Need help please - how to buy NFL tickets.

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Individual tickets for NFL teams usually go on sale in the summer. I'm not sure about Chicago, but good individual tickets can be hard to come by because so many tickets go to "seat holders" or season ticket buyers. You can also buy them on the secondary market, but that can be expensive.

Before you go be sure to read what you can and cannot bring into the stadium. They have gotten strict about large bags and such.

Mirandashell, you can always come by tickets online. Go with the reputable ticket exchange companies. The Bears have a spot on their website where you can buy tickets that season ticket holders are offering for sale, often at a not too unreasonable price. Here is the official NFL Ticket Exchange site for the Bears. Bears tickets Ticketmaster is the behemoth in tickets for everything in the states.

There are many other ticket brokerages but I don't know who the reputable ones are in Chicago. I know if you check in here in August, someone can help direct you to the best broker if you don't want to go through the team site. By then, season ticket holders will have a better idea if they're putting their tickets up for sale for any given game.

You're gonna have a blast!

ETA: Stay away from Craigslist. You don't ever know if you're getting valid tickets there.

The Hyatt Regency McCormick Place would put you in walking distance of Soldier Field.

http://www.hyattregencymccormickplace.com/rooms.aspx

I wouldn't call $119/night for a basic room inexpensive, but it's about par for anything near downtown, I think.

I work downtown, but get the hell out as soon as the proverbial whistle blows. I'm not a concrete jungle lover.

You could check Stubhub: http://www.stubhub.com/ Think of it like ebay, except just for tickets.

Can't say from first hand experience, I just know I see them advertised on tv a lot. Looking at reviews now, and it's mixed with quite a few negative ones. So, yeah, might be better to look elsewhere first.

The best bet seems to be to go through the official NFL site, and then click on tickets.

Stubhub itself is a legit site and all, and usually works fine, but I have heard of fakes being sold on it. It is, as the poster noted, like ebay for tickets. People post tickets for sale and others buy them. I don't know their policies as to fakes, but if you're travelling that far, getting your money back on a fake is not going to be your primary concern, as it would for someone local.

If you can't buy a regular ticket when they go on sale from the team (your best bet), I'd try the NFL exchange. It's the same theory - season ticket holders (or people who happen to have tickets, but it's mostly season ticket holders) resell their tickets at a markup. However, the exchange, unlike StubHub, verifies the tickets are real.

It's sanctioned by the league and run by ticketmaster (a large ticketing thing that's the original point of sale for tickets for sporting events, concerts, etc., all over the country). They verify the tickets on the exchange are real and, when you buy them, reissue them in your name. It's super safer than StubHub (which tons of people do use and have no problems with, just given your situation I'd be extra cautious).

If you don't manage to get tickets, or can't find ones you want, when they're released, I'd try the exchange first.

mirandashell said:

I don't think I need to go that posh to be honest. It's only for a couple of nights. As long as it's clean and has coffee, that's all I care about.

Shadow - is that site safe?

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All the hotels I know of are oriented toward the luxury traveler.

Wait, there's a La Quinta Inn just a few blocks from Chicago's Union Station. YOUCH! $300/night? La Quinta?

There's a ton of hotels around O'Hare International Airport.

Mirandashell, Stubhub is a reputable site. I bought Dodgers tickets through them. They offer a solid guarantee: Either the tickets are valid or they will find you replacement seats or give you a full refund.

When I took my family to England for 3 weeks we relied on TripAdvisor and AA reviews (AAA here in the states) for our hotels/b&bs. Where the two intersected, I knew we were good. Chicago has a good rapid transit/bus system if you end up staying a bit further out. But to be honest, the price on room at the Hyatt is shockingly low. In Chicago it'll be tough to beat.

As for a place to stay, since you're not picky, you might try one of the reseller sites, like priceline.com, which has an option to let you name a price you want to pay, pick some options (basic level of hotel, area, nights, etc.,) and will see if any hotel that matches wants to bite.

You can start really low (start with weird, off-round numbers too because I've heard some of the settings are set to take over X price [dunno how true it is but for $1 or 2, what can it hurt?], like if you look up a normal reservation for a room and it's $290, bid at $107 or something) and if you don't get a room, try again $5 or $10 higher. Downside is I think you lock in once someplace accepts your price, but if you bid only what you want, you can get good deals, especially places with lots of hotel rooms at non-peak times. October isn't really a peak travel time so you should have a decent shot.

Check tripadviser.com for reviews of hotels.