Priceline Hotel: 4* Chicago (North Michigan Ave - River North) Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile

[inspiration100]

Hello,

I just won the Chicago Marriott Downtown Magnificent Mile 4*, bidding in the North Michigan zone. I used a $5 bonus cash to reduce it to $75/night.

Dates are 6/13-6/17/2012.

Won it on my first bid, would have never expected to win something this low in the middle of the year, in downtown Chicago. Is this common?

I tried a lot of other zones with rejections up into the $100 range.

I apologize but I don't think your link got counted as I was using a link from Entertainment Card.

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)

There are patches here-and-there throughout Chicago in the Summer that are noticeably cheaper, but the season overall is usually one of the more expensive. This is definitely a nice win for this very well-located property.

Please note that you can still use your Bonus Cash along with the board's PRICELINE links as follows...

1) click the PRICELINE link on the board

2) go to the MY PROFILE >> MY REWARDS link at the top right of their home page

3) use the bonus money link in the MY REWARDS section of your profile (not a link from an email) and bid as usual

Enjoy your stay.

[inspiration100]

Hey Aaron,

Seeing you are pretty familiar with the Chicago area, with this hotel, what should I do in my 3 day timespan? Some must see's? I want 1 day dedicated to taking the red line and checking out a game at wrigley field. Any restaurants in that area by the stadium that I must visit? Also, what are some "must eats" that are not too high in budget by our hotel(I am a college student). Any good Restaurant.com ones?

Thanks!

[AaronJB]

I think the Art Institute is really a must; it has an incredible array of artwork, but is also laid out in a way that manages to make it comfortable and easy to browse around.

My main skips are really Navy Pier (which is a tourist trap that does admittedly have nice views, but I don't much else there is memorable) and Navy Pier (I don't understand the appeal of the Bean sculpture - it's a large, reflective metal orb.) The water sculptures at Millennium Park are rather neat, but again, unless you happen to stop there on the way to the Art Institute, I wouldn't go out of my way to see it. I tend to recommend the Lincoln Park Zoo instead of Navy Pier, which is a great (free) zoo. The Museum Campus has three museums right next to each other - the Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum and Adler Planetarium. The first two are worthwhile, although with the Shedd I'd say get there early in the Summer - I don't find it nearly as enjoyable when it's jammed. There are also some terrific Farmer's Markets in the city - even if you don't get anything, they're fun to browse through. There are a couple in the Loop, but there is a particularly nice neighborhood on on Division between Clark and State in the Gold Coast on Saturdays and the big one is the Green City Market on Wed/Sat in Lincoln Park near the zoo. That one has demonstrations from chefs.

If you're looking for shopping, the Lakeview area has a lot of boutiques/higher-end thrifts, such as Ragstock (812 West Belmont) and Nearly New Shop (2145 North Halstead) There are quite a few more. Michigan Ave. is fun, but these are the places where you may (or may not, but if not, still fun to browse) find real deals. Reckless Records (there are a few locations, including one in the Loop, and a better one on Broadway in Lakeview) are terrific if you're looking for used music.

Definitely do take the Red Line subway to the game, and I do recommend getting there mildly early (30-45 minutes) in an attempt to try and get on the subway before they start to get more crowded.

One minor recommendation - your hotel is a few blocks away from a Trader Joe's on 44 East Ontario. That's a good choice for cheaper snacks to bring back to the hotel or take with you during the day.

In terms of restaurants, any particular likes/dislikes in terms of various foods?

[inspiration100]

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it! Glad to hear there is a trader Joe's nearby, we have those here as well and I like them.

I remember I did the Adler Planetarium when I was younger, we will for sure check that out again (it was cool back then at least!).

As far as restaurants go, for sure want to get some Chicago style pizza, perhaps a seafood, and an american style (something like Joey's in the pacific northwest) but is unique to Chicago. Again, price is somewhat important to us (Restaurant.com is a plus), but we'll spend if it's really good.

[slruud]

For seafood, you can't go wrong with Glenn's Diner. It's about 20 steps from the Montrose stop on the Brown line.

[AaronJB]

For pizza, in terms of the big chains, I'd rather recommend Lou Malnati's or Giordano's than Uno's or Due's. However, beyond that, I really recommend a couple of Italian places that offer pizza - primarily La Madia (http://www.dinelamadia.com/menu.php):

RED

Three Cheese | Mozzarella, Provolone and Pecorino with Tomato Sauce 12

Housemade Fennel Sausage & Sweet Onions | Tomato Sauce with Mozzarella Cheese 14

Triple Pepperoni | Tomato Sauce & Mozzarella Cheese, finished with White Truffle Oil 16

Margherita | Mozzarella di Bufala Campana, Tomato Sauce & Torn Basil 17

Parma Classic | Mozzarella Cheese, Tomato Sauce, Prosciutto, finished with Arugula* 16

Burrata & Fire-Roasted Eggplant
 | Mozzarella Cheese & Tomato Sauce* 18

La Quercia Coppa Piccante | Fire-Roasted Sweet Banana Pepper & Onions 15

WHITE

Shaved Artichoke | Reggiano Parmesan & Garlic 13

Carbonara
Slagel Farm Guanciale, Cracked Organic Egg, Pecorino, Melted Leeks & Black Pepper 16

Seasonal Wild Mushrooms & Smoked Mozzarella 14

Taleggio and 3-Hour Roasted Grapes 13

Laura Chenel Goat Cheese | Melted Leeks, Garlic & Pancetta Lardons 15

Sopresatta & Fire-Roasted Fennel | Arugula, Parmesan 14

Cracked Organic Egg | Prosciutto & Black Pepper* 17

Housemade Lamb Sausage | Fresno Peppers, Caciocavallo Cheese & Mint Salsa Verde 15

Clam & Fresno Chilies | Pecorino, Garlic & Fresh Thyme 17

Costa Rican Pineapple | Speck & Fresno Peppers, Fleur de Sel 15

Spinach | Roasted Cherry Tomatoes & Goat Cheese 14

--

The Dining Room at Kendall College is a unique spot - that's the training ground for the chefs there and it's one of the more highly regarded culinary colleges in the US. As a result, it's higher end dining for less than what it would be elsewhere. Do call for hours/reservations.

As for Restaurant.com, oddly enough, the restaurant in your hotel - Harvest - is on there. If you want to sit and eat by the river, Currents on the River is also on restaurants.com. Markethouse Restaurant is also on Restaurant.com and nearby, as is Ashkenaz Deli in the Gold Coast if you want a good deli sandwich (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wyZXd68-CQeY9pb5YWIaSw?select=XycQ8z9URa5Y0sk-gp7fZg#qhUMnunI60wvd424axEkAQ)

The newer Rick Bayless casual restaurant, Xoco, is a good choice for breakfast or otherwise. I also recommend Pittsfield Cafe, which is not too terribly far away, in the Pittsfield Building (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g35805-d1025120-Reviews-Pittsfield_Cafe-Chicago_Illinois.html); that's an old-school breakfast spot.

Looking at Joey's (if I'm looking at the same chain), the menu reminds me somewhat of Wildfire (http://www.wildfirerestaurant.com/chicago), which I really like a lot.

[purplelotus]

I'm an ex-Chicagoan and return frequently. Our interests are art,architecture, and theatre so the Art Institute is a must. Grant Wood's "American Gothic", Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks" and Gustave Caillebotte's "Paris, Rainy Day" are among the classics there. As for architecture, the Chicago Architecture Foundation offers fabulous tours. They have heaps of walking tours, a boat tour, and some bus tours. We've been on many of them. Their office is almost across the street from the Art Institute. There's a half-price ticket service for plays -- not sure where it is located downtown, but I also think one can buy tickets online. Chicago is noted for both its theatre and architecture. As for restaurants, I prefer Lou Malnati's over Uno's or Due's too. If you like Asian, Star of Siam is very close to your hotel (Illinois and State) and very reasonable. They have a sister restaurant, Dao, on East Ohio I think, again not far from the Marriott. You can hop on the Red Line to Chinatown for a cheap lunch or dinner also. We've had numerous breakfasts at the Pittsfield building restaurant. I think it has lost some of its charm recently, and it's not as cheap.