DH and I are thinking about taking the boys to Chicago in a few weeks. I was looking on AirBnb for someplace to stay but realized I have no clue where to stay. Does anyone any suggestions for what would be a good area to look at?
Post by turnipthebeet on Sept 5, 2021 10:19:57 GMT -5
I would stick to the downtown area. And I would park at the airport and take the L downtown, because you won’t need your car and parking in Chicago sucks. Something like this.
We go once a year with our two young sons and stay right off Michigan Avenue because it is so close to everything we want to see. We always stay at the omni hotel because the rooms are suites and my sons sleep on the pull out couch and there is a separate bedroom. We've never done an airbnb in Chicago (but have many other places). I tried taking my 5 year old to Chicago and planned to take the subway everywhere but he wasn't used to the long walks between stations and our stops so we ended up taking an uber everywhere, which worked out great.
Post by keweenawlove on Sept 5, 2021 14:50:52 GMT -5
I think Rivernorth is best for the typical Chicago experience. I'm not sure how late in the season the pool is open but the DoubleTree has a rooftop outdoor pool that DD (4) loves and is well located. She doesn't use a stroller on the regular but we brought it the time we were there and it helped getting around so much. The El can but useful but not always.
Lincoln Park is a fun area to stay too if you want to be out of downtown a bit.
I book parking on SpotHero and have generally had good rates (less than $30 for a weekend).
What do you plan on doing? We've taken our kids a few times in the past few years. The first time we were focused on the museums so we stayed in the South Loop (Hotwire got us the Hilton Chicago). We walked everywhere but I'd say the restaurant selection in that area wasn't great. This summer we stayed in Streeterville (Embassy Suites) because we wanted to spend time on Navy Pier. We did drive to Shedd. I liked the area and if my kids weren't animals, we could have eaten at some good restaurants nearby.
River North is probably my favorite area because of shopping/restaurants but super far from the museum area. If it were an adults trip, we would stay there for sure.
ETA: definitely use SpotHero. We saved a ton of money
I was just in Chicago over the 4thof July. I stayed in an awesome Airbnb with two bedrooms and a parking spot. I could walk everywhere a Trader Joe’s and an amazing donut shop was on the corner.