Hotels - US Celluar Field
 

Hey All,

First post in Travel Forum. Search was not working well for me. Coming in from Detroit for a White Sox vs Tigers series this Summer and looking for some hotel ideas that are good places to stay that make getting to and from the stadium easy. I personally would like to stay on Lake Michigan Drive as it gives me easy access to the the lake front river trails for running and biking, but how convienent is that for getting to and from the stadium. If it matters, the dates of the games are July 24-26th.

Thanks!

The Cell is very easy to get to from anywhere in the Loop or on Michigan Ave. It's on the Red Line (State St Subway).

I second that. Stay downtown and take the Red Line.

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry8100/4.2.0 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/100)

Technically, the McCormick Place Hyatt is closest, but it's hard to get to Comiskey (whoops, The Cell) from there.

Bike rentals can be had at the 'McDonald's Cycle Center' at the NE corner of Millennium Park, which is also downtown:
http://www.chicagobikestation.com/

Net recommendation: stay downtown, south of the river, and stop by in Chinatown (one stop north of Sox-35th) for food.

Do not stay by US Cellular -- it's probably one of the more disgusting neighborhoods in the city. You will only go there for the game, so take a cab there and stay downtown and enjoy it.

P.S. It's either Lake Shore Drive (which is like a mini-freeway) or Michigan Ave (where there are shops, John Hancock building, etc.) ;)

thirding that, forget driving or a cab, the El Red Line stop drops you off so close to Comiskey.

This is an amazingly misinformed statement. First, as everybody else has said, a cab is a waste of money. Thousands of people will be commuting to the game on the Red Line. You should join them.

Second, the reason to stay downtown has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the neighborhood near the Cell. It's primarily a residential area, so the closest full-service hotel is a few miles away at McCormick Place. Since there is no el stop near McCormick Place, it's actually easier to get to the Cell from downtown, as paytonc noted.

Third, the neighborhood near the Cell is one of the hottest real estate markets in the city, due to easy access to downtown, diverse dining options, an extremely low crime rate, and unusually good schools (for the city). A growing number of young professionals whose families have grown out of their condos see it as an alternative to life in the 'burbs. As a result, new 3BR/2BA houses in the area now start at $800K--an approx. 300% increase in the past 6 years. That's always a sure sign of a "disgusting neighborhood."
:rolleyes:

Cellular Field
 

There is an area near the ballpark that has several hotels in it. One of 'em is a Hilton Related (maybe Hampton Inn or another = to it by Hilton that we stayed in) as well as a Marriott type. . . if not more. We stayed at the Hilton Affiliated and ate at the other. The red trolly takes one from MDW to the hotel, and back to the airport. When ready for the game, we went back to the airport, got on the appropriate EL and then headed to the park.

One might consider it out of the way with the necessary transfer on the EL, however, we didnt' need to rent a car, and definitely cheaper on the transportation. If flying into town to take in the game, we'd do it this way againl

Right. There is a group of hotels a few blocks south of MDW that includes multiple Marriott-branded properties. Much cheaper than staying downtown but also MUCH further from the park and the lakefront. As suzieq noted, it also requires an extra el connection (Orange Line to the Red Line) to get to the park.

Decent option if you're on a tight budget and/or flying out of MDW. Otherwise, you definitely should stay downtown.

Right on the money-so to speak. Do yourself a favor and stay downtown, take the red line to the cell.

Good post.

There is a Radisson on South Lake Shore Drive - near the University of Chicago, about 5500 South. It will be cheaper than most of the Loop/N. Michigan Avenue hotels. But, other than the U of C, ballpark and the lake across the street, there isn't much to do there. If you are driving to the ballpark and that is all you're going to do while in Chicago, that would be my recommendation. Otherwise, I agree that you're better off staying north.

I stayed at that Radisson you mentioned last June. It isn't a bad hotel but very standard so don't expect to be waited on hand and foot. It is just a couple blocks to public transportation and a few more blocks to a grocery store. When I was there last June mosquito's were hatching and the place was swarming with the critters. So if you tend to attract them bring some repellent of sorts. GO CUBS! :p

go green
 

Everyone seems to reccomend the red line, but you can also take the green line, which will be much less crowded. You can get off at 35th, same as the red line, but two blocks to the east. Just take a right out of the station, and the ball park is right there accross the expressway. I usually take the green when headed to the cell after work, just because that train is closer to my office, and the red line can get absolutely jam packed on game nights.