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Old 01-10-2014, 09:08 AM
 
Location: Downers Grove
2 posts, read 5,077 times
Reputation: 10

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Hi guys,

I recently got a job in Bolingbrook and am looking for a 1 bedroom apartment near the city to live. I am currently living in Downers Grove and am looking for somewhere more exciting. I have a budget maximum of 1200 and would like somewhere less than an hour from my work (I work near where 55 and 355 meet.) Any suggestions of places I should look? I would like somewhere with easy access to public transportation to downtown.

Thanks for your help.
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Old 01-10-2014, 09:27 AM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,764,559 times
Reputation: 7419
For the city, the more obvious choice may be something like South Loop/Printers Row, Chinatown, Bridgeport, Pilsen, and maybe University Village/Little Italy. The only problem with living in a high rise in South Loop/Printers Row that is the fact that you'll probably have to pay for parking. Bridgeport has a few train lines - Orange and Red. Orange of course does not run 24 hours, but Red does. The red line is in the eastern part of Bridgeport while the Orange Line is around I-55 on the western edge of it. You could also find something in/around Chinatown (Armour Square) maybe, which is on the Red Line, or a little north of that in Near South Side which may have more street parking that you wouldn't have to pay for. These areas are on I-55. Pilsen is also a choice which isn't too far from I-55 or even University Village/Little Italy near UIC just north of that (both on the Pink Line but not 24/7). All of these are cheaper than South Loop/Printers Row. Depending on how luxury you want things, you could probably find a 2 bedroom, possibly even a few 3 bedrooms, in areas like Pilsen, Bridgeport, and Chinatown (Armour Square) for around or under $1200/month.

The suburban choices are probably Forest Park and Oak Park. Longer commute from there than the ones mentioned.
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Old 01-10-2014, 09:42 AM
 
Location: Chicago
2,884 posts, read 4,956,823 times
Reputation: 2769
Naperville. The commute from the city would totally suck.
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Old 01-10-2014, 09:52 AM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,764,559 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by knitgirl View Post
Naperville. The commute from the city would totally suck.
Isn't outbound traffic on I-55 during morning commutes from like Bridgeport or McKinley Park mostly fine? A few eh spots, but nothing like the Kennedy or 290. It's my understanding that in the mornings, the inbound traffic is not great, not outbound and visa versa in the evenings.
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Old 01-10-2014, 10:02 AM
 
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The growth of employment in the warehouse / industrial parks along the Stevenson has DRAMATICALLY increased the volume of outbound rush hour AM traffic and the inbound PM trek is now about as bad a slog as any other expressways.

There are few places where you could have decent access to the "excitement" of city life and still be consistently under an hour from Bolingbrook, you might consider the southern reaches of Berwyn as the trek from Harlem to 355 ought to stay well below 60 minutes, and you might be able to stretch that the Garfield Ridge and other near-to-Midway parts of the city but I would recommend against anything that requires going even on the Dan Ryan as the added hassles will almost certainly push your commute over an hour...

I do agree that Naperville has more nightlife options than Downers Grove but if one simply must experience the thrill of Chicago and work is in Bolingbrook the time spent on the expressways is going to be horrible.
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Old 01-10-2014, 10:15 AM
 
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Stay south of Roosevelt for sure if you do move Chicago. I commuted by car from Uptown to just north of Midway for two years. The drive home, especially in the summer, would take 75 minutes at times.
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Old 01-10-2014, 01:47 PM
 
Location: Downers Grove
2 posts, read 5,077 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chet everett View Post
The growth of employment in the warehouse / industrial parks along the Stevenson has DRAMATICALLY increased the volume of outbound rush hour AM traffic and the inbound PM trek is now about as bad a slog as any other expressways.

There are few places where you could have decent access to the "excitement" of city life and still be consistently under an hour from Bolingbrook, you might consider the southern reaches of Berwyn as the trek from Harlem to 355 ought to stay well below 60 minutes, and you might be able to stretch that the Garfield Ridge and other near-to-Midway parts of the city but I would recommend against anything that requires going even on the Dan Ryan as the added hassles will almost certainly push your commute over an hour...

I do agree that Naperville has more nightlife options than Downers Grove but if one simply must experience the thrill of Chicago and work is in Bolingbrook the time spent on the expressways is going to be horrible.
This is disappointing. I was hoping it would be viable to live in/near the city. I really don't want to spend 60+ minutes in traffic everyday.

How bad is the commute from the Oak/Forest Park area?
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Old 01-10-2014, 02:15 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,764,559 times
Reputation: 7419
Quote:
Originally Posted by spmccri View Post
This is disappointing. I was hoping it would be viable to live in/near the city. I really don't want to spend 60+ minutes in traffic everyday.

How bad is the commute from the Oak/Forest Park area?
I doubt the commute is that bad from an area like Bridgeport, Chinatown or McKinley Park. I'm going off of what I experienced earlier this year for a few days, but I didn't think that traffic was that bad. There was one slower point, but after that I didn't have to stop. I am guessing the distance from somewhere like Bridgeport to your work area is about the same as Oak Park to your work.
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Old 01-10-2014, 02:51 PM
 
28,455 posts, read 84,957,533 times
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Take a look at the google traffic data -- right now the 28 mile drive from the Bolingbrook Promenade area near 355 to Pilsen near Archer is listed as 58 minutes and it is not yet 3PM, in a few hours those delays are going to soar...

The "red zones" are near the 294 /55 junction, near the Harlem exits where the Stevenson turns more to the SW and then the stretch from Midway exit at Cicero Ave all the way until LSD... The Pace bus that runs on the shoulder out there is doing so to try to "beat" the traffic jams but that really is not helping a whole bunch. (southbound Dan Ryan is a solid wall of red from Stevenson to 57 so there is no way I would recommend Bridgeport...)


You can make good time on the Stevenson up Harlem to the SW portion of Berwywn and not much longer to Forest Park but heading closer into the heart of Oak Park the google routes suggest that the along 355 and the Ike is better, even with the bottleneck from Hillside through the numbered avenues...

Last edited by chet everett; 01-10-2014 at 03:01 PM..
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Old 01-10-2014, 03:05 PM
 
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan, NYC
15,331 posts, read 23,764,559 times
Reputation: 7419
Okay, if you want to play the Google game, then look up "Chicago Traffic Map" and click on "change" near Live Traffic. Then change it to a weekday between 7 and 8am. Wednesday for example at 7:30am - it's mainly yellow (with a red spot in there) until Archer Heights and it's basically green the whole way down to 355 (near the 294 junction it goes yellow). Incoming traffic at 5:30 is OK (green and yellow) until around Midway when it turns more red. However, that's not much different than around Forest Park and Oak Park.

https://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-...go+traffic+map

The distances according to Google are about equal too. You can stretch your money further in an area like Bridgeport for sure, but living in Oak Park or Forest Park is hardly ****ty. In a way, since the blue line runs 24/7, that might be better for someone who wants to go party downtown.
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