Artistic, chill, somewhat geeky young man looking for good neighborhood...

[aragx6]

St. Louis is underrated and St. Louisans like it that way. You really should check it out.

I went to Austin for the first time last year, and it's definitely a neat place, but ... I don't know, I actually found it particularly pretentious -- in that very Texas way. You should definitely go visit.

[Chi-town Native]

Originally Posted by Nimbus09

Oh, and what's up with this PBR stuff? I drink it because it's cheap and is what I got used to in college because of that very fact. If you can afford a better beer but are still drinking PBR to be cool... well, that's silly. Took 7 years for my taste buds to get numb to that garbage.

I really don't care what anyone drinks, but just speaking for my set, we tend to laugh at the idea of drinking PBR when it's the cheap beer at an otherwise pricey joint, and by cheap, it's more than $3 for a king can.

That's not cheap - my idea of cheap beer is not based on watering-down otherwise questionable beer.

My idea of cheap beer is "bang for buck," ie, malt liquor.

But an ice-cold PBR or Old Style on a hot day, especially outside, is just fine by me - nursing one? Not so desirable.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by Deltron3030

...whether it's compatible with me. Like the original post says, I'm looking for somewhere that has a great, layed back art/music scene with intelligent and progressive young people.

Chicago has that in spades, I think, what makes an art/music scene "layed back" anyway?

Originally Posted by Deltron3030

Based on the posts here and some of the research I've been doing, I'm wondering if Chicago is really the best option.

Precisely *what* was it you read here that has you wondering?

[Deltron3030]

Well, I just sort of got the impression that my choices were either overly yuppified or otherwise sort of phony. I'm looking for a place where I can surround myself with unpretentious creative types who are both down to earth and have their head in the clouds (if that makes any sense).

I see you live in Wicker Park/East Village. Would you be so kind as to give me a good perspective on what it's like to actually live there, day in, day out?

[Tobias C]

Im not from Chicago at all, but I just visited a friend who lives in Ukrainian Village and that area seemed like a decent mix of people. I think I noticed more hipsters than yuppies but they were both present. But I also noticed a definite amount of actual "natives" so to speak....older residents of eastern European decent....as well as a lot of lower income black and hispanic residents.

Over all it seemed like a healthy mix of people. Not oversaturated by any ethnicity or lifestyle. Absolutely not ghetto, but no where close to being high end either. Just a little gritty, but still some nice tree lined streets and what not. I thought it was cool.

[SpikeDurden]

I'm going to truly try to give a helpful post.

There's really no reason to completely eliminate neighborhoods based on fear of being around too many frat guys or other social stereotypes. Those neighborhoods don't adhere to such an absolute in demographics. I'm a skinny 24 year old artsy film student who's not a huge fan of frats and the like, and I love Wrigleyville. And Lincoln Park. Wrigleyville has plenty of different kinds of bars. It's always smug hipsters who are so proud of never ever setting foot in Wrigleyville that spew crap like that to me. The Ginger Man is a really cool, chill, hip bar with pool in Wrigleyville. There's an awesome techno club called Smart Bar, obviously plenty of sports bars which are awesome to watch baseball games at, a cool German bar that serves German-style beer in huge 1 liter glasses Irish pubs, an awesome improv comedy club, and other great gems. Just wanted to let you know, there's no reason to steer clear of places just because people say they're full of frat guys or any other stereotype. Most Chicago neighborhoods, besides the uber pieces of **** hoods, have walks of all life. Just thought I'd defend Wrigleyville. I don't even live there.

I live up in Ravenswood, which is a really cool, chill, fairly hip neighborhood. Plenty of good places to eat, cafes, a cool and cheap vintage-style movie theater, easy access to the brown line, some really great gastropubs and a very authentic feeling Irish pub, etc... It's a pretty low key neighborhood with plenty of amenities. I really like it.

To be completely honest though, if I moved anywhere tomorrow, it would be Lakeview anywhere between Clark/Addison to Clark/Diversey, or that same area around Broadway. Most of my favorite establishments in the city are in that area. In walking distance of the locations I mentioned, you got what is in my opinion the two best AND coolest movie theaters in the city if you're a movie buff (Landmark Century Centre Theater and the Music Box), a great cigar lounge where you can smoke cigars/cigarettes and watch movies on their big screen while sitting on a comfy leather couch (if you like smoking), specialty meats and cheese, candy shop, nut shop, quick access to brown and red lines as well as some great bus routes downtown, tons of bars, pubs, techno club, safe neighborhood, sports (cubs), fashion boutiques, the list goes on. My list was kinda random, I know, but I just mentioned some of my favorite oddities and unique places I frequent down in Lakeview.

Lincoln Park is awesome too. Great free zoo. A pretty young-feeling neighborhood especially around (and because of) DePaul University. Tons of bars, blues, jazz, biograph, some of the best restaurants in the city, beautiful houses, safe, cool, fun.

Going a bit farther south, Old Town is really cool, beautiful and historic. My brother used to live there. It's pretty expensive though from what he told me. He only rented for a year and moved a bit farther north to Lincoln Park. Still expensive. Farther south you go towards the loop the more expensive it will be. I go to school and work downtown, and it's awesome, but I wouldn't want to live down there. The neighborhoods are where it's at, trust me.

Wicker Park is really cool and all, but sometimes the pretentiousness of some of the establishments **** me off along with the entire hipster vibe. Many people would probably call me a bit of a hipster because of the way I dress, but truth be told the whole hipster attitude annoys me to no end which is why I have no "hipster" friends. That being said, like Wrigleyville, that stereotype is not what the neighborhood is all about. You got some really cool music venues over there so if you're into especially indie music, Wicker Park might be the place to be. Also they have a really rad pizza and beer place called Piece. Awesome pizza, excellent beer selection.

Anyway, my opinion, the most happening neighborhoods for a young guy to live in are parts of Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Logan Square, and Ukrainian Village. For still hip, but a bit more low key, check out Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, Irving Park, Roscoe Village, North Center and all the other cool little hoods north of Lakeview. Hope that's helpful!

[jwdink]

OP, don't get discouraged by this thread about Chicago. Based on your posts, I think you'd love Pilsen or Ukranian Village. Maybe try subletting first?

[WhaThe]

Originally Posted by Tobias C

...Ukrainian Village...I thought it was cool.

Right on brother!