Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-26-2012, 10:57 PM
 
Location: College Park, MD
14 posts, read 26,317 times
Reputation: 18

Advertisements

I expect to be traveling to Chicago for some job interviews this fall, and this will be my first time ever visiting the city. Because I'm a broke college student at the moment, this will probably be my only chance to get to visit Chicago before I end up making a decision on where to accept a job/move. So I need to make the most out of the 3/4 days I'll have. I don't care at all about doing anything touristy, I want to get an idea of what it's like to actually live in Chicago.

Background info: I'm an early 20's, single gay man, so I'd really like to visit some areas that are gay friendly. At the same time though, I don't care about Boystown, and don't want to live in a "gay neighborhood," just one that I feel comfortable living in (and still have a chance of meeting other guys in.)

I would say I'm some ungodly chimerical being who is one part hipster, one part yuppie, one part crunchy granola liberal. So I'd like to try to catch an underground band perform at a seedy bar, eat at a fine dining establishment, and check out some parks in the area.

I'll be interviewing for jobs in software/tech fields, so my budget shouldn't be terribly tight. Although seeing as I'm currently living in the DC metro area, and New York is the other city I'm really thinking about, it looks like Chicago should be fairly affordable, comparatively.

For reference: Lower East Side is my ideal neighborhood in Manhattan, so if you're familiar with that, that's along the lines of what I'd like to see in Chicago.

I've been reading around these forums, but the only thing I've really been able to gather is that the North Side is for holier-than-thou pretentious yuppies, while the West and South Sides are "sketchy." Which doesn't really help a lot. It should be noted that I grew up in Baltimore and go to school in PG County, Maryland. So I've spent most of my life in what people would consider "sketchy." But I don't want to move to a neighborhood where my life will actually be in danger due to gang-violence of whatever goes down in Chicago.

TLDR: What neighborhoods would you suggest I check out? Going for a LES type vibe in Chicago. And I'd prefer neighborhood suggestions as opposed to region suggestions.

Last edited by kevinweeks; 08-26-2012 at 11:15 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-26-2012, 11:10 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,088,241 times
Reputation: 18726
Default Haven't read all that much...

You'd probably be wise to check out Pilsen which is a bit south and the areas around UIC / west loop which are not particularly unsafe at all as well as Ukrainian Village, Bucktown, Wicker Park and spots west of downtown.

No one would recommend that anyone other than a family relocate to the North Shore which is not really "urban" in the least so perhaps you are confusing that with northside neighborhoods like Lincoln Park or Lakeview where one can find many "young urban professionals".

Chicago is not really know as having any special mix of software / IT firms however I suspect that the types of firms that might be interested in hiring someone with those skills in Chicago would be less ridgidly concerned with security / government contracts than firms in Washington DC and likely not as focused on finance as those in NYC...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-26-2012, 11:14 PM
 
Location: College Park, MD
14 posts, read 26,317 times
Reputation: 18
You're absolutely right, I meant northside, not North Shore.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-26-2012, 11:44 PM
 
413 posts, read 830,246 times
Reputation: 303
You definitely want to be checking out Wicker Park, Ukrainian Villiage, Bucktown and Logan Square. Probably also Pilsen.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-26-2012, 11:52 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,814,452 times
Reputation: 7419
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinweeks View Post
I expect to be traveling to Chicago for some job interviews this fall, and this will be my first time ever visiting the city. Because I'm a broke college student at the moment, this will probably be my only chance to get to visit Chicago before I end up making a decision on where to accept a job/move. So I need to make the most out of the 3/4 days I'll have. I don't care at all about doing anything touristy, I want to get an idea of what it's like to actually live in Chicago.

Background info: I'm an early 20's, single gay man, so I'd really like to visit some areas that are gay friendly. At the same time though, I don't care about Boystown, and don't want to live in a "gay neighborhood," just one that I feel comfortable living in (and still have a chance of meeting other guys in.)

I would say I'm some ungodly chimerical being who is one part hipster, one part yuppie, one part crunchy granola liberal. So I'd like to try to catch an underground band perform at a seedy bar, eat at a fine dining establishment, and check out some parks in the area.

I'll be interviewing for jobs in software/tech fields, so my budget shouldn't be terribly tight. Although seeing as I'm currently living in the DC metro area, and New York is the other city I'm really thinking about, it looks like Chicago should be fairly affordable, comparatively.

For reference: Lower East Side is my ideal neighborhood in Manhattan, so if you're familiar with that, that's along the lines of what I'd like to see in Chicago.

I've been reading around these forums, but the only thing I've really been able to gather is that the North Side is for holier-than-thou pretentious yuppies, while the West and South Sides are "sketchy." Which doesn't really help a lot. It should be noted that I grew up in Baltimore and go to school in PG County, Maryland. So I've spent most of my life in what people would consider "sketchy." But I don't want to move to a neighborhood where my life will actually be in danger due to gang-violence of whatever goes down in Chicago.

TLDR: What neighborhoods would you suggest I check out? Going for a LES type vibe in Chicago. And I'd prefer neighborhood suggestions as opposed to region suggestions.
Well, first of all not all of the north side is for "holier than thou pretentious yuppies." I would say that a big chunk of the areas of River North, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, and half of Lakeview is though (especially right around Wrigley Field and the Southport corridor). Although there's still dive bars downtown (like Rossi's) and a few dark/goth clubs in Lincoln Park like Neo. Lakeview East is next to Boystown, and I'd say it's half yuppie, but some hipsters up there and stuff, and a lot of gay guys, but it's not necessarily Boystown. Just a lot of independent places and it's a nice quiet neighborhood. Areas like Lincoln Square and Edgewater are half, and go to that and Albany Park (one of the most diverse areas of the US), Uptown (little Vietnam), Rogers Park, West Ridge (little india) etc. and you won't find much yuppie about it, just a little with a few people.

If you want hipster-ish things then go to Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, Pilsen, Avondale, part of Wicker Park, maybe part of Bridgeport (although removed from things). I'd just say be careful in a few areas of Pilsen and Logan Square, but overall it's all good. If you're into punk and/or metal music, there's a 4am/5am bar in Wicker Park called Flat Iron which has some cool stuff on the walls. In all honesty, with the exception of some parts of Humboldt Park, there's not much reason to visit the areas with a ton of gang activity going on so I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as your fine dining thing...what cuisine are you looking for and how much are you looking to spend on your meal max? Underground band at a seedy bar. Hmmm, The Hideout maybe? What kind of music are you looking for?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 12:10 AM
 
Location: College Park, MD
14 posts, read 26,317 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post
Well, first of all not all of the north side is for "holier than thou pretentious yuppies." I would say that a big chunk of the areas of River North, Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, and half of Lakeview is though (especially right around Wrigley Field and the Southport corridor). Although there's still dive bars downtown (like Rossi's) and a few dark/goth clubs in Lincoln Park like Neo. Lakeview East is next to Boystown, and I'd say it's half yuppie, but some hipsters up there and stuff, and a lot of gay guys, but it's not necessarily Boystown. Just a lot of independent places and it's a nice quiet neighborhood. Areas like Lincoln Square and Edgewater are half, and go to that and Albany Park (one of the most diverse areas of the US), Uptown (little Vietnam), Rogers Park, West Ridge (little india) etc. and you won't find much yuppie about it, just a little with a few people.

If you want hipster-ish things then go to Ukrainian Village, Logan Square, Pilsen, Avondale, part of Wicker Park, maybe part of Bridgeport (although removed from things). I'd just say be careful in a few areas of Pilsen and Logan Square, but overall it's all good. If you're into punk and/or metal music, there's a 4am/5am bar in Wicker Park called Flat Iron which has some cool stuff on the walls. In all honesty, with the exception of some parts of Humboldt Park, there's not much reason to visit the areas with a ton of gang activity going on so I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as your fine dining thing...what cuisine are you looking for and how much are you looking to spend on your meal max? Underground band at a seedy bar. Hmmm, The Hideout maybe? What kind of music are you looking for?
Actually, when I said that the North side is "holier than thou pretentious yuppies," what I was trying to say is that a lot of comments I've been reading tend to just generalize about whole sections of Chicago. Many of the comments I've seen (although this may be largely due to my unfamiliarity with the neighborhoods,) regard the north side with snark. I don't mean to disparage it or insult anyone who lives there, I just have truly no knowledge of the city and am looking for more specific information than common generalities.

My desire for an area with fine dining has a lot to do with my desire for an area with cultural and socio-economic diversity. I love neighborhoods where I could go to dinner wearing a suit one night, spend over a hundred on dinner for two, and slum it up at a concert the next, paying $5 for a cover and getting $2 beers.

In terms of music, I'm mostly looking for an area with/near venues who host more famous indie bands, or ones that are just bubbling under the surface. Bands like Beirut, Tallest Man On Earth, Wu Lyf, Tune-Yards, Sleigh Bells- that kind of thing.

Also, thanks to all the replies. It looks like I should be researching the neighborhoods in the West Town, Near West Side, and Lower West Side areas?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 12:35 AM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,814,452 times
Reputation: 7419
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinweeks View Post
Actually, when I said that the North side is "holier than thou pretentious yuppies," what I was trying to say is that a lot of comments I've been reading tend to just generalize about whole sections of Chicago. Many of the comments I've seen (although this may be largely due to my unfamiliarity with the neighborhoods,) regard the north side with snark. I don't mean to disparage it or insult anyone who lives there, I just have truly no knowledge of the city and am looking for more specific information than common generalities.

My desire for an area with fine dining has a lot to do with my desire for an area with cultural and socio-economic diversity. I love neighborhoods where I could go to dinner wearing a suit one night, spend over a hundred on dinner for two, and slum it up at a concert the next, paying $5 for a cover and getting $2 beers.

In terms of music, I'm mostly looking for an area with/near venues who host more famous indie bands, or ones that are just bubbling under the surface. Bands like Beirut, Tallest Man On Earth, Wu Lyf, Tune-Yards, Sleigh Bells- that kind of thing.

Also, thanks to all the replies. It looks like I should be researching the neighborhoods in the West Town, Near West Side, and Lower West Side areas?
Don't worry, there are definitely some "dbag" parts on the north side for sure. Nobody is denying that, but there's a lot of areas and a lot of areas that are cool to visit (i.e. Argyle (little Vietnam), Devon (little India), etc). And as I mentioned, Lakeview East has a balance between that and some more artistic things. I'm a fan of the neighborhood, but not everyone is of course.

I hear you about the fine dining + cheaper options right near each other. I'd say that Lakeview does have that, but I like West Town better for it. There are some really great options on Fulton Street, Lake, Randolph streets like Moto, Next (amazing restaurant, but impossible to get into), Aviary Cocktail lounge, The Publican, The Girl & the Goat, Avec, Blackbird, The Tasting Room, etc. But then you have Empty Bottle right there which has hard rock/metal/indie stuff going on and go north on say Ashland Avenue from there and you find a mix of old cheaper apartments mixed with really nice condos, dive bars mixed with some better places too. That's kind of what I like about some areas in the West (Lakeview has this too in spots too by the way). There are dive places mixed in with nice condos/duplexes. Wicker Park has that kind of thing going on. One of the best cocktail lounges (in my opinion) at the Violet Hour is right near the Double Door and Flat Iron which are a complete opposite of what's going on in the Violet Hour.


For the music stuff...The Metro near Wrigley Field is famous for that, but also Empty Bottle on the border of Ukrainian Village and Humboldt Park, Reggie's Rock Club near Chinatown (south), Congress Theater sometimes (Logan Square/Wicker Park), Double Door (Wicker Park), The Hideout (hard to find ... Noble Square), Bottom Lounge (Near West), Beat Kitchen (Roscoe Village), Schuba's (Lakeview), I've seen a few more indie shows at Lincoln Hall in Lincoln Park, Uncommon Ground coffee in Lakeview (acoustic stuff..they have Jeff Buckley tributes there every year too). If you want Jazz or something, then a place like Rosa's Lounge in Logan Square or Green Mill in Uptown (or Andy's downtown in River North even). Blues then BLUES on Halsted (total small, dive bar, but really good music and intimate setting) or Kingston Mines in Lincoln Park. etc..


The thing I like about Chicago is what I mentioned above. There are areas with total nice stuff, and mixed in with it sometimes is complete dive bars or just seedy bars. For example besides what I mentioned above, there's Rush street and some streets around it like Maple in the Gold Coast which has some more expensive options for food, and then you barely go north to division and you have a bunch of dirty, seedy college-type of bars/clubs right next to where a bunch of gold diggers hang out luring in guys who are out with their lambos. It's quite hilarious IMO. It all tells about the growth of an area. That area used to be full of a bunch of porn shops/theaters and stuff in the 70s, then it got nice, but some of the seedy bars continued to be there. Just like in the west in some areas, it gentrifies in small pockets so there's nice condos/duplexes/houses right near dive bars.

On a side note, look up Hot Doug's and Kuma's Corner in Avondale. Consolation is Lockdown basically across from Empty Bottle. They have great burgers too.

Last edited by marothisu; 08-27-2012 at 12:51 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 01:04 AM
 
Location: College Park, MD
14 posts, read 26,317 times
Reputation: 18
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post

The thing I like about Chicago is what I mentioned above. There are areas with total nice stuff, and mixed in with it sometimes is complete dive bars or just seedy bars. For example besides what I mentioned above, there's Rush street and some streets around it like Maple in the Gold Coast which has some more expensive options for food, and then you barely go north to division and you have a bunch of dirty, seedy college-type of bars/clubs right next to where a bunch of gold diggers hang out luring in guys who are out with their lambos. It's quite hilarious IMO. It all tells about the growth of an area. That area used to be full of a bunch of porn shops/theaters and stuff in the 70s, then it got nice, but some of the seedy bars continued to be there. Just like in the west in some areas, it gentrifies in small pockets so there's nice condos/duplexes/houses right near dive bars.
For a while, Chicago wasn't even on my radar for after college, but a few of my friends that are from the area/know it really well kept telling me I would love it.

Now I understand why. This sounds perfect. There's a block in Baltimore that is sandwiched between all the corporate offices and the Inner Harbor family/entertainment area that is a a cluster of the filthiest strip clubs I've ever seen, and they've been refusing to leave for years. It's just one of those little things that I love.

I'm also thoroughly impressed because you just named way more places to catch a concert than DC and Baltimore have combined.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 01:21 AM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,814,452 times
Reputation: 7419
Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinweeks View Post
For a while, Chicago wasn't even on my radar for after college, but a few of my friends that are from the area/know it really well kept telling me I would love it.

Now I understand why. This sounds perfect. There's a block in Baltimore that is sandwiched between all the corporate offices and the Inner Harbor family/entertainment area that is a a cluster of the filthiest strip clubs I've ever seen, and they've been refusing to leave for years. It's just one of those little things that I love.

I'm also thoroughly impressed because you just named way more places to catch a concert than DC and Baltimore have combined.
Yeah, I was the same way about Chicago. It's not perfect (no city is), but I love it here. I don't care to move to NYC anymore in reality. The architecture is just as good if not better here, the food is on the same level for the most part (but not for every cuisine), and it's much cheaper to live here on average. Don't get me wrong though, NYC definitely has Chicago beat in other areas, but I like it here. As my Uncle from Queens (living in LA) put it when he first visited here....each neighborhood reminded him of different cities of the US. Downtown was like Manhattan to him, part of Lincoln Park was like Georgetown in DC or Boston (forget which), etc.

I think you'd like parts of the west part of Chicago like that have been mentioned (West town, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, etc). There's bars, restaurants, and music venues all over the place in this city. Funny about the music thing though. I didn't even mention all the bigger places you could catch a show (except Congress Theater is decently big) like the United Center, Chicago Theater, House of Blues, Riviera, Park West, The Vic, Aragon Ballroom, Allstate Arena, Soldier Field (sometimes), U of Illinois-Chicago Pavillion, Buddy Guy's for blues, etc. All the big time acts go to those places above. The ones I mentioned before aren't always where the big guys go..although Smashing Pumpkins likes to play at The Metro.

There's even an outdoor pavilion that has concerts in the spring/summer/fall called the Jay Pritzker Pavillion (in Millennium Park...where the giant bean is) which has held concerts for people like Tori Amos, Dead Can Dance, and Andrew Bird, as well as a lot of world music and classical. This isn't even mentioning the clubs that famous DJs might play at like The Mid, Vision, etc. Many other venues not mentioned..

Right near there is where Lollapalooza is held every year. Same as the Jazz fest and Blues fest. Pitchfork has been held at Union Park right near all the places I mentioned before in Next, Tasting Room, etc...as is North Coast Music Festival (look that one up). Spring Awakening at Soldier Field, etc. Good stuff...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-27-2012, 05:00 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 85,088,241 times
Reputation: 18726
Default Nice summary.

Fairly balanced view of how the music scene tends to be divided.

Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu View Post
Yeah, I was the same way about Chicago. It's not perfect (no city is), but I love it here. I don't care to move to NYC anymore in reality. The architecture is just as good if not better here, the food is on the same level for the most part (but not for every cuisine), and it's much cheaper to live here on average. Don't get me wrong though, NYC definitely has Chicago beat in other areas, but I like it here. As my Uncle from Queens (living in LA) put it when he first visited here....each neighborhood reminded him of different cities of the US. Downtown was like Manhattan to him, part of Lincoln Park was like Georgetown in DC or Boston (forget which), etc.

I think you'd like parts of the west part of Chicago like that have been mentioned (West town, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Ukrainian Village, etc). There's bars, restaurants, and music venues all over the place in this city. Funny about the music thing though. I didn't even mention all the bigger places you could catch a show (except Congress Theater is decently big) like the United Center, Chicago Theater, House of Blues, Riviera, Park West, The Vic, Aragon Ballroom, Allstate Arena, Soldier Field (sometimes), U of Illinois-Chicago Pavillion, Buddy Guy's for blues, etc. All the big time acts go to those places above. The ones I mentioned before aren't always where the big guys go..although Smashing Pumpkins likes to play at The Metro.

There's even an outdoor pavilion that has concerts in the spring/summer/fall called the Jay Pritzker Pavillion (in Millennium Park...where the giant bean is) which has held concerts for people like Tori Amos, Dead Can Dance, and Andrew Bird, as well as a lot of world music and classical. This isn't even mentioning the clubs that famous DJs might play at like The Mid, Vision, etc. Many other venues not mentioned..

Right near there is where Lollapalooza is held every year. Same as the Jazz fest and Blues fest. Pitchfork has been held at Union Park right near all the places I mentioned before in Next, Tasting Room, etc...as is North Coast Music Festival (look that one up). Spring Awakening at Soldier Field, etc. Good stuff...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Illinois > Chicago

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:20 AM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top