Former resident moving back- a few ?s (Chicago, Lincoln: low income, apartments)

[quirkyone]

This is probably premature, but when I graduate grad school next May I plan on moving back to Chicago. I've lived in Chicago before, in 2006-2007, and loved it (lived in Pilsen then Uptown). I am going to be a nurse practitioner and I'll have 4 years of nursing experience as an RN when I move back, so I am not terribly worried about finding work, and I plan on applying in January to various offices and programs (obviously I won't move until I pass my boards). Anyhow, my questions are this:

When I first lived in Chicago, I did not have a car and now I'll be moving back with a car. Ideally, I'd end up selling it eventually if my job is within L commuting distance. I'd like to live in Uptown/Andersonville/Lakeview again, but I'm not sure if these would be the best areas with a car.

Second, I now have a dog (she'll be nearly 2 when I move back). She's doing obedience classes right now, and by the time I move back I'm hoping I have her competing in agility and have her trained as a therapy dog. I am not sure what neighborhoods are considered dog friendly in terms of apartments/parks. She loves to play ball so I'd like to be able to take her to a place that allows her to run. This also begs the question if I should keep the car since I'd need to take her to the vet/take her to parks if they aren't nearby, though I guess there is always zipcar for that. Also, I am unsure how difficult it is to find a roommate if I have a dog already; I don't want to live alone in case I land a job without loan repayment, since I'll have student loans to pay back shortly after graduation and I don't know how that'll factor into my budget.

What are your recommendations? I am hoping I'll have a job before I move there (from seeing my classmates graduating this year, this is a pretty excellent possibility), and I'll hopefully have my boards passed by June meaning a July/August move date. I'm also gay, so I like the Lakeview/Andersonville area due to its vibrant gay life, but some of the jobs offering loan repayment are for low income neighborhoods on the west side/south side so I am unsure how bad the commute would be if I were to live on the red line (unless I used my car and LSD maybe)?

[Aleking]

I'd look into Margate/Buena Park...dog park(s) are right there, LSD is right there and you're close to both the Lake View and A-ville nightlife strips.

[Vlajos]

Uptown and Edgewater/Andersonville have plenty of street parking. I wouldn't worry about the car in those areas. Lake View will have more difficult parking.

I can't help with dogs, sorry.

[Kevin J]

Every landlord is different on the issue of pets, so pet policies are really a building issue rather than a neighborhood issue. Since you lived here before, you know that living near the lake provides the best park access on the north side. Otherwise, there are smaller neighborhood parks like Oz Park in Lincoln Park and Chase Park in Uptown. High school lawns are also a great place to let dogs run around, such as in Senn in Edgewater and Amundsen in Ravenswood.

In terms of finding a roommate, I'm sure you know that some people have pet allergies or just don't want to live with pets. So, yes, having a dog will limit your pool of potential roommates. But plenty of people have or like dogs, so it's not like finding a roommate will be impossible.

Live close to the lake if commuting south by car is a possibility. You want to be as close as possible to LSD to avoid adding extra time on cross-town streets to your commute. The further north you go on the lakefront, the less of an issue free parking on the street becomes. So anything west of Broadway starting in Uptown will have easy street parking.

[s0nginmyheart]

Having a car/parking
Lakeview will be by far your worst possible area for street parking. It is doable but be prepared to circle around for a while or find a spot a couple blocks away. You'll also need a zoned parking permit ($25/yr if I'm not mistaken) in some areas (particularly close to Wrigley Field). I've always found Edgewater (closer to Broadway) to have relatively easy street parking. But parking in Andersonville (closer to Clark) can also get tough. The more north, or west you go, parking isn't too bad. Another option is to also find a building with parking (make sure that there is a spot available... I was once told there "was parking" in the building I just signed a lease in, however there were no spots available to be rented out), but budget for another $100-$200. Also, if you don't care too much about your car (dents, bumper scratches, etc) then street parking is ok.

Dogs
I've found most neighborhoods, especially closer to the lake to be very dog friendly. It's also a great way to meet people in your neighborhood. Here is a list of dog friendly areas in the city: Dog Friendly Areas | CPD However this list doesn't look like it includes the dog beaches (Foster Ave Dog Beach, Montrose Dog Beach, etc.).

Your situation with finding a dog-friendly roommate might also depend on the size of the dog. Someone might not mind living with a 10 lb dog but might have issues with a 50 lb dog. Also, I've found most landlords have a 50 lb limit. Something to also consider, but I think you can fudge the weight a bit (they don't set the pet on a scale) as long as it isn't obvious the dog is more than 50 lbs. Also budget for a pet fee (or deposit) to the tune of $250. Again this can vary from building to building/ landlord/ etc.

Good luck with your search ---

[eevee]

OP, I live in Uptown and think this area would fit your needs. One of my roommates used to work in Bronzeville and the LSD got her to work in short time (<20-30 minutes, though she didn't work the typical 9-5 shift). On street parking isn't too bad, though I don't drive and couldn't tell you if it was permit parking or not.

We have a nearly full grown pit bull and our area is super dog friendly-tons of pits/pit mixes, Great Danes, labs, along w/ an assortment of small dogs. It seems like a lot of the rentals here are not only dog friendly but also don't have many limits in terms of size or breed. I think some of the highrises in Lakeview are more strict in these areas. It's a short walk over to Challenger Dog Par, which is a smaller, enclosed space, or about 1.5 miles to Montrose dog beach. Oh, and if you have a car and don't find having to look for parking, the dog park in Lakeview (the name escapes me this second, but it's off of Sheffield near Diversey) as a complete, if rather decrepit, agility course to use. As a pet owner, I will say that the Uptown area is lacking in pet stores, but it's a short drive to the Petcos and Pet Supplies Plus in Lakeview.

With the roommate situation, there are two ways to go about this:

-look through ads looking for roommates and just be blunt about your dog. your pup doesn't sound like a hellion, so that will help, but as mentioned, it does reduce the number of places you'll find, especially if you have a large dog

-option 2, which may be the best, would be to rent a suitable 2 bedroom+ apartment, putting down whatever deposits are needed, then posting your own ad advertising for a roommate. This option puts you in charge and the only people who will likely be responding to you are those who are okay w/ your dog. It's more expensive of course, and more responsibility if you're the primary lease holder, but you can recoup that money when your roommate pays you and be more choosy with who you live with, along w/ having the option of setting the house rules and decor. Just be careful to find a place that you can float alone for a bit in case of emergencies such as a roommate bailing or it takes a bit longer to find someone. Some of the large 2 bedrooms apartments around Uptown are about $900-1200/month, depending on amenities.

[richrf]

There is plenty of permit parking around (at a cost) so parking should not be a problem in any of the neighborhoods you mentioned. You'll have to deal with guest parking if you like having people over which will cost extra.

As for doggy friendly ... I think it is more difficult to find homes now that are children or adult friendly. I can't sleep any more with all of the dogs in my building and in my neighborhood.

[Chicago3rd]

Some apartments in Lake View have parking....so it is possible to own a car there...but could cost you money....street parking is awful.

Vets are all over the place...I just put my animal in the kennel and hailed a cab to go to the Vet. Lake View you will have parks, especially Lincoln Park along the lake and there is a dog beach there at Hawthorne and Lake Shore Drive....and Belmont Harbor.