I have been to Gary and, trust me, your impressions aren't off...
I've been to BKK before, so I'm getting what people are saying. I am continuing to monitor the situation. The truth is, it won't matter if I cancel now or three weeks from now, so there's nothing to be gained by doing anything now.
One question though: if the street in front of the hotel is closed at night, how close can a cab get to the hotel? My flight arrives at 22:55, and I'll have a couple suitcases, so it's a concern.