Young couple in early 30s relocating to Chicago

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by s___

No worries at all, if all goes to plan one day he will indeed be my husband

Right on - good luck

[s___]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The only thing remotely close to the Blue Line there is South Loop and even then, eh not 100%. IMO you should look more at an area like Ukrainian Village or even Wicker Park (might be able to afford that for a 2 bedroom on $2k/month but who knows) if you are worried about your partner's commute to/from the airport twice a week more than your own. Though I do agree to look out more for your own commute because your partner will be only doing it twice a week instead of 10 times per week - IMO there should probably be a balance.

Being right near the Blue Line is not the end of the world either. I mean your partner could easily ride down for 30 minutes along the line then get a cab and ride the rest of the way to your place (I do this sometimes).

do you suggest wicker park/Ukranian village as a good balance or are there other neighbourhoods to consider?

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by s___

do you suggest wicker park/Ukranian village as a good balance or are there other neighbourhoods to consider?

I guess it depends on what you like - wicker park was once a pretty hipster area of town. Gentrified now but still maintains an indie edge. Some arts stuff there (like some galleries or the Flat Iron Arts Building). Ukrainian Village is basically in the midst of gentrifying now but still, more indie than some other parts of town. Pilsen is probably less gentrified than those and definitely more ethnic. I personally like all of those areas of town - if you're looking for a nice place, you probably have a better shot of finding it in a Wicker Park type of place, though not as cheap as a Pilsen anymore. You can find a nice place in any of these areas - just some you have a better chance than others.

What I like about a place along the Blue Line is the fact that it's along the Blue Line which runs 24/7. So if you want to do anything late night, it's easier there IMO than a Pilsen (which is still possible as there's a bus that goes thru Pilsen that runs all night). PIlsen has a lot of street mural art though which is really cool. There's probably more galleries or artist spaces there than in Wicker Park too, but WP isn't necessarily short on that type of stuff either.