Budget Chicago Trip?

[4mickey]

I am interested in going to Chicago for a weekend of siteseeing and possibly doing a little bit of Christmas shopping? Where are the best places to stay? sightseeing? shopping? Need all the info possible.

 

[aprncess]

Sightseeing.....make your way over to Marshall Fields which is now Macy's to look in the store windows, dont forget to check out the inside so you can see the big Christmas tree, you can check out King Tut at the Field Museum, take a ride to the top at the John Hancock or Sears tower, you could try also Adler Planetarium, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Museum of Science and Industry or the Art Institute of Chicago, you may want to try Navy Pier also although with it being winter, its not as nice as in the summer ....for shopping you will want to walk down the Magnificent Mile, for a stay you could try...Marriott, Courtyard or Hilton.....food, well if you have a great sense of humour try Ed Debevic's, or for pizza Gino's East, if you like sports try Harry Caray's or Mike Ditka's Restaurant.... if i can think of anything else i will update

 

[buckeye]

If it's a budget trip, I would definitely use Priceline for the hotel. Hotels in prime spots in Chigago are very $$ and Priceline will save you a ton! More money for shopping and food!

Have fun. Chicago before Christmas is my favorite time to go!!!

 

[disney4me4ever]

If you will be driving, head over to the Chicago Premium Outlet mall in Aurora, about a half hour from downtown Chicago. It's got some great stores (including Kate Spade and Coach outlets!).

 

[WiscMomof2]

If you plan on doing alot of sightseeing I would recommend getting a Citypass http://www.citypass.com/city/chicago.html. It includes admission to many attractions like Shedd Aquaruim, Field Museum, etc. It is a pretty good deal for short weekend trips. Michigan Ave/Magnificant Mile has tons of shopping, Water Tower Place etc. Do you have children? If you have girls, American Girl Place is a must do. Chicago's great. Have fun!

 

[aclov]

If your looking for shopping, the best area is on Magnificent Mile, on Michigan Ave. You have tons of stores - Norstrom, Water Tower, Saks, etc. also a lot of restaurants. Just beware, sales tax is 9% which to me is high.

I've never done Priceline so I can't comment there. But I have seen some less expensive hotel chains, such as Homewood Suites, Red Roof Inn, Best Western in that vicinity. If you want to stay right on Michigan Ave., there's the Marriott, Intercontinental Hotel, the Radisson is very near the Disney Store.

Enjoy your stay, just bundle up, it's starting to get a bit chilly out this way!

 

[aclov]

If you plan on doing alot of sightseeing I would recommend getting a Citypass http://www.citypass.com/city/chicago.html. It includes admission to many attractions like Shedd Aquaruim, Field Museum, etc. It is a pretty good deal for short weekend trips. Michigan Ave/Magnificant Mile has tons of shopping, Water Tower Place etc. Do you have children? If you have girls, American Girl Place is a must do. Chicago's great. Have fun!

I've seen the Citypass on skyauction.com. Might be cheaper if you can win the bid.

 

[summerrluvv]

Priceline is a must for budget traveling! We stayed at the Grand Hyatt on Wacker, which was super nice and paid $99 per night. --- OOPS, we actually used Hotwire for that stay, not priceline.

Ed Debevics is so fun!! It's diner style food, but the servers are hysterical!

Does anyone know if they have Dick's Last Resort there still? I remember going there when I was younger and it was a hoot too.

 

[My2Cinderellas]

I took the girls for a long weekend this summer. We took Amtrak into Union Station, instead of driving. I saved $120 minimum in parking charges. $30/night for self park, or more likely, $38 for valet park at the Palmer House. We took a cab to the hotel. To get to the museums, and up to Michigan Ave, we used the bus. a 3 day (72 hr) CTA pass good on the El and busses was $12. we had a bus stop kitty corner from the hotel so it was convenient.

I would recommend the Palmer House as well, it's in the Loop/Theater district just south of Michigan Ave shopping, about 2-3 blocks down State Street from Marshall Fields. I got a great rate on the hotel at AAA, and while the hotel rates seem steep enough, don't forget to add 15% tax and the killer parking charges. The concierge was very helpful in directing me to interesting nearby restaurants that were kid friendly. They didn't always have a kids menu, but we were always able to find something even my picky eater liked. There are several other nice hotels in the area as well.

Have a great time!

 

[4mickey]

This is going to be an adults only trip. My husband definetely wants to go to the magnificant mile area. I have noticed that the hotels are very pricey. Are there are any good areas in Chicago that you can stay that are around 100? that has easy access to the bus station? How easy is it to use the bus throughout the city?

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

Public transportation is great in Chicago. Trains and busses will get you anywhere you need to go.

Even if you're trying to keep your room budget to around $100 per night, don't rule out staying downtown. The Red Roof Inn at the corner of Ontario and St. Clair is one block off Michigan Ave. and usually has rooms for 80-100 per night. The rooms are small, but they're clean and the beds are comfortable. As others have suggested, check hotwire or priceline for some great hotel deals. You'll want to avoid the weekend before and the weekend after Turkey Day. It's a nightmare down here at that time.

I live in the Mag Mile area. Please PM me if you have any specific questions.

 

[momz]

we stayed at a double tree in the burbs which we booked through priceline at 1/3 the listed price. i couldn't believe my eyes when my bid was accepted. priceline is a great option if you can be flexible.

 

[buckeye]

One more thing about Priceline (if you're not familiar):

Go to biddingfortravel.com This discussion board is for people to post their winning bids for hotels. So, you can go the Chicago forum and see what hotels are going for what price. That way you have a better idea of what bid would likely be accepted for hotels and areas that you're interested in. YOu can also ask for advice.

 

[aprncess]

Does anyone know if they have Dick's Last Resort there still?

Yes, lol its still there and I didnt mention it but thought too, its a little more extreme than Ed's but absolutely a hoot so bring your sense of humour with you, if you intend to go

 

[summerrluvv]

One more thing about Priceline (if you're not familiar):

Go to biddingfortravel.com This discussion board is for people to post their winning bids for hotels. So, you can go the Chicago forum and see what hotels are going for what price. That way you have a better idea of what bid would likely be accepted for hotels and areas that you're interested in. YOu can also ask for advice.

The moderator on that site is a real witch. I suggest www.betterbidding.com. Much friendlier over there

 

[buckeye]

Yes, I thought about mentioning that ....I've never asked for advice on that forum---just researched bids and then took my best shot. I'd be too scared to actually post on that board!

 

[ogreenlee]

My friend goes to Chicago a lot and ALWAYS does Priceline for the LOOP area and seems to always get the Grand Hyatt right on Wacker for around $80/nt. And it's a really nice area!! Right on the river and you can see all the nice buildings including Wrigley.

I stayed at the Hard Rock in August and it's so overpriced. I've been in nicer La Quintas.