In NYC I hoof it or take the subway. I rarely take taxis there, either, because they take longer than the train. Granted I stayed at the Pod Hotel in NYC, but it was only $139 a night. And the taxes were much lower.

I really hate conferences that are located out in the burbs where there is limited restaurant access and taxis or rental cars are required. Attended a conf once that was supposed to be in Philly, when actually it was a 1.5 hour cab ride west of Philly. There were ~500 people at the event and only two restaurants within walking access/distance. One was an Indian place that turned out to be fabulous. But the wait in line for the other place was hours long.

I agree about the public transit. Chicago’s is fantastic – you can take public transit from either airport (O’Hare or Midway) and be downtown in an hour for something like $3.

And as someone who has traveled to downtown twice in the last few weeks, I think you are sniffing bacon to say that it is relatively inexpensive. Isn’t it odd that my Manhattan hotel room was cheaper than my Chicago one? $48 a night just in hotel taxes?

I did Gila’s comment that it doesn’t really matter where it is as long as there is great public transit and affordable hotels. With the wildly unpredictable air fare system these days, it can be grossly more expensive for a one hour flight than a 5 hour won. Closeness is only a small factor in travel costs.

I love Seattle as a conference destination, but that is more due to the city than the proximity to Redmond. There are plenty of other appealing locations that would be a lot easier for attendee’s to travel to.