Commute downtown to Oak Brook (Chicago, Elmhurst: apartments, rental, dorm)

[intern99]

The reason I plan on living downtown at a building like the Buckingham is that the overall experience for a student would be better. Paying for parking is going to cost $2000+, which isn't really an option. Right now I'm looking at going to OTC and taking the metra to elmhurst then driving the rest of the distance, still a long commute but maybe better than sitting in unpredictable traffic which I've heard can be a nightmare on the Eisenhower.

[Ace Rothstein]

You don't need to live downtown to experience Chicago. In fact, I wouldn't recommend to anyone to live in the Loop. I'd look at Taylor St or Ukrainian Village to see if you can find any 3 month leases.

[knitgirl]

Yeah, honestly, I don't think living in the Buckingham would be that great of an experience. Most young adults live in the neighborhoods. A summer sublet by UIC would probably be a better option.

[HollyhockGarden]

If I were a college student and was chosen for a coveted summer internship, I would probably take the internship, and make sure I find a 3-month lease somewhere along a public transit line that directly serves the Oak Brook area. I would think money could be a concern for you, too, which is why I suggest the public transit option.

[url="http://http://www.pacebus.com/pdf/maps/322map.pdf"]http://http://www.pacebus.com/pdf/maps/322map.pdf

This particular artery street, 22nd St, runs right along the south edge of the Oak Brook shopping center, as well as past many office buildings in the area. If the internship is at the McDonald's campus, that is a little bit off the beaten path in a large, beautiful forested campus. You can take your bicycle and easily ride to the campus from the bus stop. I would make sure I wear a helmet though, because a couple of the streets are busy around there. The bus stop is much closer than a train station.

One option would to take a short term lease near the Yorktown shopping mall, which is just to the west of the Oak Brook mall, and just take the eastbound bus in the Am. It is only a couple of miles. This would be far more economical. It is likely you will meet other interns and perhaps be able to socialize with them. I would not live downtown; it is not worth the commute time and cost. Just stay in the neighborhood. Three months is going to go by fast. Good luck to you!

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by intern99

The reason I plan on living downtown at a building like the Buckingham is that the overall experience for a student would be better. Paying for parking is going to cost $2000+, which isn't really an option. Right now I'm looking at going to OTC and taking the metra to elmhurst then driving the rest of the distance, still a long commute but maybe better than sitting in unpredictable traffic which I've heard can be a nightmare on the Eisenhower.

This is just a bad idea. That commute is just much easier to do by driving. The extra hassle of leaving a car in the suburbs far from your place of residence and the DOUBLING of your commute time says that you just need to drive this. Biking might work on nice days, but what about when there are severe storms? Or when it's 100 degrees? And the Oak Brook area is NOT bicycle friendly near any commercial offices. You'd be taking a serious risk biking from Hinsdale to Oak Brook.

Also, as others have said, the true experience of living in Chicago as a young person is much better in a neighborhood like Lake View, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, etc. There are many options in these neighborhoods with affordable parking. The Loop near Ogilvie is a ghost town after all of the workers go home.

[intern99]

Not really sure how it would double commute time? From research Ive found it to be about an hour in morning traffic potentially worse in the evening. 10 minutes to bike to the station 35 on the train and 10 more to the office I believe which puts it at about an hour as well.

[Ace Rothstein]

I would just try to find a place within 2 miles of the Eisenhower and drive. It is just for a summer, not the rest of your life.

[4122]

Look in Little Italy.

[UC18]

Originally Posted by intern99

The reason I plan on living downtown at a building like the Buckingham is that the overall experience for a student would be better.

Like the other posters, I disagree strongly with this assumption of yours. The Loop is a business/office area first and foremost, and a tourist area secondarily. It's not a center of young people's social activities at all, unless it's Lollapalooza weekend or something. There are a handful of students of Roosevelt, Columbia, and SAIC who live in dorms there, but even most students at those schools commute in on the train. Most of the limited nightlife that exists in the Loop is focused around either a) the theater district there, which is expensive and caters to older people and tourists (the younger, hipper, more affordable theaters are out in the neighborhoods) or b) the after work happy hour scene for businesspeople (again mostly older than you, and you'll arrive home from your office in the burbs too late to participate anyway).

The people who actually live in the Loop tend to be people who are hyper-focused on their jobs to the extent that they want to be near their office and don't care about the limited nightlife or social activities. You pay a premium to live there, with very little upside if your office isn't there, unless you just really enjoy the Millenium/Grant Park tourists.

If you insist on living downtown, you'd be better off looking at Near North, West Loop, and South Loop. Of these, West Loop would be the best choice for your commute (though that's not saying much, of those options).

[pete6032]

Originally Posted by 4122

Look in Little Italy.

Yep look in Little Italy. Blue line will get you downtown and parking will be easier in LI.