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Old 10-17-2011, 09:17 PM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
40 posts, read 48,553 times
Reputation: 33

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Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
The inherent problem is this: Wicker Park, Bucktown and Logan Square are on the Blue Line. The only areas that make sense for commuting via public transit are along the Red Line, the Purple Line or the Yellow Line itself. Living in WP/B/LS leaves no good way to get to work without a car. Yet living in the areas where it might be possible to get to work leaves no good way to get to WP/B/LS.

So it makes sense to bite the bullet and get a car.

While technically a suburb, Evanston is more interesting and sophisticated than most major cities. That said, it is in fact quieter than areas like Wicker Park, Bucktown and Logan Square. Whether she'd like Evanston depends on what aspects of urban life appeal to her.

It should also be noted that many of the neighborhoods which are convenient to Skokie happen to be somewhat cheaper than areas like Wicker Park and Bucktown.

These kinds of compromises are normal for Chicagoland. Many people have to compromise on where they live because of transportation issues. And most people in Chicagoland have to drive. Going carless is realistlc mainly for people who work downtown and spend almost all of their time in neighborhoods near downtown or along the north lakefront.
That's kind of what I was thinking as well. If there were only an "outer loop" L line, it would get rid of so many of the transportation issues. (Well, she doesn't pay IL taxes yet, and neither do I, so I guess we're not allowed to complain). I've found some decent spots via Craigslist in Andersonville, Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, and Edgewater so far, so we'll check those out this weekend, as well as just pulling up to random L stops and seeing what's close. I think I have her convinced that living on this side of town would allow her to ditch her car, which was originally her goal. Even if she didn't get out of work until 1 AM, she could still cab it home for $25. That wouldn't happen more than five times a month, so that $125 would likely equal what she'd spend on parking, insurance, and upkeep.

Chris
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Old 10-18-2011, 01:16 PM
 
203 posts, read 383,531 times
Reputation: 207
Are taxis consistently available at Old Orchard at 1 AM? There's nobody at the mall at that hour except for employees closing up shop, so there won't be any just waiting. The suburban taxi companies usually have to be called, and they frequently don't have taxis available immediately.

Also, is your girlfriend going to be expected to run errands in her own personal car? For example, what if the store runs out of something needed for operations?

And if she makes friends at her job, is it going to be difficult to visit them without a car, even for after-work socializing?

If she wants to go to other neighborhoods late at night, is she going to be comfortable riding public transportation to go home at the hour she tends to go home? Or is she going to be more comfortable taking a taxi home? In that case, the cost of the taxi rides home have to be factored in.

Having a car also saves money because it opens up the possibility of cheaper shopping in the suburbs.

That said, it's probably going to cost more than $125 per month to keep a car in Chicago even if she already owns it outright. Street parking is possible in most of the Far North Side. So parking isn't going to be expensive except possibly for parking at meters when necessary. Insurance is likely to be expensive in Chicago. Your insurance agent can probably give you a quote for the ZIP codes you're curious about. Upkeep is very easy to underestimate.
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Old 10-18-2011, 01:18 PM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,471,921 times
Reputation: 3798
From experience, it's not hard to make buddies with a cab driver who'll give you his personal cell and he'll come get you whenever you need it. This is particularly easy if you tip well :P
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Old 10-18-2011, 04:06 PM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
40 posts, read 48,553 times
Reputation: 33
Appreciate the points you brought up.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
Are taxis consistently available at Old Orchard at 1 AM? There's nobody at the mall at that hour except for employees closing up shop, so there won't be any just waiting. The suburban taxi companies usually have to be called, and they frequently don't have taxis available immediately.
I assumed there wouldn't be a ton of taxis running around Skokie that time of night, so I figured she'd just call one if necessary. She'd only be there past the last public transportation option (11:45 PM) maybe four or five times a month.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
Also, is your girlfriend going to be expected to run errands in her own personal car? For example, what if the store runs out of something needed for operations?
Doubtful. Always a possibility I suppose, but being a corporate restaurant, often times management isn't even allowed to purchase things that don't come from purveyors.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
And if she makes friends at her job, is it going to be difficult to visit them without a car, even for after-work socializing?
Actually technically not allowed to hang out with people from work, so I guess she'll have to cross that bridge when she comes to it.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
If she wants to go to other neighborhoods late at night, is she going to be comfortable riding public transportation to go home at the hour she tends to go home? Or is she going to be more comfortable taking a taxi home? In that case, the cost of the taxi rides home have to be factored in.
She's a girl who's traveled around the world by herself, so she'll be comfortable taking the L or whatever as necessary. Also, she won't ALWAYS be heading home late. More often than not I'm guessing she'd be leaving by 8 or 9.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
Having a car also saves money because it opens up the possibility of cheaper shopping in the suburbs.
I definitely understand this having lived in downtown Seattle. Walmart never seemed so awesome once I drove to one.

Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
That said, it's probably going to cost more than $125 per month to keep a car in Chicago even if she already owns it outright. Street parking is possible in most of the Far North Side. So parking isn't going to be expensive except possibly for parking at meters when necessary. Insurance is likely to be expensive in Chicago. Your insurance agent can probably give you a quote for the ZIP codes you're curious about. Upkeep is very easy to underestimate.
Once we actually get up there and take a look around and possibly physically make the commute to her job, she'll weigh whether or not it's worth it to bring the car up. I just know originally she didn't want to have to have the car if she didn't have to. Hence, we're looking for a somewhat self-contained community so she can walk to get most of her errands done, and even if not, take public transportation for the occasional special purchase.

Chris
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Old 10-18-2011, 04:18 PM
 
Location: Tower Grove East, St. Louis, MO
12,063 posts, read 31,471,921 times
Reputation: 3798
She should look into a ZipCar membership for shopping trips etc as well. It's an awesome service.

Car Sharing, an alternative to car rental and car ownership – Zipcar
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Old 10-18-2011, 10:10 PM
 
Location: Edgewater, Chicago, USA
48 posts, read 130,579 times
Reputation: 28
Quote:
Originally Posted by JayhawkCO View Post
I think she just had this grand plan of moving to Chicago, living in a hip area of town, jumping on the L and being at work in ten minutes. I've had to temper those expectations obviously. She had hoped to be at a restaurant location downtown, but instead got assigned to the Skokie location. Now we're trying to make the best of that somewhat lousy situation.

Chris
If she will have a car the North Park & Budlong Woods areas would work. North Park also has access to the Brown Line, so if she gets a downtown job at some point she'll have that commuting option. She can likely find a cheaper apt here than in Lincoln Sq or Ravenswood.
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Old 10-19-2011, 12:35 AM
 
Location: Chicago
439 posts, read 948,907 times
Reputation: 188
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cuito View Post
If she will have a car the North Park & Budlong Woods areas would work. North Park also has access to the Brown Line, so if she gets a downtown job at some point she'll have that commuting option. She can likely find a cheaper apt here than in Lincoln Sq or Ravenswood.
Since when was there a Brown Line station in North Park? Closest would be Kimball (Albany Park neighborhood) but that can be a bit of a walk depending upon where in North Park you are.
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Old 10-19-2011, 08:29 AM
 
Location: Berwyn, IL
2,418 posts, read 6,222,551 times
Reputation: 1133
Quote:
Originally Posted by jsk1983 View Post
Since when was there a Brown Line station in North Park? Closest would be Kimball (Albany Park neighborhood) but that can be a bit of a walk depending upon where in North Park you are.

you're correct. And, I don't like using the Kimball station anyhow. It's not as skeevy as the Wilson red line stop, but the Kimball stop has had its fair share of crime and shady characters milling about.
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Old 10-19-2011, 09:24 AM
 
14,802 posts, read 17,553,974 times
Reputation: 9244
Quote:
Originally Posted by IAmEverywhere View Post
Are taxis consistently available at Old Orchard at 1 AM? There's nobody at the mall at that hour except for employees closing up shop, so there won't be any just waiting. The suburban taxi companies usually have to be called, and they frequently don't have taxis available immediately.

Also, is your girlfriend going to be expected to run errands in her own personal car? For example, what if the store runs out of something needed for operations?

And if she makes friends at her job, is it going to be difficult to visit them without a car, even for after-work socializing?

If she wants to go to other neighborhoods late at night, is she going to be comfortable riding public transportation to go home at the hour she tends to go home? Or is she going to be more comfortable taking a taxi home? In that case, the cost of the taxi rides home have to be factored in.

Having a car also saves money because it opens up the possibility of cheaper shopping in the suburbs.

That said, it's probably going to cost more than $125 per month to keep a car in Chicago even if she already owns it outright. Street parking is possible in most of the Far North Side. So parking isn't going to be expensive except possibly for parking at meters when necessary. Insurance is likely to be expensive in Chicago. Your insurance agent can probably give you a quote for the ZIP codes you're curious about. Upkeep is very easy to underestimate.
Having a car saves money? Wow that's news to me. Any savings from shopping at Walmart or whatever will be more than eaten up by owning a car.
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Old 10-19-2011, 10:01 AM
 
Location: Berwyn, IL
2,418 posts, read 6,222,551 times
Reputation: 1133
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vlajos View Post
Having a car saves money? Wow that's news to me. Any savings from shopping at Walmart or whatever will be more than eaten up by owning a car.
News to me, too. My wife and I both have a car; I did the math and found that if we didn't have cars, we could pocket close to $6000 a year (car payment, gas, insurance, registration, city sticker) and that's not even including maintainence and repair.

I don't know about most others here, but I'd love an extra $6K a year.
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