Does anyone who has been to Bienen or lives in Chicago have any advice on visiting Bienen for an audition? I am not a big city person and my son will have his cello, so we are looking for the easiest way to get from the airport (which one?) to a hotel (suggestions?) and then to campus. Thank you in advance for any advice. This is the audition trip I am most anxious about.
It has been a few years and we did not have a cello with us but when we travelled for d’s audition, we rented a car at O’Hare and the hotel, Hilton Garden Inn was very convenient to campus and had a garage but we did actually drive to campus as they gave us tickets to orchestra performance for Saturday night after audition day and we took advantage of that and then had easy drive to the airport the next morning.
I suggest staying at the Orrington Hotel - that is walking distance from the campus, even with a cello. Call them - they had a very good audition week rate and they will take care of you. Make sure to get their suggestion for transportation from the airport - we took a random cab and had a bad experience with that. O’Hare is the nearest airport.
We ended up having a very nice experience at the hotel, in town, and on campus. Good luck!
We live in the western Chicago suburbs, but I am not too familiar with Evanston. Evanston is on the north side of Chicago and is a very nice community. My daughter drove herself to her Bienen audition last year, as well as for a lesson and an interview. Parking can be a challenge in Evanston, but she never had an issue following the parking maps and guidance on line.
O’Hare is the closer of the two airports, but Midway is manageable if your flights are cheaper to there. You can rent a car or take a taxi, bus or subway (the “el”) to Evanston. With a cello, the bus and subway (need to change lines) will be challenging. If you go to the Bienen website and click “Visit Us” you will find more details on transportation options and hotels. Let me know if you cannot find it.
Perhaps someone who lives nearer Evanston or stayed overnight for auditions can give more guidance on hotels, but I would think the ones right in Evanston would be most convenient.
There is no need to rent a car- parking is very expensive in Chicago and it’s difficult to find free parking at any of the hotels. Check both airports as Midway can sometimes be less than O’Hare; cabs are plentiful at both, but they will set you back about $65 for a run from O’Hare to Evanston, which is still a lot cheaper than a rental car and parking. Should you want to go into the city from the school, you can easily take the El or call a Lyft or Uber car (which are really quite cheap and would be a great option since there are two of you).
PM me if you need specifics- my D lives in Chicago.
My son, who also lives in Chicago, says that Uber runs about half to two-thirds the cost of a taxi from the airport.
You can call Lyft or Uber to take you to the airports but Chicago is restricting them now and they can not pick you up at the airports. The app will not allow you to order one to come to the airport- it was part of an agreement that the city made in order to allow the car services to remain operational in the area when the taxi companies objected.
Several of the cab companies have set fees from Midway but you have to call them when you get in and order the cab . We use American Taxi, and with the ordering it’s cheaper than just jumping into a random taxi. The weather can be a player this time of year so I’d suggest forgoing public transit, get a cab and stay at the Orrington Hotel. I don’t know about walking to the university with a cello- the wind off the lake can be deadly, but it would be a very short cab ride. Once in Evanston, you don’t have to go anywhere else as it is full of delightful restaurants, bars and shops that will fit any budget or diet. Come back and see Chicago on another trip and enjoy Evanston instead. Northwestern has a beautiful campus.
Just made reservations at the Orrington Hotel. This message board has helped tremendously in planning/surviving our 6 audition trips!
I would also suggest the Norris Center, located about 500 ft to the north of Beinen as a great place for parents to kill time while waiting on audition day. The food service is pretty good for a university ( Rick Bayless has a scaled back restaurant in the food court there) and on the second floor there is a Starbucks with lots of seating and a great view of the lake.