Taste of Chicago

I've stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel, which is right on Michigan Ave and is 2 blocks from the good shopping. It's a sassy, fun hotel with cool decor and comfy beds. I think we paid about $149/night, and that's the weekend rate. The staff was very helpful too. The trains are about a block away, so it made navigating the city very easy.

Thanks Ladies, I guess I need to find a suburb to stay in!!! I'll update everyone when I find a hotel. Thanks for all the suggestions!

I'm so jealous! I miss Chicago & all of the street festivals & especially the Taste! (Just moved from there last year)

You could try Evanston, it's the 1st suburb just north of the city & is pretty quick to downtown. Just stay near the Metra or purple L lines. There's a bunch of hotels but here's one that's pretty inexpensive:

Best Western University Plaza (Evanston, IL) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

Enjoy the Best Western University Plaza hotel in Evanston, Illinois. (link to hotel above)

Here's another hotel in Oak Park (1st suburb just west of the city & takes about 20-30 min to get downtown on the green L line)

Carleton Hotel and Motor Inn (Oak Park, IL) - Hotel Reviews - TripAdvisor

It's an older hotel & might not be what you're looking for. Both towns are really nice & have a lot to do/see aside from downtown Chicago.

Also, have you tried Travelocity or one of those travel sites?

Good luck!

I would suggest using hotwire.com. We stayed at the Sheraton on Magnificent Mile about a month ago for $90 on a weekend night! One of my co-workers told me to try it, using a 4 star or higher...worked beautifully...we saved over $150/night!! She only books hotels through hotwire...just thought I would throw out another option for you! Good luck...you will have a blast!

Try priceline.com and name your price. Once you select Chicago it will ask you to select areas of Chicago you want to chose from. Option 4 (Millenium Park, Loop & Grant Park Area) will put you in walking distance to Taste of Chicago and most sites, and you can select option 5 (North Michigan Ave) just to broaden your search and still be able to walk almost everywhere. We used priceline and stayed at the Palmer House Hilton in the Loop for only $99 a night, which is half price. It is a beautiful old hotel and you can walk everywhere from there. If you want suburbs, we stayed at the Extended Stay America in Downers Grove, easy drive into the city or easy access to public transport and it was $50-75 a night and very nice. Good luck. I love Chicago and the Taste of Chicago was soooo much fun.

Thanks for all the great info and suggestions Reluctant Beach Bride!!!

Thanks to all that replied. We booked the Chicago Marriott Suites O' hare through priceline and had a great time! We stayed 4 days and 3 Nights!

Looks like you had fun! I missed the taste this year- now I wish I would have gone!