Truck marshaling chicago

[uncle_bob]

Hi

I understand the "I've got an appointment". That part certainly comes first. If you are downtown, DO spend some time taking in the sites. As others have mentioned, south and west are not good directions. Due north along the lake is the "right" direction. I also would not wander around a lot after dark, go with Uber then. Once you get into downtown proper things aren't to bad. There is a *lot* to do down there.

Ohhh... pizza ... ohhh.....

Bob

[mayco]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

I understand the "I've got an appointment". That part certainly comes first. If you are downtown, DO spend some time taking in the sites. As others have mentioned, south and west are not good directions. Due north along the lake is the "right" direction. I also would not wander around a lot after dark, go with Uber then. Once you get into downtown proper things aren't to bad. There is a *lot* to do down there.

Ohhh... pizza ... ohhh.....

Bob

Hey Bob!

I agree, there is unlimited sites and food to explore in downtown. We have stayed downtown many times and always have a great time. Usually we would go up for a CUB game and then make a weekend out of it and always stayed in hotels. Unfortunately on this trip we will be "in and out" as quickly as possible. May have to somehow make time for the Art Institute AND a real Chicago hotdog somewhere. Always loved visiting downtown Chicago though it's been a few years since we've made time to do it. Can't beat an afternoon game at Wrigley for us. If this short trip works out, I'm betting we will be back for some fun and food in the future. Hotels have gotten just crazy price wise, especially since the increase in the hotel/motel tax went up. Parking is $50 or more for 24hrs, the expenses accumulate pretty fast. But.......if we can stay in the Motorhome, boy that changes the picture drastically. Hope it works out! 6500watt Onan propane generator will help!

Mike

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by mayco

Hey Bob!

I agree, there is unlimited sites and food to explore in downtown. We have stayed downtown many times and always have a great time. Usually we would go up for a CUB game and then make a weekend out of it and always stayed in hotels. Unfortunately on this trip we will be "in and out" as quickly as possible. May have to somehow make time for the Art Institute AND a real Chicago hotdog somewhere. Always loved visiting downtown Chicago though it's been a few years since we've made time to do it. Can't beat an afternoon game at Wrigley for us. If this short trip works out, I'm betting we will be back for some fun and food in the future. Hotels have gotten just crazy price wise, especially since the increase in the hotel/motel tax went up. Parking is $50 or more for 24hrs, the expenses accumulate pretty fast. But.......if we can stay in the Motorhome, boy that changes the picture drastically. Hope it works out! 6500watt Onan propane generator will help!

Mike

Hi

If you are at the Art Institute, head over to the Berghoff for a beer and a sandwich. Maybe not worth driving the entire way to Chicago, but worth the walk over when you are in the neighborhood.

Bob

[Lily&Me]

Mmmm, the Berghoff...a very special old restaurant.

Maggie

[OTRA15]

OT and FWIW --

In the mid-90's San Francisco had an RV park about 4 blocks south of Market near 5th or 6th, before that entire area was torn down and redeveloped. We stayed for a couple of nights and had the best time possible! All the good restaurants and tourist sites were only a short bus or cable car ride away.

The neighborhood was pretty bad but the park was full of RVs and trailers, so we probably created a critical mass of safety IMO.

The Chicago spot sounds great. Hope it works out! Please report after you get back.

Happy Trails . . .

Peter

[mayco]

Update:
So we drove up to Chicago yesterday from central Illinois to the McCormick Place Truck Marshalling yard to spend two nights. Its really a breeze to get to offof I57. The yard is about 4-5 blacks off of I94 so minimal driving on city streets. We are in our 31.5' 310 Classic Motorhome. Got to the marshalling yard, paid our $35 per night fee in cash and chose a spot in this HUGE paved parking area. Absolutely no hassles at all. There are probably 15-20 other RVs parked here, motorhomes and trailers. Some look like they may be stored here and others are occupied by travelers. There are many many semi truck trailers and a few semi trucks. None of the trucks were running there motors and stinking up the area. We can see the lake from the yard and we are right next to Lakeshore drive. All the Lakefront attractions are within a couple miles from the yard, Soldier Field, the Aquarium, Navy Pier, etc etc etc. Security patrols the lot every half hour or so. We walked around the lot a bit and didn't see any people roaming about. Its fenced in around the perimeter. Its not pretty but what a great place to stay the night if you're interested in activities in downtown Chicago.

We are taking Uber up to the north side later today. The Uber rate from here to Northwestern Memorial Hospital is under $20. Can't beat it.

Sooooooo, so far this place is a real find for those who want to visit the city in their RV. Don't feel unsafe at all. Another RV pulled in just a few spots from us in the afternoon yesterday. I'll update further when we leave tomorrow. We were skeptical about this but thought we would give it a try. So far a big thumbs up!

Mike n Lynn

[AtomicNo13]

Headed in right now... Meet up for cocktails?

[mayco]

HOW COOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!! We will be back around 4-4:30, see ya then or before!!

[Mollysdad]

Originally Posted by mayco

Update:
The yard is about 4-5 blacks off of I94 so minimal driving on city streets.

Freudian slip?
Anyway, I'm delighted that you found the perfect place. I loved to visit Chicago. It has everything, good and bad. You found the good. Hope you tried a Chicago Pizza and Chinatown.

[mayco]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

Freudian slip?
Anyway, I'm delighted that you found the perfect place. I loved to visit Chicago. It has everything, good and bad. You found the good. Hope you tried a Chicago Pizza and Chinatown.

HA! Muy bueno! We want to hit a good old time Jewish deli while here but other than that....... in our younger years we would do the downtown thang but not much attraction to us these days. Most be getting old eh? Just too many people going too fast for my tastes anymore. But that's cool, we had our good times in downtown Chi town. If we were into that though, this lot would be a pretty awesome base camp for activities. We did manage to find a couple trees and patch of grass to park next to.

This whole idea was really a lark. I fully intended on ponying up to stay at a hotel, pay $55 for 24 hr parking, eating out, etc etc. But once we got used to traveling in our 310 we've found that it's our happy zone. Not just the economics of it but having our OWN SPACE to stay in is unbeatable. I searched for "rv parking in Chicago" or something like that just for fun when this place popped up on RV PARK REVIEWS. Its crazy I know, but adventurous and I'm a bit crazy too so it all works.

[mayco]

Back home after two night boondocking at the Truck Marshalling yard in dowtown Chicago.
We had an absolute problem free stay at this site. Getting in from the south is very easy, getting back on I57 south was a little trickier but made it without a hitch. Helped to have my wife navigate while I was driving. There are a few entries and exits onto different roads in a fairly short distance so you just have to be mindful for the first 5 miles or so. No real big deal. So, if you want or need to do downtown Chicago, and you want to stay in your rig, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place. Important to call ahead and make sure they have room. Its not pretty but you couldn't get any handier to downtown Chicago. We were able to get UBER right there for rides where we needed to go. Cab service will pick you up at your site. $35 per night, no hookups. We will definitely use it again should we need to visit there. Never once felt unsafe or saw any sketchy type people roaming around. Good security that is very visible throughout the day and night. A bit noisy from the Metro being very close but didn't bother our sleeping. Good option I'd say.

And we did find a great deli on our venture out. Manny's deli on Jefferson, hot pastrami on rye piled high as can be with great potato salad. Mission accomplished.

Also met up with a fellow Forum member there at the lot who had been there many times with his family. They had nothing but good things to say about using this spot. Met some other RVers also.

[OTRA15]

Very cool! Thanks for the updates. Sounds like our experience in San Francisco back in the 90's, as outlined in Post #25.

Have a good Labor Day weekend!

Peter