Is this area safe?-- Cortland St/ N. Western Ave (Chicago: to rent, condo)

[nic073]

Some girlfriends and I are looking into renting a condo in Chicago in March. We found one that is "sort of" near Wicker Park (a little Northwest of it) on Cortland St and N. Western Avenue. Is this a safe area?

[Drover]

There are bits of shadiness here and there on that corner, but as urban neighborhoods go it's pretty decent. That area is not as busy in the evenings as the rest of Wicker Park/Bucktown (it's on the very fringe of the neighborhood's entertainment/nightlife core) so there will be fewer eyes around to deter ne'er-do-wells, but it's pretty much no-worries during the day.

Milwaukee Avenue is still a somewhat troublesome corridor, even through the "nice" parts of Wicker and Bucktown but especially more so northwest of Western Avenue; just be sure to be extra-cautious along Milwaukee.

[nic073]

The person I contacted about renting the condo (here's the link: Beautiful 3 bedroom family condo (broken link) ) said that the blue line was nearby. I think I saw the blueline on Google Maps... does that run along Milwaukee?

There will be between 6-8 of us. We're mainly going to hang out in downtown Chicago, so we'll need transportation there each day. I'm assuming we'd be heading back to the condo in the evenings (I'd say between 9-11pm or so?)

I'm just nervous that it will be a bunch of us girls traveling alone. Would yo recommend that we shy away from that rental?

[aragx6]

What will you be doing downtown at night? Not many places to "hang out"

I'd be comfortable there as a woman- unless I was drinking. In those cases I would highly suggest a cab.

[nic073]

Originally Posted by aragx6

What will you be doing downtown at night? Not many places to "hang out"

I'd be comfortable there as a woman- unless I was drinking. In those cases I would highly suggest a cab.

We're going for a Friday/Saturday night stay, a girls weekend to get away from the hubby's/kids. I'll be 7 mos pregnant at the time so no drinking for me... and for everyone else I think the extent of "drinking" would be a few margaritas with dinner.

As for arriving back at the condo late, I'm just assuming one or even both nights we may just have a late dinner/drinks/chatting at a restaurant. Who knows. I just don't want to have to have a curfew before dark or feel unsafe arriving back to the condo late if we end up doing that.

So the blue line would be fine to take back to N. Western Ave? I know the previous poster said to be cautious on Milwaukee.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by nic073

The person I contacted about renting the condo (here's the link: Beautiful 3 bedroom family condo (broken link) ) said that the blue line was nearby. I think I saw the blueline on Google Maps... does that run along Milwaukee?

There will be between 6-8 of us. We're mainly going to hang out in downtown Chicago, so we'll need transportation there each day. I'm assuming we'd be heading back to the condo in the evenings (I'd say between 9-11pm or so?)

I'm just nervous that it will be a bunch of us girls traveling alone. Would yo recommend that we shy away from that rental?

Well if it's literally at Cortland/Western then you are right by the El stop, so you don't need to worry about walking too far on Western, which isn't very pedestrian friendly and thus not the greatest to walk down at night. But overall, its a nice area. You are close to everything via cabs/public transit, but there's not a whole lot w/in walking distance, at least that would interest 6-8 girls.

You're right by Armitage, where you can catch the armitage bus which takes you through a nice stretch of bucktown and then into Lincoln Park. You're one el stop away from the heart of the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighorhood, where there is a lot of entertainment options.

Downtown is about 20 minutes away via the blue line. That "5 minutes to downtown!" mentioned in the ad is hilarious.

[aragx6]

Maybe 5 minutes at the end of time when you are the only human with a car left in the city.

[Drover]

Hmm, I thought this was a condo rental, like, to live in, not just for a weekend fling.

Have you folks picked out an actual restaurant yet? Because quite honestly, downtown is not where most of the city's nightlife is...

[nic073]

Originally Posted by Drover

Hmm, I thought this was a condo rental, like, to live in, not just for a weekend fling.

Have you folks picked out an actual restaurant yet? Because quite honestly, downtown is not where most of the city's nightlife is...

Yeah, this is just a weekend thing. We're driving in from Michigan and Missouri. I've been to Chicago three other times, but I really have no idea where the good places to go are. I know we plan to wander/shop the Mag Mile and I love Gino's East pizza so I know we'll eat there once.

Do you have any suggestions for good dining, Drover?

[Drover]

The Blue Line is only partially practical for getting you to and from the Mag Mile (which isn't really downtown, but that's a technicality). To get there, you're either going to have to take the Blue Line downtown and transfer to the Red Line to take you back north to the Grand Avenue stop, or get off the Blue Line at Grand Avenue and take the Grand Avenue bus east toward the Mag Mile. Or, if you're feeling vigorous, it's a good 20-minute walk from the Clark/Lake Blue Line stop to the southern edge of the Mag Mile.

As for good places to eat, what's your budget and what's your food interest?