Hotel suggestions in Chicago, Milwaukee, or regional towns?

[cardinalpassenger]

A friend and I are planning to take the Cardinal to the Chicago area and back sometime later this year. We'll most likely be staying in the region two nights, but possibly only one night and three nights at the most before heading back out on the Card. (That all depends on how our time-off schedules and the train's tri-weekly schedule mesh, or don't mesh!) Neither of us has ever been to Chicago, Milwaukee, nor to any of the smaller towns that can be reached via the regional trains out of Chicago. First off, is there anywhere that you would recommend to stay that is in walking distance of either the Chicago or Milwaukee stations (including the Milwaukee airport station) that is reasonably priced, clean, and in a safe area? Secondly, I'm kind of leaning a bit towards doing some sightseeing between trains in the city, and then heading out to a smaller town to stay and soak in some midwestern small town atmosphere. Anywhere quaint/retro that comes to mind, as far as towns out one of the regional lines from Chicago that has a hotel in walking distance from its train? I've been looking some at Springfield and Galesburg, just to name a couple. The idea would be arrive in Chicago on the Cardinal in the morning, spend a few hours sightseeing, then head out in the late afternoon to whatever other town and stay overnight (or a couple of days) there, before reversing to catch the Card back home. Any/all input appreciated, as we're open to staying right in either city, by the Milwaukee airport, or in one of the outlying towns, depending on what we find out and what seems like it would be the most fun. Please keep in mind that our target budget for a room will most likely be in the $100-$125 a night range.

 

[Acela150]

Try the Holiday Inn Merchandise Mart. Nice and affordable in Chicago. Short cab ride away from Union Station.

 

[roomette]

Club Quarters is a 3 block walk from CUS, clean and in that price range.

http://www.clubquarters.com/loc_chicago.php

 

[Exiled in Express]

I may anger some of our fellow members but Milwaukee is my favorite Chicago neighborhood. The Hilton in Milwaukee is a 5 block walk from the station and is an old great downtown hotel, usually available on Priceline for ~70. Downtown Milwaukee also offers up great dining, entertainment, and a beach.

 

[Grandpa D]

I may anger some of our fellow members but Milwaukee is my favorite Chicago neighborhood.

Doesn't anger me a bit. Milwaukee is my hometown.

I might add that if the OP is going to rent a car in Milwaukee, take the Hiawatha to Milwaukee and get off at the airport. A free shuttle takes you to the airport terminal and all the usual rental car agencies. If you have checked luggage buy your ticket to MKE downtown, check your luggage to there, but get off at the airport, rent your car and drive to the Amtrak station to pick up the luggage. There are some car rentals 3 or 4 blocks from the Amtrak station but they close early and if the train is even a little late you're out of luck. We used Hertz and could return the car with no additional charge to the downtown office, 4 blocks from Amtrak, the morning our return train left.

 

[cardinalpassenger]

Thanks for all the input so far guys. As a history buff, I'll probably end up trying to at least spend one day in Springfield too. I do have another question about the trip while I'm thinking about it. We'll be leaving from an unstaffed station, and I know that the tickets will be mailed. Do they go ahead and mail them when you purchase them, or wait until closer until time for the trip to send them? (As we'd like to get a roomette on the Card, we'll be purchasing them way out, obviously.) I know the tickets are like cash, (come on, eticketing!) so into the safe they'll go til time for the trip. My other question though is, if I book a CHI-SPI ticket on the same transaction as the AKY-SPI ticket (may do it that way, and spend the first night in SPI, is what I'm thinking), will they also mail that ticket, or will I be able to wait and print it out at CHI?

 

[J-1 3235]

Thanks for all the input so far guys. As a history buff, I'll probably end up trying to at least spend one day in Springfield too. I do have another question about the trip while I'm thinking about it. We'll be leaving from an unstaffed station, and I know that the tickets will be mailed. Do they go ahead and mail them when you purchase them, or wait until closer until time for the trip to send them? (As we'd like to get a roomette on the Card, we'll be purchasing them way out, obviously.) I know the tickets are like cash, (come on, eticketing!) so into the safe they'll go til time for the trip. My other question though is, if I book a CHI-SPI ticket on the same transaction as the AKY-SPI ticket (may do it that way, and spend the first night in SPI, is what I'm thinking), will they also mail that ticket, or will I be able to wait and print it out at CHI?

Welcome to the Forum. Just make two, or more, reservations, and print the tickets as you travel. If there is an agent or a quick trak machine, you can opt to have them printed at the station. The very few times I had to have a ticket mailed, it believe it arrived shortly after I made the reservation, and I had to keep it in a safe place until the trip.

I'll second the Club Quarters on Adams, The best deal, at the time, was on Priceline.

Enjoy your trip!

Mike

 

[the_traveler]

When I was in Milwaukee a few weeks ago, I stayed at the Milwaukee Airport Best Western. There is (as said) a shuttle from the train station to the airport, but the BW also has their own shuttle that goes to EITHER the train station OR airport!

 

[jb64]

I am also on a non-staffed stop of the Cardinal and the tickets are mailed after they are sold regardless of how far out the date of travel. I have been holding on to a set of tickets for July since November.

If you make the Chi-Spf reservation separately, it will assume you are leaving from Chicago where you can print it out there. They won't mail that ticket to you.

Have a great trip.

 

[kentuckian1977]

I am also on a non-staffed stop of the Cardinal and the tickets are mailed after they are sold regardless of how far out the date of travel. I have been holding on to a set of tickets for July since November.

If you make the Chi-Spf reservation separately, it will assume you are leaving from Chicago where you can print it out there. They won't mail that ticket to you.

Have a great trip.

(I'm the guest formerly known as cardinalpassenger :giggle: , who is now signed in on my ID I got forever ago when I lived in Berea, Ky) Thanks, that was what I was wondering about. I'll book the other tickets separately then so I can print them out in CHI. I know if I didn't want to have to hang on to the AKY-CHI ticket for several months we could leave from the staffed station in HUN, but I prefer using the AKY station, it is just a lot handier from my friend's place. I think I saw another post on here the other day from someone else who uses AKY. Glad to know there are others who use stations in the middle of the Card's run on here. I know some would like to see the train go away, but there are a lot of us who would probably never get to take Amtrak (at least not without having to drive like 300-400 miles to get on it! hboy: ) if it weren't for the Card. (Which really does need to be daily.) As it is, I actually live 150 miles southwest of AKY now, but my best friend lives there now and it is not that much further than CIN or MAY (my closest stations, which either are still 120 miles from me), and AKY has better call times anyway. Now, if they could just bring back the Royal Palm on the NS Rathole line and have it stop here in Somerset, KY again...oh well, a guy can dream, can't he! :giggle:

 

[me_little_me]

I am also on a non-staffed stop of the Cardinal and the tickets are mailed after they are sold regardless of how far out the date of travel. I have been holding on to a set of tickets for July since November.

If you make the Chi-Spf reservation separately, it will assume you are leaving from Chicago where you can print it out there. They won't mail that ticket to you.

Have a great trip.

(I'm the guest formerly known as cardinalpassenger :giggle: , who is now signed in on my ID I got forever ago when I lived in Berea, Ky) Thanks, that was what I was wondering about. I'll book the other tickets separately then so I can print them out in CHI. I know if I didn't want to have to hang on to the AKY-CHI ticket for several months we could leave from the staffed station in HUN, but I prefer using the AKY station, it is just a lot handier from my friend's place. I think I saw another post on here the other day from someone else who uses AKY. :giggle:

I don't know if you realize this but if between now and your trip, you know you will have an opportunity to go by ANY staffed station, you can pick up your tickets then rather than having them sent to you now. This is great in case you need to cancel. We live in WNC 50 miles from Greenville, SC but have done the following:

Picked up tix in Greenville for a trip out of Charlotte

Picked up tix in Gainesville, GA for a trip out of Charlotte

Picked up tix in Charlotte for a trip out of Atlanta

Picked up tix in Atlanta for a trip out of Savannah.

Picked up tix in Greenville for a trip out of Jessup, GA

(look at a map and it will seem sillier)

In all those trips, we simply made reservations then when we happened to be near a station, we stopped in. For Greenville, we planned trips to the station coordinated with other shopping there.

In addition to these, we have used QT or agent to pick up tix in Atlanta, Charlotte and Charleston on day of travel from those cities.

Also note that when making reservations, if you tell the agent you do not live anywhere near a manned station and if you are traveling out of one, they can get any requirement to pick up tix early waived. We were in Concord, NH traveling out of Back Bay (90 miles) and they put in the reservation that we could pick up tix on day of travel.

As another poster mentioned, best to not pick up all your tix together. Pick them up as you travel to avoid carrying around expensive-if-lost tix. Worked for us on our last trek.

 

[kentuckian1977]

I am also on a non-staffed stop of the Cardinal and the tickets are mailed after they are sold regardless of how far out the date of travel. I have been holding on to a set of tickets for July since November.

If you make the Chi-Spf reservation separately, it will assume you are leaving from Chicago where you can print it out there. They won't mail that ticket to you.

Have a great trip.

(I'm the guest formerly known as cardinalpassenger :giggle: , who is now signed in on my ID I got forever ago when I lived in Berea, Ky) Thanks, that was what I was wondering about. I'll book the other tickets separately then so I can print them out in CHI. I know if I didn't want to have to hang on to the AKY-CHI ticket for several months we could leave from the staffed station in HUN, but I prefer using the AKY station, it is just a lot handier from my friend's place. I think I saw another post on here the other day from someone else who uses AKY. :giggle:

I don't know if you realize this but if between now and your trip, you know you will have an opportunity to go by ANY staffed station, you can pick up your tickets then rather than having them sent to you now. This is great in case you need to cancel. We live in WNC 50 miles from Greenville, SC but have done the following:

Picked up tix in Greenville for a trip out of Charlotte

Picked up tix in Gainesville, GA for a trip out of Charlotte

Picked up tix in Charlotte for a trip out of Atlanta

Picked up tix in Atlanta for a trip out of Savannah.

Picked up tix in Greenville for a trip out of Jessup, GA

(look at a map and it will seem sillier)

In all those trips, we simply made reservations then when we happened to be near a station, we stopped in. For Greenville, we planned trips to the station coordinated with other shopping there.

In addition to these, we have used QT or agent to pick up tix in Atlanta, Charlotte and Charleston on day of travel from those cities.

Also note that when making reservations, if you tell the agent you do not live anywhere near a manned station and if you are traveling out of one, they can get any requirement to pick up tix early waived. We were in Concord, NH traveling out of Back Bay (90 miles) and they put in the reservation that we could pick up tix on day of travel.

As another poster mentioned, best to not pick up all your tix together. Pick them up as you travel to avoid carrying around expensive-if-lost tix. Worked for us on our last trek.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I'll second the Club Quarters on Adams, The best deal, at the time, was on Priceline. Enjoy your trip!

I'll third the Club Quarters on Adams and Priceline as well. The JW Marriott is even closer than the CQ, but easily double or triple the cost. If you're not trying to impress anyone the CQ on Adams would be fine for most. Even if you are trying to impress someone there are better hotels for that as well.

 

[D T Nelson]

Try the Holiday Inn Merchandise Mart. Nice and affordable in Chicago. Short cab ride away from Union Station.

I stayed there once for a few days. It was a fine hotel. I walked from Union Station; the walk wasn't bad -- quite scenic, actually -- but it was summer and I was sure schwitzen by the time I got there. I cabbed back, and with a generous tip I think it was $10.

 

[manderson]

The Holiday Inn at the Mart is a nice place, and across the skybridge from the brown line as I recall. When I stayed there two years ago I asked nicely upon arrival and was upgraded to a view room at no extra charge.

Last Monday I pricelined a name-your-own-price upon arrival at CUS, for two nights starting that night. I got the 4* Hyatt Regency for $62 a night. About 1-1/2 miles from the station, which was a nice leg stretcher after 2 nights on the train.

 

[kentuckian1977]

Have been busy and hadn't had a chance to check back lately on this topic I started. Thanks again for all the suggestions everyone. We've decided that since neither of us has ever been to Chicago before, there'll obviously be plenty to do during a two or three day stay in the middle of our AKY-CHI roundtrip on the Cardinal without trying to also include any side trips to other cities or towns. (The various Chicago layover threads on here have been really helpful, and have convinced us that we just need to stay in Chicago itself.) If anyone has anything else to add as far as hotel suggestions, please do. Still plenty of time, as this is a trip we won't be going on until sometime next year due to various things, but I like to plan ahead and also will obviously need to book the Card pretty far out to get a sleeper both ways. I'd still like to try to find a decent hotel in about the $100-$125 a night range if we can.

 

[RailFanLNK]

There's only one place I stay when visiting Chicago and that's the Hostelling International Hostel at 24 E Congress Pkwy. Its $35 per night per person for a bunk bed shared with other travelers. If you are traveling with a friend, I think they have a new accomdation that is a semi-private room for two with a shared shower. I'm 48 years old and my wife is older than me and we both love staying there. www.hichicago.com . They have free walking tours and all sorts of discounted things for their guests. There is a volunteer that staffs a desk from time to time giving you all the lowdown on the city, which CTA line, bus etc to take. There's an industrial sized kitchen to cook meals in if you are doing this on a budget and they have a free continental breakfast every morning. It's a 8 block walk to CUS or a $5 cab ride. The red line is 1 block away, the blue line 2 blocks away and then the Library CTA stop has all the others. It's location couldn't be in a more perfect place. Your only 1 block from Michigan Ave as well. I love the Windy City and you will too!

 

[junebug]

The W Hotel at 172 W. Adams is nice. I live in Chicago. There are some smaller boutique hotels that are less expensive, but not as close to the train station. The train station is in the south loop area. It's walking distance to the financial district and not that much more except maybe Sears (Willis) Tower. There is also place I love for breakfast in Chicago called Lou Mitchell's at 565 W. Jackson. It's within two blocks or so of the train station.

 

[kentuckian1977]

The W Hotel at 172 W. Adams is nice. I live in Chicago. There are some smaller boutique hotels that are less expensive, but not as close to the train station. The train station is in the south loop area. It's walking distance to the financial district and not that much more except maybe Sears (Willis) Tower. There is also place I love for breakfast in Chicago called Lou Mitchell's at 565 W. Jackson. It's within two blocks or so of the train station.

Thanks. Sure sounds like from everyone on here that Lou Mitchell's and Giordano's are two "must do's" food-wise. As far as a hotel, one I have been looking at is the Silversmith Hotel on Wabash, seems to be one of the smaller less expensive ones but looks nice. A few blocks down Adams from the station, and I like that it is next to an L stop, and also close to the Art Institute and the Metra Eletric (which could be taken out to visit the Museum of Science and Industry.)

 

[junebug]

The W Hotel at 172 W. Adams is nice. I live in Chicago. There are some smaller boutique hotels that are less expensive, but not as close to the train station. The train station is in the south loop area. It's walking distance to the financial district and not that much more except maybe Sears (Willis) Tower. There is also place I love for breakfast in Chicago called Lou Mitchell's at 565 W. Jackson. It's within two blocks or so of the train station.

Thanks. Sure sounds like from everyone on here that Lou Mitchell's and Giordano's are two "must do's" food-wise. As far as a hotel, one I have been looking at is the Silversmith Hotel on Wabash, seems to be one of the smaller less expensive ones but looks nice. A few blocks down Adams from the station, and I like that it is next to an L stop, and also close to the Art Institute and the Metra Eletric (which could be taken out to visit the Museum of Science and Industry.)

Wabash is good because it is closer to the action! I would skip Giordano's and go to the best pizza in Chicago, hands down! Lou Malnati's on Clark Street. Just my opinion!

 

[dart330]

I would agree that Lou Malnati's is better than Giordano's. I recently had both and much prefered Lou, it is also much less expensive.

 

[jb64]

how do you get there from Union Station? How far?

 

[dart330]

It is about a mile walk towards Grant Park to the location I went to at 805 S. State Street.

 

[kentuckian1977]

The W Hotel at 172 W. Adams is nice. I live in Chicago. There are some smaller boutique hotels that are less expensive, but not as close to the train station. The train station is in the south loop area. It's walking distance to the financial district and not that much more except maybe Sears (Willis) Tower. There is also place I love for breakfast in Chicago called Lou Mitchell's at 565 W. Jackson. It's within two blocks or so of the train station.

Thanks. Sure sounds like from everyone on here that Lou Mitchell's and Giordano's are two "must do's" food-wise. As far as a hotel, one I have been looking at is the Silversmith Hotel on Wabash, seems to be one of the smaller less expensive ones but looks nice. A few blocks down Adams from the station, and I like that it is next to an L stop, and also close to the Art Institute and the Metra Eletric (which could be taken out to visit the Museum of Science and Industry.)

Wabash is good because it is closer to the action! I would skip Giordano's and go to the best pizza in Chicago, hands down! Lou Malnati's on Clark Street. Just my opinion!

Thanks!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I would agree that Lou Malnati's is better than Giordano's. I recently had both and much prefered Lou, it is also much less expensive.

Add me to the list of folks who prefer Lou Malnati's to Giordano's.