Chicago Part One: The Hotel

  I love Chicago. Cynthia and I go there once or twice a year.  We go take in a Cubs game and hit all of our favorite ethnic restaurants.  This year we also took Laura with us and had a blast. Although I am not from Chicago I feel like I know it pretty well.
  When finishing up my masters degree I had to choose somewhere to do my internship.  My first choice was Kenya Africa, but due to some recent terrorist threats I landed at the South Asian Friendship Center which is on the north side of Chicago. The internship lasted for eight weeks. The South Asian Friendship Center is a book store that is located in the middle of little India and little Pakistan.
  I stayed at the Olive Branch Mission on the South side and used  the Chicago Transit Authority or CTA  to get from the south side to the north side each day.  I had my evenings and weekend free so I got to explore quite a bit and fell in love with the city. Since then we try to get up there when we can. 

  While I am not from the city, I am going to offer up some tips for where to stay, how to get about and even about some of the really good ethnic places I like to eat.  One of the things I enjoy about Chicago is its ethnic diversity. I really enjoy people and getting to know them and their culture.

   First let’s explore where to stay. Staying in Chicago can be expensive but does not have to be. The first thing we do is to check the various travel sites for hotels.  This is the cheapest way by far to find great prices on hotels. Here is a list of a few of them.

http://www.orbitz.com

http://www.priceline.com/

http://www.travelzoo.com/

http://www.hotels.com/

http://www.kayak.com

http://www.expedia.com/

http://www.cheaptickets.com  

http://www.hotwire.com

  Finding the right one for you comes by comparing each site and finding the best price. The one we have been using recently is Hotwire. One thing I like about this site is the secret hotel. They don’t tell you the name or exact location of the hotel until you book it but the prices are very good.  We have always gotten great hotels in great locations using this feature.  With Hotwire you can also have them notify you when the price drops via email, which is nice. 

  I have two suggestions when doing this.  One thing is to look for a three star hotel or higher. The second is to look for a hotel located in or around the loop. This is the central CTA hub and you can get anywhere via train from there.  The further away from the city the cheaper the hotels. 

  If you are on a tight budget  there is something  another option and it is to book a hotel at either O’Hare or Midway International Airports because both train lines can be accessed from them.  There are hotels that have shuttles to the airports so someone can park and stay at the hotel, shuttle to the airport and take the train into town.   This way you could also eliminate the parking problem.  A friend of mine who was on a bit tight budget tried this and it worked out very well for him and his wife.  

  Hope this helps. Staying in a nice hotel  does not have to 

cost an arm and a leg.   

         

                                          

                   

                 

                  

                 

Welcome to Earthbound

Welcome to Earthbound.
We are David, Cynthia and Laura, and this is our travel blog. The three of us love getting out there seeing the word, meeting its people and experiencing its culture. Between the three of us we have traveled to about ten countries from South Asia to the Middle East.

Why are we doing this blog? We are doing this blog because we not only love to experience travel but want to share it with others in hopes that they will also take the step out their front door and explore this huge world and all it has to offer. There is so much out there to see and do and we would love to encourage others to see it.  For this blog we will try to offer valuable tips on travel.  

  

We will also explore various cultures by visiting the restaurant they own.  The three of us are also very much foodies and we love trying food from all countries. I realize that eating at an ethnic rich restaurant in order to tell you all about it is a rough, but we are willing to make that sacrifice for you.  

“Food is a central activity of mankind and one of the single most significant trademarks of a culture.”  

Mark Kurlansky, 'Choice Cuts' (2002)

Our hope for this blog is that we can be involved in a community that promotes travel. We also want to hear from others about their travel experiences and perhaps even include them in this blog as well.  We want to hear about the people you meet, the places you eat and travel trips from you.  We are not Rick Steves, just ordinary people who love to explore, hike our way through this world and hope you will join us.

Our visit to Wrigley. 

Cubs Win! Cubs Win!