Apartment dwellers (Chicago, Oswego, Humboldt: apartments, renters, condos)

[princessbing68]

What do you like/don't like about where you live? There are a few things I don't like about apartments in Chicago. Courtyard buildings. I don't like the fact they don't have yards or garages. Living on a busy street. The noise of the traffic would bother the crap out of me. My in-laws have lived on Western Avenue for 45 years now and I remember going there when my husband and I were dating and the endless noise of sirens, trucks, buses, etc., drove me insane. They have no yard and because they live on a busy street, there is not only vehicle traffic but human traffice. They live 15 feet from a very popular club and there is a constant number of people that hang out in front of the club and the restaurant next to it. It is also filthy. Ciggie butts everywhere and trash.

I guess I don't see the appeal in renting or buying the condos that are springing up everywhere in popular neighbourhoods. It lacks coziness and not to mention greenery. Of course you are minutes from downtown which is convenient but that alone could not convince me to move in any of these areas.

[jdiddy]

I don't see the appeal in Oswego. Others do. Different strokes, your highness.

[noid_1985]

Originally Posted by princessbing68

What do you like/don't like about where you live? There are a few things I don't like about apartments in Chicago. Courtyard buildings. I don't like the fact they don't have yards or garages.

you do have a yard in courtyard buildings- it's just in the courtway

[j33]

Part of the appeal of an apartment, for me, is that they don't have a yard that I have to maintain. I hate yardwork. I'd rather have a nice porch so I can grow things in pots, but not have to mow anything.

[softdev]

1) Doorman
2) No yardwork or exterior maintenance
3) Snow clearance
4) Walk to shops
5) Walk to dozens of restaurants at your doorstep
6) Close to the El

Are you really debating why people like apartments?

[adamtrip]

I agree with the previous post. We love living in an apartment. We have a gym, pool, doorman, etc. And if we get tired of living here, we can move. We don't have to worry about selling first or having to fix-up a new place. If something breaks here, we just call the maintanence guys and it get fixed, for free!

[eevee]

one of the major things I dislike about apartments in Chicago are the "Chicago-style" bedrooms. I've seen a lot of ads w/ the words "Chicago-style" and long ago came to realize that they equal "small and likely w/o a closet". Me personally, I can't deal w/ a bedroom smaller than 100sqft/ 10x10, and really can't survive w/o a closet! but this is a minor grip of mine and I've moved on. sure as heck wouldn't move out of the city just b/c of this (I've seen places w/ larger rooms and rent one that's over 150sqft).

as for the lack of a backyard, I personally think, as a renter, that backyards are VERY overrated unless you have a dog (and even then, most good dog owners would never leave their pooch outside in a yard long term), plan on gardening out there (and most renters aren't going to go through the hassle and costs of a backyard garden, and some LLs won't even allow it), or have small children (IMO, a backyard is a boring place for a child unless it has a ton of toys/play set).

as a renter, I put having a yard at the very bottom of my "must have" list. I'd much rather have a private porch where I can grow some potted herbs and grill up some chicken in the summer. I've lived in apartments w/ backyards and I never got any pleasure from them. for me right now, my "backyard" is Humboldt Park, which is less than a 10 minute walk from my place and a million times nicer than any old suburban patch! for the folks living in apartments in the Loop, downtown, or along the lake, their back yard is Lake Michigan and all the green space that surrounds it. I'd much rather my future kids go play w/ other kids at a public playground than by themselves in their backyard playset. same thing if I had a dog, would rather take them for a walk through a park then stick them outside a boring yard