Living in Chicago and Commuting to burbs....help me pick my poison

[chet everett]

While I agree that there are certainly some firms buying into the hype that folks like beaniemac offer up, the fact is that statistically the region's total workforce is hurting -- Chicago Area Employment ? November 2015 : Midwest Information Office : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The larger issue is that despite good movement from the depths of recession era vacancies, there is simply not as much demand for offices as developers would like to see -- http://www.chicagobusiness.com/artic...e-construction

Trends like "work from home" and similar alternatives to cubes that once consistently filled are seeing shifts away from the 9-to-5 M-F work force and THAT is not exclusive to the region at all. The fact is there are all kinds of healthy firms in places other than the Loop and anyone that works too hard to relocate those firms from their non-urban campuses may very well see them embrace the much different environments that exist in other states / regions...
U.S. Q4 2015 Office MarketView

Suburban absorption surged to 44.3 million sq. ft., while downtown absorption slowed slightly from 2014, to 17.3 million sq. ft. ... Six metro areas posted double-digit rent gains during the year—all except Greenville, South Carolina are located in California.

[OyCrumbler]

Maybe the more practical measure is to live within an urban neighborhood within Chicago that is within an easier commute than the Gold Coast as there are many neighborhoods within the city that are quite urban. Are you already locked into that apt?

[IrishIllini]

I make the reverse commute to Northfield (just south of Deerfield) from the Gold Coast every day. I personally would not be as happy living in the suburbs as I am in the city, but everyone is different. Quite a few of my coworkers make the reverse commute as well.

It takes me between 30-45 minutes depending on traffic. 25 minutes on a very good day. The commute back to the city can run me anywhere from 35 minutes to an hour. It's not the worst situation in the world, but I would obviously welcome a shorter commute. The commute on 90/94 is a relatively easy one though.

[zizu]

I take this drive all the time, except I head south on the Dan Ryan rather than the Stevenson.

Morning -- Southbound LSD to I-55 is mostly a breeze.

Evening -- Northbound I-55 starting at 90/94 is a royal pain, all the way up LSD to Chicago ave. It's a nightmare in the summer, and a horror movie on Thursday and Friday nights during the summer. You should find a gym by the office to kill some time as things will get more manageable around 7:00-7:30.

[IrishIllini]

Originally Posted by zizu

I take this drive all the time, except I head south on the Dan Ryan rather than the Stevenson.

Morning -- Southbound LSD to I-55 is mostly a breeze.

Evening -- Northbound I-55 starting at 90/94 is a royal pain, all the way up LSD to Chicago ave. It's a nightmare in the summer, and a horror movie on Thursday and Friday nights during the summer. You should find a gym by the office to kill some time as things will get more manageable around 7:00-7:30.

I agree with this. The summer can be a b**** on commuting. Everyone and their mother is out at seemingly all times of the day. It'll take about an hour each way, maybe a little more or less depending on the time you ultimately leave work. There's a HUGE difference between leaving at 4:50 and leaving at 5:00....

[chet everett]

The beauty of the real traffic updates that work with GPS enabled navigtion apps is that they will offer up alternatives that save time.

Back before these apps existed I might rely on things like the radio traffic updates, the network of sensors in the roadways, or even the advice of folks that worked in areas where they could offer some tips. Now if there is a backup due to unusual events it is easy enought to ask Waze to find a faster route.

Of course with the wider areas that hip bars have expanded into and the lack of responsive of Chicago in doing things like rebuilding the Ogden overpass there are probably fewer "deserted routes" to bypass the choke points. Thank goodness the idiotic bus lanes have not moved forward to take away alternates like Ashland...

[reppin_the_847]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

I agree with this. The summer can be a b**** on commuting. Everyone and their mother is out at seemingly all times of the day. It'll take about an hour each way, maybe a little more or less depending on the time you ultimately leave work. There's a HUGE difference between leaving at 4:50 and leaving at 5:00....

Is it ever so bad that it would be better to do a METRA + Uber combination on certain peak days like that?

[Ace Rothstein]

Originally Posted by IrishIllini

The summer can be a b**** on commuting. Everyone and their mother is out at seemingly all times of the day.

The morning commute from July 4th through Labor Day is usually quite nice.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by OyCrumbler

Maybe the more practical measure is to live within an urban neighborhood within Chicago that is within an easier commute than the Gold Coast as there are many neighborhoods within the city that are quite urban. Are you already locked into that apt?

Yeah, this is a good idea too. I live near where the OP is talking about - it's a good area. Guess it depends on how much you want to put up with really.