Montrose & Cicero? (Chicago, Union: apartment, lease, safe area)

[Wankerman96]

Hi all,

First I just want to say that this forum has been a wonderful resource and to thank any responders in advance - your advice has been (and will continue to be) a lifesaver.

My wife and I will be moving to Chicago in December and we have the opportunity to sign a lease for a 2 bedroom apartment at 4823 W Montrose (basically on the corner of Montrose and Cicero, a block from the Mayfair metra station and close to the Montrose-Blue line stop) - does anyone have an opinion on this area? We have a baby due in early October, so it's very important to us that the neighborhood is safe. I've been reading the forums for the past couple days and it looks like the general consensus is that this is a safe area, but thought I'd get thoughts on this specific location since I know it can be block-to-block sometimes.

Thanks again for your thoughts!

[Drover]

Safe and boring and family-oriented and tree-lined and all that.

[Wankerman96]

Awesome, just what I was hoping for. It's so close to transportation that we can just hop on that if we want to go out at night. Would you say $1095/mo including heat and water for a ~1200 sq ft 2 bedroom is a decent deal?

[Drover]

Depends on the condition of the unit, it sounds like it's right about at market rate for its location.

Here's something to consider though: I hope you have off-street parking, because otherwise you might find it a pain in the arse. Montrose has rush-hour restrictions meaning you can't park on the east side from 7-9am nor on the west side from 4-6pm.

[Wankerman96]

Yup, there's a spot available for another $65/month so that won't be a problem. Would you recommend the Metra over the El if my primary concern is getting to Union Station and back as quickly as possible? Metra's site looks like it says ~25 minutes, but how about the El?

Thanks again Drover!

[Drover]

Yeah, the Metra will get you downtown quite a bit quicker, but the L is cheaper and trains are a lot more frequent so there's more flexibility in planning your trip. Furthermore, the Metra train will probably be a lot more crowded since it's near the end of its run whereas the L will be 1/3rd empty since it's near the beginning of its run. So it's a matter of picking your tradeoff.

[Avengerfire]

I dont think it is a bad price. If you like it enough go for it. You can more than likely find cheaper in that area though,but probably not more than about 200 a month cheaper. I also dont think it is necessary to pay for parking in that area.