Chicago Meetup August 2009
August 14, 2009
The restaurant where we had the Meetup, Flatwater.
Me and a friend, Vivian, drove down from Green Bay. In all of my (non)wisdom I ended up taking interstate 94 all the way through the downtown area while enroute to Midway Airport. I had forgotten what stand-still traffic was like even in the middle of the afternoon, so my journey for the night began by being at least 2 hours behind schedule, yipes! You see, I had read that my hotel, the Hyatt on E. Wacker Drive charged $48 a day to park so I took someone else's advice to park at Midway and take the "EL" into the loop and get off just 2 blocks from my hotel. Great advice except I should have taken the 290 bypass!
Anyway, so we arrived at Midway, parked with no problem in an economy lot ($14/day) and bought tickets for the Orange Line El Train ($2.
The farthest traveler shirt went to Keith from Honolulu - I loved this idea!
Upon arriving we weaved our way through the crowd to the biggest and fullest table in the back of the restaurant along the water and were so warmly greeted by 30 some wonderful people that we had never met before, just written to (except for Mark - travelman727 - had the pleasure of meeting him already on New Year's Eve!). What a cool bunch of people from all walks of life! I had a great time learning about these fascinating people who inspired me to keep traveling.
(to be continued)
|
|
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
Create a free TravBuddy account or login to leave comments, meet travelers, and share experiences with the TravBuddy travel community.
The restaurant where we had the …
The farthest traveler shirt went…
Those who can be seen beginning …
From the other end of the table,…
Maria, Mark, and Joanne
From left: Courntie, Lola, Keith…
My yummy caesar salad.
Sullivans, the jazz club where S…
Jim and Joy
Jeremy... early in the night
Gianini and Bill
Wrigley building at night.
View of the river and Navy Pier.
Westin gets the Blues (House of)
Situated in downtown Chicago right across the street from the House of Blues and Harry Carry's, the location can't be beat. Decor' is minimalistic, Japanese style, rooms are nicely appointed.
I stayed on the executive floor, which means it was more quiet, and there was a bottle of FREE wine in the room (which we really enjoyed!)
The hotel is quiet, parking is available for about $40 per night, restaurants inside the main lobby serve sushi, and a plethora of exotic, good food to choose from.
Even in colder months (yes, May up here in the midwest IS a colder month) the rooms have a good view as it overlooks the North River.
Good rates during the weekend, safe area to walk in, even at night for women, and close to the nightlife and restaurants (a few blocks by cab).
Overall a good value. Nice hotel, but location and the beds are the best features. The hotel itself is kind of dull and a bit too quiet in the lobby for my taste, however, I would stay there again, it is a nice retreat from the night-scene.
I stayed on the executive floor, which means it was more quiet, and there was a bottle of FREE wine in the room (which we really enjoyed!)
The hotel is quiet, parking is available for about $40 per night, restaurants inside the main lobby serve sushi, and a plethora of exotic, good food to choose from.
Even in colder months (yes, May up here in the midwest IS a colder month) the rooms have a good view as it overlooks the North River.
Good rates during the weekend, safe area to walk in, even at night for women, and close to the nightlife and restaurants (a few blocks by cab).
Overall a good value. Nice hotel, but location and the beds are the best features. The hotel itself is kind of dull and a bit too quiet in the lobby for my taste, however, I would stay there again, it is a nice retreat from the night-scene.
|
|
|||
|
|
Loop hotel that was beautiful, cheap, convenient with a view of Navy Pier
I stayed here for the TravBuddy Meetup in Chicago August 14, 2009.
My winning bid on priceline about a week before the trip was $62.00!
VERY friendly service at checkin, I was still able to collect reward points even though I purchased through priceline.com. Because I allowed the checkin clerk to put me in any kind of room without specific bed requirements she put me on the 19th floor at the end of the hall so it was quiet... had a queen bed, and a wonderful view of both the river and Navy Pier/lakefront. I almost felt guilt since my rate was so cheap for a weekend!
Though there was a huge line at check-in it only took about 5 minutes for check-in to be my turn.
The room was a contemporary design, small but not cramped, beautifully appointed and clean. The bed was so comfortable and the pillows were incredible and perfect.
Bathroom was clean and everything worked properly with a nice design.
My clock was also an iPod docking station, which is a nice feature.
Big flat panel tv, spacious desk, convenient internet connection (for a fee), and efficient a/c.
I was also surprised how quick the elevators were in this hotel.
For those staying out late in the Michigan Ave. area there are not a lot of places to eat after 11pm. I was happy to see that the bar in the Hyatt called BIG served food until midnight. I ordered an individual pizza which was tasty and large enough to share.
I recommend this hotel and I would use priceline again to get the best prices.
My winning bid on priceline about a week before the trip was $62.00!
VERY friendly service at checkin, I was still able to collect reward points even though I purchased through priceline.com. Because I allowed the checkin clerk to put me in any kind of room without specific bed requirements she put me on the 19th floor at the end of the hall so it was quiet... had a queen bed, and a wonderful view of both the river and Navy Pier/lakefront. I almost felt guilt since my rate was so cheap for a weekend!
Though there was a huge line at check-in it only took about 5 minutes for check-in to be my turn.
The room was a contemporary design, small but not cramped, beautifully appointed and clean. The bed was so comfortable and the pillows were incredible and perfect.
Bathroom was clean and everything worked properly with a nice design.
My clock was also an iPod docking station, which is a nice feature.
Big flat panel tv, spacious desk, convenient internet connection (for a fee), and efficient a/c.
I was also surprised how quick the elevators were in this hotel.
For those staying out late in the Michigan Ave. area there are not a lot of places to eat after 11pm. I was happy to see that the bar in the Hyatt called BIG served food until midnight. I ordered an individual pizza which was tasty and large enough to share.
I recommend this hotel and I would use priceline again to get the best prices.
|
|
|||
|
|
Great location, 3 stars is a stretch
Staying in this hotel was average at best despite the great location.
Though the room was tastefully decorated it was very tiny with barely enough floor space to walk around the 1 queen bed.
A work desk also doubled as a tv stand and the tv was only about a 20".
The view from the room was of the alley and garbage dumpsters.
The room key was need to make elevators operate, and I suppose that is for safety reasons.
The lobby of this hotel is shared by Club Quarters with is the attached hotel.
There is one restaurant in the hotel that I saw and it was to the left of the lobby. While the patio and dining areas look appealing I was disappointed with the service and quality of food available. We ate breakfast here at 10:30am on a Saturday and of the 5 items they for breakfast not eggs, they were out of and it was not available (no bananas for the banana waffles, & no whipped cream). They ran out of coffee so we had to wait for a fresh brew. Once we were served the coffee it was delicious but had to ask for it twice (who heard of having to ask repeatedly for coffee?). Our server also handled our food more than was necessary which I found icky. The only lobby bathrooms were in the basement.... and they were HOT (a/c must have been broken), very stinky, and very dirty. No soap or paper towels available, but an empty pink/filthy opened soap bottle sat on the counter, which I assume the kitchen staff used. ICK!
The room did not offer a hair dryer or an iron.
We did not need to park as we took the train in from the airport so I assume there was valet parking, though I do not know the fees.
Internet (for a fee) was also available in the room. Overall the room was acceptable, but a disappointment for the price paid.
The hotel did not offer a concierge desk or a separate bell desk, so leaving bags after checkout or asking for reservation on a boat cruise was an arduous process and we had to wait for new patrons to check in first before we were asked for help.
Though the room was tastefully decorated it was very tiny with barely enough floor space to walk around the 1 queen bed.
A work desk also doubled as a tv stand and the tv was only about a 20".
The view from the room was of the alley and garbage dumpsters.
The room key was need to make elevators operate, and I suppose that is for safety reasons.
The lobby of this hotel is shared by Club Quarters with is the attached hotel.
There is one restaurant in the hotel that I saw and it was to the left of the lobby. While the patio and dining areas look appealing I was disappointed with the service and quality of food available. We ate breakfast here at 10:30am on a Saturday and of the 5 items they for breakfast not eggs, they were out of and it was not available (no bananas for the banana waffles, & no whipped cream). They ran out of coffee so we had to wait for a fresh brew. Once we were served the coffee it was delicious but had to ask for it twice (who heard of having to ask repeatedly for coffee?). Our server also handled our food more than was necessary which I found icky. The only lobby bathrooms were in the basement.... and they were HOT (a/c must have been broken), very stinky, and very dirty. No soap or paper towels available, but an empty pink/filthy opened soap bottle sat on the counter, which I assume the kitchen staff used. ICK!
The room did not offer a hair dryer or an iron.
We did not need to park as we took the train in from the airport so I assume there was valet parking, though I do not know the fees.
Internet (for a fee) was also available in the room. Overall the room was acceptable, but a disappointment for the price paid.
The hotel did not offer a concierge desk or a separate bell desk, so leaving bags after checkout or asking for reservation on a boat cruise was an arduous process and we had to wait for new patrons to check in first before we were asked for help.
Italian restaurant worth missing
There is one restaurant in the River Hotel that I saw and it was to the left of the lobby.
While the patio and dining areas look appealing I was disappointed with the service and quality of food available.
The interior decor' was pleasant and made a great impression. One wall in the dining room was decorated with the tops of wood wine crates some of which were signed by the owner of the vineyard. Colors were soothing and had an Italian feel.
We ate breakfast here at 10:30am on a Saturday. Of the 5 items they offered for breakfast which were not eggs, they ran out of.
Other items on the menu also not available so I had to keep changing my order when the waiter came back to the table announcing that a particular item I ordered was not available (no bananas for the banana waffles, & no whipped cream).
Also, they ran out of coffee so we had to wait for a fresh brew, which was ok, except it took more than 20 minutes for our first cup of coffee. Once we were served the coffee it was delicious but had to ask for a refill twice (who heard of having to ask repeatedly for coffee during breakfast?).
Once the food finally arrived the quality was alright. Not much flavor, actually, and a bit over cooked. The price for breakfast for 2 people for waffles and pancakes, coffee, and a cup of fruit was $36.00.
Our server also handled our food more than was necessary which I found icky. The only bathrooms in this hotel in the common areas was in the basement.... and they were very dirty, hot, and gross.
Room temperature was HOT (a/c must have been broken) and doors were propped open with a chair, very stinky, very humid, and very dirty. No soap or paper towels available, but an empty pink/filthy opened soap bottle sat on the counter, which I assume the kitchen staff used. ICK!
While the patio and dining areas look appealing I was disappointed with the service and quality of food available.
The interior decor' was pleasant and made a great impression. One wall in the dining room was decorated with the tops of wood wine crates some of which were signed by the owner of the vineyard. Colors were soothing and had an Italian feel.
We ate breakfast here at 10:30am on a Saturday. Of the 5 items they offered for breakfast which were not eggs, they ran out of.
Other items on the menu also not available so I had to keep changing my order when the waiter came back to the table announcing that a particular item I ordered was not available (no bananas for the banana waffles, & no whipped cream).
Also, they ran out of coffee so we had to wait for a fresh brew, which was ok, except it took more than 20 minutes for our first cup of coffee. Once we were served the coffee it was delicious but had to ask for a refill twice (who heard of having to ask repeatedly for coffee during breakfast?).
Once the food finally arrived the quality was alright. Not much flavor, actually, and a bit over cooked. The price for breakfast for 2 people for waffles and pancakes, coffee, and a cup of fruit was $36.00.
Our server also handled our food more than was necessary which I found icky. The only bathrooms in this hotel in the common areas was in the basement.... and they were very dirty, hot, and gross.
Room temperature was HOT (a/c must have been broken) and doors were propped open with a chair, very stinky, very humid, and very dirty. No soap or paper towels available, but an empty pink/filthy opened soap bottle sat on the counter, which I assume the kitchen staff used. ICK!
|
|
