[Don B.]

Chicago forumers, I'm probably going to the Lavender Law Convention (i'm in my second year of law school here in Phoenix and the school is partially subsidizing the trip) at the Hilton from Sept. 6 to the 8th. The Hilton in question is the one at 720 S. Michigan in the heart of the loop.

So, for you Chicagoans, I have some questions:

1. Would any of you be interested in touring me around a bit or just meeting up? I'll make some free time during one of the days and both evenings I'll be free. It would be good to have an insider show me the better vantage points for urban photography, so I can mazimize my Canon 5D's potential.

2. Any ideas on cheap places to stay nearby? I've got 8,000 Starpoints but the nearest place they have (Marriott) is 13 miles away by Midway Airport, which I suspect will be a pain to get to and from. The Hilton wants $200 per night for three nights. I don't want to be in a se habla espanol fleabag motel but the Hilton is probably too rich for my blood, right now.

3. Speaking of Midway-downtown, is there a direct rail or bus line between the two? I'm loathe to cab it between the two and am not adverse to mass transit, so long as I don't have to walk blocks through the modern version of Cabrini Green carrying expensive camera gear or transfer eight times. Then again, we are talking about Chicago's superior mass transit system, not Phoenix's horse and buggy mass transit. :)

3. Any other comments or suggestions? I'd love to fly over the city in a helicopter but that may not be possible. We'll see as the time draws closer.

Thanks a lot.

--don

[Buckeye Native 001]

The CTA orange line runs directly from the Midway terminal all the way up to downtown. I would imagine that staying at any hotel within walking distance from the Orange Line along the way would be alright

[Rail Claimore]

I'll be back in town by then, but I'm not the foremost expert on Chicago. I'd certainly be willing to hang out and possibly join up for a forum meet... it seems like an appropriate occassion. What do other Chicago forumers think?

[Tom In Chicago]

Should be about time for a Chicago forum meet. . . don't take a taxi from Midway though. . . as has been said, take the Orange Line into the Loop. . . I wouldn't recommend the Congress or the Essex. . . but your price range might be more of a determining factor. . .

[the urban politician]

If you want to stay cheap, there are a ton of hotels near Midway Airport in these complexes on Cicero Avenue. Check them out. Every stinkin one of them offers a VERY convenient and free shuttle service back and forth from Midway airport, where you can quickly hop on the L and head downtown.

That's where I usually stay when I visit Chicago. Yeah, staying downtown is awesome, too. But you save money this way

[bnk]

1. Would any of you be interested in touring me around a bit or just meeting up? I'll make some free time during one of the days and both evenings I'll be free. It would be good to have an insider show me the better vantage points for urban photography, so I can mazimize my Canon 5D's potential.

--don


If no forumer takes you up this is a great free service to help you get an inside tour.

http://www.chicagogreeter.com/

Visitors can discover Chicago's unique charm and many offerings while learning something new about the city with a Chicago Greeter.

Catch the enthusiasm of city-wise locals who volunteer to share their knowledge and love of the city through visits on foot and public transportation.

Enjoy the local points of interest on these two to four hour visits as well as some of the Greeters' favorite spots.

Navigate the City with your Greeter on complimentary public transportation for the ultimate Chicago experience. Check out our list of neighborhoods and special interest areas available for visits. View our Chicago Greeter video in Windows Media, or with Quicktime.

Chicago Greeter is a free service designed to help visitors become familiar with the city of Chicago and its many neighborhoods. At this time, our focus is to help visitors and those brand new to Chicago, by matching them with a greeter. This service is also beneficial to Chicago residents hosting visiting friends and family who want to send their guests out into the city with a trusted local "expert" to experience a particular Chicago subject or neighborhood.

[brian_b]

The Hilton your convention is at is not the most convenient location for trains (The Harrison Red Line stop is the only one close by). Ok, well almost all train lines have a stop within half a mile... Anyway, there are about 10 or 15 bus lines that have a stop within a block of the hotel.

Staying over by Midway is an option for a cheap hotel. But keep in mind that the only thing around there that you could do without a rental car is go to a Chicago Fire soccer game (bus goes to the stadium from Midway).

You're going to want to buy the 1-day transit passes at Midway - they're harder to find downtown. They are actually 24-hour passes that activate when you first use them, so you might be able to get away with just two passes ($5.00 each). Even if you need three of them, you will be able to get unlimited travel for your entire stay for half the cost of a taxi ride from Midway to downtown ;)

I do not recommend the Holiday Inn in the West Loop (near the post office). It's a pretty shady area at night. The Holiday Inn at the Merchandise Mart is nice, but it's not too cheap.

[MayDay]

"I don't want to be in a se habla espanol fleabag motel"

:uhh: Make sure to stop by Pilsen and Little Village with comments like that. The concierge at the Peninsula se habla espanol, after all. ;)

I was able to priceline the Allerton (a Crowne Plaza property, so pretty middle-of-the-road) last year at $149 a night. Great location (*edit* - two/three blocks from the Red Line Chicago/State station, with one transfer from the Orange Line which goes to/from Midway), decent rooms, and great views from upper floors. I did a quick check on expedia, and a few hotels close to Michigan Avenue were between $150 and $190 a night.

[Steely Dan]

I was able to priceline the Allerton ....... (two blocks from the Orange Line which goes to/from Midway)

just for clarification's sake, the allerton hotel is 11 blocks (or roughly 3/4 of a mile) from the nearest orange line station, granted they're relatively small blocks, but it's significantly longer than a little 2 block walk to get from the allerton up on N. michigan over to the state/lake loop station, the closest orange line stop to that hotel.

[MayDay]

^Sorry - forgot about the transfer to the Red Line - is it the Chicago/State station I'm thinking of? That was the station that was pretty close - like 2-3 blocks?

[Steely Dan]

^Sorry - forgot about the transfer to the Red Line - is it the Chicago/State station I'm thinking of? That was the station that was pretty close - like 2-3 blocks?

yeah, the state/chicago subway stop on the red line is a lot closer to the allerton hotel, though it's still a 5 block walk, but as i said earlier, those river north blocks are kinda small, so........

[i_am_hydrogen]

It would be good to have an insider show me the better vantage points for urban photography, so I can mazimize my Canon 5D's potential.

1. Adler Planetarium will give you the classic "post card" view of the skyline--great place for panoramics. But you'll need to get up early while the sun is still in the eastern half of the sky or else the buildings will be backlit.

2. Navy Pier offers a similar view, but allows you to access the northern portion of the skyline that is invisible behind the Adler view. Same deal with backlighting. It's a long pier, too, and obviously the farther you walk out the more of the skyline you can capture. Explore the north and south sides of it.

3. If you have to choose between Sears and JHC, I'd go with Sears. JHC's view is almost perpetually backlit, except for a few hours near sunset. The fine details of the buildings look gummy and Aon is usually destroyed by moire.

4. Two semi-secret spots:
a) Ashland Green/Pink Line stop. Depending on where you catch the el in the Loop, it takes 5-15 minutes to get there. There is a bridgeway that crosses from one side of the platform to other that provides great views of the west side of the skyline. The customer assistant is always at the mezzanine level station house, so I've never had any issues taking shots from there.
b) UIC Medical Center parking structure. Take the Pink Line (you can even go there right from the Ashland stop) to Polk (five minutes or less from Ashland). Get off and walk a block or so east to Ashland. Take Ashland north a block or two until you see the parking structure. You can't miss it. It's about eight floors (in case you confuse it with another nearby structure). It will give you the ultimate views of the west side of the skyline. Panorama heaven, essentially.

Here are a couple of shots that I'm almost dead positive were taken at this parking structure, by Flash:
http://metroscenes.com/chicago/images/2006/jul/chicago.metroscenes.com.03.jpg

http://metroscenes.com/chicago/images/2006/jul/chicago.metroscenes.com.04.jpg

http://metroscenes.com/chicago/images/2006/jul/chicago.metroscenes.com.06.jpg

[OmegaPaladin]

4. Two semi-secret spots:
a) Ashland Green/Pink Line stop. Depending on where you catch the el in the Loop, it takes 5-15 minutes to get there. There is a bridgeway that crosses from one side of the platform to other that provides great views of the west side of the skyline. The customer assistant is always at the mezzanine level station house, so I've never had any issues taking shots from there.
b) UIC Medical Center parking structure. Take the Pink Line (you can even go there right from the Ashland stop) to Polk (five minutes or less from Ashland). Get off and walk a block or so east to Ashland. Take Ashland north a block or two until you see the parking structure. You can't miss it. It's about eight floors (in case you confuse it with another nearby structure). It will give you the ultimate views of the west side of the skyline. Panorama heaven, essentially.

Here are a couple of shots that I'm almost dead positive were taken at this parking structure, by Flash:

Damn, tha's less than 1/4 mile from my place...