<p>Does Oberlin have a Facebook page for parents of admitted students?</p>
<p>Also, any good recommendations for places to stay during orientation in August?</p>
<p>Oberlin Inn is the most convenient but is in bad need of remodeling. We have also stayed at the Ivy Tree and garden B&B just a couple of blocks away.</p>
<p>During check in we stayed at the Marriott Courtyard in North Olmsted. Its clean, close to the airport and an easy drive to Oberlin. There are all the shops around that you would need (Walmart, Target, BB&B, and a big mall across the street.)</p>
<p>Elyria is closer but the area is not great.</p>
<p>There are several small hotels in North Olmstead. 20 mins away, very convenient! We’ll stay there for graduation too.</p>
<p>I don’t know about a FB page, but there is a Yahoo Groups for parents:
[oberlincollegeparents</a> : Oberlin College/Conservatory Parents](<a href=“Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos”>Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos)</p>
<p>I just joined - will be interesting to see what is communicated to/by the group.</p>
<p>North Olmsted also has a ton of decent places to eat. I’ve stayed at the Courtyard so often, I just walk through the door and, without opening my mouth, they greet me by name. 
There is a Macaroni Grill (love it), Chilis, and Lonestar Steakhouse within a 30 second walk from the Marriott Courtyard front door. There are about 100 other places, from burger joints to BBQ rib joints (Famous Dave’s is the best and most popular) to Five Guys to Italian, Asian, etc. etc. etc. to eat within two miles. And the area is very safe. </p>
<p>By the way, the 20 minute drive is cake. There’s never any traffic, and I’ve driven it back and forth all hours of the day and night. The only time I ran into slow traffic on the route between Oberlin and North Olmsted was during a major snow storm. But local rush hour traffic can get heavy around the mall/restaurant areas.</p>
<p>The hotel next to the Courtyard is a lot cheaper and allows small dogs and cats (for an extra fee), but it lacks the awesome buffet/made-to-order breakfast, pool, computer and big screen TV lounge, and workout room that you will find in the Courtyard. If memory serves, it’s a Homestead Inn (or another place that starts with an “H”). We stayed there once when our dog came with us to Ohio. It was clean but spartan. I think there is a Radisson tower right across the street. I’ve never stayed there.</p>
<p>If you’re staying in North Olmsted and are willing to drive another six miles, you can visit an upscale outdoor Promenade Shop type mall with some expensive restaurants (and a few cheap ones). It’s the only Promenade type shopping area I’ve seen with pricey condos built right above them, creating the effect of a kind of urban area way out in the burbs. It’s in a burb called Westlake. The shops are called Crocker Park: <a href=“http://www.crockerpark.com/[/url]”>http://www.crockerpark.com/</a></p>
<p>Enjoy!</p>
<p>I used to stay at the Best Western in Elyria. It was perfectly adequate IMO.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. Guess I better get on it, to make our reservations for orientation. Son decided and accepted a place at Oberlin yesterday! I’m a little wistful he is not going to be at OXY and that we don’t get to visit CA for the 4 years–those Santa Catalina Mountains are so beautiful and I had imagined all sorts of hiking trips we could all take together–plus it would have been a good excuse to escape New England weather periodically. But the shorter flight to Ohio (we are in Boston) is going to be appreciated!</p>
<p>Welcome Domi555 ! Oberlin is cold in the winter, but is a very warm community!</p>
<p>We stayed at Shurtleff Cottage for move-in last year. It’s a B&B on campus. A little pricey but I really appreciated not having to get in the car and drive again after having driven the 10 hours up there. It’s a beautiful historical place. My D’s roommates’ parents stayed in Elyria and had their car broken into and the printer stolen so beware what you leave in the car in plain view. That said, I am staying a night at Oberlin Inn for spring move-out just for the convenience factor of packing out.</p>
<p>Thank you!!:)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>POTO Mom, sorry that happened. I’ve stayed in Elyria maybe three times. My wife stayed in Elyria one time and refuses to stay there again. It’s a bit of pit. When I travel, business or personal, I like to stay in a nice area, and I don’t care if it costs more or is farther away. You get what you’re willing to pay for. </p>
<p>The Oberlin Inn has experienced, off and on, a certain problem. I’ve read travelers reviews online that mentioned this issue, but you can’t always believe what you read on the Internet, so I stayed there twice, anyway. The second time, I saw for myself while working on my laptop in one of their rooms. I went downstairs and complained and they comped my room. To their credit they’ve made tremendous efforts to get rid of the problem permanently, but it seems to come and go. I won’t stay there again. The problem could very well be cured, but I won’t stay there again.</p>
<p>It’s North Olmsted for me.</p>
<p>Plainsman: What do you mean, “a certain problem”?</p>
<p>^
PM me, domi555</p>
<p>Okay–thanks for your message, Plainsman. I got it.</p>
<p>Has anyone stayed at the Sunset Motel in Oberlin–it seems to be just 2 miles from campus, but I did not see it mentioned here.</p>
<p>domi555: Avoid it. You’ll note that it’s not on the college’s list, for good reason:
[Accommodations</a> - Oberlin College](<a href=“http://new.oberlin.edu/visitor/accommodations.dot]Accommodations”>http://new.oberlin.edu/visitor/accommodations.dot)</p>
<p>Elyria has a great Bed Bath and Beyond. Order the goods from your home store and they’ll be ready for pickup at move-in time. And be prepared to spend a lot more than you expected. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Uh…I think you want to spend a bit more money and stay someplace…nicer. Several people have made much better recommendations, or stick with the Oberlin College list.</p>
<p>TripAdvisor is a great tool where you can get the scoop on things like “certain problems” at the various lodging options…yet, as comprehensive as TripAdvisor is, the Sunset Motel does not even get a ranking or rating from them. And there are 0 reviews. I don’t have enough pioneer blood in me to blaze that kind of trail.</p>
<p>Okay–got it. Thanks, guys!</p>