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Old 01-15-2010, 01:58 PM
 
70 posts, read 174,565 times
Reputation: 43

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Hi ppl!

We are a young married couple in our late 20s moving to Chicago. I would be working in Glenview and missus would be flying in only for friday+weekends and sometimes Thursdays. We don't have kids yet and don't plan to have any yet.

We're looking for a kind of place which has some good restos/bars etc close by so that we can enjoy the evenings that we get together. We'd prefer a locality that is gentrified, has decently good nightlife and is enjoyable/lively for a late-evening stroll sometimes and most-importantly....safe. Not too quiet but not too noisy.

Our budget is close to $1300 (give or take some). I've been through many posts here Bucktown, Lincoln Park ,Wrigleyville are some frequent mentions of what we're looking for, I think. But I have no idea of the rents there.

I'm open to lenghtier commute if the trade-off in terms of the place is worth it.

Could you please let us know what areas should we be looking at, whats the kind of nightlife and how safe are those, ballpark rents to expect and how to commute to office. My office is close (walking couple blocks) to the MD-N Metra line Glenview station is what I know.
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Old 01-16-2010, 04:11 AM
 
70 posts, read 174,565 times
Reputation: 43
Lots of info but very confusing for someone who unfortunately doesn't know anything about Chicago. :/
Let me be more specific - btw, I own a car.
a) If we take up an apartment in Lincoln Park, Lakeview - what are the options for commute to Glenview (Office is very close to Glenview station) and how much would a decent 2br cost?
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Old 01-16-2010, 05:23 AM
 
Location: Not where you ever lived
11,535 posts, read 30,109,392 times
Reputation: 6422
Apartment in decent area $1000-1500 US monthly. You won't need a car.

You can learn Chicago two ways. Buy a map and figure it out for yourself, or let us help you. You are moving into an area of 10 million people. There are trains, buses, taxi, El, limo service. and cars you can rent for an hour or as long as you need.

Considering your circumstances I would suggest you go to Oak Park. The non-profit rental center can help you find an apartment, help you with uitlities, help you with transportation and all the other things you are going to need to get settled. You may find a short term lease for 6 months or less. This will give you the tome and opportunity to learn the town and where you want to live. OP is very diverse.

Click on Sample Apartments. Each one has a floor plan that a short video of the apartment with size, and cost. Click on a red ball to see another room. At the least this will give you an idea of what you can rent for your money. Oak Park Regional Housing Center
This site also has a map of the general area.

Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are two popular natural food stores in Chicago. I belive on is in or very near Oak Park. . .
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Old 01-17-2010, 06:52 AM
 
70 posts, read 174,565 times
Reputation: 43
Will look into Oak Park
Looking at the map, I see I can take the I-90 and subsequently I-94 to my office and I already havea car. So what would be good areas where parking is avbl and which are close to I90?
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Old 01-18-2010, 01:31 PM
 
70 posts, read 174,565 times
Reputation: 43
Bump!
If you can plz take some time to post here it'd be great as I'm really worried.....I would not have much time after I land in Chicago to look around. Im hoping you can point me to a couple of localities that I can then look into
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Old 01-18-2010, 01:50 PM
 
Location: Oak Park, IL
5,523 posts, read 13,886,553 times
Reputation: 3906
Quote:
Originally Posted by thepacifist20130 View Post
Bump!
If you can plz take some time to post here it'd be great as I'm really worried.....I would not have much time after I land in Chicago to look around. Im hoping you can point me to a couple of localities that I can then look into
Can't comment about the drive from Chicago to Glenview as I have no personal experience.

Unfortunately, the Metra MD-N line doesn't really go through the primary trendy areas (Lincoln Park/Lakeview and Wicker Park/Bucktown) that transplants seem to move to.

If you want to commute by train (and in generally I highly recommend the train when possible), the two options would be living near Union Station (downtown) or living near the Western Ave Metra station. Living near Union Station would probably mean the West Loop, which may be out of your price range, but maybe not given the state of the economy and falling rents. The West Loop is mostly low-rise buildings and is newer than Lincoln Park, and as a result, doesn't have quite the retail/dining options of the older, established hoods. Its generally quite safe. The Western Ave stop would be near the western edge of the Ukrainian village neighborhood. UK village is adjacent to Wicker Park and gentrification is spilling over from WP into UV as a result, and rents are probably cheaper than West Loop. (Caveat, I don't know UK village very well, so hopefully someone else will give more detail.)

Or you could live in Wicker Park or Lincoln Park, and suck it up and drive. If so, I'd recommend living as close to the expressway as possible.
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Old 01-18-2010, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Chicago - Logan Square
3,396 posts, read 7,173,350 times
Reputation: 3731
You should also check out Irving Park area - basically between the expressway and Grayland Metra stop. It's a safe area and you could definitely get a decent place for your budget. The transportation in that area is great - easy access to Metra, the CTA, and the Expressway. It would cut a lot of time off your commute, and also your wife's trips from the airport.

The downside is that the area is pretty quiet, but you can get to Bucktown/Wicker Park easily on the Blue line.

If you're willing to drive to a Metra stop I think somewhere along the Blue Line and close to the expressway would be good (i.e. Bucktown/Wicker Park). Lincoln Park and Lakeview are great areas - but they would add a lot time to all your trips.

Use Google Maps to check the times on commutes for any place you look at.
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Old 01-18-2010, 03:35 PM
 
18 posts, read 82,948 times
Reputation: 22
I wouldn't recommend Lincoln Park - it's not hand for public transit to the airport for your wife, or for the train or the expressway for your commute. In my experience people who aren't from Chicago often find Lakeview an easy and likeable neighborhood. It would be about a half hour drive for you to work. Rent is similar to Lincoln Park and Wicker Park/Bucktown, and cheaper than Old Town/Gold Coast. On the weekends you would have plenty of restaurants, coffee shops and bars w/in walking distance, plus the lakefront itself, a good independent movie theater (The Music Box), some live music venues (Schubas and Metro, plus some smaller places), and plenty of shops. It's on the red line so you can explore public transit and visit other neighborhoods at your leisure. There's tons of really good grocery stores around, too (not always the case in Chicago). I'm not sure what rents are like these days, but you'd definitely be able to find a 1 bed for well under your budget, and prob. a 2 bed. You might have to do on street parking. Which isn't so bad, as long as you don't care about your bumpers/paint finish.
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