Tell me bout Chi (Chicago, Manhattan: buying, salaries, restaurant)

[git45]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

I live in Northern NJ, near NYC, currently attending school, majoring in criminal justice. I moved here a yr ago from Portland, OR, originally from Moscow, Russia. I like the whole east coast vibe, but I don't like NYC. NJ is cool, but the part close to NYC is wack, and there is no point for me to stay here long term and pay premium just to be close to NYC, which I don't use that much for all it has to offer cuz I don't like mass transit and to drive there and back is hella hard even though I am so close. I don't like this whole island geography. People say this a lot, and it's true-NYC is overrated and it's just too much. I've been researching other cities to move to when I'm done with school. I heard good things bout Chi from people I know personally who live there. The main thing that would bother me I guess would be the location, mainly for the lack of ocean, but I'm open minded so I'd be willing to overlook it if other things click. Thinking of it in bigger terms, it won't bother me as much cuz the main things that matter for me and for most average people are the typa things that routinely affect your QOL every day instead of just 10 days a yr for example, where you actually gon take advantage of NYC unique amenities, such as broadway shows, museums, etc or maybe even less often. A good example right now would be-I don't have a washer/dryer in my apt so that affects my QOL. I do my laundry way more often than go to museums or nightclubs so that's the typa sh1t I'm talking bout. Having said that, I don't want an overkill and move to NC or whatever like some people round here, I still want a big city life or be close enough to it in the burbs.

Either way:
What's the Chi vibe like? Is it way diff from east coast, esp NE?
Is Chi cleaner overall than NYC or just as dirty and ghetto?
I suspect there is a lot of diversity so is it easy to adjust for newcomers?
How's day to day QOL? (taxes, roads, crime, corruption, etc)
Is there good nightclubs, esp black ones?
Is the summer humidity just as bad as here? (don't care about the cold, I actually like cold)
I like burbs too so looking at the whole metro area-any other pros/cons?

Thanks.

If there was such a thing as "architecture porn," the industry would be based in Chicago. San Franciscans have an aneurism every time I assert that Chi is prettier when you take the landscape away.

[OleSchoolFool]

whats the landscape around the city like? is it safe to say there is not much lush greenery and its mostly a prairie?

[chet everett]

I think by "landscaping" the reference was more to the topography of SF. Chicago is actually very well "planted" with greenery -- from flowering annuals to various plain and showy woody plants there is no shortage of botanic delights in Chicago and the region. Even from a historic standpoint the variety of plants that make the praires and watersides typically do make for a fairly lush backdrop...

Of course with very modest changes in elevation throughout much of region there is not a lot of places to soak in the sorts of sweeping vistas one gets from parts of the country that have the bigger hills / mountains / valleys / cliffs...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

whats the landscape around the city like? is it safe to say there is not much lush greenery and its mostly a prairie?

We're talking about a city, so you aren't going to find prairie here. When there's green, it's lush green. There's a lakefront and some big parks like Grant Park/Millennium Park and Lincoln Park.

Lakeview neighborhood:



This is the original Playboy mansion in the Gold Coast, essentially downtown (it's a weird little area with old huge row homes/mansions mixed in with high rises):
http://www.blogcdn.com/www.luxist.co...1272670169.jpg

The lakefront including Lincoln Park:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/...28d88d0e_b.jpg


In some of the more residential (more single family homes), the streets look like this:
File:East Ravenswood Historic District Chicago IL.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



Grant Park:
http://www.[blocked due to copyright reasons].com/north-...grant-park.jpg


So no, not prairie or even close. I can think of only two places that would be like that. One is a park in the north side of Chicago called Winnemac Park. It's a prairie on purpose. Lot of nature stuff going on, almost like a preserve. The other is way south in some areas that are basically suburban.

[OleSchoolFool]

i meant outside the city, obviously aint no prairie in the city

[OleSchoolFool]

4725 N Sheridan Rd Apt 4D Chicago IL - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #08254322 - Realtor.com®
4616 N Kenmore Ave Apt 305 Chicago IL - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #08063515 - Realtor.com®

thats hella cheap

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

4725 N Sheridan Rd Apt 4D Chicago IL - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #08254322 - Realtor.com®
4616 N Kenmore Ave Apt 305 Chicago IL - Home For Sale and Real Estate Listing - MLS #08063515 - Realtor.com®

thats hella cheap

It is, and they're nice. I think they're cheap because while they're on the north side..the areas are semi shady. I wouldn't say it's full of tons of crime, murder, etc..just some of the people who hang around those areas can be shady. They are pretty close to public transit though (Red Line train) and maybe 20-25 minute ride to some of the downtown areas. Not bad..just the people who are around there can be pretty shady.


Also, even places downtown aren't that bad sometimes. This isn't quite as good a deal as what you posted, but it's also downtown in a high rise:

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...4_M73295-80519

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

i meant outside the city, obviously aint no prairie in the city

There is almost no true prairie left in Illinois at all.

[MassVt]

Well, Illinois is not exactly Forest Central, if that's what you're getting at, but I think that you'd find that Chicago/suburban residents have a little more elbow room than NYC/NJ residents.

If you're looking for heavily-forested areas, try the three northern New England states. Not much nightlife when compared to Chicago/NYC, though..(at least, not as late)...

[Heyooooo]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Most of us don't know every real estate price in every neighborhood either. I know you're trying to be resourceful, but you've gotta learn to do that **** on your own too.

No kidding.

This dude needs to figure this **** out on his own. Everyone has different opinions on Chicago/Philly/DC/Boston, etc. which are places he wants to know about.

Hes gotta investigate himself, cause when it comes down to it, nobody knows what you like but yourself.

Take a week and visit Chicago and Philly. He lives in North Jersey, Boston and Philly arent far. Neither is DC.

Theres more to picking where you want to live than just listing attributes. Everywhere has its own vibe, which is a big factor. Vibe isnt something someone can tell you about on here. You gotta go there yourself to figure that out in the end.