Moving to Chicago, Neighborhood Advice (Berwyn, Lincoln: hardwood floors, apartment, for rent)

[cdbe80]

I know that 1 in 10 threads is about neighborhoods but the suggestions seem pretty good so I thought I'd try it out. It looks like I'm moving to Chicago in the near future and I'm looking for suggestions on neighborhoods. Some notes:

I'll probably be working downtown in the loop and I'd like to be able to take the el to and from work, probably the blue or the brown from what I can tell. My ideal apartment is a two bedroom near one of those lines, near a few bars, places to eat, etc. I could go 1-bedroom if it's a decent size. My rent range is probably going to be between $1000-1500 a month. If you read me by my cover, you'd probably say "yuppie" but I like a neighborhood with character and don't really want to live in a highrise condo or anything like that. Older places with hardwood floors are a plus and running friendly areas are also a big plus. I would prefer not to have a commute more than 30-40 minutes each way and I have some friends in the city I hope to see regularly, mostly artists living in Andersonville and Rogers Park.

Suggestions? So far it's been recommended that I look at Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Bucktown. My friends also have an apartment finder that I will probably use but I was hoping to get some ideas to start with. Thanks.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by cdbe80

I know that 1 in 10 threads is about neighborhoods but the suggestions seem pretty good so I thought I'd try it out. It looks like I'm moving to Chicago in the near future and I'm looking for suggestions on neighborhoods. Some notes:

I'll probably be working downtown in the loop and I'd like to be able to take the el to and from work, probably the blue or the brown from what I can tell. My ideal apartment is a two bedroom near one of those lines, near a few bars, places to eat, etc. I could go 1-bedroom if it's a decent size. My rent range is probably going to be between $1000-1500 a month. If you read me by my cover, you'd probably say "yuppie" but I like a neighborhood with character and don't really want to live in a highrise condo or anything like that. Older places with hardwood floors are a plus and running friendly areas are also a big plus. I would prefer not to have a commute more than 30-40 minutes each way and I have some friends in the city I hope to see regularly, mostly artists living in Andersonville and Rogers Park.

Suggestions? So far it's been recommended that I look at Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Bucktown. My friends also have an apartment finder that I will probably use but I was hoping to get some ideas to start with. Thanks.

Welcome to Chicago. Andersonville would fit your criteria pretty well. Berwyn and Bryn Mawr Red Line stops, close to the Lake, rents not outrageous and bars and restaurants nearby.

[jwaiter]

If you're willing to spend $1500/month for a 2-bed, you can probably live in any hood in the city. Obviously for yr commute being close to a L hub is a priority. Wicker park, Bucktown, Logan Square, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Andersonville, all great hoods.

Tell us more abt what you're into/your interests and we can help you narrow it down.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by cdbe80

I know that 1 in 10 threads is about neighborhoods but the suggestions seem pretty good so I thought I'd try it out. It looks like I'm moving to Chicago in the near future and I'm looking for suggestions on neighborhoods. Some notes:

I'll probably be working downtown in the loop and I'd like to be able to take the el to and from work, probably the blue or the brown from what I can tell. My ideal apartment is a two bedroom near one of those lines, near a few bars, places to eat, etc. I could go 1-bedroom if it's a decent size. My rent range is probably going to be between $1000-1500 a month. If you read me by my cover, you'd probably say "yuppie" but I like a neighborhood with character and don't really want to live in a highrise condo or anything like that. Older places with hardwood floors are a plus and running friendly areas are also a big plus. I would prefer not to have a commute more than 30-40 minutes each way and I have some friends in the city I hope to see regularly, mostly artists living in Andersonville and Rogers Park.

Suggestions? So far it's been recommended that I look at Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, and Bucktown. My friends also have an apartment finder that I will probably use but I was hoping to get some ideas to start with. Thanks.

If you want to head to Andersonville or Rogers Park regularly, I'd stick to the Red Line neighborhoods. Andersonville itself would be a good choice, or Lincoln Park, Lakeview or Buena Park. Plenty of options beyond highrises, and it offers shorter commute and easy access to the lakefront path.

[jgardener]

Andersonville, Uptown (mostly the section bordered by Foster,Broadway,Clark,and Lawrence; or Margate Park or Sheridan Park) Ravenswood, Lincoln Square, Lakeview.

If you want to see your friends regularly, Wicker Park/Bucktown/Logan Square would be a longer commute. I lived in Wicker Park for years and would see friends in Uptown and Andersonville weekly, it took 45 min to an 1hour and 15min each way (CTA).

Andersonville and the better parts of Uptown are great places to live and you should easily find something nice within your budget.

[DustyButtons]

i lived in lincoln square right off the western brown line for the last 4 years i lived in chicago. movie theatre, jewel (grocery store), cool bars and great restaurants all in walking distance. damen bus goes right to the heart of andersonville. i lived just off lincoln ave in a large 2 bedroom (with hardwood floors and a back yard) for $1300/month. loved it there. definitely merging into a bit more yuppie feel, but definitely still has some character (old german settled area, so some hold-out bars and restaurants, but also some great local shops). i may be a bit biased, but lincoln square (NOT park) sounds like it fits the bill well for you. look for stuff off of lincoln ave between lawrence and montrose.

i also lived for several years in the ravenswood neighborhood right off of the montrose brown line. a slight walk to lincoln square area but a little quieter/more neighborhood-y and lots of great vintage apartment buildings. also easy access to damen bus that goes right to andersonville.

apartment finders can be great for looking a a lot in one day if that's all you have, but also take the time to walk around a bit in the area you want to live and look for "for rent" signs. a lot of good deals with independent landlords can be found this way. padmapper.com is a great resource, too.

[cdbe80]

Thanks for all of the replies. It sounds like Lakeview/Lincoln Park are going to be good bets. I'll keep looking around

[It'sAutomatic]

Uptown or Edgewater. Inexpensive, good transit, and you won't be far from the lakefront trail, the best place to run in the city. And they definitely have character. Some parts of Uptown have a little too much character, but it's easy to avoid: live at least a few blocks from Wilson & Broadway.

[cdbe80]

I'll definitely check out the lakefront trail.

I was hoping to find a place in Lakeview/Lincoln Park but I ended up with a place in Andersonville. Craigslist was totally overwhelming since I only had 48 hours and wasn't very familiar with neighborhoods. I made an appointment and went out with an apartment finder, but I was appalled at the stuff they were showing me. Small, overpriced places with no parking, usually located in the only hideous building on the block, etc. It was obvious that I wasn't going to have a lot of luck unless I had more time to spend looking for a place.

I ended up going with an apartment that recently opened up in my friends building. It is further out than I planned but it is large, reasonably priced and near everything in Andersonville. I'm just trying to prepare myself for the ~1 mile walk to the train that I'll be enduring in March :P

[Aleking]

Craigslist is a cesspool for apartment hunting these days, 95% spam from apartment finding services and management companies.