Last summer my family and I stayed at the Howard Johnson River North. It's about 6 blocks north of Best Western River North (720 N. LaSalle St) in a nice quiet neighborhood. Very cheap rate ($90/night) with free parking. It's not a fancy place (think of it as the Las Vegas Sahara Hotel of Chicago), not many rooms so its not crowded, and has some great restaurants close by. Last summer it had a dining cafe that served a good inexpensive breakfast but it looks like that might be closed now. Just another possible place to stay for those on a tight budget.
Bev
http://www.hojo.com/HowardJohnson/contr ... tyId=01752