Trying to Adapt: New York Transplant (Chicago, Evanston: condo, co-op, neighborhoods)
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Let me first state that Chicago is a great city. I have visited many times over the years and I know that it has a lot to offer. I was very much looking forward to moving after being a bit burned out on New York. Now that I am here (its been just a few weeks), I am feeling very disjointed and would love some guidance/feedback.
I am living in river west which feels very isolated and industrial. The building is a nice new construction condo that looked great on paper, but I really don’t care for the area/nor the building. Work relocated me though, and I have to stay for a year. I will make it work but I am very much missing my Brooklyn neighborhood that had folks on the street at all hours, coffee shops, stores, and a more walkable way of life. I am still trying to find my way on foot and bike but right now there is nothing of interest to me in the immediate neighborhood. If anyone has any thoughts on the RiverWest area, maybe I am missing something, but I would love to find an area that feels a bit more neighborhood like than where I am seemingly jammed in by highways and metra. I don’t have a car and don’t want one, but am wondering if I might have to bite bullet and drive so I can access more areas?
Secondly, I make these comments with no snobbery or offense intended. I am used to an area that is much more racially diverse and seemingly progressive/intellectual. I wanted to live in Hyde park for these reasons, but for work it was not going to make sense location wise. I feel like I am in an area of white yuppies, nothing wrong with that, but I am neither and I don’t feel like I fit here. I lived in Fort Greene and knew many folks who were academics, artists, working at non profits etc. The vibe was very artsy and intellectual. Prior to Fort Greene I was in Cambridgeport outside of Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. Similar vibe on a smaller scale. So where in Chicago can I find my Mother Jones reading, co-op shopping, too many degrees having, non chain store shopping, Little Dragon listening community? (Not to be too specific, just trying to give an idea of the vibe I am looking for *smile*). And again, I am used to folks of this ilk being from all types of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Can I find this anywhere near my location in Riverwest? I have gone to Wicker Park at some recommendation but did not explore it all that well. My first impressions were that it was young (I'm in my 30s) and hipsterish and white.
This is already too long so I will stop here. Again, I know Chicago has a lot too offer. I am just feeling like maybe I don’t know how to approach finding what I would like since it is not right outside of my door. I would like to stay here for several years so I hope I can find a place where I can hang and feel comfortable. Thanks for any feedback. I am happy to be in your city and hope to find a way to make it my own.
Besides Hyde Park and Evanston, perhaps Old Town ( around Wells and North)..
AS a resident of Cambridge, and not far from Harvard Square, I should mention that even Harvard Square has changed tremendously from the late 80s, with many trademark institutions leaving, so I hope that you don't have any overly-idealized sentimentality about such places..
I'd would also keep in mind that your tastes and preferences will change as you get older ( I'm in my early 50s) and you probably won't be attracted to the "bohemian" life as you are now; no guarantees, but don't be surprised if your priorities change as you get older..
Let me first state that Chicago is a great city. I have visited many times over the years and I know that it has a lot to offer. I was very much looking forward to moving after being a bit burned out on New York. Now that I am here (its been just a few weeks), I am feeling very disjointed and would love some guidance/feedback.
I am living in river west which feels very isolated and industrial. The building is a nice new construction condo that looked great on paper, but I really don’t care for the area/nor the building. Work relocated me though, and I have to stay for a year. I will make it work but I am very much missing my Brooklyn neighborhood that had folks on the street at all hours, coffee shops, stores, and a more walkable way of life. I am still trying to find my way on foot and bike but right now there is nothing of interest to me in the immediate neighborhood. If anyone has any thoughts on the RiverWest area, maybe I am missing something, but I would love to find an area that feels a bit more neighborhood like than where I am seemingly jammed in by highways and metra. I don’t have a car and don’t want one, but am wondering if I might have to bite bullet and drive so I can access more areas?
Secondly, I make these comments with no snobbery or offense intended. I am used to an area that is much more racially diverse and seemingly progressive/intellectual. I wanted to live in Hyde park for these reasons, but for work it was not going to make sense location wise. I feel like I am in an area of white yuppies, nothing wrong with that, but I am neither and I don’t feel like I fit here. I lived in Fort Greene and knew many folks who were academics, artists, working at non profits etc. The vibe was very artsy and intellectual. Prior to Fort Greene I was in Cambridgeport outside of Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA. Similar vibe on a smaller scale. So where in Chicago can I find my Mother Jones reading, co-op shopping, too many degrees having, non chain store shopping, Little Dragon listening community? (Not to be too specific, just trying to give an idea of the vibe I am looking for *smile*). And again, I am used to folks of this ilk being from all types of racial and ethnic backgrounds. Can I find this anywhere near my location in Riverwest? I have gone to Wicker Park at some recommendation but did not explore it all that well. My first impressions were that it was young (I'm in my 30s) and hipsterish and white.
This is already too long so I will stop here. Again, I know Chicago has a lot too offer. I am just feeling like maybe I don’t know how to approach finding what I would like since it is not right outside of my door. I would like to stay here for several years so I hope I can find a place where I can hang and feel comfortable. Thanks for any feedback. I am happy to be in your city and hope to find a way to make it my own.
River West is very new with an industrial background. The amenities of the buildings are spectacular, but like you said, the neighborhood is not walkable simply because the neighborhood is mostly comprised of enormous residential structures and old/abandoned industrial plants.
Chicago is also very segregated. The downtown areas (of which I include River West) are virtually all white yuppie. Even young professional Blacks and Hispanics tend to stick to their own neighborhoods. Years ago, the Chicago Tribune did a study and found with overwhelming accuracy that they could predict where a late 20 something would live simply based on his or her race and socioeconomic status.
The more walkable areas of Chicago (i.e. those with more street traffic) are Wicker Park and the Gold Coast.
White collar Chicagoans who are in their 20s and 30s tend not to stay in the familial neighborhoods, which is not the case in Brooklyn. In Brooklyn, many white collar folks stay in their old neighborhood. In Chicago, they migrate downtown or to the North side neighborhoods of Lakeview and Lincoln Park.
I never was a fan of the giant residential complexes in River West and River North because they seem so empty and far from everything, even if said things are not far away. Compared to those buildings, the street traffic is weirdly minimal.
I don't think Hyde Park resembles Brooklyn too much either. Brooklyn is more mom and pop, but familial mom and pop whereas Hyde Park business owners are not as tied to the community (in my opinion).
If you can, start hanging out more in Wicker Park or the Gold Coast.
Have you been around much??? Immediately west of you, past the expressway along Chicago Avenue, is a cool, diverse neighborhood. It's not as happening as other parts of the city but it's pretty solid. There is one of the few independent high-end grocery stores in the city at Grand and Noble.
You don't live in a prime area, but you're so close to everything that I don't see how you could complain. Get on your bike and go to Wicker Park, River North, and everywhere else. Appreciate the city you live in instead of trying to find New York again.
Location: Schaumburg, please don't hate me for it.
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Unfortunately, I don't think that you will find exactly what you are looking for here. There are plenty of people here who fit your description of intellectual and artsy, but they are generally spread out over a large swath of territory, from Howard street to Hyde Park. There are no great clusters or concentrations where they rule the streets. My suggestions are three: get a car, get a GPS, and get a copy of the Reader.
The car will provide you the mobility to roam at will. The GPS will keep you from getting lost in a city that you don't know. And the Reader might just direct you to some people and places that fit your personal search engine.
And in doing so, you will discover one of the most wildly diverse cities on the planet. Don't judge us by the racial/ethnic/socioeconomic makeup of the neighborhoods we live in. People wanting to live amongst others who resemble themselves is natural and healthy. It is in some measure necessary to keep diversity and distinction alive. By day we work, school, play and mingle together in pretty remarkable harmony for the most part.
First off, you moved to a city of about 235 square miles from Brooklyn, which is about 97 square miles; both places have comparable population. Chicago is much less densely populated than Brooklyn (and New York City overall). You cannot replicate the Brooklyn experience here; it just won't happen given the demographics/density. Chicago is a nice place but is slower and becoming less populated (-200,000 in 2010 census). And if you hear of a Mother Jones kinda place, it is often one coffee place/joint...and then the area is labelled 'alternative'. Example, young woman lived in East Village, New York; closest she could find in Chicago is Belmont/Clark...hardly a comparison with the East Village but that's as good as it gets here...
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