Got a request from a reader for help – she lives in another state, so any hotel/restaurant thoughts would be appreciated.
My eldest daughter is going to a concert at the Aragon on January 29th and I was looking for hotels nearby. I was just going to Priceline a hotel in the Lincoln Park area a few days before.
Any information at all … restaurants/bars nearby and even if it’s a decent area to stay. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask natives.
Uh, no. I don’t want to exaggerate fears, but Uptown is not the greatest neighborhood. The “hotels” around there are SROs and you don’t want to stay there (it’s perfectly safe to eat around there, with great restaurants–go to Lao Sze Chuan for Chinese food, or Vietnamese places on Argyle). You could try airbnb.com to find a person’s apartment to stay at nearby, but frankly it’s better to take the Red Line right next to the Aragon at Lawrence (which is safe, especially after a concert). From the Red Line, you can go straight to a hotel downtown. Or go north toward Evanston and get a hotel there. You can also drive and find street parking not too far away from the Aragon (try Magnolia near Lawrence) with a little work, or pay at a meter (it’s free after 9pm).
Agreed, stay in the downtown/river north area and catch the red line or even a cab if you didnt want to deal with parking. Tons of great restaurants and things to do before and after the concert.
THANKS so much you guys! We did Washington DC a few years ago and it was downright scary where we stayed! I appreciate the tips and advice!!!
If you decide to stay downtown, I use Hotwire for booking hotels for company travel and I’ve had good luck with everything that was 3.5 stars and higher.