Car in Chicago (the worries of having one) (Lincoln: neighborhood, living in)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by urza216

Notice how you didn't specify this in your initial post. You simply said you got a ticket for having unlicensed plates.

And you were still being a dick about it after I had clarified that part. That's why you got the pushback you got.

Originally Posted by urza216

But anyway, yeah, in that case, it WAS erogenous. And it seems like something you could have fought and won. Although it's understandable if you just decided to pay the money instead of exerting that energy.

Thing is, there is there is no ordinance that allows the city to ticket you for an expired plate on a car sitting on a private residential driveway. If you're driving it, you're fair game. If it's parked on a street, it's fair game. If you're in a publicly accessible parking garage, it's probably fair game there too. But even if the car was operational and I was driving every day on expired plates, the ticket was still BS.

And I did fight it, and lost. After all, if the ticket says it was parked on the street, well then by God it was parked on the street.

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by urza216

But anyway, yeah, in that case, it WAS erogenous. And it seems like something you could have fought and won. Although it's understandable if you just decided to pay the money instead of exerting that energy.

Not sure if it was erogenous, but it was pretty egregious.

[MassVt]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Not sure if it was erogenous, but it was pretty egregious.

I admit--I've never been involved in an erogenous case.

I've also never driven an erogenous car....but I'm curious as to what one would look like...

All this stuf does sound pretty egregious, but typical of Chicago, apparently...

[Pantless1]

An erogenous would look like a Jaguar E-Type Coupe...

[cityseeker85]

Originally Posted by Michael Scott

Wow, forgot to check on this thread until today. Well, I'd like to sarcastically thank some of you for making me dread the idea of owning a car in Chicago... hahaha

Thanks for your input. You're right, I'm probably overthinking it. I was just very much looking forward to completely leaving the car behind, but this job is my ticket to Chicago, so I guess I don't have much of a choice! I hope you're right and I end up with clients within the city area. I didnt get a chance to talk to many people from the firm when I interviewed, but some of them even lived in the suburbs, which isnt something I'm looking to do (I'm moving to Chicago to have the social experience of life in a major city), so I'll have to ask more during my internship about where is easy/manageable to live and park. Luckily, for the internship I will not be required to have a car. But for the job I believe its in my employment contract, so zipcars may be out.

You are correct, my internship is in the summer, but about 90% of interns get full time offers, so I'm planning on being there (Chicago) for the foreseeable future, assuming I like it. I was just grouping winter parking in there with other complaints I heard about owning a car in Chicago.

Unless you go into banking/financial services, you should expect to be stuck driving out to the burbs... which is a horrible commute when you are not used to sitting in your car for an hour plus each way. If possible, try to see where your main client is before you sign a lease.

[Michael Scott]

Originally Posted by cityseeker85

Unless you go into banking/financial services, you should expect to be stuck driving out to the burbs... which is a horrible commute when you are not used to sitting in your car for an hour plus each way. If possible, try to see where your main client is before you sign a lease.

That is my hope, to know my main client before I start. I know there are a lot of FS clients, and then there are actually a few non-FS clients in the downtown area, but most will be in the burbs I'm sure. I even toyed with the idea of living in the suburbs just for a few years (dont plan on staying with this company for more than 3 years, maybe 2), and then going to the city, but that would defeat the purpose. At least I'll be in the city for the weekends.

[NoJiveMan]

Originally Posted by Michael Scott

Wow, forgot to check on this thread until today. Well, I'd like to sarcastically thank some of you for making me dread the idea of owning a car in Chicago... hahaha




Thanks for your input. You're right, I'm probably overthinking it. I was just very much looking forward to completely leaving the car behind, but this job is my ticket to Chicago, so I guess I don't have much of a choice! I hope you're right and I end up with clients within the city area. I didnt get a chance to talk to many people from the firm when I interviewed, but some of them even lived in the suburbs, which isnt something I'm looking to do (I'm moving to Chicago to have the social experience of life in a major city), so I'll have to ask more during my internship about where is easy/manageable to live and park. Luckily, for the internship I will not be required to have a car. But for the job I believe its in my employment contract, so zipcars may be out.



Thanks, you're right. It's not like I'd be the only person to move to Chicago and have a job that requires a car. I just always read about people (including this thread) hating owning a car in Chicago, so when I heard owning a car was a job requirement, I got concerned. I also think the problem is I'm comparing myself to friends who are moving to major cities in the NE and are going to be able to ditch the car. But I guess most people with jobs that reuqire any sort of commute still own cars. I love to bike! Hopefully my clients are close enough that I can leave the car on the street/in the lot on nice days! I'll be sure to check back in when time gets closer to see which neighborhoods are better for car ownership compared to others.



You are correct, my internship is in the summer, but about 90% of interns get full time offers, so I'm planning on being there (Chicago) for the foreseeable future, assuming I like it. I was just grouping winter parking in there with other complaints I heard about owning a car in Chicago.

Okay, I wasn't sure if you were planning on staying. If I were you, I'd follow some of Drover's advice about acquiring a AWD vehicle, it'll get you in and out of tough spots, and will help driving the sloshy city streets after a snow.

Chirak also gave some very good parking advice too, just be careful where you park and pay attentions to the calendar date the what time of day it is.

If you get a vehicle, just for grins, I'd invest in a good shovel and some sand tubes just in case you get stuck or whatever. Depending on where you choose to reside, if you're close to the lake, be advised that snow storms can be brutal near there, Lake Shore Drive occasionally gets shut down from heavy snow, called lake effect, and sometimes it snarls traffic city wide.


Chicago Blizzard - lake effect snow 8AM - YouTube

Originally Posted by urza216

I'm pretty sure municipal cops do that in every village and city in Illinois. If not, I don't know what I'm doing paying a hundred bucks to renew my plates every year.

The Secretary of State's office sends you a bill and there's a consequence if you don't pay it. Who would've thought?

I know. The Village of Pleasant Prairie PD threatened to ticket my collection of old police cruisers many years ago, so I had the local bone yard come and take them away for free. I didn't have much money invested in them but they were good cars for spare parts.

[oakparkdude]

Yeah, Lake Shore Drive gets shut down occasionally for snow storms, like once every 20 years or so, its not really something I would worry about.

Seriously it doesn't snow that much around here, we're not Buffalo. Blizzards like in the previous post come maybe once a year at most. If we do have a 2 foot blizzard, you won't be expected to come in to work that day anyway. Streets get cleared of snow relatively quickly and efficiently, so unless the blizzard comes during rush hour, traffic will be slowed, but not paralyzed. I've lived 16 years here without AWD and get around just fine. Snow definitely makes street parking more difficult, so that might make off-street (covered) parking worthwhile by itself.

[Michael Scott]

Originally Posted by oakparkdude

Yeah, Lake Shore Drive gets shut down occasionally for snow storms, like once every 20 years or so, its not really something I would worry about.

Seriously it doesn't snow that much around here, we're not Buffalo. Blizzards like in the previous post come maybe once a year at most. If we do have a 2 foot blizzard, you won't be expected to come in to work that day anyway. Streets get cleared of snow relatively quickly and efficiently, so unless the blizzard comes during rush hour, traffic will be slowed, but not paralyzed. I've lived 16 years here without AWD and get around just fine. Snow definitely makes street parking more difficult, so that might make off-street (covered) parking worthwhile by itself.

I'm sure this sounds really dumb, but when you say "off-street parking" does this mean lots? Or like parking garages? Never lived in a major city as you can tell lol

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Michael Scott

I'm sure this sounds really dumb, but when you say "off-street parking" does this mean lots? Or like parking garages? Never lived in a major city as you can tell lol

"Off-street parking" really just refers to any place you can park a car that's not literally on the street. It takes many forms: a garage in the alley behind a home or a two/three-flat; an open spot behind the building off the back alley; a spot in an open parking lot or parking structure (typically very close to or in downtown), or in those rare instances where there's a driveway entrance off of the street like you find in suburbia, a spot on the driveway. If you rent an apartment that has off-street parking on the premises, it's actually not common for that parking to be automatically included as part of your rent. You can either opt to pay extra for the spot, or the landlord will rent the spot out separately to someone else who lives nearby. Similarly, if you buy a condo, it is common particularly in high-rise buildings to have to buy a separate deed to a parking space in the building's parking structure.