Moving to Chicago - Where to live for commute to Oak Lawn/Evergreen Park? (Cicero: apartments)

[potatos]

Hello,

I'm moving to Chicago in a few months and am looking for help with housing! I am having a bit of trouble figuring out public transportation & commuting. Any help would be greatly appreciated

I will be working in Oak Lawn/Evergreen Park area but I am a female in my early 20s and am looking to live in Chicago, preferably in a livelier area close to downtown. Safety is also very important to me as I will strictly be using public transportation and commuting at early morning & evening hours. Would like to keep rent low (budget is around $800-$900).

From looking at Chicago transit maps, I see that it is possible to take the red line and then a PACE bus to get to both my work locations. I would be able to deal with a long commute in order to live in a nicer/safer/more central area in Chicago, but I would appreciate any help with finding a shorter/easier commute if possible and/or suggestions for areas to live in! Thanks so much!

[chet everett]

I have been news for your desire to rely exclusively on public transit AND live "closer to downtown". There is only so-so transit to the Oak Lawn / Evergreen Park area (I'd guess you are looking at a job at / near Christ hospital). I further doubt you can find anything that would be suitable at $800-$900, but going up just a few hundred a month will result in fairly good choices...

There is NO direct connection to either Metra or CTA trains, you'll need to rely on a combination of trains, buses and walking. The "safe" option is to try to keep the transfer confined to the least crime prone junctions. That very likely means some rather slow routes from anywhere near "downtown". You might consider something in the South Loop. I would NOT recommend relying on the Red line as any of the stops that would connect you to the bus routes would mean transfers in pretty awful areas.

If you focus on the South Loop you will have plenty of nice apartments, decent range of shopping/ restaurants / entertainment and very good / excellent connections to broader areas that are attracting people your age. You could rely on daily service of the Orange Line to Midway and then take a single bus all the way to the hospital -- best case scenario that would be about a 25-30 minute CTA train ride from the Roosevelt train station to Midway and then a bus ride of about the same length on the 383 route to 95th St. You'd probably also have to walk about 6 blocks along 95th St which is mostly well traveled and has viable businesses so it is generally safe. There is also bus route on 95th but I'd guess most days walking would be waiting...

You might be able to find an apartment closer to hospital and then rely on other transit options but there is no magic -- if you were to live inside the city neighborhood of Mt. Greenwood (that is home to high percentage of cops & firefighters as well more than a few nurses and other staff at Christ Hospital...) you might be able to take the 52A bus route up Kedzie and then the 381 route west on 95th St but the total travel time is likely no shorter. There are some fun bars near Mt. Greenwood and neighboring Merroinette Park but it can't hold a candle to spots even in the South Loop.

Living any further north makes the commute much worse as CTA stops in the Loop add significantly to the trip. I also would not suggest living any farther south / west along the Orange line as any minor time savings would not be offset by the lack of entertainment / social outlets for someone in their early 20s relocating from outside the region -- though some folks will likely advocate for such neighborhoods the downsides are simply not worth it...

[HollyhockGarden]

Hello Potatos --

Chet gave you some great information. I do not live in the area anymore, but I do have many years of knowledge about the area and have been in the work world for decades.

This is my take on your proposed situation, from a Mom's point of view with your budget, the location, and non-driving status.

I would scrap this particular employment offer/transfer. Another offer will come along that will better fit your circumstances. Hopefully you can find a position based at only one location. Making a long-distance move when you will need to depend on public transit and are required to work at two separate company locations can be done. But it requires considerable logistics planning and an adequate budget.

As Chet said, "the downsides are simply not worth it".

Good luck, whatever you decide....

[potatos]

Originally Posted by chet everett

I have been news for your desire to rely exclusively on public transit AND live "closer to downtown". There is only so-so transit to the Oak Lawn / Evergreen Park area (I'd guess you are looking at a job at / near Christ hospital). I further doubt you can find anything that would be suitable at $800-$900, but going up just a few hundred a month will result in fairly good choices...

There is NO direct connection to either Metra or CTA trains, you'll need to rely on a combination of trains, buses and walking. The "safe" option is to try to keep the transfer confined to the least crime prone junctions. That very likely means some rather slow routes from anywhere near "downtown". You might consider something in the South Loop. I would NOT recommend relying on the Red line as any of the stops that would connect you to the bus routes would mean transfers in pretty awful areas.

If you focus on the South Loop you will have plenty of nice apartments, decent range of shopping/ restaurants / entertainment and very good / excellent connections to broader areas that are attracting people your age. You could rely on daily service of the Orange Line to Midway and then take a single bus all the way to the hospital -- best case scenario that would be about a 25-30 minute CTA train ride from the Roosevelt train station to Midway and then a bus ride of about the same length on the 383 route to 95th St. You'd probably also have to walk about 6 blocks along 95th St which is mostly well traveled and has viable businesses so it is generally safe. There is also bus route on 95th but I'd guess most days walking would be waiting...

You might be able to find an apartment closer to hospital and then rely on other transit options but there is no magic -- if you were to live inside the city neighborhood of Mt. Greenwood (that is home to high percentage of cops & firefighters as well more than a few nurses and other staff at Christ Hospital...) you might be able to take the 52A bus route up Kedzie and then the 381 route west on 95th St but the total travel time is likely no shorter. There are some fun bars near Mt. Greenwood and neighboring Merroinette Park but it can't hold a candle to spots even in the South Loop.

Living any further north makes the commute much worse as CTA stops in the Loop add significantly to the trip. I also would not suggest living any farther south / west along the Orange line as any minor time savings would not be offset by the lack of entertainment / social outlets for someone in their early 20s relocating from outside the region -- though some folks will likely advocate for such neighborhoods the downsides are simply not worth it...

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I am planning on living with 1-2 roommates if that makes the cost more feasible.

Regarding Red line transfers to bus routes, the route I was looking at was taking Red line to 95th/Dan Ryan and then taking the 381 bus route west as it goes almost directly to my place of work. But thank you; after doing more research it looks like it wouldn't be the most safe.

If I lived in South Loop and took the Orange Line, could I stop at Pulaski and take the 53A bus? This would stop closer to my place of work. Would this be a safe transfer?

I will look more into options in the South Loop; it seems like taking the Orange line like you suggested will be a good option. Thank you again for your advice!

[fusillirob1983]

As others stated I’d suggest not taking the Red Line to 95th. Take the Orange Line. Do you have any idea what your commute hours would be? You said earlier morning and evening, but if dark at certain times of the year during your commute maybe you’re better off taking the Orange Line to Midway/Cicero rather than transferring to a bus at Pulaski. Personally, I wouldn’t have much concern waiting for the Pulaski bus in daylight but probably would at night. The Cicero bus is fine because the stop is next to Midway.

Unfortunately, both Pulaski and Cicero can be a bit annoying during rush hour sometimes if you also have to worry about waiting on transfers

It looks like Chet is speculating you’d be working at Christ Hospital, which is a good guess unless you work at Little Company, are a teacher or work in retail. If that is the case of working at Christ, it’s about a 10 minute walk from Cicero or Pulaski to the hospital. 95th Street on that stretch is about as safe as you can find. I wouldn’t waste time waiting for the 95th Street bus, unless it’s sitting at a red light when you walk out of work because it only comes every 30 minutes.

It’s unfortunate it seems like maybe you can’t afford to or would prefer not to have a car, because that would add a little more certainty for that particular commute if coming from somewhere like the South Loop.

One poster mentioned you’re working in multiple locations but I don’t see anything like that in the original post. I don’t see the need to scrap the job opportunity, but I’d say either
1)find a way to fit a car into your budget
2) take Orange Line to Midway/Cicero, take bus to 95th, walk down 95th
3) look into the Pulaski option if your commute hours are in daylight.

[HollyhockGarden]

In the last paragraph of the original post, the OP mentioned "Both" work locations. I am supposing she has been offered a position at two different locations of the same firm.

Poster #5 has some possible transportation suggestions which may work.

Under the circumstances of using public transportation and wanting to live downtown, I think I would wait until the company opens up a position where they can offer you employment at the same location all day. Or perhaps find a position with a different firm which may offer better options.

Good luck!

[pvande55]

How athletic are you? Another alternative is to use a folding bike or station one at Midway. 36 blocks you should be able to cover in half an hour, after some training.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by HollyhockGarden

In the last paragraph of the original post, the OP mentioned "Both" work locations. I am supposing she has been offered a position at two different locations of the same firm.

Poster #5 has some possible transportation suggestions which may work.

Under the circumstances of using public transportation and wanting to live downtown, I think I would wait until the company opens up a position where they can offer you employment at the same location all day. Or perhaps find a position with a different firm which may offer better options.

Good luck!

Thanks, totally missed the “both”!

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by pvande55

How athletic are you? Another alternative is to use a folding bike or station one at Midway. 36 blocks you should be able to cover in half an hour, after some training.

She might get a bit sweaty going up the bridge over the large rail yard, but it is incredibly flat otherwise. I wouldn’t recommend this bike ride with snow on the ground though.