We have made reservations to go from Chicago to Emeryville in May on the CZ. This will be our second time to travel on Amtrak and first overnight trip. I am beyond excited. We took our 3 little granddaughters on a short ride from Austin, Texas to their home in Fort Worth as a treat at the end of "Cousin Camp" and I fell in love with the train. We traveled coach and the girls had a blast. They absolutely loved being able to move around and they experienced all they could on our 4.5 hour ride. They ate in the dining car, learned a new card came at the tables in the observation car, played quietly in their seats while enjoying snacks and loved the stairs going down to the restrooms. I loved the leg room for my husband in the coach seats and gazing out the windows at the scenery flowing by (even in drought conditions, we enjoyed the view) We have reserved a roomette for this trip to Ca. and must fly from Houston to Chicago and spend the night before boarding.
Question......1). What is the best way to get from Chicago Midway to a motel/hotel nearer to the Amtrak station. 2) Can someone recommend a motel near the Amtrak station? Don't want to pay 200-300 for a hotel, since we are continuing our vacation in California and don't want to spend big $$ for a late night sleepover in an expensive hotel.( We don't get into Chicago until after 6pm.)
I've already read lots of great posts on this forum about train travel and appreciate all the tips gleaned.
Question......1). What is the best way to get from Chicago Midway to a motel/hotel nearer to the Amtrak station. 2) Can someone recommend a motel near the Amtrak station? Don't want to pay 200-300 for a hotel, since we are continuing our vacation in California and don't want to spend big $$ for a late night sleepover in an expensive hotel.( We don't get into Chicago until after 6pm.)
I've already read lots of great posts on this forum about train travel and appreciate all the tips gleaned.