My 19 y.o. daughter will be taking Amtrak to Chicago (from St. Louis) to see the Who at the end of November. The show is at the Allstate Arena, just north of O’Hare. She’ll be traveling with a friend; the Arena and downtown are their main interests and they’ll be in town for about 48 hours.
The only previous time she was in Chicago our family paid a steep price for a lousy room, and I’m thinking she’ll could rent anywhere along the Blue Line rail, get a better room, zip into downtown in the morning and back to their hotel at night.
Any reason that’s a bad idea? Are any of the districts along the Blue Line interesting in themselves, or places to avoid? Any lesser known Chicago attractions you’d care to recommend? (I don’t think she’s interested in art galleries, but is otherwise well rounded.)
Has your daughter had any martial arts training? Is she any good with a switchblade? Seriously though, I wouldn’t be too excited about my daughter taking the blue line at night, especially after a concert. Id recommend a hotel near the concert and transportation bu taxi.
I have to agree with Rand Rover. The Blue Line goes through some pretty sketchy neighborhoods for an out-of-towner to navigate. I wouldn’t worry about it too much during the day - it’s a busy line, so there are lots of other people around - but after a concert gets out, I’d be pretty concerned about muggers.
If forced to pick something along the line, I’d suggest Logan Square. You’ve got stops like “Logan Square” (still kinda sketchy) “California” (getting better) “Fullerton” (ooh, look! yuppies!) or “Damen” (when did yuppies start looking like hipsters?) “Division” in Wicker Park would be okay, too, but once you’re that close to downtown, things are going to be as expensive as out by Allstate Arena anyhow.
I live off the Damen Blue Line stop and kinda agree with this. I’ve never felt unsafe on the Blue Line. If there’s one line I’d choose to take at 2am, it’d be the Blue Line. Since it runs 24/7 to/from the airport, there are always people on it. And after a concert, there will be even more people on it than normal.
I’d say the area around Logan Square is definitely sketchier than Damen or Division. The area around the Damen Blue Line stop late at night will have literally hundreds of people out and about on the sidewalks. There will be at least a handful of street musicians and probably a guy doing front flips on a modified bicycle. It’s usually quite a spectacle. Logan Square is fine, but less tourist friendly, IMO.
It’s not in the area you are speaking of, but the Hosteling International youth hostel in Chicago is gorgeous, and a great choice for someone in that age range.
Right…but you live off it. I lived in Rogers Park/West Ridge. I went to school in Uptown. Now I live in Irving Park. I work in Englewood, Garfield Park and Roseland, among other charming neighborhoods. I don’t feel unsafe here, either. But out of town friends are incredibly nervous visiting me after dark, and just exude “Mug me!” vibes and behave in ways which increase their risk of being victims of crime. (Leaving electronics visible in their cars, not locking up their bikes, not having their keys out when they’re approaching a door, etc.) Stuff that you and I take for granted and don’t even think about doing to reduce or risk is foreign to an out of towner…and rather than cause them a ton of stress and worry preparing for it, it’s probably easiest to stick with what they know.
Hotels out by Allstate Arena are already actually pretty cheap for the area, being in the convention center hub.
However…even sven did remind me to look up hostels, and the IHSP hostel on Damen is right off the Blue Line! It might actually be a fun option for a couple of young ladies. They have private rooms as well as dorm style rooms, and you can reserve online. Looks like a pretty nice place, and it’s well within the “safe” part of town. http://www.ihspusa.com/
Is there any reason you wouldn’t want her to stay at the Residence Inn or the Radison? They’re both easy walking distance the the Allstate and they can always get up in the morning, go downtown and be back to the hotel safe and sound.
I don’t have any problem with that, unless it’s very hard to get rooms there on the night of big shows, or if there are better options in more interesting areas. I’m just feeling my way here, and then I’ll offer fatherly advice to the kid – who will probably be apt to take it. I believe her travel mate -female, same age- currently wants to stay downtown.