Where should a 1st time Tourist stay? (Chicago, Grant Park: how much, hotels)

[Azalea City Man]

Sorry I don't have time to read through all the threads. First time to the Chicago section. A couple of responses will do fine.

So, where should someone who has never been to Chicago, but will be spending a weekend in Chicago soon ... stay? Any suggestions on areas of town/nice but economical hotels?

Before I get the question, "what do you want to do?" ... let me say that my girlfriend and myself simply want to experince what your downtown/uptown (the good areas of it?) have to offer. I don't care about baseball or the Cubs, although I wish we were going to be there at a time of year when the Bulls or Bears are playing (only moved to STL 2 months ago - am from the Gulf Coast of Alabama). So, sports is not a concern. We don't want to go clubbin'. We would just rather walk around, visit a few cool places, and experience the culture of a world class city (or at least one that is categorized as such by "experts"). Any ideas?

Thanks!

[Steve-o]

How much do you want to spend? I could recommend somewhere like the Holiday Inn, or someplace a little more unique like the Hotel Monaco or Hard Rock Hotel, or something extravagant like the Four Seasons, Trump, or The Peninsula. Id definitely say stay somewhere along north Michigan Avenue if you want tons of shopping and dining options, as well as along nearby Oak Street. Definitely stay downtown, it'll put you in the middle of all the action (including parks and somewhat close by museums).

[Azalea City Man]

Cool. I am personally on a Holiday Inn budget with a possible interest of upgrading to "Unique". I could care less about staying in a rich man's hotel .

So is anywhere along N. Michgan and and/or Oak Street in a walkable district? Or, are there certain imaginary squares I should look for on a map?

[Bud Dickman]

With that budget you might want to look a little further North to save some money and just try to find someplace off of the Blue Line or Red Line. Those will take you downtown where it sounds like you'll spend most of your time. From downtown you can take a bus or walk to most of the attractions like the beach, Grant Park, Millennium Park, good restaurants and shopping, Sears Tower, etc...

[soulful]

I would suggest you stay in a hotel in the North Michigan Avenue area (including sides streets). Anywhere from 400 North Michigan north to 900 North Michigan. You will be very comfortable in that area and have good access to public transportation. It is a safe area and a good home base for a first time tourist.

Check out hotels on expedia, travelocity, hotwire, orbitz, and perhaps even priceline "name your own price" where you can pick the zone of the city also.

[Equestrienne]

I am a limousine driver in Chicago and our accounts include all of the high-end hotels, which are frightfully pricey. Chicago is very walkable if you stay in the right area. Chicago's eastern boundary is Lake Michigan. The Chicago River separates the downtown area (theaters, museums and some shopping as well as business district) and North Michigan Avenue shopping/restaurant district. The main drag is Michigan Avenue. I think a good area to stay would be right around the Chicago River so you are close to both of the major areas. There are free trolleys run by the city in that area, too. I don't really know the prices of the hotels but some that might be reasonable near there are the Renaissance, Hotel 71, Hotel Sax as well as the aforementioned Hard Rock Hotel and Monaco. Like many large cities, the hotels are pricey and parking is very expensive. For a tourist, I think the transit system would be somewhat confusing. I think the guide books should list nearby train stops like the tourist guides in London do.

[jessiegirl_98]

I would priceline a hotel for 3 or 4 stars downtown (the loop/gold coast)

[myrc60]

If you are planning on going to Chicago in the next few months a Holiday Inn budget is going to be very hard to attain. Go to the reservation sites mentioned above and look at rates downtown. Once you see what it is going to cost you may want to look elsewhere. Parking a car downtown is expensive; $20 per day or more I would think by now. If your budget is cheaper than you are finding look by both airports next. If that isn't cutting it come back here for advice.

[Avengerfire]

Find a hotel at a good cost first. Then plan your trip around it.

[summers19]

I agree with a previous poster that the Gold Coast is a good choice. Hotel Indigo is unique and it's located a few blocks from Lake Michigan. There are plenty of restaurants and shops around, and the subway is a block away (red line). You can get downtown in two stops (5 minutes?) to where all the action is. The Gold Coast is a beautiful, quaint part of the city. Everything is at your fingertips.