Very first overnight trip on Amtrak

[rlaz]

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.

 

[Gfoley4]

1) The easiest way to get from Midway to near Union Station is the CTA Orange Line. It costs $2.25 per person I believe. It takes about half an hour and probably would want to get off at LaSalle/Van Buren or Quincy station, depending on which hotel you'd be staying at.

2) I've never stayed at any of these hotels, but Google shows hotels for as low as $90 around Union Station

Hope you have a good trip!

 

[rlaz]

Thanks for info Gfoley4. I see you have taken the CZ. Am I right to be excited about this trip? It is planned to celebrate our 40 anniversary and I absolutely wish it was tomorrow.

 

[Ispolkom]

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 would stay in a hotel near Midway Airport. Just south of the station is a development that seems to have one of each of most hotel chains (Hilton Garden Inn, Sleep Inn, etc.). I've stayed at the Sleep Inn (popular with rail crews, I noticed), and it was about $100 and quite comfortable, though the rooms aren't large. Next morning you can cab/bus to the Orange Line station and ride the L into downtown. If you insist on staying in the Loop, I've liked the Travelodge on Harrison. It's an old hotel, and the elevators are pokey, but it's relatively cheap, and perfectly safe and respectable. Plus, you can get AGR points for staying there. Of course the same is true with the Sleep Inn.

EDIT: Oh, while I've never stayed at the Holiday Inn at Canal and Harrison, it did look nice from the outside. If I have a choice, though, and am staying in the Loop, I always stay at the Palmer House. I'll admit that I'm old school, but that's also where I met Mrs. Ispolkom back in 1989.

 

[TimePeace]

You ARE right to be excited - the CZ is a breath-taking ride. The scenery is the best from any train in the U.S., by general consensus here. (Not everyone, some prefer other trains.) The Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are so beautiful. I had never seen either before taking the CZ for the first time about 6 years ago, and I have since done it 3 more times. What a treat for the little ones. Enjoy!

 

[Gfoley4]

Thanks for info Gfoley4. I see you have taken the CZ. Am I right to be excited about this trip? It is planned to celebrate our 40 anniversary and I absolutely wish it was tomorrow.

Yes, the CZ is an excellent train. From what I remember the food was good and after Denver, the scenery is some of the best I've ever seen.

 

[TimePeace]

>> I absolutely wish it was tomorrow. <<

I have a trip from ME to FL planned for March, and I feel exactly the same way.

 

[rlaz]

The Little Girls aren't going with us. I was just looking for something different to end our cousin camp and came up with a surprise ride on a train from Austin to Fort Worth. That ride convinced me that getting on a train vs. a plane to go on a trip was something I wanted to try. I have a friend who takes her daughter to Michigan every summer (from Texas) to visit relatives and she also encouraged me to try the roomette. Texas isn't known for train travel even in our cities so this is extra exciting for me. I am going to look into every suggestion made here for where to stay the nite before our trip. I SO appreciate every suggestion and the encouraging words about how fun this will be.

 

[rlaz]

How far south of the airport is this development with the Sleep Inn for example? Would it be best to go by cab from the airport to this motel? Since we have never used public transportation in Chicago (have been there, but had a car), will we have trouble getting on the "L" to get to Union Station?

 

[RailFanLNK]

Hostelling International at 24 E Congress Pkwy has "new" 2-person private rooms. They only have 8 rooms but my wife and I stayed there last October and the "private" rooms were EXCELLENT. We are 48 and 56 years old. $80 per night and free continental breakfast in the morning and free tours etc. Its about 9 blocks (walking distance) to CUS or a $6.00 cab ride which takes about 5 minutes. We love staying at HI-Chicago. Check out the reviews on Tripadvisor.

 

[AlanB]

Riaz,

Most of the hotels by the airport provide a free shuttle to/from the airport. So that makes it real easy and cheap (as you only need tip the driver for handling your bags) to get to and from the airport. Here is a list of hotels out by Midway that provide such a service and/or are walkable to the L. If you roll up the page you can also find links to hotels in the downtown area that are still near the L.

 

[FunNut]

I agree with the others who recommend staying near Midway airport, then taking the Orange line into downtown CHI the following morning. Airport hotels have a shuttle, just a small tip to the driver for handling your bags is needed. This is what I would do under your circumstances. Be sure to allow plenty of time for the public transportation, it's not nice to start such a great trip with being worried about being late.

Another option would be staying at the La Quinta Inn downtown, it's not far from Union Station and is usually inexpensive.

You can use mapquest,com to find which hotels are near Midway and Union Station. Then use tripadvisor.com hotel reviews to help you decide. Mapquest can also show you where restaurants are near the hotels. I'm all about frequent sleeper points, so staying at Marriott, Hyatt, or La Quinta properties is the way I go. Do check hotels that would give you Amtrak points, too.

Have fun!

 

[rlaz]

Thanks so much for the tips and suggestion about using free hotel shuttle from airport. Excellent idea. I think that makes sense because we will be getting in late and getting right to a hotel would make more sense. It would also give us plenty of time the next morning to make sure to get to the station with plenty of time to spare. This has been the only unknown of the trip. Renting a car after we get to California wasn't that worried about that end. I actually did see that Hostelling International listing. Didn't know any of those had private rooms. Will also check out the other suggested motel/hotels.