Family friendly neighborhood with new modern buildings (Chicago, Lincoln: apartments, leasing agent)

[toluani]

Hello city daters,

My wife and I will be moving over from London to Chicago with a 8 month old baby, and we need advice on family friendly neighborhoods which are safe with easy access to the metra stops and more importantly where we can find new modern buildings.

We have never been to the city, and have a budget of $2,200.

We have been searching through various forums and are struggling to pin down the right neighborhood. some neighborhoods we have considered include Ravenswood, Lincoln Park and Lakeview, but most of the buildings we see online tend to be old stock.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[chet everett]

Not sure what mean by "old stock" -- there are certainly some buildings that have a traditional exterior but all the units are very much up-to-date, the difficulty you might run into is that "newer" often equals "more costly" especially in very popular areas like Lincoln Park and Lakeview. You are probably OK with a 8 month old in just a 1 bedroom unit that ought to be in your budget but larger places may cost more.

I would further caution that Metra is largely a commuter system designed to deliver folks from surrounding suburbs to the the major rail terminals near the Loop; if work is the Loop and you want to live in a nicer part of Chicago you'd be relying on the CTA EL rapid transit or buses.

[rzzzz]

lakeshore east

[personone]

If you truly want to live in 'new modern buildings', you should limit your search to the Loop and River North (there are also a few in Old Town). I'm assuming you are talking about new buildings (built from mid/late 2000s) with modern exteriors, stainless steel appliances, new gyms in the building, additional ammenities, etc. Those are going to be VERY expensive, and you won't likely find any in the neighborhoods you listed. Your budget would be on the low end for a 1 BR for many of these buildings.

As was mentioned, many of the buildings in the neighborhoods you are interested in may be older (and have older exteriors), but the interiors of many apartments have been rehabbed and are modern with stainless steel appliances, etc. As you get into more of the neighborhoods farther away from downtown, because the buildings tend to be older there are usually less ammenities in the buildings (ie you may not have a gym/pool/etc), but the buildings may still be really nice.

I would chose the neighborhood that you like first, and then talk to a leasing agent and visit. I'm sure you will be able to find buildings in the neighborhoods you are interested in that have a 'modern' feel in the inside, even if they are older and look somewhat dated from the exterior.

*also search the apartment search sites by Year b/c there are also a few new, modern buildings in neighborhoods farther away from downtown. It's just that the greatest concentration of new, modern buildings are downtown (Loop, Near North, etc).

[HollyhockGarden]

My hunch tells me the OP, toluani, actually wants a modern building, meaning one with elevator service to all floors, and possibly washer/dryer hook-ups in the apartment, and probably an underground parking garage with elevator service available directly from the garage to the floor their apartment is located on. Being a new grandma, the business of the ease of stroller use is fresh in my mind and I realize how much easier the elevator makes day-to-day living. The charm of a 1920's courtyard building is beautiful, but maybe Mom and Dad do not want to wrestle with the stairs and a stroller at the end of a long work day.

[UC18]

I wonder if people from London are as obsessed with "stainless steel appliances" as many Americans are. I understand having a preference for that look, but in the grand scheme of things it's a rather trivial detail to use to evaluate a whole residence.

[chicagobear]

Where will you be working/going to school? That makes a big difference in where to live.

[toluani]

Thanks Chet,

You are right what I meant was the apartments we saw online did not look up to date, but we have been checking and have come across some which look nice and up to date even though the exterior is traditional.

Thanks for the correction re metra. What i meant to say was the CTA EL.

Since my post we did some more research and what we would like is a high rise building in the lakeview area with an updated kitchen and bathroom (Wife is very specific about the kitchen and bathroom).

Do you think this is doable in the area? any other areas you can recommend?

Originally Posted by chet everett

Not sure what mean by "old stock" -- there are certainly some buildings that have a traditional exterior but all the units are very much up-to-date, the difficulty you might run into is that "newer" often equals "more costly" especially in very popular areas like Lincoln Park and Lakeview. You are probably OK with a 8 month old in just a 1 bedroom unit that ought to be in your budget but larger places may cost more.

I would further caution that Metra is largely a commuter system designed to deliver folks from surrounding suburbs to the the major rail terminals near the Loop; if work is the Loop and you want to live in a nicer part of Chicago you'd be relying on the CTA EL rapid transit or buses.

[toluani]

Thanks all for your input.

Whilst my office will be based in the loop - Wacker drive, I will be based at various client offices most of the time either in Chicago or other cities most likely New York, so easy access to the airport would be nice but i am willing to travel further to airport for a nice safe neighborhood especially if only wife and baby will be home when i am out of town.

Wife is keen on a high rise building with an escalator to avoid carrying a buggy up and down the stairs. HollyhockGarden has got it spot on

I understand what you all say about new builds being very expensive and we would be happy with apartments in buildings such as 3130 North Lakeshore drive in Lakeview east. note it does not have to be along lake shore drive but similar buildings.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by toluani

Thanks Chet,

You are right what I meant was the apartments we saw online did not look up to date, but we have been checking and have come across some which look nice and up to date even though the exterior is traditional.

Thanks for the correction re metra. What i meant to say was the CTA EL.

Since my post we did some more research and what we would like is a high rise building in the lakeview area with an updated kitchen and bathroom (Wife is very specific about the kitchen and bathroom).

Do you think this is doable in the area? any other areas you can recommend?

There are probably several hundred if not thousand such units in the greater Lakeview area. The trick may be TIMING as many leases in Chicago are specifically structured to end in late May / early June when students traditionally are done with school. The inventory will noticeably increase. You may have to up your budget a bit, whether it is condo building that the unit owner has upgraded the kitchen / bath or a larger professionally managed rental building that the REIT has spent big money on installing up to date kitchens / bath the rent will reflect these added features. That said so long as you are OK with a 1 br or 1 br plus den (as opposed to true 2 br) you ought to be able to stay under $3k/mo in even the nicest building.

I tend agree that for folks working in the Loop Lakeview is an excellent option. There are probably a greater number of modern units in the South Loop than in Lakeview but Lakeview has more nice amenities especially for folks with a soon-to-be toddler that will be able enjoy the parks and little shops / resturants that tend to attract mom & strollers like hummingbirds to nectar...