Work in Downers Grove but Live in the City?? Help Please! (Chicago: home, college) - Illinois (IL) - Page 3 - City-Data Forum

aragx6 · 02-21-2008, 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdiddy

One tip I would give you is to find a gym near your office in the suburbs. This way you can just get your workout in during rush hour, it's a nice motivation to have, when the alternative is to sit in traffic.

Great advice! I never thought of that!

krwshl · 02-22-2008, 07:11 PM

How long do you think it would take to drive to DG in the morning if I left Bucktown (assuming I live close to the eisenhower) at say 7 ... then when I leave DG at say 6 to come back into the city?

I was thinking 10 - 15 minutes total, just kidding ... I was thinking about an hour each way on average let me know your thoughts.

I know some people wonder why I would want to live in the city, but with my job 1 year might be my only opportunity. By the way I am male, so using the EL at night would not worry me as much.

Thanks yet again!!

jdiddy · 02-22-2008, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krwshl

How long do you think it would take to drive to DG in the morning if I left Bucktown (assuming I live close to the eisenhower) at say 7 ... then when I leave DG at say 6 to come back into the city?

I was thinking 10 - 15 minutes total, just kidding ... I was thinking about an hour each way on average let me know your thoughts.

I know some people wonder why I would want to live in the city, but with my job 1 year might be my only opportunity. By the way I am male, so using the EL at night would not worry me as much.

Thanks yet again!!

I'd recommend you live South of Milwaukee, as those 6 way intersections are a pain to cross during rush hours. At the very least, look for a place that makes it pretty easy to avoid either damen/north/milwaukee, Western/Milwaukee/Armitage, or ashland/milwaukee/division. But you're probably looking at a little over an hour in the morning and about 10 minutes more in the evening.

chickaboo · 02-25-2008, 12:50 PM

downtown naperville is the closest I can think of that has lots of bars and restaurants and young people.
but it is the burbs so even the young people are mostly married...

Lookout Kid · 02-25-2008, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krwshl

I know some people wonder why I would want to live in the city, but with my job 1 year might be my only opportunity.

No, hardly anyone will wonder this. The City has a lot to offer, and Chicago has a much stronger "stay in the city with kids" vibe than most American cities. I think more people would wonder why you'd ever want to leave! I'd stay in the city forever if I could afford to do it.

I say live in the city, work in the burbs for a year or two to get settled in with some experience, then ditch that job for one in the Loop.

jiraiya · 02-25-2008, 01:49 PM

the commute is not that bad. i live in ukranian village and i commute (by driving) to LaGrange during the work week. i get off about 2 exits before DG and it takes me a total of 30 minutes in the morning (door to door, leaving at 7 am). Mondays and Tuesdays it takes 30 minutes (door to door) to get home, at 4 pm...10 of the 30 minutes I am in traffic on Augusta or Division. Wed-Fri it takes about 45 min. I dont know how far you have to go when you get off your exit, but the traffic itself is not bad. Now, I work out after work and it only takes me 30 min to get home. if you move to bucktown it definitely will take you longer as there is more traffic congestion on the more northern exits. i used to live in bucktown, very close to the fullerton exit and it took about 15 min more

OrangeAndBlue · 02-25-2008, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krwshl

Thanks a lot for all of your advice!!

Due to the fact that this may be my only opportunity to try living the city life, I am starting to think that is my best option ... you are only young once I am thinking.

Right now I am pondering if I could live in Bucktown, Ukranian Village, Southern Wicker Park, West loop, South Loop or University Village.

My idea is that
1. I could take the EL to say Oak Park (if there is somewhere better let me know) and drive from Oak Park to Downers Grove ... I would leave my car at say Oak Park all the time. Is the traffic from Oak Park to DG still terrible? I am trying to find the shortest, easiest drive possible while avoiding the Metra in this situation.

2. I could leave my car in Lisle and take the EL to Union Station, Metra to Lisle then drive to the office.

If I do not have a car downtown, will it be easy to go to a Gym? I am assuming there are a lot of them downtown ... I am just so used to driving everywhere it makes it hard to conceptualize.

Thanks again!
Chris

The first options doesn't really make any sense, because the part of the drive on the Eisenhower between Oak Park (Harlem Ave) and the city is very quick. The bad traffic is usually west of Harlem Ave until somewhere near Oakbrook or so, and you'd still be driving through there with this option, while probably taking longer using the train to Oak Park than driving.

If you have easy access to your office from a metra station, it may make sense to use the metra to and from work. However, even this probably only makes sense if you live close to Union Station already and don't have to take a long El ride to get there. You may want to look for an apartment somewhere near Greektown or the near West Loop so that you could easily walk to Union Station.

Otherwise, I would have to agree with the others and say just drive. I'm not sure how much longer it takes to get to Downers Grove than Oakbrook Terrace from downtown, but I find my commute to Oakbrook Terrace to be acceptable (usually around 40 mins in the morning and 50 mins in the afternoon) from the loop. It gets really bad when it snows though.

Avengerfire · 02-25-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jiraiya

the commute is not that bad. i live in ukranian village and i commute (by driving) to LaGrange during the work week. i get off about 2 exits before DG and it takes me a total of 30 minutes in the morning (door to door, leaving at 7 am). Mondays and Tuesdays it takes 30 minutes (door to door) to get home, at 4 pm...10 of the 30 minutes I am in traffic on Augusta or Division. Wed-Fri it takes about 45 min. I dont know how far you have to go when you get off your exit, but the traffic itself is not bad. Now, I work out after work and it only takes me 30 min to get home. if you move to bucktown it definitely will take you longer as there is more traffic congestion on the more northern exits. i used to live in bucktown, very close to the fullerton exit and it took about 15 min more

If the OP has to start work around 830-9 and get off at or after 5 that whole timeframe that you give is out the window though.

krwshl · 02-25-2008, 11:21 PM

Right now I am planning on being at work at 8am and leaving at like 5 pm, at 5 when I leave I plan to go to the gym in downers grove ... I will work out during rush hour and hit the expressway at like 6 ish.

Is there a better location than bucktown for my commute ... I know one person mention Ukrainian Village are there others? I do not insist that I live in Bucktown, this was just an option ... I just want to live in a fairly happening part of the city that is close to the eisenhower.

Thanks!!!

sbd78 · 02-26-2008, 06:22 AM

I would suggest going with Wicker Park south of the North/Damen/Milwaukee intersection. Wicker Park and Bucktown are basically the same neighborhood, Wicker Park is just the southern portion of it. As someone else mentioned, that intersection can get backed up. If you live South of it, you will save yourself having to sit in traffic to cross it.