Priceline Hotel: 3* Chicago (NMA-River North) Courtyard Mag Mile

[buteos]

I am trying to decide where to try to bid for a hotel for my June 24-28 stay in the Chicago area . I'm going to be in Chicago for Eric Clapton's Crossroad Festival at Toyota Park.

I haven't gotten my plane ticket yet . I'm thinking Southwest which flies into MDW, but taking the train is also an option.

I'd rather stay closer to DT Chicago than stay at the hotel cluster at MDW. If I take the train, I'm starting at Union Station.

I've read the suburbs can be an attractive option for lodging. I want to take public transportation because I am not driving in Chicago. I understand there will be a special shuttle the day of the concert from the Midway orange line station to Toyota Park.

Which suburbs would be the best bet? Would downtown be a better choice? I realize Taste of Chicago is taking place at the same time.

Thanks for any ideas you have.

[thereuare]

If the concert is only one day, i wouldn't plan my 4 nite stay around being convenient to the venue... as you'll then likely be inconvenient to Downtown for the remaining nites of your stay. As there will be a shtutle provided from Midway, i assume that this place may not be that well served by mass transit.

I'm sure AaronJB will be able to add additional information, but if you intend to see/explore downtown for the other days of your trip, i would sooner stay local to your plans for the other nites (ie- Downtown), then head to MDW if that is the best option to get to the concert (there may be other options to the venue departing from Downtown as well).

All will most likely be predicated on your budget... what is your desired star level and expected budget (per nite before fees and taxes)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[buteos]

Thanks Thereuare.

My budget is hopefully under 100 a night, and I'm going to be using PRICELINE. My star level is theoretically 3 stars and above, although I've stayed at great two star lodging in other places. I'm not sure how Chicago shapes up versus other cities.

The concert runs from 10 am until 11 PM on Saturday. The extra days on my trip are travel days but if things go right, I'll have time to explore too.

[AaronJB]

If you are taking public transit, the main option would be to stay downtown, as staying in the suburbs is somewhat-to-very difficult, unless you happen to luck out on PRICELINE and get a hotel within a reasonable distance of a train line.

In terms of Toyota Park though, it's not entirely straightforward to get there from downtown, but there is definitely an option (see the CTA part of this page: http://www.toyotapark.com/content/?section=477 Beyond the shuttle noted in that page, unfortunately there don't seem to be a whole lot of other options - the nearest Metra and Amtrak stations are about a mile away from Toyota Park, and I wouldn't recommend that.

I would not recommend 2* in downtown Chicago if possible. Are you looking for the cheapest option or are you looking to try and max out your budget limit?

Please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

[buteos]

Hi AaronJB,

I am not extravagant but I'm also realistic. I'd rather pay a little more and get good value versus paying a little less for cheap lodging. To me 100 a night through Priceline seems high but I also understand that's what rooms are going for in that time period.

The hotels around Midway seem pretty expensive for what they offer, so that's why I started looking elsewhere like downtown, plus there is a lot more to see and do in Chicago proper.

I've read some of your other posts that seem to say River North is a good area to stay. How hard would it be to use public transportation to get from there to the Midway station.? That would be the Orange line, right? Are there other names for the River North area?

I saw some of the hotels in the suburbs offer shuttle service to train stations which seem to be at least a few miles away. I'm not sure how many of those are offered on Priceline though.

Are three stars still iffy?

Thanks for your help.

[AaronJB]

There are many hotels in Oak Brook/Downers Grove, for example, which are 'burbs to the West of where the Toyota Park area is. Taking a taxi to a hotel in one of those areas would not be terrible, but it would certainly cost a few bucks, and that's if taxis are readily available in that area after the concert.

If you would stay in the suburbs and take the train in and out of the city, after the concert late at night, you would have to take the shuttle to the subway, and then head back downtown, and then walk to the Metra train and then have a fairly long Metra train trip, and then it would be a matter of getting from the train station to the hotel.) Additionally, the other issue would be that the Metra trains stop a bit after Midnight. It would either be a taxi trip or a long public transit trip. The suburbs are nice, and I'd generally recommend them, but in this case, I think staying downtown is more optimal if possible.

The River North/NMA area would be a very good choice in this instance, as there is a wider variety of options at the 3*/3.5* level in that zone - there are some particularly nice 3*'s in the River North/NMA zone.

You can take the Red Line subway from the River North/NMA area and take that to the Roosevelt station just South of the city and change from the Red line subway to Orange line "L" train there.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[buteos]

I've been trying every twenty four hours for NMA-River North 6/24-6/27 starting at 4* (why not?)

and dropping down to 3*. Not even a nibble.

BTW I had 30 bonus cash supposedly which I could use on stays of at least 3 nights . Pays to check the "My Rewards" part of one's profile.

I had dropped down to three stars tonight and got the Courtyard Mag Mile for 88.00 (98.00 with 10 bonus cash)

Most of my past PRICELINE stays have been Courtyards, and some of the experiences have not been good. Almost every place tried to give me a "PRICELINE" room, so often that I didn't even put my luggage down upon entering the room.

Hopefully, this place is different.

Regular website rate was 169.00 a night.

Thanks AaronJB and Thereuare for your help.

BTW went through the PRICELINE link..

Terri

[AaronJB]

Congratulations on your success. :)

Just to confirm, is this the Courtyard on Ontario or the one on Hubbard? Both are very nice Courtyards (and not particularly far apart) although the one on Ontario is the newer of the two. Either way, a very nice deal for one of these properties.

Thank you for sharing your result with the board and using the site's PRICELINE link.

Enjoy your stay and have fun at the concert.

[buteos]

AaronJB,

The address is 165 East Ontario Street.

Good or bad?

BTW, I'm taking the train to Chicago, so will be arriving at Union Station instead of an airport.

Thanks

Terri

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.

This is the Courtyard Downtown Mag Mile property (vs. the Courtyard Downtown River North property)... AaronJB is familiar with the area so i'll let him comment on any pros/cons of each.

[AaronJB]

This is the newer of the two Courtyards, and gets excellent reviews on tripadvisor (somewhat better reviews than the other location, but both are quite nice.)

This location is a bit of a walk (not terrible) from the subway (nearest one is State/Grand), but is otherwise in a wonderful location just off Michigan Ave - lots of restaurants nearby and the lake is not a far walk. I was actually thinking the other day that I was happy to see both of the downtown Courtyards show up more often as wins, as they're well-located/reviewed, but the reviews also seem to be pretty consistent.

In terms of the subway, you could take the Red Line from State/Grand Southbound to Roosevelt and then take the Orange Line elevated train the remainder of the way. Lets say you are coming back from the concert and it is getting late, you could take the orange line back to State/Lake and then a cab ride from that point back to your hotel would not be very pricey (maybe 5-6 bucks, 7 at most?)

Information about stations mentioned (and pictures):

http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/grand-state.html

http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/state-lake.html

http://www.chicago-l.org/stations/roosevelt-wabash.html

Enjoy your stay and have fun at the concert.

[buteos]

Thanks again for all your help. It is much appreciated.

Terri

[buteos]

Got back from Chicago yesterday via Amtrak.

Enjoyed Chicago and enjoyed the concert except for the extreme heat. The location of the stadium was not ideal, and I waited nearly 40 minutes for the bus back to Midway. After that, riding the subway was easy.

The Courtyard Mag Mile was excellent and I recommend it . The service was top notch and the location was ideal for me anyways. I could walk out to Michigan Ave, take a bus , or walk to downtown. There was even a Trader Joe's within walking distance, which proved handy.

Thanks to the moderators which helped me plan. I am glad I stayed downtown, with all the options that afforded me.

BTW, I went to Lincoln Park Zoo, and loved it. What a great zoo, and admission was free. I hopped in the 151 bus, and rode right up to the entrance. Great conservatory at the park, too.

[thereuare]

Thanks for the follow-up.. glad you enjoyed your stay.

[AaronJB]

Awesome! :) Glad you had a good stay at this property and were able to see the zoo (as well as stop at the newer Trader Joe's near the hotel.)

That particular stadium is rather difficult to get to, but glad to hear that transportation worked out well.