This Saturday in Chicago........help, tips, advice (Lincoln, Grant Park: hotels, neighborhood)

[mml2009]

My friend and I are taking the train into Chicago this Saturday fror the day and spending the night until Sunday. We really want to see the holiday lights and take a carriage ride downtown.

Does anyone know of a good carriage company that does nightly tours? Also need a reasonable priced hotel that is not to far from the train station.

Also what must we see and do

Thanks so much!

[chet everett]

Whoa boy -- if you don't have a hotel set already I shudder to think what you'll pay for a night unless you use priceline or one of the other "blind bind" sites. Even then getting a nice place at a low price that is ALSO close to to Union Station is a crap shoot. The places that typically come up on Priceline as closest to Union Station are the 3 star Club Quarters at the corner of Adams and Clark, about half a mile from Union Station and the 4 star W City Center at Adams & Wells about two blocks closer. The W is a far nice choice for about 20% more. Expect the CLub Quarters to go for about $80 before steep City of Chicago taxes...

The horse drawn carriage thing is limited to North Michigan Ave for the most part. You would have to take a bus, El, or automobile taxi up there, not cheap:

Antique Coach and Carriage:::CITY TOURS
Chicago Horse & Carriage

[surlycue]

I wanted to add that if you don't particularly need a horse drawn carriage (the smell!!) then the bike/hipster drawn carriage rides are cheaper. They can also be caught in the river north area around Chicago, Ontario and Michigan Av.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by mml2009

My friend and I are taking the train into Chicago this Saturday fror the day and spending the night until Sunday. We really want to see the holiday lights and take a carriage ride downtown.

Does anyone know of a good carriage company that does nightly tours? Also need a reasonable priced hotel that is not to far from the train station.

Also what must we see and do

Thanks so much!

Personally, I think a carriage ride is probably better in theory than it is in reality. Sounds romantic, then you actually do it, and realize you spent a ridiculous amount of money to sit, cold, behind a horse.

Some people must like it though, since there are now more horses than cars on select arterial streets.*

Regarding what chet said above, I haven't had any family/friends reserve rooms downtown recently, but considering the economic conditions, I'm sure many hotels have a surplus of rooms they are looking to book, meaning bidding on priceline for anything in the Loop or Magnificent Mile/River North area should get you a room at a nice rate (start bidding at 50 or 60 bucks - selecting 4 star hotels)

Use the money you saved on the room to get a cab from Union Station, it shouldn't be more than 10 dollars.

Also consider checking out Lincoln Park zoo in the early evening. It's free, and they deck it out in lights much more impressively than what's done on Michigan ave.




*not true.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

Personally, I think a carriage ride is probably better in theory than it is in reality. Sounds romantic, then you actually do it, and realize you spent a ridiculous amount of money to sit, cold, behind a horse.

Many times it is a farting sh*tting horse as well.

[WhaThe]

Hopefully we'll be out of the single digits by Saturday. I would not like to be out in minus whatever windchills behind a horse. At least not for long.

I wonder if they even go out in that weather? I never noticed much in the winter but had the windows closed then. I lived by one of the stables for awhile and would notice them passing by in the summer often.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by mml2009

My friend and I are taking the train into Chicago this Saturday fror the day and spending the night until Sunday. We really want to see the holiday lights and take a carriage ride downtown.

Does anyone know of a good carriage company that does nightly tours? Also need a reasonable priced hotel that is not to far from the train station.

Also what must we see and do

Thanks so much!

I'm not sure why other posters are talking about Union Station since you don't mention which station you're coming into.

If you only have a weekend, stay as close to Michigan Avenue or State Street as you can afford to. Then take a taxi from the train station to your hotel. From any of the stations downtown, t won't be more than a $10 taxi ride unless you are staying north of Oak Street or south of Cermak - and you probably won't be, since most hotels are in between those. If you're coming into Union Station or Northwestern/Ogilvy Station, there's really not much nearby that you'll want to be near. Sears Tower is close to Union Station, and there are a few good restaurants near Northwestern, but neither of those things are strong enough pulls to get a hotel by the station.

Most people just pick up a horse carriage at the Water Tower - they hang out there most nights until 10ish, sometimes later. I doubt you'll want to be in that carriage in Winter for more than an hour, tops. I think they cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $40/per 30 minutes, with being picked up and dropped off at specific locations costing extra.

As for other things to do:

Kristkindlmarkt, in Daley Plaza, mostly German-themed foods and fine holiday crafts, and Chicago's official Christmas tree. It can be fun to see.

Ice skating
Chicago Ice Skating Rinks | Millennium Park | Grant Park Skating

Shopping, and lots of it. On State Street, on Michigan Avenue, on Rush Street, are all downtown, all nice. You can make a nice walk out of it starting on State Street at about Jackson and walking north to Randolph, east to Michigan, stopping at Millennium Park, then north along Michigan to Oak Street and west on Oak. Even if it's cold, you can pop in and out of stores and it won't seem so bad.

Signature Lounge in the Hancock Building. Get a drink for about the same price as a ticket to the observatory would cost, rest your feet and enjoy the view. Night views are probably most fun in the winter.
Signature Lounge at the 96th - When the Sky is the Limit...

Good food - any of dozens of restaurants in downtown that are very good. Tell us what kind of food interests you and we can give more details. Or search on Yelp.com

See show. There are plenty of theatres downtown or a short cab ride away that have plays and musicals running.
Chicago Plays - Your Source For Theatre In Chicago - League of Chicago Theatres

[chet everett]

If the OP is coming in to Ogilvie Transportation Center they would be on a commuter train, and that is only about two blocks north of Union Station, the only station with Amtrak / intracity rail lines. The other commuter rail stations have are spread out a bit more, but the OP specifically asked for a lower priced hotel near "THE" train station which typically means Amtrak, as those who know the commuter lines would be less likely to need to consult a forum with help planning an overnight trip...

State St hotels are significantly more expensive as they have a much more tourist oriented clientele and are literally just a few blocks from the more business hotels that might go nearly empty on a weekend. Michigan Ave hotels even moreso...

[emathias]

Originally Posted by chet everett

...
State St hotels are significantly more expensive as they have a much more tourist oriented clientele and are literally just a few blocks from the more business hotels that might go nearly empty on a weekend. Michigan Ave hotels even moreso...

This Saturday night, for $100 one can stay in almost any part of downtown for a night. In fact, often you can find cheaper places in the touristy areas simply because there are so many more rooms and so some are bound to be cheaper - the average might be higher on Michigan Avenue than the west loop, but the tails of the yield curve definitely stretch longer in both directions - more super-expensive, and more bargains. For short trips, location becomes even more important as you don't want to be spending a lot of time just getting to and from your hotel.