Who went to Lolla last year?

BEnglish017

I went but stayed outside of Chicago. Wanted to know where you all stayed and a review on the place. We are trying to stay as close as possible this year. Anyone w/ any info I would greatly appreciate.

dont_go_on_me

I stayed at the Travelodge. It's pretty dumpy but is 5 minutes from Grant Park which was the most important thing.

All we needed was a bed and a shower, and that's about what you get. Going again this year and have the Travelodge booked again.

ReleaseMe...

Hotel Blake

4 blocks from Grant

classy classy classy, and from what i remember didnt break the wallet either

highly suggest you look into it, and was a BREEZE to get to from the airport (2 dollar Orange line ride one block away)

South of Seattle

I think the Congress hotel was the closest hotel with the best price.

4Powers20

I stayed at the Best Western. Nice, clean, 5 minutes from the fest. Nice breakfast shop right on the corner just outside the front door. Will stay there again next time PJ plays Lolla.

jwillmo

I stayed at the Swissotel, within walking distance of the park and very nice. Swanky and about $150 a night if I recall, but I shared it with others.

NY PJ1

4Powers20 wrote:

I stayed at the Best Western. Nice, clean, 5 minutes from the fest. Nice breakfast shop right on the corner just outside the front door. Will stay there again next time PJ plays Lolla.

stayed there also ,,it was all good

SENROCK

the congress hotel got BADD reviews here on the board when people were asking where to stay for lolla. being the baddass i am we stayed there ANYWAY!!! while all you foos that dissed the place stayed further away and said this or that hotel is a short cab ride or train ride away......WE walked across the street and were at lolla in 2 minutes. we got to "shop" there and go right back to the room to leave our stuff and walk right back to enjoy the day. it was fun seeing everyone waiting for cabs and trains! seriously, STAY AT THE CONGRESS!!! theres a really good bar there and the people are awesome!

JoWesley

We stayed at Hard Rock. It was a short walk but it felt like 10 miles after the shows at night. For what we paid, I am not sure it was really worth it..but I guess it was ok. It was a super close walk to the Emerald Loop though.

thunderDAN

I stayed at The James on Rush and Ontario. It was really really really cool. Kings of Leon stayed there aswell. Probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, and you have a flat screen right above your bed which was nice.


http://www.jameshotels.com/chicago/index.php

joint in a tree

we stayed at Club Quarters. It was a nice walk to Grant, probably farther than you're looking for (probably just over half mile)...BUT it was very cheap and very clean. The rooms were pretty small.

They had our block closed off because they were filming Batman. We were only allowed to walk down there because we were staying at the hotel.

i can't wait to get to lolla again, PJ or not. it was a great time.

Jesika537

We stayed at Hilton Palmer House and it was first class all the way and not terribly expensive... It was less than a 10 minute walk to the festival and maybe a $5 cab ride if you don't feel like walking. Alot of decent bars and restaurants near by and pretty much anything else you might need. I would highly recommend it but wherever you decide to stay book early cause they will sell quickly.

dmwade

I stayed at the Congress last year as well. Sure, it was nothing too special or anything, but the reviews did seem to be a little harsh. Plus you sure can't beat the location and price that weekend. I'll be back at Lolla again this year, but crashing at a buddy's apt a bit farther away.

Tangerine

SENROCK! wrote:

the congress hotel got BADD reviews here on the board when people were asking where to stay for lolla. being the baddass i am we stayed there ANYWAY!!! while all you foos that dissed the place stayed further away and said this or that hotel is a short cab ride or train ride away......WE walked across the street and were at lolla in 2 minutes. we got to "shop" there and go right back to the room to leave our stuff and walk right back to enjoy the day. it was fun seeing everyone waiting for cabs and trains! seriously, STAY AT THE CONGRESS!!! theres a really good bar there and the people are awesome!

I'll second that! We were extremely worried about the reviews the hotel had gotten but seriously it was NOT bad at all. Not the Ritz but, like 99.999% of the people going to Lolla, we just wanted somewhere close where we could sleep and shower. We had the greatest view of Grant Park from our room and could hear the bands soundchecking in the AM.

Don't worry about the strikers (if they're still there) just use the side exit/entrance. That's what we did the whole time. They also have an onsite bar with a couple of pool tables that serves your basic bar food (burgers, sandwiches, salads), a full service restaurant and another rest. that serves breakfast (buffet or regular menu) and room service. Plus there are plenty of "good" places to eat nearby if you choose not to eat the food at Lolla (which wasn't bad either). Also, I think the closest liquor store was about 2 blocks away. Beware though, water will set you back quite a bit at the gift shop. I think they wanted something like $45 for a case. Granted it was for 1 liter bottles, but that's insane. I think there's a CVS in the area but we didn't venture far enough to find it. We did buy some at some point but I can't for the life of me remember where. You WILL definitely need it though, it's extremely hot in Grant Park. We ended up using the 2 waters to 1 beer rule and managed pretty good but I'm sure the heat got to a lot of people that used the no water/all beer rule Another thing that's helpful is a mister fan/water bottle. I think we saw 1 other person with one the whole weekend, everyone kept asking us where we got them (at WalMart). Just bring it in empty and refill it at the water stations once inside.

One other thing, we took the L from Midway and it was probably a 10-15 minute walk to the hotel.

Dylan Stone

4Powers20 wrote:

I stayed at the Best Western. Nice, clean, 5 minutes from the fest. Nice breakfast shop right on the corner just outside the front door. Will stay there again next time PJ plays Lolla.

What he said.

SilverSeed

Jesika537 wrote:

We stayed at Hilton Palmer House and it was first class all the way and not terribly expensive... It was less than a 10 minute walk to the festival and maybe a $5 cab ride if you don't feel like walking. Alot of decent bars and restaurants near by and pretty much anything else you might need. I would highly recommend it but wherever you decide to stay book early cause they will sell quickly.

Yeah we stayed there too. Pretty nice except for the elevators breaking... Walking the 18 flights or whatever in 100 degree heat was not so cool. Also their internet was trash and almost kept us from getting pumpkins tickets that went on sale that weekend. Really gorgeous hotel though, and we got them to comp a night for the stuff that went wrong.

As for getting to Grant, the walk wasn't long but was definitely real hot. We had cabs turn us down because it was too close.

Jesika537

SilverSeed wrote:

Yeah we stayed there too. Pretty nice except for the elevators breaking... Walking the 18 flights or whatever in 100 degree heat was not so cool. Also their internet was trash and almost kept us from getting pumpkins tickets that went on sale that weekend. Really gorgeous hotel though, and we got them to comp a night for the stuff that went wrong.

As for getting to Grant, the walk wasn't long but was definitely real hot. We had cabs turn us down because it was too close.

They comped us the first night too... We never got turned down by a cab but that could have been because I was 8 months pregnant.

Get_Right

hampton inn suites
longer walk from the park, but it was fine.

TransplantedNewf

We stayed at the Hard Rock. It's a five minute walk from Grant Park. It was worth every penny.

firecrotch23

came from philly and stayed across the street from grant park at the congress plaza hotel. place was really old but clean and you cant ask for better location for lolla, plus the price was really reasonable. it also made it a lot easier for us to sneak beer in the concert instead of paying $8 per cup;)

SENROCK

Tangerine wrote:

I'll second that! We were extremely worried about the reviews the hotel had gotten but seriously it was NOT bad at all. Not the Ritz but, like 99.999% of the people going to Lolla, we just wanted somewhere close where we could sleep and shower. We had the greatest view of Grant Park from our room and could hear the bands soundchecking in the AM.

Don't worry about the strikers (if they're still there) just use the side exit/entrance. That's what we did the whole time. They also have an onsite bar with a couple of pool tables that serves your basic bar food (burgers, sandwiches, salads), a full service restaurant and another rest. that serves breakfast (buffet or regular menu) and room service. Plus there are plenty of "good" places to eat nearby if you choose not to eat the food at Lolla (which wasn't bad either). Also, I think the closest liquor store was about 2 blocks away. Beware though, water will set you back quite a bit at the gift shop. I think they wanted something like $45 for a case. Granted it was for 1 liter bottles, but that's insane. I think there's a CVS in the area but we didn't venture far enough to find it. We did buy some at some point but I can't for the life of me remember where. You WILL definitely need it though, it's extremely hot in Grant Park. We ended up using the 2 waters to 1 beer rule and managed pretty good but I'm sure the heat got to a lot of people that used the no water/all beer rule Another thing that's helpful is a mister fan/water bottle. I think we saw 1 other person with one the whole weekend, everyone kept asking us where we got them (at WalMart). Just bring it in empty and refill it at the water stations once inside.

One other thing, we took the L from Midway and it was probably a 10-15 minute walk to the hotel.

yeah the view was sweet! and i forgot about the pool tables. Theres a good jukeboxxx up in there too and plenty of sofas and lounge chairs to chill. the cvs is to the left if ure facing grant park, right across from THE BEAN!!!! damn i love chicago!!! seriously, people should stay at the congress.
heres a pic of The Congress taken from the bridge that leads into lolla!

Lee_Jam

arlington house hotel

cheap and cheerful. right beside the train aswell

best thing was how man pearljam fans that stayed there though:)


Oh how i would love to go this year again. RATM = yummmmmm

DaytimeDilemma

I stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on East Hubbard. Really cool hotel with free internet access in rooms. 24 hour store in the lobby and right next to a bunch of cool bars including Mother Hubbards.


It's a little walk to Grant Park, but not that big of a deal. If you don't wanna walk, it's right next to the red line(Grand) which you can take down to Jackson or wherever.


Anyway, this year, I'll be staying in my apartment.

edvedder913

stayed at the W - easy walk to grant park. small rooms, but nice.

on the other hand, room service was outrageously expensive...don't do it! the fees/charges were more than my meal - oatmeal and fruit cost almost $40!!!!!!! :eek:

xavier mcdaniel

stayed the best western grant park, four nights for 450.

panthergirl

we (husband, me and two teenage sons)
stayed at the Homewood Suites.
it wasn;t too far but after the shows at night it wasn't easy getting back
because the trains are packed, the cabs are non-existent (well they were in our case) and we were soooo exhausted.
one of the nights i thought my younger son was going to pass out
(we walked and it seemed like miles and miles... though it wasn;t...
it was probably under 1.5 miles)

it wasn;t cheap though it did include breakfast and a small kitchen.
and free computer/interenet use for guests.


i recommend staying As Close to Grant Park As Possible


what a great weekend

Jerome Turner

thunderDAN wrote:

I stayed at The James on Rush and Ontario. It was really really really cool. Kings of Leon stayed there aswell. Probably the most comfortable bed I've ever slept in, and you have a flat screen right above your bed which was nice.


http://www.jameshotels.com/chicago/index.php

I stayed there for a work conference and bumped into "Vinny" from Entourage...and I agree about the bed...amazing.

RiotAct10

I stayed at my friends apartment. It worked out pretty well, we stayed for free, and there were some pretty nice places to eat around there. You would have to ride the train to and from though as she lives on Depaul's campus, and I am really not sure if there is any vacancy this year, especially for people she doesnt know, but you asked where I stayed, so I thought I would share. I would definitely recommend it.

Jerome Turner

stayed at Club Quarters Central Loop...didnt realize they had only single beds...we were travelling as a group...tiny rooms...

Staying at the Congress this year...wow what a lineup!

Evolution6579

Krisdababe wrote:

We stayed at the Hard Rock. It's a five minute walk from Grant Park. It was worth every penny.

Yeah, we had fun! I met Jim James in the elevator and saw Amy Winehouse and Lady Ga Ga bummed a smoke from me out front. BTW, you cant smoke inside if that will help to influence your decision.

Some of the sponsors of Lolla were using the hotel as a headquarters of sorts and left us a bag FULL of free shit on the bed. They also were using the hotel as a VIP spot for special concerts. If you had your room key on you, you get in VIP style over all the other "cool" people, posing, standing outside who had probably paid an exorbitant amount of money, or had to have "connections" to get in.

One of the concerts was an acoustic Plain White T's show. One of the other nights, Danny Masterson, That 70's Show's Hyde, was DJing at the party.

Oh, and order pizza from Ranalli's while you are there in Chicago. It is FABTASTIC!

GraySaturday

I went, but I live in the city.. so obviously I didn't stay in a hotel. But, if you look for a hotel on Michigan Ave like 300 N down to like 1000 S they line the park, and you'll be super close.