Chicago on a Budget

This journal outlines my recent trip to Chicago. As a student who loves to travel, my entry focuses on how to enjoy the city without a huge budget. I spent (including airfare, food, hotel, activities, everything) on this 3-day getaway and had a great time.

The Breakdown:
Airfare:
Hotel on Michigan Ave. (3 nights):
Transportation around the city:
Activities:
Food:

Quick Tips:

Useful websites:

Chicago Tourism Bureau:
http://www.chicago.il.org/default.html

Great deals on Chicago Hotels:
www.hotels.com

Getting around with public transportation:
http://www.transitchicago.com/

Best Way To Get Around:

I stayed at the Essex Inn for 3 nights in January 2005. The deal was fantastic. Through www.hotels.com, I got all 3 nights for $120. I then sent in a rebate coupon they give on checkout for a $25 refund. The total cost was $95 for 3 nights. The rest of the stay breaks down like this:

Location: Excellent. This hotel is on Michigan Avenue, and you can't do better than that. It is surrounded by expensive hotels but gives you the same location for a MUCH lower price.

Safety: As a female travelling alone, I had no concerns.

Decor/My Room: Ahem, not the best. The leopard-skin color carpeting didn't do it for me. The furniture was slightly tattered, although the bed was comfortable. The bathroom was acceptable. My standards are not that high, so this was all okay for me. It gave me a place to sleep, and I wasn't planning on spending much time in the room anyway.

Cleanliness: It was clean enough. Although it wasn’t four-star hotel spotless, I had no complaints.

Facilities: The 24-hour, free high-speed Internet access is nice. The pool/workout facilities are under repair.

Noise level: There was some noise. The walls/doors are fairly thin, so noisy neighbors woke me. The street noise was minimal.

Food: There was a small bar in the hotel and many establishments nearby.

My overall opinion is that it is a great deal for the budget traveller who wants a safe, comfy place to sleep for not a lot of money and with a top-notch location on Michigan Avenue.

See http://www.essexinn.com/ for more info.

The Corner Bakery has a very central location and great food and is good for budget travellers. The downside is that this place is a chain. So, if you are looking for authentic Chicago food, you'll want to eat elsewhere. Having said that, this is a very affordable location with very good food right smack in the middle of the action. I stopped here to grab a quick dinner and was pleasantly surprised with the tomato and mozzarella sandwich. It tasted very fresh and left me very full. There were many options on the menu, including sandwiches, soup, salads, and pasta dishes. There was also a full line of hot breakfasts for under $5. The atmosphere is like a café. It is fine for families, single travellers, couples, and groups.

My Thai boasts a very central location on Michigan Avenue across from the Art Institute of Chicago. Most Magnificent Mile shoppers will miss this place, as it is removed from the main shopping drag. Because of this, it is not overcrowded. This is a great place to stop for lunch while walking along the waterfront. For budget travelers, this place is great. You can eat a very filling meal with drinks for under $10. The food is good quality Thai with a large menu selection. The atmosphere is casual, with ample seating. It is good for families. The service was prompt and friendly.

The only complaint I have about this place is kind of odd. Before sitting, I had asked the waitress if I could sit near the window. However, she politely shook her head no and pointed me to the dining area in the rear (the window seat section was empty). I thought this was really strange. I then observed the same thing happen to three other groups who came in. No one was allowed to sit there apparently. Besides this, everything else was very good and My Thai is recommended. Hours are from 10am to 9 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 9pm Sunday.

This visitors center houses a piece of history itself. The center is located in the Old Water Tower. The tower was built in 1869, using a Gothic style of architecture. It is very tall because the pipe housed inside the tower needed to be 40m in order to equalize the water pressure it received. This was one of the few buildings to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The fire destroyed everything surronding the water tower (and 17,450 buildings in total). Because of this, the building seems to stand alone among its neighbors in present-day Chicago. For this reason alone, you should check it out. The visitors center itself is okay. There is information and print-outs on many things to do in Chicago; however, they are wroght with advertisements. The staff is helpful and friendly. There is a cafe inside the visitors center, although you probably won't want to eat here, since you have so many great options in the city. This visitors center is located very centrally on Michigan Avenue.

Open daily 7:30am to 7pm, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas

Very nice--I spent a whole day here. There is a wide collection of paintings (over 2,000 works), including Picasso, Monet, El Greco, and many, many more. There is a beautiful sculpture garden in a glass-enclosed arboretum. I was very excited that I would see my all time favorite paintings in this museum--Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, but I was very disappointed to see it was on loan. It should be back in Chicago by now, though. I paid the $7 student admission price. Regular admission is $12. The Gallery Audioguide is a very worthwhile way to spend $4. Let me say, in keeping with the budget theme of my journal entry, that the museum is free on Tuesdays from 10:30am to 4pm.

Website: www.artic.edu

The Magnificent Mile is a great way to spend a day walking in Chicago. There are 460 stores spread over 8 city blocks. Some stores include Express, Victoria's Secret, American Girls, and Lord & Taylor. I'd suggest beginning your walk at the area around 8th/9th Street. This is not part of the shopping area, but there are some great things to see. The waterfront lines one side and has a nice park (Grant Park) with hills for sleigh riding, interesting sculptures, and an ice-skating rink. The Art Institute of Chicago is also a few blocks down on your right.

As you keep walking, you will come to the Magnificent Mile. You could easily spend a day or two shopping here and not see everything. Stop at the Old Water Tower (with visitor center) while you are here. The crowds get a bit thick as you keep walking. At the end of the day I cut back to Wabash Avenue to avoid the crowd (a perfectly safe area as well with very few people). Overall, it is a highly recommended walking route for those who love shopping or those who want to take a walking tour of waterfront Chicago.

Okay, having never been to Chicago, I started reseraching how to get from O'Hare to my hotel on Michigan Ave. Everything I found, from official tourism sites to airport sites to my hotel's site, suggested the Airport Express shuttle service. So, I thought, okay--let's try that. I went to their website and checked on the price--$42 ONE-WAY to get from the airport to my hotel. I don't think so. Let's talk train.

Surprisingly, I had to dig a little to get this info, but the train comes right into Chicago O'Hare airport, and for the price of $1.75, it can get you to your hotel in downtown. The CTA has a good website where you can enter in your starting point and destination, and it will give you the best route: http://www.transitchicago.com/. I was surprised how few people were using the train from the airport. There were maybe five others waiting on the platform with me (the line at airport express was very long). The train ride went very smoothly--no issues with getting luggage on or off. I had to walk about 1/4 mile to my hotel--no big deal. I would say that if you are fairly portable on your trip--with a wheeled carry on, etc.--save yourself $40 and take the train. This is definitely the option for budget travellers.

One of the best ways to keep costs down? Find cheap airfare. My flight was $92 roundtrip, and with tax, a grand total of $120. While airfares will fluctuate throughout the year, of course, here are some helpful tips for finding cheap airfare to Chicago. First of all, flying to Chicago is cheaper in the winter. So, if you are flexible about when you go, try January to March. Fares are also cheaper if you buy 2 weeks or more in advance (the magic number). After that, finding a flight for a specific date and time will cost you big bucks.

I found my airfare in January by using the Travelocity farewatcher. Here's how to do it: Go to www.travelocity.com and sign up for an account. Then click on farewatcher and enter the departure and destination cities you want, along with the price you are looking for. When the price drops below that amount, you will get an email. Often these prices are not listed when you do a regular search, and for whatever reason, are only available when you go through Farewatcher. Other options for budget travelers are at www.studentuniverse.com, www.sta.com, and www.flyi.com (airline newcomer Independence).