Opinion on apartments/areas (Spaulding: cul-de-sac, neighborhoods, to live)

[Sibilance7]

I'm currently debating between two apartments, and I was hoping some people who are familiar with Logan Square could weigh in with their opinions for me. One is located at Sawyer and Belden and the other is located on N. Spaulding right before it dead ends south of Milwaukee. The N. Spaulding apartment has the obvious benefit of being much closer to the L, but I thought the walk along Kedzie from the Sawyer and Belden apartment was pretty pleasant. Any opinions on these areas in terms of safety or quality of neighborhood? We liked both neighborhoods during the day and we're planning to check them out at night tomorrow (specifically the walk to the L), but I wanted to see if anyone had any advice here.

[surlycue]

I used to live further south on Spaulding but have three friends now that each live in buildings on Spaulding near the cul-de-sac.

The first building on the west side of the road when you exit the Spaulding side is in desperate need of updating but management is always quick to fix any issues. My friend lives in a garden apartment there and it is very vintage (old carpeting, wallpaper, old fixtures, small kitchen and bath) but she gets a good deal. Parking is a pain there though if you don't have a spot incuded because that strip of Spaulding is unzoned so all spots will be taken after 6PM.

A block further south on the east side of the road are two nice courtyard buildings. They are also pretty cheap and are a bit more updated. The courtyard is great if you bike because you can lock it to the inside of the fence instead of on the street.

There are lots of young people on that block and I never had any issues but there were flyers up near the Spaulding blue line exit warning people of pick pocketers and muggers at that exit. If you feel unsafe, it might pay to walk to the other entrance where there is better lighting after dark.

[surlycue]

Also, a bit of warning. The building managers are not great about shoveling the sidewalks in a timely manner after snow storms so the walk on Spaulding is a tiresome one.

[ChiMack]

both of those areas will have gangs etc but i think you would be better of with the spaulding one,

[Sibilance7]

Thanks, surlycue, for all that helpful info!

We took the walk from the Logan Square blue line to the Sawyer/Belden apt tonight and it seemed fine. I didn't see any evidence of gangs or anything else suspicious but maybe I don't know what I'm looking for. We saw a place today that was right on Kedzie and even though it doesn't have laundry in the building, we're thinking it might come out ahead. We really liked the location as the walk to the blue line was all on very well-traveled streets. We won't have a car, so proximity to the blue line is very important to us.

[surlycue]

Sibilance, there is a Bubbleland laundry mat on Milwaukee right across from the California stop but you might prefer to do a drop off service. It's worth the extra few bucks a week to not have to sit in a laundry mat for hours on end. If you look around you can find places that wash and fold for $.30-$.50 a pound. Some places will even pick up and drop off your clothes from/to your apartment.

[Sibilance7]

We found one on Fullerton that is less than half a mile away, but having to haul our laundry places is a concern for us since we won't have a car. A laundry service would be a wonderful thing - thanks for the tip! I'll start googling and see what I can find. Would drycleaners offer this kind of service, or would I be looking for another type of business?

[eehtaht]

I second to be more concerned with the taking the blue line el.I've always hated the dungeon-like stops that are underground.I know firsthand knowledge of someone having their car stolen near Miwaukee/Logan(east of Kedzie)I personally remember a couple of drive by shootings near Spaulding/Wrightwood(west of Kedzie),where a young woman was killed in one of them.I worked in the area and it was all over the news.Just don't let your guard down based on a couple of smooth walks.It's not the worst area,just has it's moments.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by surlycue

Also, a bit of warning. The building managers are not great about shoveling the sidewalks in a timely manner after snow storms so the walk on Spaulding is a tiresome one.

That's why God made Yaktrax.

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by Sibilance7

We found one on Fullerton that is less than half a mile away, but having to haul our laundry places is a concern for us since we won't have a car. A laundry service would be a wonderful thing - thanks for the tip! I'll start googling and see what I can find. Would drycleaners offer this kind of service, or would I be looking for another type of business?

Try Yelp. There should be recommendations as to which were the better services.