New job in Waukegan but thinking of living in Rogers Park area..

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by Marius

One word for Rogers Park,.....DUMP. Sorry but it's true. If you cant afford Evanston then move up to Gurnee or someplace closer to work. You will regret RP after one week of living there.

That's a bit extreme. Much of Rogers Park is decent. I personally wouldn't want to live there, though.

[mo_vegas]

I'm really considering some spaces in Evanston. I'm thinking that I'll be visiting them in a few days. ~$720, downtown, right by the main st. Metra, with hardwood floors in a really nice old building.. Granted the commute will be a little long, but it seems like it will be a great spot for getting to know the area better.

I did find an AMAZING little resource though (and I'm sure people know about it.. but:

Plan Your Trip With the RTA!

Perfect for finding the most reasonable ways to commute.

I'm getting pretty excited.

Would it be safe to say that the Metra runs like clockwork and the CTA busses in Waukegan are also pretty time efficient..?

Thanks.

Ryan

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by mo_vegas

I'm really considering some spaces in Evanston. I'm thinking that I'll be visiting them in a few days. ~$720, downtown, right by the main st. Metra, with hardwood floors in a really nice old building.. Granted the commute will be a little long, but it seems like it will be a great spot for getting to know the area better.

I did find an AMAZING little resource though (and I'm sure people know about it.. but:

Plan Your Trip With the RTA!

Perfect for finding the most reasonable ways to commute.

I'm getting pretty excited.

Would it be safe to say that the Metra runs like clockwork and the CTA busses in Waukegan are also pretty time efficient..?

Thanks.

Ryan

While Metra going INTO Chicago from the burbs is HIGHLY predicatable using Metra outbound is not as good. Some of this has to do with the simple stuff -- the switches ALWAYS give priorty to inbound trains becuase they are more crowded, bicycles are allowed outbound but not inbound, platforms for arriving commuters in th burbs are not as well served by linked bus lines as for departing commuters. There is also a cultural difference that is changing, but still heavily biased against the outbound commuter -- pure and simple and recently the odds of someone doing the reverse commute being as well paid / white collar as the main inbound commute was very low. People that have no choices but to use public transit are almost always less well served than those that COULD drive if the transit is not up to snuff...

Buses in Waukegan are NOT CTA, they are PACE, and even in the best of times there is not much support for them. The ridership os pretty much exclusively without other options -- at least in Chicago the CTA does have some ridership among people that do have a voice. The effect of this is that PACE is cuts routes much more quickly when there is a budget crisis, which happens a lot...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by chet everett

While Metra going INTO Chicago from the burbs is HIGHLY predicatable using Metra outbound is not as good. Some of this has to do with the simple stuff -- the switches ALWAYS give priorty to inbound trains becuase they are more crowded, bicycles are allowed outbound but not inbound, platforms for arriving commuters in th burbs are not as well served by linked bus lines as for departing commuters.

I've heard this from others as well. I don't think the reverse commute is terrible on Metra, but people I talk to generally think it's a bit more spotty. And if you've ever relied on a train to get you to work in the past, you'll know this can be deeply frustrating.

[mo_vegas]

Great info to know.

I was figuring getting to work an hour early.. (just in case things went wront I'd still be able to catch the next Metra and Waukegan PACE busses..) and making sure to arrive at the Metra station about 10 minutes early. I only need to catch one bus in Waukegan (2 lines that would deliver me within a few blocks walk in a nice subdivision (not bad for safety)).

Do you think that this is a reasonable figure?

Metra - 6:04-6:49
PACE - 572- 7:00-7:09
572- 7:02-7:11
565- 7:04-7:13
or ultimate back-up busses:

565- 7:22-7:31
572- 7:22-7:28.. (plus a couple extra blocks..)

[Lookout Kid]

I've never used a Pace bus before, so I can't comment there. But if you're leaving a decent cushion with the Metra, I think you'll be alright.

One thing I always do before moving to a new neighborhood is test the commute. You may want to actually try your commuting path before committing to it.

[chet everett]

Definitely the right idea is to test AND leave room for back-ups. If the "regular driver" gets to know as a regular they MAY wait if a train is delayed a few minutes, but they can't put a whole other bus route behind schedule as the last thing they need is to have employers miffed that their employees are being delayed...

[mo_vegas]

Ha.. I just got some CRUSHING news today.

I started thinking last night that it's possible that my contract will make me stay extra after school.. I talked with my employer and found out..

I'll be contracted to stay 20 minutes longer than I thought.. which will make me miss the two busses (by 3 minutes!) that would pick me up at Waukegan HS and take me to the Metra.

So, looks like I'm staying in Waukegan.

Ha.

I think I'll start another thread asking for opinions on places to stay in Waukegan.

Thanks for all of the help guys. I gathered some awesome info... and if things don't work out in Waukegan, I'll really be looking to move CLOSER to the city next year.

Again, thanks.

-Ryan