Return to Hyde Park ... after 40 years??? (Chicago, Montgomery: co-op, day care, motel)

[Wallop the Spot]

I attended the University of Chicago in the 70s and then left for the mid-Atlantic, never intending to return. As I approach retirement, I’ve been researching various retirement communities, mostly in New England and the border South. In the course of my research, I happened to learn about a retirement community in (of all places) Hyde Park (at East 56th Street and South Shore Drive). Having been mugged in Hyde Park as a 20-something student, I find the idea of spending retirement in Hyde Park as a 60-something codger both thoroughly implausible and at the same time strangely intriguing. It would be nice to once again be near the University and the lakeshore and in the midst of the intellectual and cultural vibrancy of Hyde Park. If there’s one thing I fear more than crime, it’s boredom and stagnation, and I doubt life in Hyde Park would be boring.

On the other hand, I have no idea how Hyde Park has changed over the past 40 years, and my memories of it are undoubtedly rose-tinted by time. I guess I just need someone to tell me that it’s a really stupid idea to think I could live in Hyde Park in retirement so that I can turn my attention back to places more age-appropriate (and dull!)

[gomexico]

There are lots of retirees in Hyde Park. But I think the neighborhood is less interesting today than it was in the 70s. It was dynamic during the Viet Nam War and post-war time. Many of the old lefties have moved-on to the picket line in Heaven. The U of C still adds a lot of vibrancy to the area. One big change you'll probably notice if you come back is the emphasis on the U of C Medical Center.

[chet everett]

There are a fair number of very vital professors working at UofC that are much older...

Personally I think the reality of most "retirement communities" is pretty bleak and horribly detached from any "place" that they might be located in and would avoid ever living in any such place.

Weather in Chicago is a heckuva lot of colder in the winter than most spots near the traditional mid-Atlantic communities that tout their appeal to retirees. Our summers shift from pleasant to unbearably hot awfully quickly too...

The extreme eastern edge of Hyde Park is going to be VERY exposed to the worst of the winter weather and not particularly well shaded. The isolation caused by MSI sitting atop the northern most edge of Jackson Park is not exactly what I would think is the ost inviting place to spend a retirement.

Illinois has rather unattractive tax structure for anyone, another negative especially if your income is constrained.

[Wallop the Spot]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Weather in Chicago is a heckuva lot of colder in the winter than most spots near the traditional mid-Atlantic communities that tout their appeal to retirees.

The extreme eastern edge of Hyde Park is going to be VERY exposed to the worst of the winter weather and not particularly well shaded.

How could I forget Hyde Park's cozy winters and charming "dustings" of snow? I was present for the 1979 blizzard that "buried" Mayor Michael Bilandic.

[SCCP]

Hyde Park now has a Five Guys, and a (still-in-the-works) Hyatt! Whoo-hoo.

Honestly, aside from its relative isolation from the rest of the City (which isn't a problem if you are fine with catching/ordering cabs everywhere), Hyde Park isn't a bad place to live. The University has plenty of activities going on, and you get plenty of bang for your buck. But I definitely can't speak as someone who experienced the place in the '70s.

Good luck moving back if you do!

[snoylekim]

Where to start .. I attended U of C during the same period you did, but stayed in Chicago and get to HP once or twice a year . The immediate campus and surrounding area have changed a lot ..the 'core' is still there , but the areas around the Medical Center, South Campus , the Midway , and the North Campus from the Reg north have many new buildings, new dorm complexes, etc . For Hyde Park, most of the residential areas will look pretty close to what they looked like in, say,1979, with the renovations and improvements you'd expect for properties and landscapes that are maintained . The 'white phones' are now obelisks with a beacon light, but they and U of C Security are still on the job .
From a business standpoint, local shopping is still at the Hyde Park Plaza , Kimbark Plaza, and 53rd and 57th Streets. Harolds and the Medici have moved , but not too far away ..Jimmys and the Cove have not moved . There are still one or two bartenders working at Jimmys that were there in the late '70s .. There's new development continuing .
Personal feeling is that the community has gotten better in terms of amenities and quality of life since the late '70s..No reason why being a middle aged codger in the area would be a bad idea .. The winter weather, global warming aside, is what it is .

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Wallop the Spot

How could I forget Hyde Park's cozy winters and charming "dustings" of snow? I was present for the 1979 blizzard that "buried" Mayor Michael Bilandic.

I was in school at the U of C in 1979, also. In that January I spent two weeks without getting to downtown Hyde Park. The city ran out of places to dump snow. That was then.

First off, Montgomery Place on 56th street is where there used to be a 'hot pillow' motel which also housed local car thieves, so times have changed. The university has really sanitized nightlife in the area.

Many seniors continue to live in the area, drawn by the intellectual stimulation (which staves off Alzheimer's) and there is senior day care at the neighborhood club, a short distance away. The Jewish Council for the Elderly still has programs in the area, too, I believe at 56th and Hyde Park.

So, on 56th street you get to walk to the beach, to the 4th of July parade and even to one or two gin mills. The HP Jazz fest is this weekend and there is live free jazz at the Quadrangle Club at least once a month. There's easy access to Metra or the express bus downtown. You wanna go to the UC library? Flash you UC alumnus card and the bus driver will wave you on for free. What's not to like?

[Wallop the Spot]

Originally Posted by Manigault

What's not to like?

"Hot pillow motel" to "continuing care retirement community" in just 40 years. You guys are making this awfully tough for me. Now I actually want to visit the neighborhood again. And I see that Seminary Co-op Bookstore is still in business. If anything gets my juices flowing (and keeps Alzheimer's at bay) it's a good neighborhood bookstore.

[chet everett]

You can "visit" the bookstore online:

Seminary Co-Operative Bookstore, Inc. | Member-Owned and Independent. Since 1961.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by Manigault

I was in school at the U of C in 1979, also. In that January I spent two weeks without getting to downtown Hyde Park. The city ran out of places to dump snow. That was then.

So was I, I remember people cross-country skiing down the middle of the streets!