New job near Monroe Blue Line Stop. Where to Live??

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by emathias

It's amusing everyone is suggesting Wicker Park just because the OP mentioned the Blue Line.

The Monroe stop of the Blue Line is in the middle of the Loop. It's no more than a 5-7 minute walk from any of the lines. Sure, the Blue Line is right there, but for an extra five minutes of walking, you can live anywhere in the city near an "L" station.

He could live in Lincoln Park and Lakeview just as easily. He could also live in Printers' Row and walk to work. He could even live in University Village or the Taylor Street area if he wanted to. I've known recent UIC grads who liked that area and wanted to stick around in that area, so it's not a totally insane idea.

I think people are suggesting places along the blue line also because the OP mentioned frequent travel and specifically use of O'Hare airport. As far as expanding the search beyond areas near the O'Hare branch of the Blue line, I think it would definitely depend on travel frequency. However, with Wicker Park/Buckton, Logan Square, Old Irving Park, West Town all along the blue line, I don't see why the OP would need to expand the search beyond the blue line unless he really wanted the bar scene of Lincoln Park/Lakeview.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by emathias

It's amusing everyone is suggesting Wicker Park just because the OP mentioned the Blue Line...

If I was traveling to O'Hare regularly, I'd sure as heck want to live close to the Blue Line.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

If I was traveling to O'Hare regularly, I'd sure as heck want to live close to the Blue Line.

Perhaps. Depends on how often and under what circumstances. My brother's company pays for a car service, which makes proximity to the Blue Line fairly irrelevant.

And even without a car service, if I were flying out once a month, I think I'd still pick the neighborhood over the O'Hare commute. If I were doing it weekly it might be a different story, but it would still depend on other factors.

[long101]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

Not a problem, if you're looking at spending $1100 on a 1 bed you can find a nice one, even near the Damen blue line stop. Plenty of options.



Less expensive yes, not as nice, yes.



This is just wrong. I use the Blue Line every day at the height of rush hour (between 7:30 and 8am) and only rarely have to miss a train, I'd say maybe once every 2 weeks, and even then, the next train is always coming up in less than 5 minutes.

The Blue Line inbound to the Loop during weekday rush hour is very reliable, it comes every 5 minutes all morning.

That said, to the OP, don't forget about the Division Blue Line Stop area, it's the south end of Wicker Park and walkable to a lot of amenities.

They are looking for a newer 1br, so I imagine that means SS appliances and all that stuff. I was just looking for places in that area and 1100 would be difficult to get you a new nice apartment IMO

Well I have just as much experience as you taking the blue line. I lived in WP for the last year, albeit was getting to the blue line around 815ish and would average missing one train a day. Some days would go by where I would miss 3. Sure the next train always comes in 5 minutes going to the loop, but it gets annoying. Also the Damen stop doesnt have a roof, so if its raining you better hope its not windy cuz your umbrella will be worthless. Biggest plus is the guy that works the blue line stop, always announces how long it will be for the next train and an awesome guy.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by emathias

It's amusing everyone is suggesting Wicker Park just because the OP mentioned the Blue Line.

The Monroe stop of the Blue Line is in the middle of the Loop. It's no more than a 5-7 minute walk from any of the lines. Sure, the Blue Line is right there, but for an extra five minutes of walking, you can live anywhere in the city near an "L" station.

He could live in Lincoln Park and Lakeview just as easily. He could also live in Printers' Row and walk to work. He could even live in University Village or the Taylor Street area if he wanted to. I've known recent UIC grads who liked that area and wanted to stick around in that area, so it's not a totally insane idea.

I can't speak for anyone else, but I mentioned Wicker Park because the OP also said that his son has to get to the airport regularly for travel. I did assume O'Hare and not midway because, as someone who travels for work regularly, I've never once flown out of Midway on a business trip. So yeah, just sayin'.

Edited to add: Clearly I hadn't read the rest of the thread when I replied, but another thought anyway... When I travel for work, I almost always end up returning on a Friday afternoon/evening. At that time of day, the traffic is so horrific that taking a cab home takes twice as long as taking the Blue Line does. Add to that how annoying it can be to get to a part of the city not right next to the expressway and it just feels like it takes forever. I hate business travel though, so it could just be that I'm more anxious than most to get home and drop my suitcase after a trip.

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

This is just wrong. I use the Blue Line every day at the height of rush hour (between 7:30 and 8am) and only rarely have to miss a train, I'd say maybe once every 2 weeks, and even then, the next train is always coming up in less than 5 minutes.

Try it between 8:10 and 8:40, that's when it's at it's worst. Damen is the stop where it usually fills up, and by Division or Chicago stops it can get crazy trying to get on a train. I think Bucktown by the Western stop would be good, since it also gives access to 90/94.

Originally Posted by emathias

It's amusing everyone is suggesting Wicker Park just because the OP mentioned the Blue Line.

He could live in Lincoln Park and Lakeview just as easily.

He also mentioned airport access being important, which doesn't completely rule out Lincoln Park and Lakeview, but it would certainly make more sense to look along the Blue Line. Traffic can be horrible getting out to O'Hare, and if someone is flying regularly they'll want to have different options to get there based on the time of day and traffic conditions. Even if a car service is provided for him (unlikely) he'll have a longer commute from Lakeview/Lincoln Park than he would from any NW neighborhood along the Blue Line. If his company doesn't provide car service he's looking at spending an extra $75-80 for each trip to the airport

Someone can pick the Blue Line for the commute and still have a wide variety of neighborhood choices.

[nikitakolata]

Originally Posted by Attrill

Try it between 8:10 and 8:40, that's when it's at it's worst. Damen is the stop where it usually fills up, and by Division or Chicago stops it can get crazy trying to get on a train. I think Bucktown by the Western stop would be good, since it also gives access to 90/94.

I agree about the blue line. I like the area around the Damen stop best, but Damen isn't the greatest stop for actually taking the train in the morning. If you go a little earlier, it's significantly less crowded. I think I'd even prefer Division for commuting (over Damen) because at least there you are underground and somewhat protected from the elements. I don't know why the Damen stop is so crummy, it really needs some sort of roofing; the Western stop feels luxurious by comparison.

Ultimately though, if you have any control over your start times at work, the Damen stop is fine. If I lived closest to Damen and used it daily, the train crowding would probably motivate me to leave my house 15 minutes earlier. As it is, I'm just as close to Western and I don't really mind standing so I just go to work whenever...

[chicagojlo]

Try Century Tower at Lake and Wells. He could walk to work, and the Blue and Orange lines stop right outside (many domestic flights go from Midway too). Plenty of airline employees living in this building so it must be convenient. Safe, upgraded, within the budget.