PRICE:
Frommer's Highly Recommended

A few doors down from the El stop on Belmont Avenue, this former transient dive has been transformed into a charming small hotel. Most rooms are suites, with separate sitting rooms and bedrooms, all furnished with first-rate pieces and decorated in a homey and comfortable style. The overall feel is that of a bed-and-breakfast, with added amenities such as plush robes and complimentary continental breakfast. A bonus -- or drawback, depending on your point of view -- is the hotel's neighborhood setting. Most rooms can be fairly noisy; those facing north overlook Belmont Avenue, where the nightlife continues into the early morning hours, and those facing west look right out over the rumbling El tracks. On your way in and out of the hotel, you'll be able to mingle with plenty of locals, everybody from young professional families to gay couples to punks in full regalia. Blues bars, nightclubs, and restaurants abound in the area, making the City Suites a find for the bargain-minded and adventurous. Suites have both fridges and microwaves on request. Room service is available from Ann Sather, a Swedish diner and neighborhood institution.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chicago 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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