[elapicearpisp]

I stayed at the downtown Y once.

[nobodyhere]

~$60 for a hostel? Wow. I can remember when a night in a hostel only cost like $15.

[lidersontop]

The cheapest I can remember was about $0.69 and that was in 1992 right after the first Gulf War. I had just started to drive at that time and even on my $4.25 part time job at K-Mart I could afford to fill my tank, take road trips with my friends (usually just to another county or something over the weekend), pay for my car insurance, and still have money left over to eat out or go on a date or what not. Good times, good times.

[Ijkavylo]

Hey, my first car was a VW too! It was a 1974 VW beatle which my sister had previously owned but she forgot to put motor oil in it and blew up the engine. When I was 15.5 years old my father made me a deal, if I helped him put a new engine in it he would give me the car. Given that a VW engine was held in by just four bolts and as it was the single most common car on the planet I think the new rebuilt engine cost something like $180 (paid for by my dad) and installing it only took an afternoon even with a know it all teenager mucking things up. The harder part was installing the fuel injection computer for the 1976 engine but even that only required two screws and running four wires (well, and screwing in the old computer box we bought second hand at a junk yard). All in all one of the best deals I ever made.

[Creva4k]

Some universities also convert dorm rooms into cheap hotel rooms (for conference attendees and other people associated with the university) over the summer

[orillaVar]

If it's on the expense account, go ahead. No bean counter is going to crab much about a 160 per night room in Chicago.

[InsManKV]

Never travel to NY then.

[Bobobsdo]

I will likely be free Friday night if any of the Chicago posters would like to go somewhere for a beer.

JM

[Affiltavajefe]

Unfortunately on Fridays during the summer, I'm on the early train out of the city.

[SingleMan]

In the burbs?

[lomonel]

I hear you have to watch out for the GLA.

[Rabbahpuptiopp]

It seems pretty safe to me, but maybe the crime is really bad when it hits you?

I could probably go anywhere by CTA.

JM

How close are you to Union Station? The CTA doesn't go out far enough to reach rah, ming and -Jr. Sadly I'm out of town this weekend or I'd love to join you guys.

Shootings are up in the city this year, but if you're staying downtown, you're much safer than in other neighborhoods south or west of you.

[Illisezek]

... and have a date with my wife on Friday, ...

...is your wife a goer, know what I mean, know what I mean, nudge nudge wink wink, say no more!