Visiting...Chicago - Part 1: Where to Stay

Chicago is a great place to visit...pretty easy to get around...but DEFINITELY bring money!!  Very few things are free!

I am, by no means an expert, but here are a few suggestions while visiting the windy city.


(1) Check out the typical weather!
(2) Find a place to stay that is close to transportation - and don't even bother with renting a car!  Driving in the Chi-town area = not fun!
 There are 2 major airports in Chicago:  O'Hare and Midway.

• Flying into O'Hare??  If you're budget conscious- Easy!  Stay at hotel around O'Hare that is near the blue line.  (Riding the El (aka CTA) is a Chicago-must-have experience.) 
• Or if you have a bit more money...stay at a hotel north of "the loop" or on Michigan Ave.  (The loop is the area where the El literally makes a loop in downtown - it's where a LOT of the skyscrapers are...and it is really dead on the weekends...I've had trouble finding places to eat that are open on noon on a Saturday/Sunday!!)
• Flying into Midway?? There isn't a lot of commerce around Midway...but it IS usually a little less busier than O'Hare - and it's the only place to fly Southwest into Chicago.  ++Southwest = 2 free checked bags per passenger!!  --But no assigned seating means you may get seperated from your party :-(  I digress...The orange line (CTA/El) ends in Midway - take it to the city when you come and take it back when you leave - super convenient!  And you will NOT be the only one on the train going to and from the airport with tons of luggage..!

Even more budget conscious??  Check out the suburbs and the Metra.  That's the mass transportation for the suburbs.  It is usually very nice.  It's a little bit pricier than the El - and it doesn't run as often...Oh!  And also - both the El and the Metra shut down for the night - but the El is usually later than the Metra...dependent on the line. Definitely check out their schedule before relying on them!!

What to do?!?!  Well that could be the subject for... another blog post...entirely...