Chicago vacation in December (Schaumburg, Marshall: condos, how much, taxes)

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The "North Michigan Ave Hotels" are not very convenient to the Museum Campus nor to Soldier Field -- Hilton is ideal, and a better value.

For luxury shopping and spas I would stick with N. Michigan Ave, but somehow I think Hawaiian resident gets plenty of that...

Come on. Its a short cab ride away from Soldier Field and the Museum campus. It's not like we're talking Brideport and Buena Park here.

[chet everett]

There is a signficant bias of the posters here toward public transit, and the OP did ask about a public transit pass. The extra distance would make only a few minutes difference in a cab but considerably more via buses /subway / El...

[Avengerfire]

^Easy. One bus. 146. 146 runs on Michigan Ave between Delaware and Wacker. It goes to Soldier Field.^

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by 808Jen

I've been browsing these forums for the past few days and have a couple of specific questions to ask.

My partner and I will be visiting Chicago (to see the Bears Vs. Packers game, 12/13/09) 12/09/09 - 12/15/09. I've been looking on the travel sites and need some assistance on hotel location. We don't need to be especially close to Soldier field since we'll only be there one day. The two cheapest hotel deals are in Elk Grove; Hazel Crest, Waukegan, and Bridgeview are the areas following Elk Grove. Are these locations far from the tourist attractions? Would we be better off spending more money and staying in Downtown Chicago? Are they safe neighborhoods? One of the hotels looks a bit sketchy. Are there any cheaper hotels in Downtown Chicago you can recommend?

We won't be renting a car and plan to get the passes offered on transitchicago.com. Does the 7-day CTA/Pace pass inclue the El? I see some of the boat tours are "limited" during the winter. Is there a good chance it'll be closed in December or does it just depend on the weather?

People from the East Coast (that work with me) are laughing saying I'm crazy to travel to Chicago during December. Any tips on clothing? I'm coming from Hawai'i where it rarely gets below 65. LOL.

Feel free to chime in on places we should definitely visit. Remember, we'll be tourists so we may hit Navy Pier.

Thanks in advance and I can't wait to visit your fantastic city!!

EW EW EW and EW! God all those towns suck IMO and are NOT tourist destinations. Spend the extra money and stay in the Loop or at least downtown. It will be worth it. Believe me, Chicago shines in December BIG TIME! One thing I will hand it to Chicago on is how festive the city is at Christmastime and how romantic it can be. It can really be beautiful and a lot of fun. The fact that you state your "partner" leads me to believe you're not exactly hetero??? If that's the case, also consider staying in Lakeview as well which is on the north end of the city and is home to "boystown" There's plenty of cabs you can catch that will take you right down to Soldier Field. Check out Orbitz and see what kind of deals you can get on there, it will be worth it.

[Manigault]

When you're in Chicago in December, make sure to check out the Christkindlmarket in the Daley Plaza. It is a surprisingly nice cold weather festival.

Christkindlmarket Chicago :: Events (http://www.christkindlmarket.com/event.html - broken link)

[808Jen]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

You can't choose the hotel, but you can choose the exact area you want the hotel to be, and ensure the hotel will be of good quality. Just set your areas to the loop or mag mile areas, and make sure its 4 stars or higher. You'll probably end up paying less than what you'd pay in one of the suburban hotel's standard rates.
I had never used Priceline until last week, when I was really just messing around, and ended up booking a room at the Hyatt on Michigan and Wacker for $40 ($55) with taxes. We 'upgraded' for $20 when we got to the hotel, and ended up with a nice room looking out at the Wrigley building and Trib tower.

Wow, $40 for a room at the Hyatt?? What an amazing deal! I would LOVE to stay there, may have to give the bidding a “go!”

Originally Posted by chet everett

The "North Michigan Ave Hotels" are not very convenient to the Museum Campus nor to Soldier Field -- Hilton is ideal, and a better value. For luxury shopping and spas I would stick with N. Michigan Ave, but somehow I think Hawaiian resident gets plenty of that...
The weather is wild card -- the list of temps does not include the windchill and the precipation state -- even in the 40s we can get the wind driven freezing rain that makes it PAINFUL to sit out for the whole Bears game.
The 100 seating is a bit lower than the upper level stuff, but the seats are quite exposed -- if it there is wind / rain / snow you have to provide your own gear. Plan on four layers as basice strategy: high tech under wear, heavy winter clothes that can be unbuttoned/unzipped, layer of insulating material (down,polar fleece, high tech, or old fashioned your choice) and a final layer of the best windproof/waterproof yet breathable outer layer you find/afford. Same strategy for gloves with liners, boots with multiple layers and thin liner socks inside of heavy wool, even multiple layers of 'head gear' are the only way to ward off rain/snow and fight sweat from the outside from rendering your miserable. And the frustration of schleping this stuff in from Hawaii would balloon if you we get a lovely day with clear skies, 40+ degrees and no appreciable wind. No real way to predict, so you have to plan for the worst / hope for the best and be prepared to pare down at the game if needed, though some how I doubt you will get a chance to show off your tan lines...

We have our share of “luxury” shops but that’s not really my speed. LOL.
Thanks again for the details in regards to clothing. Sounds like you’re a pro at it! Can I borrow some of your clothes? That may be easier. LOL. j/k. I’m thinking the jacket I saw on footballfanatics.com is not going to cut it in terms of a final layer. What do you mean by old fashioned? All these clothes and such are pretty much “new” fashioned since all we really have to deal with here is rain. Is there something waterproof/resistant for my head?

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

^Easy. One bus. 146. 146 runs on Michigan Ave between Delaware and Wacker. It goes to Soldier Field.^

Thanks!

Originally Posted by NYrules

EW EW EW and EW! God all those towns suck IMO and are NOT tourist destinations. Spend the extra money and stay in the Loop or at least downtown. It will be worth it. Believe me, Chicago shines in December BIG TIME! One thing I will hand it to Chicago on is how festive the city is at Christmastime and how romantic it can be. It can really be beautiful and a lot of fun. The fact that you state your "partner" leads me to believe you're not exactly hetero??? If that's the case, also consider staying in Lakeview as well which is on the north end of the city and is home to "boystown" There's plenty of cabs you can catch that will take you right down to Soldier Field. Check out Orbitz and see what kind of deals you can get on there, it will be worth it.

LOL!! “Not exactly hetero” is sure one way to put it. J To be completely honest, I didn’t even know what Boystown was until I googled it just a few minutes ago. Sounds like it’s happening during Pride Week. I’m really excited and think Chicago will be all that I’m hoping for and more!

Originally Posted by Manigault

When you're in Chicago in December, make sure to check out the Christkindlmarket in the Daley Plaza. It is a surprisingly nice cold weather festival.

Christkindlmarket Chicago :: Events (http://www.christkindlmarket.com/event.html - broken link)

AWESOME!! These are the types of things I’m looking forward too! Thanks for the link. I guess I’ll have to check the schedule when it gets closer to December.

[myrc60]

Originally Posted by chet everett

though some how I doubt you will get a chance to show off your tan lines...

Though some hardcore BEARS fans do try!

I would suggest that you not buy your winter wear in Hawaii; maybe Alaska or wait till you hit Chicago if you have the time to shop. Alaska has much warmer gear and that just might be your ticket if you will be bringing the gear on the plane with you. You could review the Alaska forum for help with that. There are some great people in that state.

[808Jen]

Hey all!

Thanks again for the help in my thread last week. J I think I’ve narrowed down the choices for the hotel. If y’all have opinions about the place(s) feel free to share! If you’ve (or know of friends) stayed there and liked/disliked it, found it to be an unsafe area, great location, etc. Please let me know which of these places give me the most bang for my buck. Thank you in advance.

Prices include airfare
Ambassador East Hotel - $819
The Palmer House Hilton - $857
Sutton Place Hotel - $888
Travelodge - $805
Tremont Hotel - $873

[Drover]

First of all, scratch Travelodge off your list. It's a Buick on a list of otherwise Mercedes hotels, which would be OK except you'd be paying near-Mercedes prices to stay there anyway. Then, throw a dart because the rest are nice places in safe areas.

That said, remind us again what you'll be in town for? That list of hotels spans the entire "core downtown" area and you'll probably want to stay closest to the thing you're looking to see and do.

[Surfindude]

Well, you might want to just do the airfare and bid on a hotel through Priceline. But, given the list, I"d skip on the Palmer House. Ambassador East is nice,though haven't stay in years. I heard they did a big upgrade. Tremont, right off Michigan AVe, and the Hancock would be my first choice.