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Old 11-01-2013, 10:37 AM
 
896 posts, read 1,392,121 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
Commuting via public transit to the Loop is easy, trying to do the same to/from any other location inside Chicago or the suburbs is really risky.

Folks that I know in a wide variety of fields from hospitality to retail to more traditional white collar situations have a long list of "horror stories" where they have had to give employes an ultimatum of "get a car or get a different job" becuase the schedules for transit just do not fit the demands of work nor are the timetables reliable enough to allow employers to count on staff getting where they are needed. For folks in the lower paying industries this causes caring employers some real agony as they well know that cost of living / transportation in areas closer to where the jobs are puts people in a real bind -- without some radical reprioritization the gap between where low skill / low pay jobs are located and where people that hold such jobs is likely to grow.

For folks in the position of having to "lay it on the line" for a well paid white collar professional it is at least not so dramatic as the ability to afford a personal vehicle is there, it generally just comes down to a lifestyle choice. Fact is that sort of lifestyle is a part of the set of reasons that some employers are choosing to move offices into Chicago from the 'burbs and improvements to rail and other transit options are likely too costly to reverse that trend given the empty coffers that RTA/CTA/Metra face. I know several suburb loving folks that have looked at having their office, or a subset of individuals, work in a town served by Metra but the lack of flexibility makes this a losing proposition -- if even a handful of key employees are forced to rely on crummy "reverse commute" schedules the whole operation cannot succeed.

Complicating things in our region is the fact that even in the best of conditions the various "spokes" that radiate out from near Loop transit lines cross many transcontinentally linked freight lines so additional trains really can't be added to service. Throw-in the devastating effects of weather and the cascade effect that has on both driving and buses and the odds of missing transit service links make this a real commute killer.

The notorious tie-ups that occur around the junction of the Kennedy and NW tollway (also known as Jane Adams...) mean that few coworkers that drive will be eager to "help out" should the OP know that some paralyzingly snow storm or other traffic events lengthens and already painful commute.

Frankly if the OP wants a nice walkable community to live in I would recommend focusing on that and then finding a job more suited to that lifestyle. Many folks that live in a desirable train centric areas find great employment opportunities in the Loop. Some folks in such areas are similarly fortunate to find a nearby employment situation. If one has to work in an area with no nearby walkable residential areas it is almost always speedier to rely on a personal vehicle, the increasing range and sophistication of electric and hybrid vehicles make these a good option for those concerned with environmental effects of fossil fuels for personal transportation.
True, right now I would in the clinical research industry and have an interview next week for upcoming great position.

However the most of the big pharma companies are in Lake County and would take me and an hour and half to commute without a car.

I have a great chance of getting the job and increasing my salary. However, I seriously would consider not taking the job because of the transportation issues.

I do not mind working out there as I do not have to be in the Loop, but there needs to be some improvements for sure. But the Schaumburg bus is pretty reliable. I have taken several times and comes quite often. I think the worse of the commute would be the rush hour traffic in the evening.

Last edited by stephei2000; 11-01-2013 at 10:49 AM..
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Old 11-01-2013, 04:40 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,957,533 times
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Default Nail on the head...

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Originally Posted by jdiddy View Post
Private shuttles to/from blue line stations are pretty rare, from what I remember. Back in the dark ages, I took the blue line to the Rosemont stop and then a Pace bus to my office in Rosemont. If I missed a bus towards the end of the morning/evening commute, it meant waiting an hour or paying ridiculously expensive rosemont cabs.

Relying on a Pace Bus to Schaumburg means you have another 20-30 minutes to your commute in the morning (and likely twice that in the evening) and even less options if you happen to miss it.

I don't think I could handle that as my primary commute option.
I work with a fellow now that is a nice enough guy and he mostly does a reverse commute from the South Loop to the western suburbs via Metra. He has a bicycle that he mostly rides from the Metra station to the office but he also has the option of "working from home" if the weather is really bad. He had to earn the trust of his manager that he could be counted to be available via teleconnected options and it mostly works out. This beats the heck out of coming into the office soaked / frozen or never seeing colleagues...
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Old 11-01-2013, 05:12 PM
 
Location: Chicago, IL
216 posts, read 311,564 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate_M View Post

A. Is that kind of commute really reasonable, or should I be planning for something closer to an hour and a half, (in which case we'll probably end up out in the burbs)?
B. How would you compare those neighborhoods in terms of safety, dining and entertainment options, etc? Living in Asia, I've never really been concerned about my personal safety, and I've read very mixed things about pretty much every neighborhood I've looked at in Chicago. I used to live in South Minneapolis, and have stayed in quite a few neighborhoods like Cedar-Riverside, Seward, Philips, Whittier, Lake Street, Como, etc, and was wondering if there are any folks from the Twin Cities that could offer a comparison.
C. Are there any other neighborhoods along this way that I should be looking at that have a nice range of cultural/dining options along with good safety records and convenient transport options?
Your situation is eerily similar to mine. I was living in Asia until last year when I moved here to start work.

A. I do this kind of commute a couple times a week. For me it's Avondale to Rosemont via blue line and the to Hoffman Estates via shuttle. If you have a dedicated shuttle that goes from the Rosemont stop to Schaumburg, those are pretty good at sticking to the posted schedules. That said, this commute is still a gigantic pain in the ass that I wish I didn't have to do, especially in the winter when I'm waiting at the exposed Rosemont stop in the cold. So to answer your question this commute is reliable, but annoying.

B and C. Others have answered these questions better than I could. I'll just speak for my own neighborhood of western Avondale. Nearly 100% Latino, family oriented neighborhood. Safe streets, quiet at night, kids running around playing in the street and ice cream trucks driving around in the summer. Very few troublemakers. A couple young people bars on Belmont that are crowded on Saturday and deserted the rest of the week. A good selection of high quality taquerias and Polish restaurants to choose from. I don't have kids but it seems like a good place to raise them.
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Old 11-02-2013, 11:40 AM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,957,533 times
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Most of the office "campus" type developments in Hoffman Estates are a bit further west than those in Schaumburg but the traffic factor may be similar as Schaumburg also has LOTS of shopping traffic so I would estimate that either of these treks would be every bit of 90 minutes in the evenings and potentially MUCH worse during bad weather...

The OP may want to get confirmation that co-workers are currently relying on a company sponsored shuttle (which is less likely to just leave folks stranded...) or the Pace routes (which in the face of terrible weather eventually become untenable.

Honestly for ease of commute via public transit there are no great options from the city to the suburbs. One can find many communities that are quite walkable and a short distance from work if they concentrate their search on towns with a traditional rail centric core. Especially if schools are not initially a priority there are nice range of dining options in towns as varied as Palatine, Roselle, Barrington and even Long Grove. Any of these ought to be MUCH faster than relying on public transit.
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