Job in the loop! (Chicago, Lincoln: apartments, rent, condos)

[whitec20]

I just accepted a job thats right in the loop at La Salle/Jackson right off of the La Salle/Van Buren EL stop. I have 3 weeks to find a place to live and have a few ideas I'd like some advice on. Money isn't really too big of an issue but I'd like to keep rent around 1200-1400 and I'd like to bring my car. I'm 23 male and single. I'd like to live in a happening area with plenty of nightlife, coffee shops/restaurants, and of course, woman! I'd like to keep the commute to work 30 minutes max.

I have a friend that lives right around the Gold Coast/River North border at Clark/Chestnut intersection. It seems like a great place and easy to get to where I work. It looks like a great area and am very interested in it.

However, after reading these forums Lincoln Park has caught my attention more but I haven't spent much time in that area so I don't know what its like other than what I've read. Is there a way to get from Lincoln Park to my job within 30 minutes door to door? Would this area be recommended for what I'm looking for? Any recommendations on good convenient apartments/condos that I could hop onto a train to work easily would be greatly appreciated!

[Lookout Kid]

Yes, Lincoln Park would work well for you. Just look for something close to one of these Brown Line stops, and you should be at work in about a half hour:

Armitage
Fullerton
Diversey

Sedgewick is even closer if you feel comfortable navigating the Marhsall Field Homes (low-rise CHA projects) and some mild Cabrini Green spillover.

[mendelman]

Or....go for a place near the Chicago stop on the Brown line (aka River North).

15 minutes to work and you would live the in the middle of a nice urban area with anything you'd want - even woman.

And on nice days, you could easily walk home from work.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by mendelman

Or....go for a place near the Chicago stop on the Brown line (aka River North).

15 minutes to work and you would live the in the middle of a nice urban area with anything you'd want - even woman.

And on nice days, you could easily walk home from work.

Yep, that would be closer. River North and Lincoln Park are pretty different places, and you should probably just figure out what you're more interested in.

[whitec20]

Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of being close enough to walk to work on nice days, the place I had mentioned before is really close to the Brown Line Chicago stop. I think I'm really liking the idea of that area. I can always try something else once I get up there and get to know what I like after my first year.

[i29gtaylor]

I lived in River North and worked on LaSalle for three years; highly recommend it! It's so nice being close to the city and everything it offers but also very close to Lincoln Park and Wrigley and the like... I also walked home on nice days and it was great! GL

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by whitec20

Thanks for the tips. I like the idea of being close enough to walk to work on nice days, the place I had mentioned before is really close to the Brown Line Chicago stop. I think I'm really liking the idea of that area. I can always try something else once I get up there and get to know what I like after my first year.

There's nothing wrong with that plan. You can always start out in River North and decide if you want a more traditionally residential neighborhood like Lincoln Park later on... Or maybe you'll decide that you hate Lincoln Park and want to join the leading edge of gentrification in Pilsen or something.

[Drover]

I see nobody has addressed the car issue. Most of the areas you're looking at are an absolute parking nightmare. Consider ditching the car unless you're willing to spend around $200/mo for off-street parking.

[ARFeno1]

Hands DOWN, Lakeview/Lincoln Park.

[wunderkidchi]

i work at jackson and lasalle, congrats!