Help with Choosing a Neighborhood (Chicago, Ashland: apartment, home, transfer)

[caravaggio]

Hi,
I am moving to Chicago and would greatly appreciate any suggestions as to in which area I should live.
I will be working in North Lawndale (which I think is on the Pulaski Blue Line stop). Since I hate taking buses and do not plan to drive, I would like to live in a neighborhood with access to the blue line that is 1) quiet, 2) safe, and 3) not too far a subway commute to North Lawndale.
Many thanks!

[Drover]

I'd suggest any of the areas of the near west side: Pilsen (particularly east Pilsen), Greektown, Little Italy/Tri-Taylor/Medical District area. Depending on where in North Lawndale you'll be working, you might be better off taking the Pink Line rather than the Blue Line. In that case, areas further west such as Tri-Taylor, Medical District, and Heart of Italy (or Heart of Chicago as some prefer) are probably better options.

Bear in mind that North Lawndale is a pretty rough area so you may not want to spend a lot of time walking back and forth from work to the the train station at night; here's where a car might be something of an advantage.

[caravaggio]

Many thanks for your response. Which stop on the Pink line serves North Lawndale and which parts of North Lawndale is closer to the Pink and Blue lines?
Also, so you would not recommend areas like Bucktown, Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, Logan Square?
Thanks again!

[Drover]

Those are all great places, but they're going to add quite a bit of time to your commute. They will also involve trains being so packed that you may have to let 2 or 3 go by before one finally rolls into the station that has just enough room for you to squeeze in. The places I recommended are generally happenin' in their own right, the exception being Heart of Italy, which has a great but VERY SMALL restaurant and bar district -- as in, only two blocks long. The places I suggested gives you a nice quick commute (bonus: the trains will have disgorged 90% of their passengers downtown and will be empty by the time they get to you out west) plus you also have pretty easy access to Wicker Park, Bucktown and Logan Square when you want to visit those places, plus somewhat easy access to Ukranian village too but that will require a bus transfer or some hoofin' from a Blue Line stop.

The question "Which stop on the Pink line serves North Lawndale and which parts of North Lawndale is closer to the Pink and Blue lines" is kind of difficult to answer. The Blue Line doesn't actually go through North Lawndale, though the far northern portions of North Lawndale may be easier to access from the Blue Line than the Pink Line. The Pink Line actually does go through North Lawndale. They both have a Pulaski Avenue stop. The best way to suggest which line would be more convenient to your commute would be to tell us the address of the place you'll be working, or at least give us the block number (aka "1600 block of south Pulaski Avenue" or whatever it is).

[caravaggio]

Wow. This is really helpful; thanks so much. It sounds like from my internet researching I really have not been able to get information correctly!

So I will be working out of two different locations:
1. 2111 S. Hamlin Ave in North Lawndale
2. 3333 W. Arthington Street (which I assume is somewhere nearby?)

I will almost certainly not drive (I do not have a driver's license and am afraid of driving).

How long would the commute be from the Bucktown/Wicker Park area versus the Pilsen, Greektown, Little Italy/Tri-Taylor/Medical District area?

Also, are there substantial differences between the areas?

Thanks so much again!

[Drover]

Hmm... well, that complicates things a bit. The Hamlin Avenue address is a couple blocks from a Pink Line stop, whereas the Arthington address puts you about 4 blocks from a Blue Line stop. (I'd never heard of Arthington before -- I had to look it up on a map. ) Sorry to hear that driving is out of the question because I reiterate that your workplaces are in a substantially not-nice neighborhood where walking around by oneself should be minimized.

So it seems the most logical location to look for a place is just east of the Medical District where you have quick access to both a Blue and a Pink Line stop... somewhere along the Taylor Street corridor around the 1400 block would be ideal.

Of course, there's one potential complicating factor... you haven't given us a rental/utilities budget yet.

[caravaggio]

Wow. Are they really that bad that walking 2-4 blocks to the subway would be dangerous?

As for the budget: I can pay up to $1250 for a two bedroom apartment without utilities. From Craigslist listings, it seems as if that would be possible.

Given that budget and my preference for quieter, safer areas, then the Medical District would be your recommendation?

[Drover]

Keep in mind that in Chicago-speak, 4 blocks is half a mile. That's 10 minutes each way. Everyone has their own comfort level... to be honest, I don't know that I'd feel comfortable doing that day in and day out in Lawndale. It really does live up to the stereotype about "inner city" neighborhoods. Once in a while, in daylight, I could manage. As a matter of course... I don't know. I sure wouldn't tell my wife about where I walk every day, that's for sure.

Medical district is in your budget. As for quiet... in Chicago you're never too far from a main thoroughfare so there will always be some ambient noise nearby. But you should be fine as long as you're on a residential side street and at least a few buildings away from a major thoroughfare like Ashland Avenue or Taylor Street.

800 S. Loomis St would be a good epicenter for your search, and here's why: see this map here. The little blue "M" two blocks to the west labeled "Polk" is a Pink Line stop; the little "M" in the middle of the expressway just to the north labeled "Racine" is a Blue Line stop, and it's accessible from Loomis. (You may have to click the X in the balloon and make it go away to see the Racine stop.)

[NearWestSider]

Originally Posted by Drover

800 S. Loomis St would be a good epicenter for your search, and here's why: see this map here. The little blue "M" two blocks to the west labeled "Polk" is a Pink Line stop; the little "M" in the middle of the expressway just to the north labeled "Racine" is a Blue Line stop, and it's accessible from Loomis. (You may have to click the X in the balloon and make it go away to see the Racine stop.)

To the OP: Drover's advice is right on the money. I was going to post that it would be difficult to impossible to make it to both places via CTA, but this solves it pretty darned well.

I only have one thing to add:

I don't know if you are the type to use a bike for transportation, but a beater bike can be big time-saver, even for rail commuters. Both Polk Street and UIC-Halsted (the next stop after Racine on the Blue Line) have free sheltered/indoor bike parking. I wouldn't leave my expensive road bike unattended all day, but a cheapo beater from Working Bikes Cooperative could cut your trip from home to the train down to nearly nothing. If you are travelling off-peak, you can even take the bike with you on the train and ride it to your destination:

http://www.transitchicago.com/welcome/biketran.txt (broken link)

Working Bikes Store | Working Bikes

[Drover]

Here is some footage of the neighborhood. Most of the video is useless as most of it is filmed at night, but fast-forward to the 7:00 mark to get some daytime footage.