Reverse Commute to Park Ridge (Touhy and Northwest Highway) (Elgin: home, neighborhoods)

[zzguy2]

Hello everyone,

I'm faced with a dilemna: live at home (Hanover Park) and commute to work at Touhy and Northwest Highway in Park Ridge, or move to the city and take the CTA to work. I've looked at some neighborhoods and think that Logan Square would be be the best place out of all along the blue line because it's closer than the hip wicker park/bucktown area and still has a lot of young people.

Google maps said that it will take about 47 minutes from approximately Logan Blvd/California to work. How reliable is this estimate? It seems longer than most commute times to downtown, but unfortunately my job is not downtown.

I tried to make the decision based on commute times, but I think that driving from Hanover Park (Lake Street/Elgin-O'Hare) would probably be even longer than the commute from Logan Square.

I love the city and think that I would love taking advantage of its social opportunities, but is the long-ish reverse commute worth? How accurate is the 47 minute estimate?


Thanks

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by zzguy2

Google maps said that it will take about 47 minutes from approximately Logan Blvd/California to work. How reliable is this estimate?...How accurate is the 47 minute estimate?

Not very. I would say at least an hour whether you are taking public transit or not. If you are driving, much of it will depend on the time of day,what day of the week it is,and many other factors.

[Drover]

The problem with your proposed commute is that the nearest Blue Line stop to Touhy and Northwest Highway is over 2 miles away, and your commute would require using a bus connection on a bus line that probably doesn't run on a hugely convenient schedule. And then you'd stillHowever, the Park Ridge Metra stop is a block away from that intersection. If you want the nightlife of Wicker Park and Bucktown, IMO you're better off just living there, particularly near the Clybourn Metra station on the eastern edge of the Bucktown/Wicker Park border. Catch a Metra train there and it will have you at the Park Ridge station in less than 30 minutes.

Alternatively, you might consider a compromise situation: the Old Irving Park neighborhood near the intersection of Pulaski and Irving Park. The neighborhood itself isn't tremendously hip (though there are some cool places nearby like Smoque, Hot Woks/Cool Sushi, McNamara's, and Shokran), but it's safe and tidy, it's cheap, and you can hop the Metra to work in the morning (15 minutes by train) and then hop the Bue Line to play in the evening (Bucktown/Wicker Park is 20 minutes by train). Both have stations just one block west of Pulaski & Irving.

[zzguy2]

I did think about taking Metra, but that schedule is actually even more inconvenient than the Northwest Highway schedule. Metra runs so infrequently that either I'd get to work WAY AHEAD of schedule, or WAY LATE.

The Northwest Highway bus leaves every 20 minutes from Jefferson Park. How reliable is it? How long to the Park Ridge Metra (approximate location of employer)?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by zzguy2

...The Northwest Highway bus leaves every 20 minutes from Jefferson Park. How reliable is it? How long to the Park Ridge Metra (approximate location of employer)?

It is pretty reliable. Northwest Highway does not get a lot of traffic on most of its route at any time of day or night.

I think it usually takes 20-30 minutes to get to Touhy. I could be wrong though-I have not taken that bus in a long time.

[zzguy2]

That's what the schedule says...

It's just semi inconvenient because the bus only comes every 20 minutes, so if I took the bus to work and I wanted to stay to finish something, I'd have to wait another 20 minutes for the next one.

But at the same time, maybe I could run after the bus if I'm a minute late, lol...


But the CTA website did say that there is additional service on school days during the school year...maybe it won't be that bad?

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by zzguy2

...It's just semi inconvenient because the bus only comes every 20 minutes, so if I took the bus to work and I wanted to stay to finish something, I'd have to wait another 20 minutes for the next one...

Aside from Taft H.S. students...

For a bus with as low of a ridership that Northwest Highway has-the fact that it runs every 20 minutes is pretty incredible actually. It probably should be twice an hour and maybe even one every 45 minutes at most times of day and night.

[zzguy2]

The schedule on google maps and on the cta.org website says once every 20 minutes for most of the day...


And google maps says that it's about 30 minutes from Logan Square to Northwest Highway/Touhy by driving (taking Milwaukee Avenue-->Northwest Highway to avoid the Kennedy)--how accurate is this?

[Drover]

Milwaukee Avenue is not a particularly useful alternative to the Kennedy.