Midwest on the cheap...

[Dubby]

Bort's house

[bort]

Bort lives in Minneapolis... might take a bit more than half an hour to get to the hall...

[Dubby]

Yup...forgot Midwest is in Chicago...and "Midwest" means more than Minne-snow-da

(That's what I get for trying to be funny)

[Three Valves]

Why not make a reservation at the Four Seasons, print the receipt, cancel it, sleep in your car at a rest stop outside of town, and take the $650.00 as a business expense??

[tofu]

You need to define cheap - Chicago cheap is not Memphis cheap.

There is plenty of parking at McCormick - you just have to pay.

Here is a close by option: http://www.pgm.org

Just don't bathe for a week or comb your hair, wear your worst old jacket and to really sell it - roll around in some fecal matter before entering. And occasional loud outbursts punctuated with random expletives would be really good.

[bort]

There's a glut of hotels around O'Hare, so you can usually get a decent rate there. Just be careful, because near-airport-hotel-parking isn't always free.

I've stayed a few times at the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove (maybe 45 mins from McCormick though... and tolls are...?), and thought it was good, and right off the highway. Free hotel parking, and a big parking lot that's easy to park a big truck or a trailer (if that's a concern). No bullets, just lots of weddings. Maybe you can score a gig at the reception when you get back for the night?

I think it was like $85 per night, before Chicago taxes. I'm not claiming it's the most wonderful hotel of all time, but a decent option that I've used a few times.

[tofu]

There's a glut of hotels around O'Hare, so you can usually get a decent rate there. Just be careful, because near-airport-hotel-parking isn't always free.

I've stayed a few times at the Sheraton Suites Elk Grove (maybe 45 mins from McCormick though... and tolls are...?), and thought it was good, and right off the highway. Free hotel parking, and a big parking lot that's easy to park a big truck or a trailer (if that's a concern). No bullets, just lots of weddings. Maybe you can score a gig at the reception when you get back for the night?

I think it was like $85 per night, before Chicago taxes. I'm not claiming it's the most wonderful hotel of all time, but a decent option that I've used a few times.

You're not getting there from Elk Grove in 45 minutes unless it is at 3AM - more like 1.5 hours at rush hour. Also Elk Grove hotel taxes are not Chicago. The problem is his price point and time requirement. McCormick is stuck considerably south of downtown/loop in one of the worst areas for crime. I belong to the University Club which is across from Millenium Park at Michigan and Monroe in the heart of downtown and just from there at times during the day it can take 30 minutes to get to McCormick by cab. From O'hare involves multiple trains/el and at least an hour and a half. His best bet is stay at a budget hotel in a nearby suburb and drive in. But that is at least an hour to McCormick. The south suburbs would probably be best and drive/train in. Both the IC (metra) and the EL (cta) serve McCormick place directly from southern ring burbs. You can do it from the north side as well but that is going to be more expensive and farther.

[bort]

Thanks Tofu. Clearly, I have never lived in Chicago!

[tofu]

You know you could also consider staying in Indiana and taking the South Shore electric in if time isn't a big deal. A lot cheaper to stay just across the line in Indiana and closer than you might think time wise. I don't know if they stop at McCormick if not simply transfer at the terminal in downtown Chicago and take the IC electric (which shares the station) right to the doorstep of McCormick.

But for a wealthy mouthpiece industrialist like yourself this might be an option: http://www.aviationtoday.com/categories ... 86584.html You could stay up to 200 miles away - Iowa, Wisconsin etc

[bort]

Wealthy people get that by behaving as though they are broke, and broke people get that way by behaving as though they are wealthy.

Skip to 0:49

[alfredr]

I am reminded of when my cousin first got a job in Chicago and my grandmother worried about her getting mugged, based on all the media reporting of the crime rates, (Grandma was the worrier of the family; when she was on the case, you didn't have to.) Susan finally told Grandma,

"Look at it this way, Grandma, there are six million people who don't get mugged every day."

[alfredr]

It seems as though you're seeing the glass as more than half empty? less than half empty? less than half full?






edited for typos.

[Heavy_Metal]

bloke's new home away from home...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k" target="_blank