Commute from Oak Park to UIC? Safety of Oak Park?

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

The quality of the walk to/from station plays a big role as well as the total time. Walking up Ridgeland or Cuyler from Madison to the el is much more pleasant than a similar walk up Harlem (or Cicero for that matter).

The various ways that some of the stops are laid out makes for a more or less pleasant / productive trip.

[lifelongchicagoland]

As someone that takes the Blue Line EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS DAY, I can assure you that it is relatively safe. I get on at 7AM at the Lombard Ave entrance to the Austin Station, and leave downtown at 5PM. Sometimes I stay later as work or social activities dictate. I would say as long as you are on by 10PM on a weekday you'll be fine. After 10AM to 5AM, I've found it a lot better to ride in the front train car where the conductor is. The only 3 bad stops heading west are Cicero, Pulaski, and Kedzie. It's not like the Green Line, which has 7 bad West Side stops (Central thru California) before heading downtown and then to more crime ridden areas on the South Side.

IMO there's a lot of opinions out there, but not a lot the responders ACTUALLY RIDE this segment on a 5 day a week basis. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. You'll be fine, and it's so nice to read the paper every day instead of sitting in traffic!

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by lifelongchicagoland

As someone that takes the Blue Line EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS DAY, I can assure you that it is relatively safe. I get on at 7AM at the Lombard Ave entrance to the Austin Station, and leave downtown at 5PM. Sometimes I stay later as work or social activities dictate. I would say as long as you are on by 10PM on a weekday you'll be fine. After 10AM to 5AM, I've found it a lot better to ride in the front train car where the conductor is. The only 3 bad stops heading west are Cicero, Pulaski, and Kedzie. It's not like the Green Line, which has 7 bad West Side stops (Central thru California) before heading downtown and then to more crime ridden areas on the South Side.

IMO there's a lot of opinions out there, but not a lot the responders ACTUALLY RIDE this segment on a 5 day a week basis. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me. You'll be fine, and it's so nice to read the paper every day instead of sitting in traffic!

...folks were weighing in on the relative ease NOT of "driving" but of taking the combination of the GREEN line to the PINK line that minimizes walking compared to the BLUE line especially when one works at the UIC healthcenter campus.

The advice to try to stay close to the motormen is probably good but there are bad apples at the controls thanks to the dysfunctional policies of the CTA -- Do I have the right to be safe on the CTA? | Chicago | Yelp & CTA derailment blamed on driver - Chicago Tribune

[BigLake]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Although some folks tout the good access that Oak Park has to CTA transit lines (which is undeniable) my experience is that most folks that utilize CTA from Oak Park for work still have personal vehicles to get shopping / errands done. If you do have a nice Prius or similar eco-minded car you still need to park it somewhere and without designated parking that is where things get tricky.

The other factor is that even if the area around UIC itself is well policed (which is also generally true) the relative presence of unsavory folks on the Blue Line from rather unpleasant area on the west side is a factor that many folks just don't want to deal after the work day. A half an hour or so of noise / rudeness / intimidation is not fun after slaving away at work. The fact is that the "mix" of folks one the Forest Park branch of the Blue Line is not really similar to folks on the O'Hare branch. There are office workers and travelers heading out to/from jobs and flights at the west end of the O'Hare branch while the Forest Park branch really goes not have that "draw"...

Circling back, Chet pretty much nails it here with respect to off hours on the Blue Line.

Your commute on the Blue Line to UIC will be just under 20 minutes (not including walk to/from). The morning commute is fine, but the later at night you ride the Blue line, the dicier it will become. Frankly, if you need to ride the Blue Line after, say 8:00 alone... don't. Drive your car. Or, at the very least, make sure you are on a car with other professionals.

Oak Park is a very nice, fairly prosperous community with "decent" restaurants, vibrant downtown, walkable, etc. Need nightlife? Forest Park is next door though OP has some bars. It's also liberal and relative to other areas, very liberal. You'll "assume" some of the enormous tax burden in your rent but it sounds like you are happy with the studio you have rented.

I used to say OP was a very safe community but really I can't in good conscience say this anymore. While there is not a lot of violent crime (though it's also not absent) there are a lot of break-ins and burglaries. [I know from personal experience.] The area around Madison is ok, somewhat marginal. If you keep alert, you will be OK. Also, Chet's point above about the Blue Line is worth noting. OK to take during the day but you need to be vigilant at night (again, experience talking). The Green Line is even worse.

All in all, safety won't be an issue if you are vigilant. Beyond that, OP is a pretty darn good community, one of the best (if not The) best urban suburbs of Chicago.

Oh, and btw, I ride the Blue Line 5 days a week (when not traveling on business) and have done so for 8+ years.

BYW-- why the hell did I just respond in this thread? The poster's question is more than a year old.

[ckings86]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Its pretty rare to hear feedback, so thanks for your update. Out of curiosity, aside from your apartment and the commute, how have you found Oak Park in terms of amenities/quality of life/social life?

I find Oak Park to be quite charming all around. The overall amenities are great. Downtown Oak Park is nice for shopping and dining out. I'm slowly trying out all the restaurants. I like that there's a good mix of cuisines (Indian, Thai, Sushi, Pizza, Italian, Venezuelan, Frozen Yogurt, Bakeries, etc) so it's hard not to get bored. There's definitely something for everyone. And there's a lot more choices down Madison in Forest Park as well.

While I normally shop at Jewel Osco, I love that there's a Trader Joe's nearby and, in the summer, going to the Farmer's market on Saturday mornings to pick up some fresh produce is a must. I also hear that there's a farmer's co-op market opening soon (or perhaps just opened?) that I've been wanting to visit.

As far as Oak Park public services and buildings, those that I've had the most experience with are the Post Office and Parking Services. The post offices are fairly accessible -- I've gone to both and have only had pleasant experiences. Sometimes it's frustrating to deal with Parking services over the phone (the phone just rings and rings and rings if you try calling in the mornings) but, I find it's almost always easier to go to Parking services to be helped in person when necessary. I've also been meaning to visit the OP Public library. I've been told it's the largest public library in the area and that they put on a lot of day-time programs for the kiddos, not that I have any kids to take there. I can't say anything about the schools in the area but, my walk to the train station in the mornings takes me along the route that many of the Percy Julian middle school kids walk to school. On school days, there's several very friendly street crossing guards out along Ridgeland keeping the kids safe as they head to school. I assume they are there in the afternoons as well but, I usually come home after school is let out.

Establishing a social life was a little more challenging for me when I first moved here. Partly because the vast majority of the people I work with live in the city and would prefer getting wasted in a bar every night (oh to be a young graduate student once again without a care in the world!) and partly because I'm far more introverted than the average jane. But, I had a friend who moved to Milwaukee a couple years ago that suggested checking out meetup.com. There's a wide variety of meetup groups that are based in Oak Park and the surrounding areas. That's how I've managed (as a single late 20s female) to meet people and make friends outside of work. With these friends, we've been able to explore a lot of the restaurants in Oak Park/River Forest as well as attend several of the events that are put on by the city. Which I should add that I have yet to be disappointed by an event put on by the city! Despite chilly pouring rain, the Uncork Illinois wine festival a couple weeks ago was a blast and Thursday Night Out in Downtown OP is super fun. Living in Oak Park has been a refreshing experience since it feels like a real community and not just lots of people that happen to be living in the same area.

[ckings86]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The total combined trip, accounting for walking to / from station and work is often a deciding factor in how tolerable / unpleasant the commute will be.

Similarly, given the relative congestion / kinds of signals on some surface streets it can take a frustratingly long time to traverse a modest distance in some areas.

Yes, this exactly.