Hotwire Hotel: 4* Chicago (Northbrook - Glenview - Mt Prospect) Renaissance North Shore

[Sakreger]

Hi, our family is planning on visiting Chicago on 6/11-6/14. We would like to stay in the Skokie-Niles-Evanston area because of cost and we don't mind the train rides to get to the places we would like to visit. We haven't traveled much or used Priceline since having kids 7 years ago so I'm out of touch with where to start my bidding. Any suggestions will be appreciated!

[AaronJB]

Welcome to Betterbidding.

 

A few thoughts:

 

1. Unfortunately, the Evanston hotels rarely have appeared as a win. At the 3* level, the Holiday Inn North Shore is a possibility and it's not a great one. If you're in Skokie, you could drive to the Skokie Swift.

 

2. Evanston is usually mildly more expensive than Northbrook.  Additionally, Northbrook also is closer to some family-friendly activities (Chicago Botanic Garden, Ravinia Music Festival, Wagner Farm, Kohl Children's Museum).

 

3. If a party of four, the issue with bidding is that you may only get 1 bed. You can bid, but you may have to negotiate with the hotel in terms of bedding and they can say no. Hot.wire would be a better choice/less risk if you are traveling as a family and can then enter in the amount of people in the party (and get bedding for the entire party.)

 

On Hot.wire - when searching for 2 adults/2 children, I'm seeing:

 

4* Northbrook: Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Golf, Free Parking, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower, Pet Friendly $84

-- Likely Renaissance Northbrook. Would be a great option, with a shuttle (although you'd have to call for hours) to the Metra, plus the walk-in (so you don't have to pay the parking cost) for the Botanic Garden is across the highway. If you walk in, free. If you took the Metra train in (which is what the shuttle would take you to), way nicer way to get into the city, with two levels, conductors, bathrooms. 

 

I'm also seeing a 4.5* Northbrook w/Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Free Parking, Pet Friendly. $85.

-- Likely the Westin North Shore, which is not as convenient to transit.

 

In Evanston on Hot.wire, I'm seeing what appears to be the Doubletree for $147, which I wouldn't pay for that property and it's just ridiculous when the Renaissance - which really isn't that far North - is about fifty bucks less.

 

You may see slightly different rates in terms of Hot.wire. Please let me know if you have any questions before booking and I'd be happy to answer any city questions.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

 

[Sakreger]

Thanks, Aaron! We are traveling as a family of four. I have never used Hotwire, so I appreciate the insight. Having the shuttle to the train is a huge selling point! Do you estimate we would be looking at at least a 30 minute ride to Wrigley and a bit longer to the museums? Are there any areas closer to Chicago that I may be overlooking where we could stay in that same price range?

I appreciate your time.

[Sakreger]

I'm also looking for a tall building to take our kids to the top of for a fun view, but don't like the idea of having to pay $20 per person for the couple minute long experience at 360 Chicago or the Willis Tower. Are there any local secrets for a place to go up high for a view?

[Romelle]

You'll have to research the cost, but this article has lots of other interesting information about the tall buildings of Chicago.  Your kids might enjoy it also.

 

Romelle

[AaronJB]

Thanks, Aaron! We are traveling as a family of four. I have never used Hotwire, so I appreciate the insight. Having the shuttle to the train is a huge selling point! Do you estimate we would be looking at at least a 30 minute ride to Wrigley and a bit longer to the museums? Are there any areas closer to Chicago that I may be overlooking where we could stay in that same price range?

I appreciate your time.

 

Happy to help! :)

The issue with Chicago is that once you leave the downtown area, there is very little in the way of hotels until you get further out. There are some hotels in Lincoln Park (a North neighborhood in the city), but the issue is that they are often not competitively priced. If it's remotely busy downtown, if there is a Cubs game (especially vs the Cardinals), etc, then these hotels can be pricey or just sold out. The one listing on HOTWIRE for these dates in Lincoln Park is a 4* for $331. Downtown seems quite expensive for these dates.

 

Going a little further out, once you cross the North border of the city limits, you get to Evanston (which is a great college town - lots of restaurants, lots going on) and Skokie (which is nice, but is ultimately really spread out and not as convenient as Evanston.) Again, unfortunately these are often the most expensive suburbs due to overflow traffic from the city, given that they are really the first line closest to downtown.

 

To offer an example for these dates, I'm seeing what appears to be the Doubletree in Skokie for $160 when searching today (I believe up a bit from a day or so ago.) That's a fine enough property, Old Orchard Mall on the opposite corner, nice area. However, as someone familiar with the area and who has stayed at that hotel, I'd never pay $160 for it. From here, you could drive to the Skokie Swift or possibly to Evanston and then take the L downtown.

 

There is one riskier option in the Evanston zone on HOTWIRE for $129 w/Restaurant, Pool, Fitness, Complimentary Breakfast, Smoke Free, Free Internet, Hi-Speed Internet, Laundry, Golf. This listing has not yet been ID'd/reported to the board. My guess is that it may be the Best Western University Plaza in Evanston with the addition of a smoke-free amenity since it was last reported to the board. IF this is the Best Western, that is a dated hotel but one in a super-convenient location. If it's something else - not sure what else it may be but there's the risk it could be something like the Best Western Morton Grove, then it wouldn't be as good of a result.

 

That said:

 

I see a 4* in the Northbrook area for $85 w/Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Golf, Free Parking, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower, Pet Friendly. 

-- This is a possible match for the Renaissance North Shore, which has been seen with this amenity set previously. The difference in location between the Renaissance North Shore and the Doubletree is about 7.2miles and that is pretty much expressway.

 

So, for a hotel 7.2mi further North, you are paying significantly less. The Renaissance is also a nicer hotel (which was renovated not that long ago.)

 

The difference becomes transportation. If you stayed at the Renaissance, according to the website, they do offer a shuttle. I just called them to confirm and they still do offer a shuttle to the nearby Metra station - they offer shuttle service to Glencoe and Northbrook Metra stations, you'd want to tell them to go to the former. Again though, you'd have to confirm how late the shuttle runs.

 

What you would do is take the Metra to Davis Street Evanston, get off at Davis Street Evanston, then the CTA station is literally across the way. Then you would take the CTA South to Addison. You're right at Wrigley.

 

OR:

 

You could take the Metra downtown if you aren't going to Wrigley that day.

 

It would be longer than 30 minutes. The Metra from Glencoe to Davis Street is about 18 minutes, plus you'd have to time it so that the shuttle gets you to the Metra station in Glencoe within a reasonable time so that you can get the next train and not have to wait until the next train. The Metra trains do not run as often, especially on Saturday/Sunday. Then it's another maybe 30-40 minutes on the CTA (although there'd be less of a wait for the next train likely than for the Metra, as the CTA trains run more often) to Addison. Once you're at Addison, you're right there. 

 

If you took the Metra downtown, it ends at Ogilvie Transit Center in the West Loop. You'd then have to walk - and it's a bit of a trek - or public transit to get around the city.

 

So, basically, if you stayed at the Renaissance, you could either stay on the Metra (the Metra trains are quite nice (dual levels, bathrooms, conductors)  all the way downtown. 

OR:

 

You could get off the Metra at Davis Street in Evanston, walk across the way to the CTA station and either take that to Wrigley or take that downtown. If you took the CTA into the city, that gets you further into downtown vs the Metra, which stops in the West Loop. If you get to the CTA at Davis early enough, you can get the Evanston Express, which makes all of the Evanston stops and then makes no stops until you're closer to downtown.

 

In a way, it gives you some flexibility. You could even drive to Evanston if you were in the mood for a pretty drive through the North Shore towns on the way, then park in a garage in Evanston near the CTA station. Evanston has a lot of restaurants - at the end of the day if you were on your way back and it was around dinner time, you could stop there, have a bite and then make your way back.

 

Or, there are restaurants around the Renaissance, including Barnaby's Pizza across the street, which is something of a local institution - it looks exactly the same as it did a few decades ago when I was a kid. 

 

If you stayed at the Renaissance, lots of John Hughes movie locations (Ferris Bueller, Home Alone) nearby. There are also some great beaches nearby, but you will probably need to purchase a day pass at most beaches.

 

------------ 

 

So, in the North Burbs, I'm seeing: the potential Doubletree for $160 (which, I just wouldn't when there's something nicer for almost half the price 7 mi North.), the potential Best Western University Plaza (would be great if it is in terms of location although that hotel itself is pretty dated - still, there is a *risk* it could be something else) for $129 or the Renaissance for $85.

 

If you did get the Best Western University Plaza that is a couple of blocks from the Davis Street "L"/Metra stop mentioned above. 

 

Personally, I'd rather save the money and stay at the Renaissance and have some extra travel time, but that's just me - I'm really familiar with the area.  Understandably, it comes down to whether or not you feel the savings that the Renaissance provides are worthwhile for some extra travel time.

 

Let me know if you have any questions before booking.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[Sakreger]

When I go to Hotwire and search Northbrook, I'm only seeing a 3.5* $69; a 4.5* $95; and a 4* $108.Any ideas?

[yellowdog]

How many adults and children did you include in your search?

 

Also, please list the amenities HOTWIRE associates with the hotel you're looking at. Please run a new search using our BiddingHelper.com tool at the top of this page. Once the search is completed, use the EASY VIEW TAB and click the GREEN BUTTON next to this listing to view the complete set of amenities. Then copy and paste the amenities, as well as the price, in a reply to this thread and we will then have a look at this offer.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

 

Yellowdog.

[AaronJB]

This morning when searching for 2 adults and 2 children for 6/11-14, I'm seeing:

 

4* Northbrook:

Restaurant, Pool, Indoor Pool, Fitness, Smoke Free, Hi-Speed Internet, Business, Laundry, Golf, Free Parking, Blind Accessible, Deaf Accessible, Travel Accessible, Room Accessible, Bathroom Accessible, Handicapped Parking, Roll-in Shower, Pet Friendly

-- Likely Renaissance. I'm seeing $85, you may see a slightly different, but not that much different.

 

The 4.5* in the zone is likely the Westin, which is fairly far West and I don't think is as convenient as the Renaissance.

 

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases... or thru our sister site MAPS and HOTELS.com for your regular rate purchases.

[Sakreger]

I just searched again and it came back as you said! Not sure why it wasn't available last night. I booked it, through the Hotwire link. $87/night and it was the Renaissance! Thanks for your help!

If you have any suggestions on how to get a view from up inside a skyscraper without spending $70+ to do so that would be great!

Thanks again for your time and advice!

[AaronJB]

Congrats on your success. :)
 

Very nice win for this property and glad you are pleased with the win.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions about the area - if you do need restaurant recommendations, please let me know likes/dislikes and I'd be happy to offer some thoughts.

 

There's really nothing comparable to the Hancock or Sears Tower, but the alternative is the Signature Lounge/Room at the Skydeck (http://www.signatureroom.com/TheSignatureLounge)

 

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

 

Enjoy your stay.

[Sakreger]

For restaurants we tend to stay away from big chains. We would like to go where former residents miss once they've moved away. We do not enjoy fancy and pretty meals. We prefer food that tastes incredible and fills up our active boys' bellies :) I would love any recommendations. Since this is our boys' first trip to Chicago at an age where they'll remember it, I do want them to experience what Chicago is known for. So what is beyond the pizza, hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches?

We're doing a Cubs game, and have a local Michigan museum membership that also gets us in to the museums in Chicago! Thinking about checking out the zoo, maybe the blues fest. I think they would enjoy a water taxi ride just to be on the water so I'd like to try to fit that in. We go with the flow of the day and like to get to restaurants and shops we don't have around home.

Thanks for any tips!

[AaronJB]

For restaurants we tend to stay away from big chains. We would like to go where former residents miss once they've moved away. 

 

It's funny you mention that. Your hotel is across from Barnaby's Pizza. Barnaby's was a regional chain in the 70's and early '80's that was much beloved locally. Each one was individually owned but they've all pretty much closed over the years. The one in Northbrook is I believe is one of maybe a couple left. If you go in, it's a nice enough looking place and nothing fancy. However, to locals who grew up in the area, it looks exactly like people remember 20-30+ years ago. When I say exactly, I mean as if it was frozen in time, nothing about the look of the place has changed since I was a kid. The pizza is not the world's best pizza, but it's very good with a buttery, corn meal crust. They do do take out so you could take it back to the hotel if you prefer (I think they do a solid business from the Renaissance.)

 

You can see more here:

http://chicago.seriouseats.com/2010/07/barnabys-family-inn-thin-crust-pizza-northbrook-illinois-il.html

 

Your hotel is on Skokie Blvd, if you head North on Skokie Blvd you'll pass Dundee and keep heading North on Skokie Blvd. You'll go under the Expressway and on the other side there's a mall on the left hand side of the road. Towards the top end of that mall there's a Trader Joe's - great option for cheap snacks to bring back to the hotel or take during the day.

 

Bluegrass (http://www.yelp.com/biz/bluegrass-highland-park) isn't far from your hotel and that is a really nice Cajun restaurant with tremendous pulled pork sandwiches.

 

Not that far West of your hotel is Georgie V's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/georgie-vs-pancake-house-northbrook) for breakfast.

 

If you leave your hotel and drive North on Skokie Blvd, the first intersection is Dundee Road. If you take Dundee going East, you'll eventually get to Green Bay where Dundee ends. If you take Green Bay going South, you'll go through a number of the North Shore towns before getting to Evanston. I haven't parked there - I don't drive - but you could park at one of the city garages (http://www.cityofevanston.org/parking/lots-garages/) and then take the CTA or Metra downtown.

 

At the point of Dundee and Green Bay, if you head South you'll wind through Hubbard Woods where you'll find Once Upon a Bagel (http://www.yelp.com/biz/once-upon-a-bagel-winnetka), which is a local institution. They have great breakfast/lunch (fantastic deli sandwiches)/dinner options and a vast menu. 

 

Further South, in Winnetka, there's tiny Green Bay Cafe for breakfast (http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-original-green-bay-cafe-winnetka).

 

Further South, in Kennilworth there's the famed Homer's Ice Cream (http://www.yelp.com/biz/homers-ice-cream-wilmette), which has been rated as one of the best ice cream places in the country. Their ice cream is great - I'm not as much a fan of the hot dogs/fries. Homer's has been there for decades - since the 1930's.

 

A bit further South, there's Walker Brothers (http://www.yelp.com/biz/walker-bros-original-pancake-house-wilmette-3), which is arguably one of the most famed breakfast spots in the area. If you're not there early, a warning - you may encounter a line.

 

Evanston's not that far South of Wilmette.

 

I'll add more to this within the next few days. Please let me know if you have any questions on the above.

[AaronJB]

Downtown:

 

Ed Debevic's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/ed-debevics-chicago-2) is either going to be fun or a nightmare, depending on the person. As a kid, I thought it was amusing but liked the burgers and fries. The service is (and was) intentionally bad - the waiters have the attitude of a 50's movie but it's all a goof and they occasionally sing/dance. 

 

Rather than Ed's, I'd just recommend Portillo's (http://www.yelp.com/biz/portillos-hot-dogs-chicago?osq=portillos+hot+dog) instead - better, similar food without the goofy "attitude" of Ed's.

 

RJ Grunt's(http://www.yelp.com/biz/r-j-grunts-chicago-16)  - the first in the Lettuce Entertain You local empire (LEY is a boutique restaurant company with tons of different concept restaurants.) RJ's is a family-friendly offering with burgers and fries, close to Lincoln Park Zoo.

 

I'm not a huge fan of deep dish pizza - it sits heavy especially if you're going to be walking around a lot. Uno's is arguably the most popular, but it's a small place and the lines are ridiculous. I'd rather Lou Malnati's - which is in the River North area or there's another one in the Gold Coast area.

 

There's also a Lou Malnati's not that far from your hotel in Wilmette (http://www.yelp.com/biz/lou-malnatis-pizzeria-wilmette).

 

Xoco (http://www.yelp.com/biz/xoco-chicago) is a great casual option from famed chef Rick Bayless in River North (http://www.yelp.com/biz/xoco-chicago).

 

The nice thing about Wrigley Field if you're going to a Cubs game is that the area around Wrigley is quite nice. I'd recommend attempting to go early because if you try to go late then you are going to run into jammed "L" trains because the "L" is the preferred way for people to get to the game. If you get there early, it's definitely a nice area to stroll around.

 

The Zoo is - I think - a given; it's a fantastic zoo and free. The Notebaert Nature Museum (http://www.naturemuseum.org/) is a couple of blocks North of the North end of the Zoo, and that has a beautiful live butterfly exhibit.

 

There are a couple of boat tours at the Michigan Ave bridge (Wendella and CAF) and both are excellent but kinda pricey. The Water Taxi (which can take you to Chinatown) doesn't offer a guided tour but is much cheaper.

 

The Field Museum is great, but the Shedd Aquarium I'd say go early - I just don't find it as enjoyable when it's jammed.

 

The Museum of Science and Industry is fantastic, but it's a ways South of the city and you have to budget time for getting there (http://www.msichicago.org/).

 

---

 

This is an entirely separate idea, but something to consider potentially for a future trip - there are a number of Minor League baseball teams in the Midwest, including one not that far from Chicago in Kenosha. It's here you can see potential future major league players and it's just soooooo much cheaper. The atmosphere is more relaxed and the games are a lot of fun. Kenosha's not that far (45 min?) North of the hotel you're staying at. 

 

Again, I really, really recommend the Chicago Botanic Garden (http://www.chicagobotanic.org/), which has a walk-in entrance on the other side of the expressway that your hotel shuttle could drop you off at. It's an amazing place and probably one of the most remarkable garden museums in the US. There's also a beautiful cafe and indoor exhibits.

 

Please let me know if you have any questions on the above and if you let me know if any types of food are preferred, I'd be happy to offer more recommendations.

 

[Sakreger]

All of this is great info! I really appreciate the time you took to share it! We will definitely try some of these places.

[AaronJB]

Happy to help! :) Let me know if you have any other city questions.

 

Enjoy your stay.