Priceline Hotel: 3.5 Chicago North Shore (North Shore) Crowne Plaza

[dprocket]

Love this forum and use it frequently, but do not frequently post. I do use the links on this site to book, however.

I am looking for some help in developing a bidding strategy for Chicago. We will be arriving in Chicago on 7/28and leaving 7/31. We actually can stay pretty much anywhere in the Chicago area as we'll be doing the Chicago downtown stuff (aquarium, pier, etc) and some surburb stuff (go to Ikea, the Sears Centre). Location is not critical, however we do find that 2.5-3* seem to work best for us. Courtyards, Fairfield, Place etc. We travel with 3 small kids so the ability to stay someplace clean, free parking, free breakfast goes much further with us than does a 4* hotel. ( before kids, we loved the cheap, luxury hotels we could get with Priceline).

Any help in choosing a zone?

[AaronJB]

I particularly like the Deerfield area, which offers easy access to Metra trains (which are nicer than CTA trains) and some sights of its own including the Chicago Botanic Garden (in the burbs), Ravinia Music Festival (which does have family shows at times) and some smaller sights like Wagner Farm (a small, working farm in the middle of the 'burbs - free to visit.) and Homer's Ice Cream. Some suburbs charge to go down to the beach, some do not, but you could also head to the beach if that was of interest.

The NW burbs (Schaumburg and nearby areas - breakfast at the IKEA is 99 cents last I checked) is also another option, but that starts to get far from downtown. IKEA is fun and worth a visit, though.

I'd suggest the Lincoln Park Zoo (free) instead of Navy Pier, and the family-friendly Notabert Nature Museum is a block away from the zoo (although that does charge admission.)

The North burbs are quite nice - I particularly like the Deerfield zone at the 3.5* level - the North Shore zone is also fine. However, if you are going to be spending a good deal of time in the W/NW, you may want to look into that area.

Let us know which area sounds better for your needs - NW or N burbs - as well as budget per night - and we would be happy to offer further suggestions.

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

[thereuare]

Love this forum and use it frequently, but do not frequently post.

Thanks for using the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board, but it would be appreciated if you also began to share your wins with the board so that the information can help others, just as you have been helped by those who posted before you. Even if the hotels you have won are already posted to the board, others can still benefit as it keeps the information current, allows others to know when the last reported win for a particular property occurred, could help others traveling on the same dates as yourself, and gives a general feel for how often each hotel in a given zone is won.

Thanks.

[dprocket]

First bid, offered $55 for a 2.5* (these ussually work best for us with small children). Was upgraded to the 3.5 star hotel.

[AaronJB]

Sorry to hear that you were unexpectedly upgraded.

Very nice deal though for this Crowne Plaza property.

A couple of notes:

1. Head South on Milwaukee from this property to Lake. Head East on Lake to Lake and Wagner, and on the left hand side of the street is Wagner Farm - it's a small place so more of a brief stop, but a neat, family-friendly little sight.

2. The kids may like the Kohl's Children's Museum nearby (http://www.kohlchildrensmuseum.org/)

3. There are two Metra stations in Glenview - one in the downtown area and this one, which may be a bit more convenient to the hotel: http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home/maps_sc....NGLENVIEW.html

Thank you for sharing your win and please use the site's HOTWIRE or PRICELINE links to start your purchases and searches.

Enjoy your stay.