<p>For those of you who have not even been admitted yet, don’t worry about not booking a room for your arrival. There are many people who book multiple rooms in different college towns just in cast that’s where their child winds up there. Rooms will open up between April 1 and May 1, but I wouldn’t wait.</p>
<p>There are hotels in Skokie by the Old Orchard Shopping Mall (an upscale mall) which is about 10 to 15 minutes west of NW if you can’t find anything in Evanston. Don’t venture too far south in Evanston for a hotel - Evanston is a interesting mixture of the very rich and very poor.</p>
<p>@amtc -</p>
<p>Wish I’d seen your post before committing to the Best Western, but there will no doubt be a next time to get a better hotel! ;-)</p>
<p>As I recall, driving into town when we visited involved lots of little roads with stop-and-go traffic. Am I correct in assuming it gets tough to drive and park in Evanston when big events are happening on campus?</p>
<p>Agreed, the Best Western is due for a makeover. In case you are a very light sleeper, check out a map and see where it is in relation to the El track. Since I didn’t, as expected, spend much time in there at all, except to relax a bit watching tv, sleep and shower, the appearance of the place didn’t really bother me. </p>
<p>There was just so much I wanted to see about the campus and the surrounding area that I wasn’t going to be checking out the amenities of the hotel. The room was large, bed was comfy, the internet connection for the laptop reasonable, tv reception was good. The lighting in the bathroom could have been better. </p>
<p>The parking garage was laid out a little strangely, so if you weren’t used to driving a larger car (which I wasn’t but had to have a large rental to stuff in all of S’s stuff we brought on the plane plus the bedding we got at the Wilmet BB & B) you’ll have to take things a bit slowly.</p>
<p>Others have mentioned the more pricer hotels that are also just to the south of campus. I walked inside the lobby of the Orrington, and it did appear more lux. But again, I wasn’t planning on spending much time in the hotel. </p>
<p>Being in any of the hotels immediately south of campus is great, since it’s a nice little walk to campus and through some of the commercial areas, so you’re not even going out of your way to get an idea of what shops are in the immediate vicinity. As I walked with S, he was happy to note where the Jamba Juice outlet was located.</p>
<p>Does the area around campus get clogged during move in? Oh yes!! This is another reason to be located close enough to just move the loaded car once to the residence hall in question, dump the stuff and the kid, move the car to a parking spot on campus (the university is very generous in providing these at no chage on move in day) or back to your nearby hotel, then take a leisurely walk back to the residence hall to see if your kid needs any assistance setting up his/her room.</p>
<p>Glad to hear that it’s worth staying very near campus during move in week, as I’d considered booking something nicer further from town. And hey - maybe the Best Western will just make D’s dorm look that much better! :-)</p>
<p>MomCares,
Your student will eventually sign up for a very specific move-in time and you will be allowed to park close to the dorm to unload during that time. 45 minutes, if I remember correctly. Then you will move your car to a designated University lot for as long as you plan to stay on campus. Parents only stay a maximum of two days of the actual orientation, and many leave after the first day of programming. We were in the minority of those who stayed for the second day. We didn’t find the need to be in a hotel anywhere near the campus because of the way orientation is set up.</p>
<p>MomCares-I don’t mean to sound contrary to FAP, after all, both our sons are first years at NU and we’ve met ;). We did stay at the Best Western the first time we visited NU. My H and I are about as far from hotel snobs as you can imagine. We were just annoyed at how pricey the Best Western was relative to it’s frumpy condition and they clearly jacked up the prices for the arrival of NU parents on move-in weekend as well as Parents Weekend. That’s why in the future we decided to venture further afield for significantly less expensive and nicer accommodations. We decided that the trade-off was well worth it to us since we were on campus for the whole day anyway. I’m sure it will work out for you! :)</p>
<p>momof3sons is not a contary person at all! She’s one of the more supportive posters on our Parent’s Forum thread. :)</p>
<p>Since S is an only child, I just really didn’t want to waste any of my time in the Evanston area driving back and forth from where ever the lodging would be. I probably took it at face value that the hotels in the area would pump the rates for move in, parent’s weekend, etc. See, I am really the spoiled one here. Except for this one move in, whenever I’m in the area I just stay with SIL in Oak Park for free (well, we usually treat them for a meal out when we’re there.)</p>
<p>Neither of you sound in the least bit contrary, and I know we’ll take both approaches over time. Heck, someday I may even befriend the Oak Park SIL for free lodging! ;-D</p>
<p>I’ve been having an urge to get familiar with Evanston, so the move-in trip will start that process.</p>
<p>I recommend Oak Park to Frank Lloyd Wright fans. It’s 17 miles from Evanston.</p>
<p>[Frank</a> Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, Oak Park, Illinois](<a href=“Oak Park Tourist - Touring, Living and Working in Oak Park, Illinois”>Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio, Oak Park, Illinois)</p>
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<p>@FindAPlace - fantastic! I can’t wait to get a chance to tour the Wright buildings in Oak Park!!</p>
<p>From the perspective of someone who lives near San Francisco, Evanston has appeared amazingly safe to me. That said, take usual precautions for being in the city. But I laughed over how non-aggressive any panhandlers were in either Evanston or downtown Chicago compared to San Franciso.</p>
<p>The rough area in Evanston is west, and a student will have little or no reason to go there.</p>
<p>I live about 45 minutes away, otherwise I’d invite you all over when I move S in this fall!</p>
<p>The town-gown issues are irrelevant to the everyday student who may want to shop or go to a cafe in Evanston.</p>
<p>Though this is 25 (gasp) years ago, when I was a student, my family always stayed in downtown Chicago and then just drove up to campus to see me, take me out, etc.</p>
<p>Oldest daughter went to Northwestern. It was great! She loved from the first minute. Never worried about safety. She was an international freshman student.<br>
Evanston is a great college town, no doubt!!!</p>
<p>My daughter is about to graduate, after 4 wonderful years at Northwestern.
I love the university and I love Evanston. Any kid would be lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy both.</p>
<p>I think the hotel options in Evanston are rather limited. I doubt I will ever rent a car and drive over from Skokie…I have stayed at ORD airport hotels and in downtown. That means El or taxiis plus some walking.
The cultural amenities and walkability of downtown Chicago are big plusses for students as well as parents. I have had only positive experiences walking rather extensively in downtown. If you have a student involved w/arts in some way, as I do, then they can benefit from being at Northwestern close to downtown Chicago even as a freshman. I post this because I have read somewhere about that freshmen ‘rarely venture downtown,’ and I want to say I am aware this is not the case.
Also, with Chicago such a major metro area, even if you come from far away like us, your student may have friends at OTHER Chicago schools and they can see each other (yes, it will take time on the El). But I will relay to you this has proven superior (for our student) to being in some isolated country hamlet for college where one is just stuck there.
I liked staying in downtown Chicago (close to an El stop) and taking El up to Evanston, wasn’t that bad and I had no previous experience with the El.
If you have lots of luggage or bulky items, you could still stay in downtown Chicago and get a taxi in off hours. I had to do this on an early Sunday AM, cost wasn’t that bad, tell them to take Lakeshore then Sheridan up north to the NU main campus. Wouldn’t want to do it in weekday rush hour, though.</p>
<p>I just went back to this thread for some info and realized others might find it interesting.</p>
<p>If anyone has anything to add about the best places to do last-minute shopping for dorm stuff before/during Wildcat Welcome we’d welcome any tips!</p>
<p>I know they’re not that close to NU, but I was planning on going to IKEA, Costco, and Trader Joes (I’m bringing my car up for grad school) to help furnish and stock my apartment for a while. Students can probably find someone with a car, share a Zipcar with friends, or wait until Wildcat Welcome for parents to rent a car to help out with some ‘long-distance’ shopping.</p>
<p>@Oyama – All are among our favorite stock-up stores, and we will have a rental car. Great idea to research where they are near Evanston and make a day trip before Wildcat Welcome!</p>