Central Location for regional commute? (Chicago, Rockford: rental car, rental, hotel)

[randomguymike]

If everything goes as hoped, I should have a job offer Monday doing consulting in the Chicago area. The position would require I be able to easily access downtown locations as well as locations in the burbs, depending on the client.

After reading: Read This First- ?'s About Neighborhoods Or Moving To Chicago (or FOOD!)? Read This Before Asking Your Questions! , I have some feel for things such as knowing I have to work parking fees into my rent figure, but see a lot of conflicting stuff on the neighborhoods.

Here's my story:
1.Central location is #1 priority. Must be able to get downtown on public transportation and must be central to whatever the primary suburbs are where business are located. because of #2 below I want to make sure I can get home quickly to let dog out after work, wherever it may be.

2. I have a large dog (70 lbs) that gets about 6 miles a day of walking. I need to be somewhere where I can walk him safely and where there grass/parks for him to chill in. Dog parks and off-leash are not a viable consideration, though, as my dog is a little anti-social at times.

3. I am a 31 year old single guy. I'd like to have bars within a walkable distance. I don't want the crazy frat or punk scene, though. I'm more of a sports bar guy.

4. For year 1, my budget will be much lower than it will be going forward. I'll be paying for two places till my current home sells. So, I'd like a place at least 700 sq ft (preferably near ground level) for $1000/mo (before parking). Years 2 and beyond I plan to have the place sold or rented. So, I'll be relocating and hope to know the area by then.

So, based on that, any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can provide.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by randomguymike

If everything goes as hoped, I should have a job offer Monday doing consulting in the Chicago area. The position would require I be able to easily access downtown locations as well as locations in the burbs, depending on the client.

After reading: Read This First- ?'s About Neighborhoods Or Moving To Chicago (or FOOD!)? Read This Before Asking Your Questions! , I have some feel for things such as knowing I have to work parking fees into my rent figure, but see a lot of conflicting stuff on the neighborhoods.

Here's my story:
1.Central location is #1 priority. Must be able to get downtown on public transportation and must be central to whatever the primary suburbs are where business are located. because of #2 below I want to make sure I can get home quickly to let dog out after work, wherever it may be.

2. I have a large dog (70 lbs) that gets about 6 miles a day of walking. I need to be somewhere where I can walk him safely and where there grass/parks for him to chill in. Dog parks and off-leash are not a viable consideration, though, as my dog is a little anti-social at times.

3. I am a 31 year old single guy. I'd like to have bars within a walkable distance. I don't want the crazy frat or punk scene, though. I'm more of a sports bar guy.

4. For year 1, my budget will be much lower than it will be going forward. I'll be paying for two places till my current home sells. So, I'd like a place at least 700 sq ft (preferably near ground level) for $1000/mo (before parking). Years 2 and beyond I plan to have the place sold or rented. So, I'll be relocating and hope to know the area by then.

So, based on that, any suggestions? Thanks for any help you can provide.

Do you know which burbs you will need to travel to regularly or could it really be any burb?

[randomguymike]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

Do you know which burbs you will need to travel to regularly or could it really be any burb?

It could be any burb based on the service. Client base is mostly manufacturing right now, though. The comment that was made during my interview that made me think about this was I mentioned I had researched Lincoln Park rents. Their reply was 'yeah, that's gonna be tough when you have to go to the south side'. They also mentioned several downtown clients.

[Avengerfire]

Well, find out the areas you have have to go to more and how far out in the burbs you have to go. Then tell us.

You might be better of in Oak Park or something.

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Well, find out the areas you have have to go to more and how far out in the burbs you have to go. Then tell us.

You might be better of in Oak Park or something.

Or atleast someplace near 90/94, etc so that you can easily get to the highway. Again, this is really hard if you don't know which burbs.

[randomguymike]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

Or atleast someplace near 90/94, etc so that you can easily get to the highway. Again, this is really hard if you don't know which burbs.

Really, it could be anywhere. It's accounting software installation. So, no geographic bias. Their main offices are at Adams & LaSalle. So, my though is if you drew about a 20 mile radius out from there, you'd have a good approximation. From my visit there, though, that area would not fill needs 2-4 at all.

I guess, how about approaching it this way, is the morning commute worse going south through the city, north through the city, west out of the city, or is it equally difficult in all directions?

[jessiegirl_98]

Originally Posted by randomguymike

Really, it could be anywhere. It's accounting software installation. So, no geographic bias. Their main offices are at Adams & LaSalle. So, my though is if you drew about a 20 mile radius out from there, you'd have a good approximation. From my visit there, though, that area would not fill needs 2-4 at all.

I guess, how about approaching it this way, is the morning commute worse going south through the city, north through the city, west out of the city, or is it equally difficult in all directions?

Sorry to be difficult, but we really have no reverse commutes so it would be pretty much equally difficult regardless of where you are!

This is a tough one! I'll just throw out Wicker Park. There is a park, you can take the blue line easily down town, and you're really close to the 290, as well as 90/94. There is a dog park too if you can get your buddy socialized! You could easily get something in your price range.

20 mile radius is huge..... is this every day travel? once a week?

[randomguymike]

Originally Posted by jessiegirl_98

20 mile radius is huge..... is this every day travel? once a week?

I just tossed out 20 miles to set a baseline, could be more/less. I imagine wherever they could make a sale, they would, though. Loooking at a map my guess would be anything within 294 would be fair game.

It would be every day (M-F, of course). Most assignments would be between six and eight weeks. So, could have back-to-back downtown clients and spend thirteen weeks there and then back-to-back in Berwyn, then one in Evanston.

Your reverse commute comment nailed what I was fearing, though. Wicker Park looks pretty central and if it fits everything else may be my best bet.

[chet everett]

You really cannot estimate the business density by a map alone, in fact trying to do would be completely wrong.

There are almost no offices in some towns and quite literally 30,000-40,000 RIGHT NEXT to it.

If you really talking going to PLANTS were the manufacturing operations are that is even another dimension, but many light manufacturing / assembly firms exist ALL OVER the areas -- although there are NONE in downtown Chicago, instead there are bands of manufacturers in the City with a high concentration in the southern portion but SOME on the far south east, north and west sides of Chicago -- none of these neighborhoods are close enough to EVERYTHING that you could count on make a midday stop at home! It would quite a challenge to even put an eight hour day and care for an active companion animal -- you might be gone for 11 hours with what could be a 3 hours of commute time:

My first reaction to a postition like this, for someone unfamililar with Chicago, is YOU ARE GOING TO HATE YOUR COMMUTE. Let's the first weeks or whatever you are in Lake Forest -- LOTS OF OFFICES! (and further NE there are still some signficant manufacturing firms in Waukegan/N. Chicago). Almost 30 miles from the City, absolutely BRUTAL commute up the the under construction Edens THEN up the also construction choked Tri-State. 1:45 ++ commute EACH WAY, all the time. Next week you in Hoffman Estates -- LOTS of Offices, with significant numbers of plants to the west in Elgin (or further in Rockford) AND east around Des Plaines. 30+ miles NW via Kennedy and NW Tollroads. 1:45 ++ commute. Next week Oak Brook LOTS of offices (most plants would be east in like Bellwood/Franklin Park or north in Bensenville/Elk Grove Village) 20++ mile due west via Eisenhower and I88 Toll. 1:30++ commute. Next week Bolingbrook -- lots of offices/warehouses combos. 1:30++ commute. Following week Orland Park (not quite as many offices but some, with many plant northeast in the Summit/Argo area -- SW 15+ miles, combination of Stevenson Expressway and surface streets. 1:30++ commute.
I haven't even touched on the significant number of plants in NW Indiana.

Virtually NO significant number of offices in close-in suburbs like Norwood Park, Cicero (lots of plants), Berwyn, Marionette Park, et cetera. Without knowing more about why this firm wants you to relocate you might really regret moving -- you'd might be better off getting a hotel and just flying in, of course that won't work with your dog.

Frankly I would be more than a little worried about why the firm decided to not offer this position to some one local who might have a better idea of just how expensive (in gas, tools, time) the commuting alone will be...

[alwaystraveling25]

Hey Mike, Where are you locating from? That can be very helpful to draw a comparision up. Let me give you my limited opinion, since I live in the city and work in the city and hardly travel to the suburbs, on what the commute is like here.

Compared to the two places I used to live, here is how the commute stacks up:

Kansas City Versus Chicago: Kansas City blows it out of the water. Considering that Metro area is spread out over 5 counties and 340 miles, you can still get anywhere you need to in a maximum of 45 minutes to cover 40 miles. Even though I lived two counties away from the airport, I could drive there in 45 minutes, tops. Parking was never, ever an issue - only the very downtown had metered parking. Everywhere else it was free.

Detroit Versus Chicago: Heavier, but still not a Chicago. I would commute 30-45 minutes to work and over an hour home. There is always construction everywhere and you must take the highway to go anywhere. If you travel in a really heavily congested area (696 being comparable to the Kennedy in CHicago), you may have an hour commute to go 10 miles, but that is only in one part of the Metro area.

I don't drive in Chicago, but I have driven a rental car and rode in other people's cars, and I can tell you that: a) there is no reverse commute at all and b) rush hour is from 6-10 and from 3-7, at least. I had a friend who lived in Lincoln Park and worked in Lisle, and he had an 1:30 commute one way each day. He left at 6AM every morning and usually got there before 8:00AM.

So where are you coming from? I hope that comparision I used helped!