Girlfriend working in Skokie, wants to live in the city (Chicago: car rental, rental)

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

No worries. She's just a picture kind of girl. Figured I'd see if I could get her one. I'll use the power of google. (She's at work and I had the day off so I told her I'd help her to find a suitable spot)



It's not that she's absolutely fixed on those areas, she has just spent some time around Bucktown and liked it a lot and wanted to find something similar. So that's where she had centered her research. I don't think she is fully aware of just how far away she'll be working from those areas. Once we get up there this weekend, I'm sure she'll understand a bit better. Andersonville in particular strikes me as an area she'd really enjoy, so if the other areas around there are safe/affordable/accessible to both work and fun, then she'd happily take a look up there too. I just wanted to give her a very concrete reason why we shouldn't spend too much time checking out the near northwest neighborhoods.

Chris

Good luck. Andersonville is a great area.

[JayhawkCO]

Originally Posted by MannheimMadman

My apartment is pretty much a mile (8 city blocks) from either Bewyn/Bryn Mawr stations. It takes me 15 or so minutes to walk to them. If you can get east of Clark and towards Broadway, that significantly cuts down your walk time. However, if you're trying to park a car, it is about 100 times harder than west of Clark.

Also, Bucktown/Wicker Park are VERY different from Andersonville. In case you didn't know, Andersonville is the new gay mecca. If for whatever reason, you're not OK with that, move elsewhere.

CENSUS 2010: ANDERSONVILLE EPICENTER OF CHICAGO'S SAME SEX HOUSEHOLDS | A-Ville Daily

Thanks for the info on parking. If she didn't have the stupid hours, she wouldn't bother bringing a car up there. I guess we'll have to do the math to figure out if it'd be cheaper to take public transportation to work and then just cab it home. Might save her money in the long run when considering gas, parking, insurance, etc.

I'm aware Andersonville is quite different than those neighborhoods. She's definitely not a hipster, but just likes to be surrounded by chill places to be a foodie, have a cocktail, get a coffee, whatever. I don't think she particularly cares if she's "seen" if that makes sense. I think all the neighborhoods I've listed could encompass what she likes.

Sexual orientation of the neighborhood doesn't matter particularly. I'm assuming it's a mix and not 90% one way or the other. And hell, all my gay friends have pretty good taste.

Chris

[aragx6]

I agree that it would be easily an hour from WP/B-Town area.

Definitely hit up Craigslist to look for places in Andersonville and Lincoln Square -- the heart if those two would likely be her best bets.

Although everyone here is right that Andersonville and LS have a totally different vibe from the Wicker Park area, it's important to note where she's coming from in KC too. I'm not sure how much she liked the Plaza area, but I literally can't think of a place less like Wicker Park than the Plaza, so if she could be happy there, given its walkability, urban architecture and general sense of vibrancy I think we can find her a ton of options she'd be happy with in Chicago.

[Aleking]

60640 is nothing if not a great food zip code.

[rca215]

I live in Wicker Park and work in Skokie, but off of Touhy (so maybe 10 minutes closer to the city than Old Orchard).

I commute during normal rush hour and the commute time highly variable. I would say the mode is 35-40 minutes while the mean is probably 45-50. It has gotten worse lately. I'm new to my job, so summer might have had lighter average traffic.

Maybe once a week it'll be awesome (usually Friday morning): 15-20 minutes.

At least once a week it'll be a nightmare (Friday afternoon and Monday-Wednesday mornings): 60 minutes.

Occasionally it'll be a complete cluster**** (rainy days, Obama/Biden in town, etc.): 75 minutes-plus.

I take city streets as a back-up from time-to-time, mostly Western to Lincoln to Touhy, which usually runs about 40-50 minutes but can be much worse. I'm not sure how feasible that route is for Old Orchard.

I hate commuting and like my job enough that I will very seriously consider moving to Lincoln Square when my lease expires.

[JayhawkCO]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I agree that it would be easily an hour from WP/B-Town area.

Definitely hit up Craigslist to look for places in Andersonville and Lincoln Square -- the heart if those two would likely be her best bets.

Although everyone here is right that Andersonville and LS have a totally different vibe from the Wicker Park area, it's important to note where she's coming from in KC too. I'm not sure how much she liked the Plaza area, but I literally can't think of a place less like Wicker Park than the Plaza, so if she could be happy there, given its walkability, urban architecture and general sense of vibrancy I think we can find her a ton of options she'd be happy with in Chicago.

Since you obviously seem to know both cities in discussion here, would you think that someone that enjoys the Plaza would also enjoy Evanston? Now that I've texted her with some of the info that you guys have given me here, she's freaking out about commutes and that she's going to have to live in the suburbs just to avoid killing herself while sitting in traffic. I'm trying to convince her that the northern neighborhoods will still be what she wants while making her life easier with work.

Chris

[aragx6]

^From what I saw of Evanston, I liked it, though it's definitely got a somewhat sleepier vibe. But in all honesty, Evanston is one of the areas of Chicago I know rather little about -- I lived in Wicker Park in order to keep my commute out to the southwest burbs as least heinous as possible, so it was rare for me to make it that far north.

I'm sorry we freaked her out! But I lived in the 'burbs near my job for the first year I lived there, and I decided pretty soon after that it was a mistake. As long as my commute was (it would be similar to your GFs), I wouoldn't have done it any other way. But in my case, I made the best of a lousy situation and chose my neighborhood very carefully. If she takes the time to do the same, I'm sure she'll end up somewhere she loves!

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by JayhawkCO

Since you obviously seem to know both cities in discussion here, would you think that someone that enjoys the Plaza would also enjoy Evanston? Now that I've texted her with some of the info that you guys have given me here, she's freaking out about commutes and that she's going to have to live in the suburbs just to avoid killing herself while sitting in traffic. I'm trying to convince her that the northern neighborhoods will still be what she wants while making her life easier with work.

Chris

She'll be fine sticking to the the northside neighborhoods being suggested. Aville and Lincoln Square have lots of interesting shops, restaurants etc. You can always go out in Bucktown/Wicker Park while living in either of these areas. Cabs are plentiful.

Regarding parking in Andersonville, it actuallys is quite easy to find street parking in the Lakewood/Balmoral area. It's filled with beautiful single family homes that have their own garages, so the street parking isn't bad.

[JayhawkCO]

Originally Posted by aragx6

^From what I saw of Evanston, I liked it, though it's definitely got a somewhat sleepier vibe. But in all honesty, Evanston is one of the areas of Chicago I know rather little about -- I lived in Wicker Park in order to keep my commute out to the southwest burbs as least heinous as possible, so it was rare for me to make it that far north.

I'm sorry we freaked her out! But I lived in the 'burbs near my job for the first year I lived there, and I decided pretty soon after that it was a mistake. As long as my commute was (it would be similar to your GFs), I wouoldn't have done it any other way. But in my case, I made the best of a lousy situation and chose my neighborhood very carefully. If she takes the time to do the same, I'm sure she'll end up somewhere she loves!

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

[IAmEverywhere]

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.