Is Mart Plaza the best place to Holiday inn Chicago?

Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do. One of these great American traditions happens to be the annual vacation. You slave all year round, scrimp on the little luxuries, and save up enough - so you can blow it all in a weekend of sun n'sand, or shopping and wining and dining.

It's your right, and you deserve it, recession be damned. That's why employers offer paid vacation leave, and travel companies offer family vacation packages. And most often, it's places like New York and Los Angeles which benefit from this tradition, as middle America heads for the coasts. But in the mid-west, Chicago is King. There is other city remotely close to getting the kind of expereince that Chicago vacations offer.

And one of the main beneficiaries of this annual tourist deluge is the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza, located adjacent to the Chicago Merchandise Mart, minutes from the Loop, and with the best views of all Downtown Chicago. Within walking distance, you'll find great restaurants, intimate wine bars, exotic art galleries, stunning architecture, and a wealth of other unique Chicago attractions. Most importantly, it's also within walking distance of Michigan Avenue and the Magnificent Mile shopping district.

The Holiday Inn offers 521 guest rooms, including 4 suites, the Cityscape bar - which, as the name suggests, offers sweeping views of Chicago, free wireless internet, indoor swimming pool, fitness center, meeting and banquet facilities for weddings and corporate events.

At any given time, the hotel has at least half a dozen specials, discounts and group package deals. Course, you could cut down much more if you choose to stay at one of the relatively cheap Chicago motels like the Heart O'Chicago. But there isn't really much point in saving up all year for a vacation, and then trying to save money on the vacation too. That would make you Uncle Scrooge.

The whole point is to go out and have fun and be treated like royalty for a couple of days. And that's what you get at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.

Info: 350 West Mart Center Drive Chicago IL 60654; (312) 836-5000; www.martplaza.com/