Where to live for a SWF, working at O'Hare (Chicago: 2013, apartment)

[Flavia84]

Hi Chicagoans,

I'm planning a move to your fine city sometime this spring. Your expert advice on where to live is needed

- Budget - 1500$
- 1 Bedroom condo with a W/D and patio very much preferred
- safe walkable area, grocery store close by
- convenient to public transit (I'll be getting rid of my car, yay)
- easy commute from O'Hare. I'd prefer to stay on Blue Line but perhaps there are other options I haven't considered

[JTW2013]

Working at O'Hare, I wouldn't get rid of your car. If you live along the blue line with a short commute to O'Hare, you will be a neighborhood where it is beneficial to have a car. Basically in Chicago, you will want a car unless you live in the Loop or right outside of the Loop. Even then you would prefer having a car but could do without it. If you're close to the Loop, it means a long commute to O'Hare on the Blue Line.

If you have a car, you will want to live somewhere with parking or easy street parking which you are more likely to find in the less dense parts of the City along the Blue Line close to O'Hare.

[Flavia84]

Originally Posted by JTW2013

Working at O'Hare, I wouldn't get rid of your car. If you live along the blue line with a short commute to O'Hare, you will be a neighborhood where it is beneficial to have a car. Basically in Chicago, you will want a car unless you live in the Loop or right outside of the Loop. Even then you would prefer having a car but could do without it. If you're close to the Loop, it means a long commute to O'Hare on the Blue Line.

If you have a car, you will want to live somewhere with parking or easy street parking which you are more likely to find in the less dense parts of the City along the Blue Line close to O'Hare.

That makes sense. I don't mind keeping my car but that drops by budget by about 300$ so I'll be looking at 1200$ - not sure that's enough for a decent place.

What areas should I look at then? I don't mind an hour on the train if that means living in a great/fun/safe area.

I've also been looking at Lincoln park but on the map I didn't see any good groceries around there. I usually go to Sprouts or Whole Paycheck every other day for fresh produce.

[JTW2013]

Do you want to live in a super urban, trendy area or somewhere that is safe with a reasonable commute to O'Hare? Lincoln Park is way too far. It's not even on the Blue Line and you would have to take the Red Line to the Loop and transfer to the Blue Line and then take the Blue Line all the way to O'Hare.

If you had a car, will you have parking at O'Hare? If so, you might prefer driving to work instead of taking the Blue Line. If you drive, that opens many options including the suburbs. The Blue Line is pretty limited. The stops closest to O'Hare are in the middle of the expressway so you would looking at the neighborhoods right along the Kennedy which aren't that exciting.

The thing to remember is that O'Hare is basically in the suburbs. I think it's technically in Chicago just so the City can tax it but it's surrounded on all sides (essentially) by the suburbs.

[Flavia84]

Oh, I'm sorry, I mean LOGAN SQUARE!

As a single (and looking) woman I would much prefer a more urban area. Not so sure about trendy - I'm not really into the "yuppie" scene but rather and area where I could connect with educated, professional, laid-back, post-college, single 30's folks.


Yes, I would have parking at O'Hare. However, the employee parking lot is a bit far from the terminal and taking the employee shuttle from the parking lot to the terminal entrance would tack on another 30 minutes to my commute. In cold and snowy weather...

Since I have shift work so taking the train once-twice a week is no big deal. As long as it's not a 2 hour commute.

[JTW2013]

Then it sounds like you're better off taking the train than driving to work. I can't give you advice about specific neighborhoods along the Blue Line because it's been years since I looked in those neighborhoods but they're trendy so I'm sure you'll be able to find groceries. If you're taking the train, you want to be within a five minute walk of the train station so base your search for an apartment on the train stations.

The car issue needs to be considered too. The closer you get into the city the harder it will be to find parking. You might want to give up your car but I wouldn't want to live in the city as a 30 something woman without a car. But if you have a car, you must consider parking.

[Flavia84]

Originally Posted by JTW2013

Then it sounds like you're better off taking the train than driving to work. I can't give you advice about specific neighborhoods along the Blue Line because it's been years since I looked in those neighborhoods but they're trendy so I'm sure you'll be able to find groceries. If you're taking the train, you want to be within a five minute walk of the train station so base your search for an apartment on the train stations.

The car issue needs to be considered too. The closer you get into the city the harder it will be to find parking. You might want to give up your car but I wouldn't want to live in the city as a 30 something woman without a car. But if you have a car, you must consider parking.

Why is that?

[JTW2013]

I've always had a car in Chicago. I didn't have a car when I lived in NYC. Having a car is much more convenient. You go to the store and can buy all of the groceries you want. You can buy the super size of Tide or kitty and not have to worry about how you are getting it home. If you have a car you can go to Target or Costco on the weekend and stock up. Basically by the time I was a 30 something single woman living in Chicago, I didn't want my life to limited to the bars and restaurants in the neighborhoods along the El. I see that way of life as a right out of college, twenty something thing.

Chicago's public transportation is not that great compared to NYC. You will need a car to visit parts of the city and the suburbs. If you look at the CTA map, you'll notice that the all of the El lines run into downtown so if you want to get from one side of town to the next, you have to take the train to the Loop and then transfer the other line. If you take the bus, you'll spend a lot of time standing in the cold waiting for the bus.

It really comes down to what kind of a life you want.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Flavia84

Hi Chicagoans,

I'm planning a move to your fine city sometime this spring. Your expert advice on where to live is needed

- Budget - 1500$
- 1 Bedroom condo with a W/D and patio very much preferred
- safe walkable area, grocery store close by
- convenient to public transit (I'll be getting rid of my car, yay)
- easy commute from O'Hare. I'd prefer to stay on Blue Line but perhaps there are other options I haven't considered

Based on your stated criteria, Logan Square sounds like the most sensible option. You won't need a car in Logan Square. In fact it may be more of a burden than a convenience there. In addition to comprehensive public transportation, the city is saturated with cost-effective private and semi-private options that are literally available 24/7 like taxis, UberX/Lyft, ZipCar, iGo (a local version of Zipcar), et cetera.

My advice to anyone who is unsure about whether they want a car or not is to move here with whatever their status quo is: if you have a car, bring it. If you don't have one, don't get one until you get here and determine you really need one. In your case, you seem to have a strong preference for getting rid of your car; in that case I'd say go ahead and do that as long as you're committed to living near the Blue Line.

[JTW2013]

It's true that there are options like iGo but there is a reason that most people who can afford it get a car in Chicago. It's not like living in NYC where the burden of having a car outweigh the benefit of a car. I once considered getting rid of my car and using ZipCar or iGo and it seemed like the ones closest to me weren't available when I would want a car.

Having a car with parking really opens up your life, IMHO. But having a car in a neighborhood where you're afraid to move your car in the afternoon because you won't be able to find a spot is just as limited as not having a car. I've heard that parking in Logan Square can be a real nightmare.