Job in Naperville/Aurora: West Loop Okay? (Chicago, Berwyn: apartment, hotel)

[ChitownKid]

Hey everyone,

I will be picking up a job in Naperville/Aurora, but I don't really care for a primary residence out there. Looking for other commuters' inputs.

So is the West Loop the best place? The I-88 and I-290 is distance-wise the best, but that Mannheim strangler by Maywood and Oak Park is annoying. I still don't understand why it happens especially without accidents. I assume people can't drive fast when there is a little turn in the road.

Or is the South Loop okay? I guess I can I go I-88 to either I-294 or 355 to I-55. It is technically a longer travel distance, but time-wise, it seems it might not be that bad especially when you get to avoid the dreaded Chicago Circle.

Also is a second cheap place in the suburbs worth it? If so what are the good and bad areas in Aurora?

Thanks.

[Jandur]

West loop is best.

It's going to be an obscenely long commute though.

Getting to work will be at least an hour, probably more like an hour and a half. Getting home could take even longer.

A 2ndary residence would be ideal for times you just dont feel like driving back into the city, but that all depends on your budget.

Generally speaking with that commute you probably wont be doing much in the city during the week either way, unless you go out late a night during the week.

[chet everett]

Have you given any thought to living closer to work?

I know that sometimes these boards make it seem like the world positively ends at the Oak Park border but the time saved by commuting like 20 minutes to a nice spot near the relatively wide range of nightspots in Geneva or St. Charles or even Naperville supplanted by occiasional jaunts to Fitzgeralds in Berwyn or all the way into Lakeview or Wicker Park just seems like a much nicer trade off than roasting in a bumper-to-bumper parking lot for several hours a day just to drag your wornself into an apartment with 606xx zip code surrounded by bars and music venues you are too tired to take advantage of...

[ToriaT]

And rather than the expense of having a second residence you could save money by just staying in a hotel if you do not feel like driving back home on the occasions you are in the city socializing late nights. The commute you will have will be miserable.

[oakparkdude]

That sounds like an insane commute, but if you are committed to this living situation, have you considered taking the Metra to Aurora? Its an hour by train from Union Station to Aurora. The problem is getting from the Metra station to your work. If you can afford a second residence in the burbs, you can presumably afford a commuter car that permanently stays at the suburban Metra station.

BTW, although it sounds kinda crazy, I totally sympathize with your desire to live in the city. Assuming that you are a physician (based on your previous posts), you probably have some degree of control over your schedule, so that helps make long-distance commuting tolerable. Depending on your specialty, taking call may make things a bit complicated of course.

[Jandur]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

That sounds like an insane commute, but if you are committed to this living situation, have you considered taking the Metra to Aurora? Its an hour by train from Union Station to Aurora. The problem is getting from the Metra station to your work. If you can afford a second residence in the burbs, you can presumably afford a commuter car that permanently stays at the suburban Metra station.

BTW, although it sounds kinda crazy, I totally sympathize with your desire to live in the city. Assuming that you are a physician (based on your previous posts), you probably have some degree of control over your schedule, so that helps make long-distance commuting tolerable. Depending on your specialty, taking call may make things a bit complicated of course.

My friend lived in Oak Park and worked in Batavia. He kept his car at the Batavia Train station and would just take the Metra out there and hop in his car for a quick 5-10min ride to work. Long commute, but it sounds a lot easier mentally than sitting in bumper to bumper everyday.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by Jandur

My friend lived in Oak Park and worked in Batavia. He kept his car at the Batavia Train station and would just take the Metra out there and hop in his car for a quick 5-10min ride to work. Long commute, but it sounds a lot easier mentally than sitting in bumper to bumper everyday.

I've done this for 7 years so far. (BTW, the Metra station is in Geneva, not Batavia). You can be quite productive during your commute with an internet-enabled laptop. If I had to drive every day, I would have long ago moved closer to work.