Although I have often heard of Hostels, I guess that I assumed that they were only in Europe, and only for students. I was pleasantly surprised while searching for a hotel for a last minute trip to Chicago, to find a Hostel listed on a major booking site. I think it may have been on Hotels.com or Expedia.com, but I almost overlooked it because it was not prominently displayed.
Simple but to the point! |
My daughter had the lead in the play! |
There was a free simple breakfast every morning from 7:00 am to 10:00 am on the 2nd floor. It usually consisted of bagels, croissants, cereal, coffee, juice and sometimes fruit. Truly self service, when you are done you take your dishes into the kitchen and wash them yourselves.
They also offered complimentary walking tours in the city. One morning I took advantage of the Little Italy Walking tour with a very friendly Chicago native and the next day I took advantage of the Walking Architectural Tour. I learned and saw so much that it truly made my trip enriching!
Little Italy - Beautiful Fountain in the Park |
Little Italy - Joe DiMaggio Statue |
This was the best low budget trip ever! (the airfare was the biggest expense - $232.89 RT on Delta purchased through Orbitz which was an amazing rate since I bought it only two weeks before I left!) I bought a 3day CTA pass at O'hare ($14.00), then rode the train to the loop to my hotel. All my tours were free, my daughter's play was no charge, my breakfasts were free, and I caught a beautiful free piano concert at the Chicago Cultural Museum. Then I rode the train back to the airport for free. Because there was still time left on the pass, I handed it over to some European travelers who could at least get a couple more hours of use out of it. My meals were nominal for lunch and dinner. So overall I think my trip cost me less than $375.00) for 3 days and 2 nights during the week.
Atrium in the Chicago Library |
Picasso Sculpture in Daley Plaza |
I must remember to try to travel this way again!
Ta ta for now...