<p>We hope to visit DePaul & Loyola in early April, and spend an extra day visiting Chicago. The college websites recommend a few area hotels but they are in the $200 plus range! Clean and comfortable are all we need. I hate to pay that amount for a place to sleep! Plus we will have a car and prefer not to pay to “accomodate” the car as well, so downtown is probably not the best location for us. Any recommendations for something more reasonable? We don’t mind staying in the suburbs and driving in (or taking the train). Old threads recommend the blue-line train from O’Hare to downtown, so any hotels/motels convenient to a train stop would be fine. (Where do you catch the “blue line” train at O’Hare?).</p>
<p>Any other colleges we should not miss while in the area? We only have 3 days. We may also visit Lake Forest. My D. would probably love Northwestern, but we’re concerned because their stats are so high, and they give little to no merit aid, so it seems counter-productive to visit. U.of Chicago does not have the programs of interest, and are also probably too selective.</p>
<p>You might consider the Ramada Inn, Lake Shore Drive. It sits in the right off Lake Shore Drive, which would make it very convenient to travel by car to all of the schools you have mentioned. It is slightly south of downtown in the Hyde Park neighborhood. The rates are reasonable and parking is free.</p>
<p>You might try bidding on Priceline. Its hard to know which area, but if you bid on a 4* in Skokie you will be bidding on either a Hilton and one other hotel. Skokie is not more than a 30 minute drive to Lake Forest, Evanston and downtown. The area is safe, lots of restaurants and a large mall. Perhaps it will work for you. For bidding advice, try reading the board, BiddingForTravel.com. Good Luck!</p>
<p>Evanston, which is on the same El line as DePaul and Loyola, so you could just take the train and leave the car. </p>
<p>Skokie, especially the southern tip (Holiday Inn on Touhy) which, by car, is about a half hour west of Loyola via Touhy Avenue, and about a half-hour down Highway 94 (Edens/Kennedy Expressway) then east on Fullerton to DePaul.</p>
<p>A hotel on the north side of the city (Belmont/Diversey/Fullerton Avenues, near Clark Street) where you could walk or cab to DePaul and take the train or drive to Loyola. Expect to pay for parking anywhere in the city.</p>
<p>choosechicago.com has a lot of hotel listings and tourist information.</p>
<p>I’m a student in Chicago - you won’t get a hotel IN the city for cheap. O’Hare is decent and cheap, but the ride to Loyola wouldn’t be fun - Blue Line southwest to downtown = 60 mins, downtown north to Loyola on the Red Line = 45 mins.</p>
<p>I go to Chicago (actually Rosemont) every October for a trade show. I stay right on River Road – choices of Marriott Suites (my fave), Hyatt Regency Rosemont, (very nice convention hotel), Westin, and a few others. All on River Road are within walking distance of the train station and most have free shuttles from O’Hare.</p>
<p>At the Marriott Suites this fall, I have a rate of $129/night – and it’s comfortable with a bedroom and living room, could sleep 3-4 easily, and mini kitchenette.</p>
<p>You said you wanted to spend about an hour in downtown - this leads me to believe you might be time-challenged. If that is so, then stay downtown, and pay the extra. The driving is HORRENDOUS! My cousin is a cop and since we moved she says there is now 24 hour rush hour, and we confirmed this when we visited last year. Traffic moves at a snail’s pace. With the price of gas, sitting in traffic will add a lot of expense, so the hotel price may not be so bad, after all. However, if you do decided to find cheaper accomodations, then I second the Hyde Park idea. Traffic from there isn’t as horrible (still no picnic, but it is closer) as the Kennedy or Congress. Good luck!</p>
<p>Son also applied to DePaul and Loyola–both have two separate campuses. DePaul’s main campus is on the near north side in Lincoln Park, their Loop campus downtown near State/Jackson area. Loyola’s main campus is on the far north side in Rogers Park and their Water Tower campus is off Michigan Ave. We stayed downtown and it was a straight shot up Lakeshore Dr. for convenience to the main campuses of both schools as well as for enjoying Chicago’s attractions and touring the downtown campuses. Both schools have a page on their websites for suggested hotel accommodations, some offering special rates to visitors of the college.</p>
<p>McCormick Place is great - about $100/night at the Hyatt with AAA discounts. It’s a short walk from the subway and about a $10 cab ride to the downtown. </p>
<p>You can go on expedia if you don’t want the “blind” bidding issues with Priceline.</p>
<p>“Where do you catch the ‘blue line’ train at O’Hare?”</p>
<p>Take the escalator down from the baggage claim area (this applies to any terminal, I believe). You would find an underground tunnel leading to the trains. I can almost guarantee that you won’t lose your way, because the signs are really prominent. I second neverborn’s warning: Beware of the long commute. 60 mins from O’Hare to Downtown sounds about right.</p>
<p>I wish I could give you hotel recommendations, but I haven’t actually stayed in a Chicago hotel before. For places to visit, I recommend The Magnificent Mile (N. Michigan Ave). As you know, Loyola has a campus there too.</p>
<p>I hope Chicago lives up to your expectations!</p>
<p>Finally did some housekeeping! Sorry gianscolere! Open now, if anyone is interested in more specifics. Briefly:
The trip went well – but COLD for this time of year! We tried the Priceline route, and it was great! </p>
<p>We visited Loyola and DePaul, but only drove past Northwestern & Lake Forest. Lake Forest was gorgeous, but there is nothing around it (except for the lovely homes). Although Chicago is only a train stop away, my d. prefers a college within a more vibrant college community. Northwestern, while a fantastic school, did not appeal to her visually – nor us economically. After studying their common data set, I noted they give NO merit aid, but substantial athletic aid. In reality, if admission were even possible, merit aid would be critical, so we “drove on by”.</p>
<p>Loyola and DePaul were interesting. Statistically they were both similar, but their environments were polar opposite. DePaul is very Urban, and prides themselves on using Chicago as an extended campus and learning environment. Loyola, while easily attached to the city, has a more traditional campus, with a stunning setting on Lake Michigan. Both have a downtown satellite campus for certain departments. </p>
<p>Both are Catholic, but the Loyola admissions rep. stressed the religious nature far more often than it was even mentioned during our DePaul visit. </p>
<p>We were concerned that DePaul was a “commuter campus”, but the admissions rep. stressed that this perception is somewhat false. Most students live within 3 miles of campus, but not necessarily in campus housing. As such, even those who live within a block, but in private apartments, are considered “commuters”. However, given the more urban environment, with little green space (ie lawns), it still had the feel of a commuter campus.</p>