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Old 05-19-2011, 06:06 PM
 
13 posts, read 23,377 times
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I'm hoping to move to Chicago in a few weeks for school and I was wondering if anyone could answer a couple of questions.


My law school is located by the Loop downtown at Clinton on the blue line. I've been looking around here a lot for recs on where to live but I'm unsure of what areas are by the Blue line. Are these areas safe? I'll be living by myself with a budget for rent around 750 (although lesser would be great); is this feasible?

Also, looking around this forum I'm getting an undercurrent of racial tension in Chicago. Is this true or am I reading too much into posts I see. I just find the idea that a city like Chicago has areas specific for an ethnic/ racial group really different (I grew up in the suburbs of TX where everyone is kinda thrown together).

Is there anyone who could rec an authentic Mexican food place? I'll be visiting in a week or so and I want to try out some places.

Thanks!
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Old 05-19-2011, 07:35 PM
 
Location: Uptown
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750 will be hard for anything but a studio close to downtown in any of the more desirable places. As for Mexican, tons of good options, check lthforum out.
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Old 05-19-2011, 09:39 PM
 
Location: Chicago
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I presume you're attending Kent, which is easily walkable not just from the Clinton Blue Line station but also the Quincy/Wells station which is served by the Brown, Purple, Pink and Green Lines. That means you can live in pretty much any part of the city you want. As a bonus it's also close to the city's two major Metra stations, which opens up some outer neighborhoods and even the suburbs. (It should be noted though that the mass transit pass that's included as part of your tuition cannot be used on the Metra system -- it's good on CTA and PACE only.)

$750 could be a somewhat confining factor depending on what you expect out of your neighborhood and how long of a commute you're willing to endure. So let's start there and then we can start narrowing down your options.
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Old 05-19-2011, 11:00 PM
 
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Kent students live all over Chicagoland. That rent is doable for a studio in Edgewater and Rogers Park. Those neighborhoods are relatively safe, the only problem is you would have to switch L lines i believe. Plus those neighborhoods have lots of restaurant options and convenient shopping.

You probably want to be close to school to study, unless you study at home then it doesn't matter. Classes will be scheduled likely close together time wise for the first year. After that, you have much greater leeway. What are your other criteria?

I would avoid the areas west of the Loop for that rent, not as safe.
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Old 05-20-2011, 06:08 AM
 
13 posts, read 23,377 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
I presume you're attending Kent, which is easily walkable not just from the Clinton Blue Line station but also the Quincy/Wells station which is served by the Brown, Purple, Pink and Green Lines. That means you can live in pretty much any part of the city you want. As a bonus it's also close to the city's two major Metra stations, which opens up some outer neighborhoods and even the suburbs. (It should be noted though that the mass transit pass that's included as part of your tuition cannot be used on the Metra system -- it's good on CTA and PACE only.)

$750 could be a somewhat confining factor depending on what you expect out of your neighborhood and how long of a commute you're willing to endure. So let's start there and then we can start narrowing down your options.

I'm currently living in Seoul and I have to get on the subway at least 40 mins to get anywhere; I would be pretty happy with anything 30 mins or less as commute time. I won't have a car so if I can get to a Target easily I would be happy.

As for my apt, I just want a neighborhood that is safe and that I can walk around at night (after living in a place like Seoul which is very safe I'm super paranoid about living in an American city).

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!
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Old 05-20-2011, 08:12 AM
 
Location: River North, Chicago, Illinois
4,620 posts, read 8,143,619 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by newtoyou4ever View Post
I'm currently living in Seoul and I have to get on the subway at least 40 mins to get anywhere; I would be pretty happy with anything 30 mins or less as commute time. I won't have a car so if I can get to a Target easily I would be happy.

As for my apt, I just want a neighborhood that is safe and that I can walk around at night (after living in a place like Seoul which is very safe I'm super paranoid about living in an American city).

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated!
What is your gender and height? (I ask because there are areas that would be safe for a 6-foot male, but might be less safe for a 5'2" petite female)

Since you expressed an interest in Mexican food, you could consider Pilsen, which is one of Chicago's largest primarily Mexican neighborhoods. If you lived near Blue Island Avenue, you could take the 60/Blue Island bus to/from school, or if you lived near the 18th Street or Damen Pink Line stations, you could commute via the Quincy/Wells Loop station.

Another place to consider is University Village or Bridgeport, along Halsted Ave. If you live near Halsted, you can take the 8/Halsted bus to Jackson or Adams and walk a few blocks to Kent. I'm not sure about rents at University Village, but you should be able to find places that meet your price criteria in Bridgeport.

Edgewater is further away, but it is a more dense area. Not as dense as most of Seoul, but more dense than Bridgeport or Pilsen. It's also a longer commute.

Every law student I've known has really been focused on studies, as it takes a lot of focus and energy to study and memorize all the material, so I'd guess that a shorter commute to/from an area that may not be as close to as many distractions as Edgewater is might bet a better choice for a law student. Of course it's up to you, but if it were me, I'd look in University Village, Pilsen or Bridgeport and use the 60/Blue Island or 8/Halsted bus to commute.

Speaking of Pilsen, it has a lot of great authentic Mexican places, but I can recommend Taqueria El Milagro at 1923 S Blue Island Ave or Nuevo Leon at 1515 W 18th St.
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Old 05-20-2011, 08:40 AM
 
Location: Denver, CO
818 posts, read 2,166,476 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by emathias View Post
What is your gender and height? (I ask because there are areas that would be safe for a 6-foot male, but might be less safe for a 5'2" petite female)

Since you expressed an interest in Mexican food, you could consider Pilsen, which is one of Chicago's largest primarily Mexican neighborhoods. If you lived near Blue Island Avenue, you could take the 60/Blue Island bus to/from school, or if you lived near the 18th Street or Damen Pink Line stations, you could commute via the Quincy/Wells Loop station.

Another place to consider is University Village or Bridgeport, along Halsted Ave. If you live near Halsted, you can take the 8/Halsted bus to Jackson or Adams and walk a few blocks to Kent. I'm not sure about rents at University Village, but you should be able to find places that meet your price criteria in Bridgeport.

Edgewater is further away, but it is a more dense area. Not as dense as most of Seoul, but more dense than Bridgeport or Pilsen. It's also a longer commute.

Every law student I've known has really been focused on studies, as it takes a lot of focus and energy to study and memorize all the material, so I'd guess that a shorter commute to/from an area that may not be as close to as many distractions as Edgewater is might bet a better choice for a law student. Of course it's up to you, but if it were me, I'd look in University Village, Pilsen or Bridgeport and use the 60/Blue Island or 8/Halsted bus to commute.

Speaking of Pilsen, it has a lot of great authentic Mexican places, but I can recommend Taqueria El Milagro at 1923 S Blue Island Ave or Nuevo Leon at 1515 W 18th St.
Definitely some good suggestions here. Also, there is a Target on Roosevelt Rd., near the Red Line, which is quite accessible from most areas of these suggested neighborhoods, as the Red and Orange line (and Green) both stop at the Roosevelt Stop, and many parts of Pilsen/ U Villiage are within a relatively short walk of Roosevelt.
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Old 05-23-2011, 09:39 PM
 
2 posts, read 2,236 times
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PLEASE DO NOT MOVE TO PILSEN...that is NOT safe.

For $750 it will be pretty hard to find a nice place in a nice/safe area. You might be able to find a studio if you're okay with that
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Old 05-24-2011, 12:34 AM
 
Location: Chicago
9 posts, read 25,113 times
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Logan Square is affordable, and right on the blue line. Look for apartments right on the same block area as the blue line and you will be set. Very cool area with tons of new restaurants and nightlife. Plenty of 2 bedrooms around $800-$900, so you can be someone's roomie and only pay $400 or so. And one bedrooms or studios for around $600!

I also know of some good deals around Wicker Park, which is also off of the blue line.
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Old 05-24-2011, 04:02 PM
 
13 posts, read 23,377 times
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I really wanted a studio so I'll be fine with looking for those.
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