thoughts on lakeshore east (Chicago, Lincoln: real estate, apartment, condo)

[chicagoguy91]

what are your thoughts on lakeshore east neighborhood?

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by chicagoguy91

what are your thoughts on lakeshore east neighborhood?

Meh.

[chet everett]

It is not so much a "neighborhood" as a mostly pathetic attempt of clueless marketers to create a sub-segment of residential real estate that really doesn't deserve any special designation.

Back when the stuff east of Michigan Ave and north of Randolph was mostly referred to as Illinois Center (for the rail yard of the Illinois Central RR that it replaced) folks generally understood what this meant. It mostly was developed in an era when residential high rises were kind of a rarity in Chicago. The lifestyle of Bob Newhart as Dr. Hartley and his sorta 'fashion forward' wife Emily and kind of "playboy" airline pilot neighbor Howard could have been set in any of the older buildings, no kids, no real time limit on how long they were here or might stay. It is kind of funny as to the folks that I've known that live in those buildings it does seem many are "on vacation" from single family detached home ownership. Even if they don't have an indoor pool or other luxury type amenity the lack of responsibility for waether related issues does make the big buildings seem less "primary residence" and more temporary / secondary home.

Over the years the efforts of some of the condo owners in that area to spruce what was once just the northern edge of Grant Park evolved into the current Milleninium Park but that also encompasses the former offices and such that have made into residential units along Michigan Ave...

There is really no way to fully overcome the lack of anything like the more neighborhood oriented developments in Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown/Wicker Park or even Old Town -- the flow of tourists, convention goers, business people and the like vs true residents is probably even more out of whack than in a place like NY's Central Park which has long been ringed by LOTS of higher density residential buildings and has a rather nice mix of both places for tourists and local.

Those things may never happen in the "Lakeshore East" developments and thus will very likely never hold the kind of aspirational appeal that developments in Manhattan do. A huge part of the appeal of living near Central Park in NYC is not just the fact you can be within a short walk or subway ride of work but once you get home you have a huge variety of vibrant stores, restaurants, entertainment venues an equally short walk / ride away AND you still have actual 'neighborhood amenities' too -- the various drug stores, deli / bodegas, schools (public and private), parks have all evolved to serve the full range of residents from the highly affluent to those living in sub 200 sq ft studios. There is no such mix of people in the broader Millenium Park / Lakeshore East / Streeterville area, just various strata of "well off but not mansion / penthouse dwellers" that would instead be more likely found at true Gold Coast, Hyde Park or even Lincoln Park addresses. You don't really have too many "right out of college" dreamers either as there really none of those tiny little studio apartment. Instead there is an over-abundance of those on kind of generous early retirements. These things all contribute to give a mostly "homogenized" city experience that probably serves the marketers quite well -- with each building that goes up they can boast of how "on trend" the packages are for finishing the kitchens / baths with granite or quartz composite and how each newer building has faster internet and such. Of course for folks with older buildings that means the potential pool of buyers mostly shrinks as only cranky old shut-ins are willing to accept dated finishes and crummy internet / cable / work out room as such things become just another rapidly dated 'amenity'...

[Drover]

Originally Posted by chicagoguy91

what are your thoughts on lakeshore east neighborhood?

That the word "neighborhood" should be used in quotes.

[chicagobear]

I always thought it was a little isolated and sterile.

[jdiddy]

It has nothing to do with the 'mix' of people here and everything to do with how it has been zoned. If every lot is zoned for a large footprint highrise with a big parking podium at the base (save a handful of townhouses), you will not have a 'neighborhood'.

Its not complicated.

[personone]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

I always thought it was a little isolated and sterile.

Totally agree. It definitely doesn't have a 'neighborhood' feel to it. It is isolated, and as others have mentioned, you're not really close to a whole lot of interesting things. Also, because everything is new construction, the prices don't align well with the value.

Only place it may be good for, is for consultants who travel a lot, but want to be near the loop for convenience.

[Ace Rothstein]

Originally Posted by chicagobear

I always thought it was a little isolated and sterile.

Pretty much this right here. I'm sure a lot of the units there are quite nice though.

[jonnynonos]

It depends on what you want. I can imagine a lot worse things than living in Aqua and walking to work in the Loop.

[marothisu]

I have a few friends who live there - while there are nice buildings and units there, I would never live there. It's not only not a neighborhood but it's one of the most boring areas of town where there's actual sizable density. Boring, boring, boring.