Moving to Chicago and parking (Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village: apartments, for rent, how much)

[ATLss]

I am a recent college grad from Atlanta moving to chicago in February and I want to live in either Lincoln Park or Wicker Park/Bucktown. I will be working either near O'hare or Midway so I will have to commute every morning which means that I will probably drive so I would need a place to park. I've been looking at these neighborhoods on google streetview and it seems that most parking is street parking. Is this safe? Is it common to rent a spot in a covered parking garage? if yes, how much do these typically cost? I live in the South so we rarely get snow and I am concerned about parking on the street especially when it snows, this is my main concern ( and also A/C) because I know that most people that live in the city don't have a car but I have to drive to work.

Most of the young people that work for my company live in Lincoln Park, Logan Square and Wicker Park/Bucktown. I have heard that LP is generally more expensive than Wicker Park and Bucktown but all of the studio apartments that I have found on the internet are more expensive in Wicker Park than in LP and I've looked at studios for rent in pretty much every website that advertises apartments in Chicago. I can afford $800-900/month ($1000 max) and most of the studio apts that I have found in LP are within this range. I don't think I would wanna live in Logan Square because it doesn't look as lively and as dense as the other neighborhoods, and I am definitely looking for that city feeling, hustle and bustle that Atlanta lacks. Gold coast is out of the question not only because it is expensive but because the traffic around that area would be terrible, and also because I have heard that the population in the neighborhood is composed of late 20's early 30's professionals and I am looking for a neighborhood with recent college grads.

I love going out to bars and I am also pretty social so based on the research that I've done Lincoln Park seems the best choice, at least as of now. Am I making the right choice? I will probably visit the city next week or after christmas in order to look at various apartments. I have also heard really good things about Lakeview but unfortunately I think that it is further north than i'd like to considering that I would either be working near O'hare or Midway so I prefer a more central location.

[Chicago87]

Just live out by O'hare or Midway and commute in 2 days a week for the weekend instead of having to commute out in rush hour 5 days a week. Apartments will be cheaper out there too.

[marothisu]

Can you explain your reason for thinking that you actually have to drive to work? Working near O'Hare or Midway doesn't *necessarily* mean you have to drive. Both of these airports have train lines that go directly to them. If you are working close enough to one or there's a shuttle from the station to your work office, you wouldn't have to drive. Chicago in the aspect of public transit is very different from Atlanta. While Atlanta has a system, but Chicago's is much, much more utilized and way bigger. People commuting via public transit here is also very normal.

[ATLss]

Originally Posted by Chicago87

Just live out by O'hare or Midway and commute in 2 days a week for the weekend instead of having to commute out in rush hour 5 days a week. Apartments will be cheaper out there too.

I have lived in midtown Atlanta for the past 7 years and I am not going to move to a city like Chicago and live in the suburbs. I have already decided that I want to live in the city as opposed to the suburbs.

Originally Posted by marothisu

Can you explain your reason for thinking that you actually have to drive to work? Working near O'Hare or Midway doesn't *necessarily* mean you have to drive. Both of these airports have train lines that go directly to them. If you are working close enough to one or there's a shuttle from the station to your work office, you wouldn't have to drive. Chicago in the aspect of public transit is very different from Atlanta. While Atlanta has a system, but Chicago's is much, much more utilized and way bigger. People commuting via public transit here is also very normal.

According to people at the office, the commute to the Elk Grove/Des Plaines area can take up to an hour and 45 minutes, and while I am not opposed to taking a train/bus, I would much rather drive if I have the option. Also, sometimes I might have to stay in late and I like the reliability of having a car in case I leave work at 9-10 pm.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ATLss

According to people at the office, the commute to the Elk Grove/Des Plaines area can take up to an hour and 45 minutes, and while I am not opposed to taking a train/bus, I would much rather drive if I have the option. Also, sometimes I might have to stay in late and I like the reliability of having a car in case I leave work at 9-10 pm.

Elk Grove Village and Des Plaines are both for O'Hare. Do you know which suburbs you'd be in if you were working near Midway instead? I'd say that public transit is more well covered outside of the trains near O'Hare than it is near Midway. Also going to some of these suburbs is a commuter train called Metra, which is usually faster (and more comfortable) than the city trains.

The traffic on the Kennedy Expressway leading to/from O'Hare can downright suck. One of the worst freeways for traffic sometimes. My dad grew up in LA driving on the freeways and the first time he drove on the Kennedy was during bad traffic and he was *pissed* and said it was worse than LA, if that gives you any indication. It's not always like that, but when it's bad, it is really bad. I should note that it's not always bad. Like before 7am and after about 7 or 8pm it's not that bad. When the Cubs are playing too, before 7pm can suck too, even worse.

Also, as far as what you say about the Gold Coast - not really that true. The traffic in the more downtown areas is not that crazy at all. It's a big dense area and many people who live in these areas do work pretty close to where they live. I live in the Gold Coast and don't even own a car because I don't need it. Even people with cars may work nearby where they just take the train, walk, bike, or take a cab. A lot of things are walkable where you don't drive to go eat or to the bar because a lot of places are within walking distance. It's a totally different animal than what Atlanta is on average. Not to mention that $800-$900 for a studio will afford you almost no buildings in the Gold Coast. There's a few, like one my friend rents in, but in other areas you can get more for your money.

My suggestion is this. If you end up working near O'Hare and need to drive and you want to live in an area with some stuff going on, then I'd live in an area like Logan Square. First off, your budget will go further there than Lincoln Park, Bucktown, and Wicker Park, and you'll cut some time off of your commute from the terrible Kennedy expressway. Logan Square is on the Blue Line, so you can hop on it and party it up in Wicker Park/Bucktown within 5 or so minutes (and that train line runs 24/7). If you wanted to live in Lincoln Park, I would actually say to live more in Lakeview and closer to the freeway.

If you want to sacrifice some immediate fun for having a better commute, then live in Irving Park or Avondale. A little quiet but with some stuff and some good food. The key here is that they're on the Blue Line, so again, you can be in Wicker Park partying fairly easily. There are some buses that run E-W between these areas later into the night such as the Chicago Avenue bus or the Belmont Avenue bus. Or, the fact that the Blue and Red lines meet up in the Loop, both run 24/7, or that the Blue Line meets up with the Chicago Avenue bus...etc.