the same areas as the hotels. We are looking at the magnificent mile, the loop, Lincoln Park, River North and Streeterville. The cheapest hotel I've found so far is $1024 for the entire stay, including tax. Then I have to include another $125 to $150 for parking. (Although we are seriously thinking about leavng the care at home...;lit's a big pain downtown) So far I've found 4 condos for $1000 that will accomodate us. Another thought.

Sorry, but one more post, Since you are coming in at the same time as Lollapalooza, you might want to get a hotel sooner rather than later. I think the rates may go up as the dates approach. I looked a bit for those dates, but nothing jumped out as a great deal. Look every couple days, and soon something will pop up. As a side note, sometimes a hotel called "Club Quarters" comes up as a 3.5 or 4 star. I do't know how they have that nice of a rating. But if you look at the reviews (on tripadvisor, Expedia, etc) you will find that the rooms are teeny tiny. I often fit myself and a few kids into a room I got on PRICELINE, but I'm not sure that plan would work at Club Quarters. J

I'm glad to help. According to the website these museums in Cedar Rapids are included in the Reciprocal Memberships: Science Station Interim location: Lindale Mall, 4444 First Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids 52401 (319) 363-4629 www.sciencestation.org F: All family members, up to 6 members Here is a link to the site with ALL the museums. http://www.astc.org/members/passlist.htm Another thing to think about is parking. If you park with the hotel, you'll pay about $50 per day. But if you look around a bit, you can find parking for as little as $25 per day. It's still an expense when considering your budget. I just checked Kayak.com and they have the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza for $150/night taxes INCLUDED. Perhaps you want to reserve that, then get Priceline bidding advice from the pros here. That is a nice hotel in a great location. It has a pool for the kids. The rooms have fun views. I don't know if you'll get anything cheaper that you would want to stay at during Lallapalooza. But if it can be done, the people here have the right advice. Good luck.

Hi, I've taken my kids downtown for many years. So I have some ideas. Since you have time to plan ahead, think about joining the Shedd Aquarium before you arrive. If you buy the full ticket to the aquarium, it costs $34 right now. If you get an individual membership you can take in an adult and a child. In August, the line to buy tickets is VERY VERY long. t can take an hour or more. If you have a membership, you walk right past that long line and go into the aquarium. That said, the aquarium is HUGE. But it has a lot of ambient noise and movement, which is tiring to kids. My kids generally wanted to stay about 1.5 hours. Since I live in the 'burbs, we went several times a year...for 1.5 hours each time. You might want to bypass all the hype they have about the many exhibits and buy the $8 admission to the main part of the aquarium. Your kids will remember the aquarium, and you'll not have spent a lot of cash on an expensive admission. In addition, the Field Museum is a 3 minute walk from the Aquarium, right there on the Mall. My kids always asked to walk over there and see what's up. They have a large selection of stuffed animals, insects, and other things that boys find fascinating. It doesn't have a line to get in, and it's great for another couple of hours. Another BIG cost savings...buy a family membership to the the museum in your town. That membership will get you into ALL the Chicago museums for FREE!!! That's a big deal. Most of the large museums have reciprocal memberships, allowing you to get into other museums free. But the local museums don't want to lose income. So if you buy a membership to one Chicago museum, you still have to pay to get in the others. But if you buy a membership from a museum that is not in Illinois, you get in free to all the Chicago museums. (You can ask more if I haven't explained that clearly) So...now you have gone to the Aquarium and the Field Museum. Another GREAT museum in Chicago is the Children's Museum. Your kids are the perfect ages for the Children's Museum (Free admission if you have a membership to an out of town museum) The Children's museum is at Navy Pier. My kids don't find Navy Pier all that interesting. There are restaurants, shops, and a few outdoor shows. My kids did not find those things very interesting. But they have spent HOURS at this museum. I always had to DRAG them out. You can take a boat ride from Navy Pier to the Aquarium (or visa versa) for about $8. It's a very nice ride, you get to see Chicago from the water, and it goes frequently. You looked at the Museum of Science and Industry....another great museum for kids. (I hate to repeat myself, buuutt....once again...free if you bring your out of town museum membership card) It is on the south side, a bit of a drive away from downtown. But the kids do love it. Lots of things to see and do, buttons to push. If I was time limited, I'd do the Chidren's Museum first. Lincoln Park Zoo is also free, and good. They have the largest monkey/chimp exhibit. It is on the lakefront. It is in a very fun section of town. You can also go to the Notebert Nature Museum, right next door. (It's mildly interesting..worth about 45 minutes, but it's right there) Be sure to walk through Millennium Park sometime, esp the Bean. Kids love to see the Fountain/Water area, as well as the Bean. It is good outdoor fun. Try to get a schedule of the activities going on in Milliennium Park. They have lots of free family stuff that is unique. They have families from all over the world coe and put on free street shows that you can happen into. They have free concerts almost every night. Once I was there and they had a puppet show with puppets that were 10 to 12 feet tall. These puppets had been brought in from Germany. Just wandering through Millennium Park (MP) often yields serendipitous events. Keep your eyes peeled when you arrive. There are always coupons for the top of the Hancock, as well as the Sears Tower. Ask your concierge. Regarding hotels, you will pay more to stay downtown. But I think it's really worth it to stay in the area that stretches from the Loop (Palmer House, maybe Hilton Towers)Up through Streeterville. If you stay in that general area, it will be easy for you to get around, and you will see a lot more. (I just remembered that Buckingham Fountain, in Grant Park is a fun sight in the summer. They choreograph the fountain to music, with lots of colors, after dark. If you stay in the heart of the city, you will happen upon all kinds of interesting sights. Chicago is at it's best in the summer. You can look for something on Hotwire, try to get a deal on Priceline. Lollapalooza will make the first night expensive. There are a bunch of strategies to get the cost down. I don't know that you'll get anything for $100 per night, but if you go up to $130ish and keep tring, you have enough time to make something happen. I would also check Travelzoo.com every week or so. Look under Chicago and Midwest Hotels. Often something pops up there for about $110/$120 per night. Especially when you include the baseball games you are attending, this is way more than yo can fit into the days you have. But I don't think you will go wrong with a trip to Chicago with kids. You got me going down memory lane. Sorry for the long post. Good luck, and I hope you have great memories of your time in Chicago. P.S. Don't forget the fireworks every Wed and Sat night near the Swisshotel.

There is a big pre Thanksgiving festival on the Magnificent Mile that culminates with a fun parade and fireworks. Also, as the moderators mentioned, there is a very large (last year 65,000) conference of school officials that weekend. (Your tax dollars at work again...oops...I can't get started on that) I went for years and years before the conference started. The festival was great, one year it got half a million visitors. That is what is taking all of our Priceline rooms., :(. J

And may I say... you are GOOD at predicting prices. I bid the other day, got to $130, and they counteroffered at $189. I went up to $155, but that is really my max. Thanks so much. JM

Actually, that is the part I understand the least. Where could I find enlightenment on those combinations and a good order? Thanks.

Hi. Thanks for your thoughts. Actually, I will be bidding for 2 rooms, as we would not do well in one bed. :) I expect each one might be $150. I'm not interested in the Camden area, so I wasn't interested in the Holiday Inn. I have indeed read the FAQ. So I think I'm ready to bid. Is there someone who would be able to tell me, Bid this first, this second, etc? Thanks. J

Hello. I would like to bed for a 5* hotel in London April 14th to April 18th. I would like to be in the Mayfair, Regents Park or Westminster zones. I need 2 rooms. My budget is $150. My free rebids are Bloomsbury, Finsbury, Hammersmith and City and London Bridge. What strategy would you suggest? (Have I given you all the info I should?) Thank you for your help.

I'm new, so please guide me if I do something wrong here. Here's my question. My husband, myself, and my 2 teen boys are heading to London on April 14th, coming home on the 18th. I am seeing the great deals you are finding, and I'd like to participate. My first choice would be a 5* in Mayfair/Soho, followed by a 5* in Regents. I'd like to try that for a couple days. If that doesn't work, I'll move onto 4* hotels. My Budget? I think we'll need 2 rooms, so I'd like to stay below $150. Of course, lower is even better. Right now, what pattern would you suggest I bid? Thanks so much for your help. JM