Help with Chicago trip please!

[gcferg]

My family and I go to Chicago at least once a year for either a long weekend or a week. We originally thought it would be a cheap alternative compared to WDW vacations but found that it could quickly cost as much if not more. It can be very expensive, especially staying downtown. What we do is stay out by O'Hare. There are a number of nice hotels, some with free parking, that are within a block of the CTA blue line and we can usually get a good rate of about $100-$150 a night. It is about a 30-40 minute train ride to downtown but my kids (age 2 and 8 when we started doing this) loved the train. The trains don't get you to Navy Pier so you have to switch to a bus but all felt safe and we had a lot of fun. The only time we were a little concerned was when we took the train to the museum of science and industry. You have to go through some more unsavory neighborhoods to get there. So if that is a destination for you, then I would drive to it.

If you plan on going to a lot of the museums downtown then look into the City Pass. It can save you a lot of money and is often a different line than walk up purchases and is typically shorter for entering the museum.

Staying out by O'Hare also puts you within 20 minutes of Woodfield mall where there is a Legoland Discovery Center and Rainforest Cafe (also a Rainforest Cafe downtown). If your kids are in to legos they would enjoy this option. It is not a whole day thing, just a couple of hours would suffice.

I would be happy to offer other suggestions as well just PM me. My wife and I used to live in the suburbs of Chicago and so we find ourselves back often visiting friends or taking our kids downtown.

Have Fun!

 

[Leigha]

My daughter just got the Palmer House Hilton for $100 on Priceline and is so excited since it is just what she wanted! She is planning on getting the one day ticket that lets you visit as many places as you can for one price. She is looking for a discount on the cruise to see the different building styles - any advice??

 

[sk8jdgca]

Another alternative is to check out vrbo.com there are some nice places in lincoln park which is a 10 minute bus ride to the mag mile- where is your dance conventions?

 

[Lucille1963]

My daughter just got the Palmer House Hilton for $100 on Priceline and is so excited since it is just what she wanted! She is planning on getting the one day ticket that lets you visit as many places as you can for one price. She is looking for a discount on the cruise to see the different building styles - any advice??

The Boat Tour put on by the Chicago Architecture Foundation is fabulous. As far as discounts, I'd suggest that she sign up for Groupon, Living Social and Chicago Reader Deals, she might get lucky.

The only time we were a little concerned was when we took the train to the museum of science and industry. You have to go through some more unsavory neighborhoods to get there. So if that is a destination for you, then I would drive to it.

There is an express bus (#10) from North Michigan Avenue to the Museum of Science and Industry. It is quick, easy to find, doesn't take you through any unsavory neighborhoods an literally drops you off and picks you up right at the front door.

 

[Massillon Dad]

You can get it for points (low) or cheap (cash & Points) or score it often times on skyauction.com for cheap...and bonus is its a nice 3.5-4* just 2 blocks from pier, Michigan ave. DON'T ever pay $200! Tough luck on the parking, though: supply/demand means you gonna pay!

 

[Familycircus]

Our family took a short trip to Chicago in March during the kids’ spring break. We are a family of 5 and it was impossible to find cheap lodging downtown. Most rooms are occupancy of 4. We rented a house I found on www.vrbo.com near Wicker Park area for $99/nt. This worked out great, free parking, space to spread out, full kitchen, two bathrooms, four easy blocks to a Blue Line station, and downtown in 15min. We felt completely safe with the kids. Including arrival and departure days, we were there 4 days. I didn’t want to spend the vacation driving around the city, worry about finding parking and the cost. Now having had two kids in competition dance for four years, I understand the desire to use the car, make-up, costumes, etc. I think in this case I would still use public transit, not sure I’d want to drag that stuff on the buses though, maybe hail a cab out to NP.

We had planned to do most of our stuff during the middle two days of our trip. I broke down the number of times we would be riding trains/buses to and fro, including transfers. The most cost effective way worked out to be, wife and I get two 1-day passes and the kids get reduced fare cards. For you maybe 3-day passes for everyone would work. You just have to crunch the numbers. The reduced fare cards are only available online or at the main office. They come in packs of two and each kid needs their own, they are preloaded cards and money can be added to them at any fare machine. Note, at the train stations you need the CTA attendant to run his card to let the kids enter the turnstyles. I ordered the reduced fare cards and our first set of passes online. If you do this, you need to allow a week for mailing. We did drive into the city our first evening. I was able to find free parking 1 block from the Sears Tower. We also bought our second set of one-day passes at the Walgreens across from the Rock-n-Roll McDonalds. Note, it costs to park at that McD.

Chicago is expensive as others have already stated. We went over budget on food and my daughter’s American Girl doll. Think about what your family spends going out to eat and increase your food budget by 25%.

Some had mentioned the City Pass, and I researched this option for our trip. The attractions we wanted to see I didn’t want to have to choose between. We saw Sears Tower (Willis), John Hancock Observatory, Fields Museum (free day), and MSI. Ours worked out better separately with the free day we got at the Fields. Go onto all their websites for prices and compare.

Someone had mentioned the Metra trains. These are commuter lines and completely separate from the CTA, requiring additional fares.

If you do decide to drive the car around, do not drive to Museum Campus or MSI. Take the buses and pay the single fare. Parking at those places would cost considerably more than bus fare. The #146 goes to Museum Campus. Now someone already mentioned the #10 to MSI, this only runs in the summer and has fewer stops. It may also be more crowded with tourists. The #6 is the same route with a few more stops. Since we went in March we took the #6 without a problem. Just to give you options.

Be sure to check out the CTA website www.transitchicago.com


Sorry such a long post, but I hope its helpful.

 

[Styx Fan]

I am considering a Grandma, Mom, daughter pilgrimage to the shrine of the American Girl in August and just wanted to thank all you have shared so much info in this thread!

DH has relatives in Chicago and I have a friend in the 'burbs, so we have been to the city many times, but almost never doing the tourist things or staying in hotels. This thread is one I will be coming back to if we decide to go and really studying

 

[bcvprincesses]

We travel to Chicago a few times a year and always stay at Embassy Suites Downtown Lakefront. Love it! The rooms are all suites and the free breakfast can't be beat including made to order omelets. Free drinks including alcohol for two hours every night with snacks. Very close to Navy Pier. We have even walked there in the winter. If you do decide on this hotel keep checking prices as they usually go down as the trip gets closer.