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That's the Little Italy / University Village area that nearly everyone in the thread is recommending to you.
I agree that the areas near UIC might be an excellent option. The "University Village" designation might conjure up thoughts of something that is "isolated" from the "real city experience" but that is not accurate -- the Taylor St neighborhood is one of the more pleasant areas to eat / shop at little shops in the city and ease of access to spots in Pilsen which has a similar feel (though more focused on the foods / traditions of Mexico and other Spanish-speaking immigrants) or other neighborhoods via CTA is excellent from UIC and it is fully part of Chicago -- there is no reason to prefer living in a dorm in the Loop than choosing an area like UIC. The Loop is increasingly "sterile" with stores like CVS or Walgreens having all but eliminated anything with "local flavor"...
The OP could easily drive to / from Oak Brook in less than hour and the ease of getting from UIC to other interesting parts of Chicago {both place south like Pilsen or north like Wicker Park /Logan Square} is superior to just about any other option.
I would also caution that folks suggesting leaving a vehicle in either Elmhurst, Hinsdale or some other town fail to realize that there is strict enforcement of the "no overnight parking" in all their standard municipal commuter lots -- these areas are designed PRIMARILY to serve residents that need to use Metra to commute into Chicago, not folks that are doing the 'reverse commute'. The various churches tend need their parking for employees and participants in their childcare / summer programs. The various retail developments like Grant Square have signs clearly posted prohibiting overnight parking. The handful of private businesses that provide parking that might accommodate reverse commuters tend to be in less than ideal locations and/or not be geared toward temporary summer uses...
Similarly I very very familiar with the potential bicycle routes from either the Elmhurst or Hinsdale Metra stations. The majority of resources that these towns devote to bicycle routes are NOT for commuters but recreational uses. That means that the critical intersections that would allow someone to get to the office locations / corporate campuses in Oak Brook where one would be part of an intership are not "bike friendly" -- you would be especially exposed to potentially dangerous amounts of multi-lane turning traffic at several points. Factoring the potential for foul weather and less than perfect reliability of reverse commute Metra options the risks of having a less than stellar intern experience would make this a poor option... {there are handful of locations that are more conducive of being reached by bicycle, but these are not easily accessible from Metra -- I have seen quite a few folks that ride their bicycle from lower cost apartments to the larger hotels / banquet facilities, I doubt the OP would be comfortable living with folks that likely are working in food service and staying in apartments that afford their kids access to top rated schools...}.
The reality is that if one does in fact want primarily to impress the sponsors of this internship it might be wise to at least their advice about utilizing "extended stay" type facilities near-by. If one's employment goal includes working for such a corporation it is not at all uncommon to live a life that is remarkably like that of a corporate vagabond that accumulates 'loyalty points' with hotels and airlines...
The other options include renting or subletting a nice apartment in / near downtown Elmhurst which at least does have a nice range of activity close at hand -- Elmhurst's downtown has many resturants and night spots that ought to be more than adequate for the weeknights of an internship and the drive into even the more entertainment oriented neighborhoods of Chicago.
I would also caution that folks suggesting leaving a vehicle in either Elmhurst, Hinsdale or some other town fail to realize that there is strict enforcement of the "no overnight parking" in all their standard municipal commuter lots -- these areas are designed PRIMARILY to serve residents that need to use Metra to commute into Chicago, not folks that are doing the 'reverse commute'. The various churches tend need their parking for employees and participants in their childcare / summer programs. The various retail developments like Grant Square have signs clearly posted prohibiting overnight parking. The handful of private businesses that provide parking that might accommodate reverse commuters tend to be in less than ideal locations and/or not be geared toward temporary summer uses...
FYI, just want to point out that Elmhurst sells monthly overnight parking permits as well as daytime passes. I agree that UIC is a better option though.
Not really sure how it would double commute time? From research Ive found it to be about an hour in morning traffic potentially worse in the evening. 10 minutes to bike to the station 35 on the train and 10 more to the office I believe which puts it at about an hour as well.
Because the trains often leave five minutes late... And on the Hinsdale end you have to build in wait time for the train. And you'll have to find a place for your bike and spend the time to lock it up properly. You don't just show up at a train station and immediately jump on a train.
Additionally, the parking you are able to secure in Hinsdale may have a slight walk to the platform as well, along with the traffic of getting out of the lot during rush periods. The train schedule may not be your work schedule. I'm going to guess that you're well over an hour with that bike/train/car commute. Maybe not double, but I'm going to guess it's an hour and a half. You'd probably want to test it out before committing to it for an entire summer.
And I think you'll get to Oak Brook much faster than an hour most days by car.
The "passes" are part of the enforcement of their "primary mission"...
Quote:
Originally Posted by oakparkdude
FYI, just want to point out that Elmhurst sells monthly overnight parking permits as well as daytime passes. I agree that UIC is a better option though.
Overnight Off-Street Parking
If you need to park overnight in the City of Elmhurst, overnight passes for municipal parking can be purchased at City Hall for a $20 monthly fee. This permit will allow off-street overnight parking in any coin space or reserved permit lot from 12:00 midnight - 8:00 am. The car must be moved from the space by 8:00 am, unless the fee is paid or a reserved permit is displayed.
Believe me I have seen the parking enforcement tickets being issued to vehicles with "overnight permits" before the clock changes from 7:59AM to 8:01AM because the goal is to MAXIMIZE PARKING for those heading into Chicago or looking to do business in downtown Elmhurst -- if folks looking to do the "reverse commute" don't understand this they'll end up with stacks of tickets...
This is just a bad idea. That commute is just much easier to do by driving. The extra hassle of leaving a car in the suburbs far from your place of residence and the DOUBLING of your commute time says that you just need to drive this. Biking might work on nice days, but what about when there are severe storms? Or when it's 100 degrees? And the Oak Brook area is NOT bicycle friendly near any commercial offices. You'd be taking a serious risk biking from Hinsdale to Oak Brook.
You are obviously not familiar with Oak Brook, which has one of the most extensive bike trail systems in the Chicago area.
The bike ride from Hinsdale to Oak Brook would be down York Road, which has, running immediately next to it, the south spur of the Salt Creek trail. The entire distance, from Spring Road, past 31st and 22nd, all the way to Harger, is dedicated bike lane, and the trail just north of the country club takes you all the way to MacDonald drive.
So while there are many reasons to detest Oak Brook, bicycle-unfriendly really isn't one of them. They've got every other suburb I'm aware of (including the North Shore suburbs) beat by a mile.
The problem with Oak Brook is that aside from getting to work, there isn't a whole lot to do there on a bike. You can basically go to the mall, do loops around nowhere, or, if you are feeling adventuresome, take the Salt Creek trail to Western Springs or Brookfield Zoo.
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Also, as others have said, the true experience of living in Chicago as a young person is much better in a neighborhood like Lake View, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Bucktown, etc. There are many options in these neighborhoods with affordable parking. The Loop near Ogilvie is a ghost town after all of the workers go home.
Maybe 20 years ago, but the West Loop today is a thriving residential community, not a ghost town. Times have changed
You are obviously not familiar with Oak Brook, which has one of the most extensive bike trail systems in the Chicago area.
The chances that the OP's office would be adjacent to this bike path are slim to none, and the main arterials that run through Oak Brook would be terrifying for bikers, with high rates of auto speed and no sidewalks for the most part.
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Originally Posted by NearWestSider
Maybe 20 years ago, but the West Loop today is a thriving residential community, not a ghost town. Times have changed
That's why I suggested the West Loop on the first page of the thread. I still think there is more fun to be had in the residential neighborhoods I listed.
Sadly you belie your lack of experience with non-recreational uses of the Oak Brook's bicycle routes...
Quote:
Originally Posted by NearWestSider
You are obviously not familiar with Oak Brook, which has one of the most extensive bike trail systems in the Chicago area.
The bike ride from Hinsdale to Oak Brook would be down York Road, which has, running immediately next to it, the south spur of the Salt Creek trail. The entire distance, from Spring Road, past 31st and 22nd, all the way to Harger, is dedicated bike lane, and the trail just north of the country club takes you all the way to MacDonald drive.
So while there are many reasons to detest Oak Brook, bicycle-unfriendly really isn't one of them. They've got every other suburb I'm aware of (including the North Shore suburbs) beat by a mile.
The problem with Oak Brook is that aside from getting to work, there isn't a whole lot to do there on a bike. You can basically go to the mall, do loops around nowhere, or, if you are feeling adventuresome, take the Salt Creek trail to Western Springs or Brookfield Zoo.
Maybe 20 years ago, but the West Loop today is a thriving residential community, not a ghost town. Times have changed
The fact is though there is dedicated bicycle trail along PARTS of York Rd it is not conducive to commuters that need to connect to the rail stations.
I have ridden the Oak Brook bicycle path system many many times and the portion along York Rd starts about a half a mile north of Graue Mill. It runs along the west side of York Rd so that if you are coming from Hinsdale you'd need to make a "mad dash" from the north bound lanes to get to it. There is dangerous curve just past the York Tavern and the bike route ends abruptly with the new housing development. Further complicating the deadly route from the Metra station is the fact that there is NO SHOULDER from the Hinsdale rail station, up Garfield, through the S-turn where Garfield crosses The Lane and then becomes York. Additionally the intersection at York and Ogden has no "safety islands" for pedestrians or cyclists, just a very poorly aligned intersection with terrible sight lines across turning traffic.
An additional half mile north the intersection of Spring and York similarly has no safe zone for cyclists who must then squeeze across the narrow bridge across Salt Creek. Assuming you make it alive to 31st the "grand loop" of the Oak Brook Sports Core begins on the north side of 31st and that is relatively protected up through Jorie Blvd if one is headed the McDonalds Campus. Unfortunately if one is instead headed to the offices near 22nd and York one must remain on the west side of York and then deal with the discontinuities of the path as it sort of heads up York and eventually peters out in the Forest Preserve south of Roosevelt, going through several poorly laid out stop light intersections...
Should one's work location be closer to the mall one can proceed west along 22nd for a while and the expansion of 22nd did include some improvements to the underpass at I-88 but beyond the intersection of the 22nd and McDonalds Drive there is no separated bicycle lane, just a horrifying 10+ lanes of angry / distracted shopper to fend off. Should one try to get west of Il-83 you will brave at least 4 deadly intersections with manic left turn traffic...
Recreationaly the Oak Brook bicycle path system does do an excellent job of linking the Village's subdivisions to its fine parks and Sports Core / library but it is not geared toward the safety / potential uses of folks commuting from Chicago via rail...
Blah Blah Blah - you don't know what you are talking about !!!!
I've been commuting from the UIC area to Oak Brook for the last three years on bicycle.
The commute I have been describing is my daily route to work, which I have found to be low stress and, honestly, the best commute I have had in my entire working career.
Is it long? Sure, but the train ride consists of sipping coffee and reading a book. The bike ride is, for the most part, pure bliss. Hinsdale and Western Springs are beautiful, and the ride past the country club in Oak Brook is always a joy. Especially when you consider the alternate, which is a nearly hour long tangle with gridlock on the Ike.
I've seen nothing dangerous or challenging, and the only "close call" I have had was my own doing (I didn't know the red light patterns at York/22nd). Since then, I've learned the protocol, and I've had no issues.
I'm not going to comment on your fear threshold, but I will say that the Active Transit Alliance did take their "Ultimate Neighborhood Ride" north of Ogden on York a couple of years back - without incident. There is also a sidewalk on the right side of York if the merge seems unwieldy (which it rarely is).
As far as the bike system not serving commuters: Jorie, Enterprise, Harger, Commerce, MacDonalds, and the mall are all directly accessible via the bike system. That is roughly 75-80 percent of the office development in Oak Brook. The fact that few people actually use it for commuting does not change the fact that Oak Brook had the foresight to plan for for it.
So as many issues as I have with car-centric places like Oak Brook, truth is, they've got transportation - in general - nailed.
Most people aren't aware of it, but it is incredibly easy to get to the mall via public transportation - provided you are west of Harlem and near Cermak or Roosevelt.
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The "passes" are part of the enforcement of their "primary mission"...
