Midwest - Going to See Mets in MKE...where to stay?

I am looking to go see the Mets in MKE Labor day weekend, and I am seeing very expensive hotel rates, as it's the very tail end of the Harley Davidson weekend. I would be getting in on the 31st which is the last day of the festival, staying till the 3rd. My question is such. Hotels are rather cheap over the weekend in Chicago...is there somewhere nice to stay in between ORD and MKE that would allow me decently quick access to Miller Park and MKE airport? Also, other than MKE itself, what is there to drive to/see in the area? I have been to Chicago enough times, so I would hope there is something worth seeing in the area, which I am sure there is. :-)

Wow--those rates are nuts. I checked the La Quintas in the area that I am familiar with and would stay at again, and they are all 3-4x the rate I paid last year. I would not recommend staying anywhere on the IL side of the border, as there was heavy construction on I-94 when I did these drives in early May. I might suggest going a different direction and staying towards Fond du Lac or Madison and seeing if you can find some interesting Labor Day Weekend activities. Good luck with whatever you decide.

You could try somewhere south, but not all the way into IL, like Kenosha/Racine/Pleasant Prairie - outlet malls, Jelly Belly, etc.

Check out Hotel Metro. This is where I stay with my family when I visit my hometown. You can get a spacious K bed suite for $254/night on your dates. I think they might have a 10% AAA discount as well. http://www.hotelmetro.com/

This place is a small, stylish boutique hotel in a great downtown location. It's like a W, but less pretentious.

One block from the hotel, you could catch a Miller Park bus: http://www.ridemcts.com/seasonal_services/index.asp?id=802 That's your easiest way to/from the ballpark.

One more option: the downtown Doubletree across the river to the west would also work, and it's at $109 per night. You'd also be able to walk down to Wisconsin Ave. and grab the Miller Park bus.

This should be a great trip for you, except that the Brewers will be sweeping the Mets.

We'll also be in Milwaukee for Labor Day, because there's plenty to see/do/eat in the area.

Off the top of my head:
- Miller Park
- Drive along Lake Michigan & hit the beach
- Calatrava's Art Museum on the lake
- Lakefront festivals in the summer
- Brewery tours (Miller, Lakefront, Sprecher)
- H-D factory tour
- H-D museum
- The Pabst Mansion
- Usinger's sausage
- Mader's German restaurant
- Downtown bars along the river

They also have a nice zoo and conservatory.

I am looking to go see the Mets in MKE Labor day weekend, and I am seeing very expensive hotel rates, as it's the very tail end of the Harley Davidson weekend. I would be getting in on the 31st which is the last day of the festival, staying till the 3rd. My question is such. Hotels are rather cheap over the weekend in Chicago...is there somewhere nice to stay in between ORD and MKE that would allow me decently quick access to Miller Park and MKE airport? Also, other than MKE itself, what is there to drive to/see in the area? I have been to Chicago enough times, so I would hope there is something worth seeing in the area, which I am sure there is. :-)

So, can't recommend anything as I haven't been to MKE yet, but I am totally envious of your trip. Hope you enjoy it and Let's Go Mets! Be sure to keep us all posted as to how it went.

We'll also be in Milwaukee for Labor Day, because there's plenty to see/do/eat in the area.

Off the top of my head:
- Miller Park
- Drive along Lake Michigan & hit the beach
- Calatrava's Art Museum on the lake
- Lakefront festivals in the summer
- Brewery tours (Miller, Lakefront, Sprecher)
- H-D factory tour
- H-D museum
- The Pabst Mansion
- Usinger's sausage
- Mader's German restaurant
- Downtown bars along the river

They also have a nice zoo and conservatory.

Very impressive -- I grew up there and I'm not sure I would have listed all those. Let me underscore the downtown bars along the Milwaukee River idea. This works very well with the idea of staying at Hotel Metro (fancy) or the Doubletree (basic and cheaper). Those hotels and these riverside bars are all within a safe walk.

OP, don't stay at some roadside motel on I-94 just to save a few bucks. Choose a downtown spot where you can walk to many of the places above, and take the Miller Park bus to/from the ballpark for $2 each way. Downtown Milwaukee is a far cry from Chicago, but it's pretty fun and interesting, especially in the summer.

Well, on a whim I bid 70 bucks for MKE on Priceline, and got the Hotel Ambasador...not bad for 70 bucks. :-) We will have a car, so traveling isnt that bad...but the Monday (Labor Day) game with the Mets is almost sold out...is there decent scalping action outside the park, or should I make sure I have tickets beforehand?

Well, on a whim I bid 70 bucks for MKE on Priceline, and got the Hotel Ambasador...not bad for 70 bucks. :-) We will have a car, so traveling isnt that bad...but the Monday (Labor Day) game with the Mets is almost sold out...is there decent scalping action outside the park, or should I make sure I have tickets beforehand?

Oh no, Joel. I wish you would have posted this idea before pulling the trigger. For a discount of $39 per night over the Doubletree, you've bought yourself a low end hotel in a dangerous neighborhood. Please be careful out there at night.

Oh no, Joel. I wish you would have posted this idea before pulling the trigger. For a discount of $39 per night over the Doubletree, you've bought yourself a low end hotel in a dangerous neighborhood. Please be careful out there at night.
Seriously?! It gets great reviews on tripadvisor...and is 4 stars on most sites...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60097-d225315-Reviews-Ambassador_Hotel-Milwaukee_Wisconsin.html
Not one mention of being in a bad area, just "out of the heart of the city". If its in a bad area, and a couple people confirm that, I will change my reservation right now and fight with Priceline...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60097-d225315-Reviews-Ambassador_Hotel-Milwaukee_Wisconsin.html
Not one mention of being in a bad area, just "out of the heart of the city". If its in a bad area, and a couple people confirm that, I will change my reservation right now and fight with Priceline...

The Ambassador is west of the downtown area, about halfway between downtown and Miller Park on Wisconsin Ave., which is the "Main Street" of MKE. If you continue east on Wisconsin Ave., you are just a few blocks away from Marquette University, which is just West of downtown. The Ambassador has been entirely redone over the last few years, and the lodging is safe. However, a few blocks west along Wisconsin Ave, the neighborhood deteriorates. I have spent quite a bit of time in the neighborhood at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, and a friend of mine who retired a couple of years ago owned a business in the area just a couple of blocks from the Ambassador. I would not have a problem staying there, but would not go walking west, especially late at night. As in any medium to large city, be careful walking around neighborhoods you are not familiar with.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g60097-d225315-Reviews-Ambassador_Hotel-Milwaukee_Wisconsin.html
Not one mention of being in a bad area, just "out of the heart of the city". If its in a bad area, and a couple people confirm that, I will change my reservation right now and fight with Priceline...

Let me confirm this for you -- I went to high school ten blocks to the west. Within a few blocks from the hotel, there are women available for rent.

Don't let me scare you too much, though. It's not like a Chicago housing project. It's just that you need to be a lot more on guard at night than you would if you were staying in the center of downtown.

Re Tripadvisor, sort the 94 reviews from worst to best and you'll see about 30 negative reviews, most of which mention the neighborhood. I maintain some healthy skepticism of all Tripadvisor reviews, but I'm less suspicious of bad reviews -- especially when they are very specific about what is wrong with a place. I figure there are more shills writing good reviews than unreasonable people writing bad ones.

One plus for The Ambassador is there is a stop for that Route 90 bus to the ballpark one block to the east (22nd & Wisconsin Ave).

We are 2 decently sized men, and we plan on having a car and not wondering around the hotel. From the sounds of it, the hotel is nice, and as long as we don't go stumbling about, we should be just fine. Being from NYC, seeing women of the night doesn't scare me. If there was a murder a day within a 2 block radius, that would...but it sounds like this is just in a 1/2way neighborhood. It doesn't sound like we wont be SAFE...if this isn't true, please correct me.

We are 2 decently sized men, and we plan on having a car and not wondering around the hotel. From the sounds of it, the hotel is nice, and as long as we don't go stumbling about, we should be just fine. Being from NYC, seeing women of the night doesn't scare me. If there was a murder a day within a 2 block radius, that would...but it sounds like this is just in a 1/2way neighborhood. It doesn't sound like we wont be SAFE...if this isn't true, please correct me.

I think you now have a good understanding of what you're getting. This isn't a disaster for you, but I think it would have been worth $39/night more for you to stay in at the Doubletree or something similar in the central downtown area, near the Milwaukee River. Leaving aside the safety issue, there's nothing worthwhile within walking distance of your hotel, unless you want to visit my high school or some of those ladies I mentioned.

We are 2 decently sized men, and we plan on having a car and not wondering around the hotel. From the sounds of it, the hotel is nice, and as long as we don't go stumbling about, we should be just fine. Being from NYC, seeing women of the night doesn't scare me. If there was a murder a day within a 2 block radius, that would...but it sounds like this is just in a 1/2way neighborhood. It doesn't sound like we wont be SAFE...if this isn't true, please correct me.

As long as you don't do anything nuts, you should be fine.

As long as you don't do anything nuts, you should be fine.

Yes, that sums it up.

Have fun in Milwaukee, Joel. I think you're going to like Miller Park.

By the way, don't miss the new Bronze Fonz. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26293459/

Any answers about if there are tickets/scalpers outside the park?

Any answers about if there are tickets/scalpers outside the park?


Can't say. I haven't been to a game this year, as the Brewers now have 21 (I think) straight sellouts and have already sold over 3 million tickets for the year.

Any answers about if there are tickets/scalpers outside the park?

Sorry, when I last attended a Brewers home game, they were practically giving away the tickets. Things have changed.

Perhaps you should pose a question on ticket buying strategies on the Brewers fan forum: http://www.forums.mlb.com/ml-brewers Maybe don't mention the Mets fan part.

The high rates have to do with the 105th Harley Davidson anniversary which is filling up most of the hotels within 100 miles. Heck, the hotels last week in Crystal Lake, IL (65 miles)were packed because of this event!

Well, I got the sweep part right. I was, however, wrong about who would sweep whom.

I hope you enjoyed your Milwaukee trip, Joel. The games sure went your way.

Oh no, Joel. I wish you would have posted this idea before pulling the trigger. For a discount of $39 per night over the Doubletree, you've bought yourself a low end hotel in a dangerous neighborhood. Please be careful out there at night.

It turned out that the Amasador was a lovely hotel. Most of downtown MKE is not where I would love to walk around at night. :-) Its near the casino, had great parking, and other than the lack of regular maid service, was a great buy...and the Mets swept! :-)

It turned out that the Amasador was a lovely hotel. Most of downtown MKE is not where I would love to walk around at night. :-) Its near the casino, had great parking, and other than the lack of regular maid service, was a great buy...and the Mets swept! :-)

I'm glad you enjoyed it; not glad about the sweep. I agree with you about most of downtown, but there are some fun and lively spots along and near the Milwaukee River. If you do this again, you might give that area a try.

If the Brewers can hang on to the wildcard and the Mets hang on to the East, they'll have a rematch in the postseason.