Work in Downers Grove but Live in the City?? Help Please! (Chicago: apartments, lease)

[krwshl]

I am going to be working in Downers Grove on Butterfield Rd. I am in my mid twenties and was considering living in the city because I am not sure if I will get this opportunity again, but is it worth the "hassle"?

1. Is it really worth the daily commute, how long would it roughly take with the Metra and the L? Is it better to just train into the city on the weekends?

2. If I live in the city, what would be a good location in between DG and the city? I would like to spend around 1200 - 1400 a month.

3. If I live in the burbs, what is a good suburb to live in with good bars, shopping etc ...

I am not from around here so any help is greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance.

[Frank the Tank]

The Metra isn't very convenient for a reverse commuter to the suburbs (they only run once an hour and are almost all local trains) and that doesn't count the time that it would take to get you to Union Station from wherever you would be living in the city. On the other hand, the Metra from Downers Grove to the city is pretty quick (20-25 minutes on the express). The El isn't an option in terms of going to Downers Grove. A drive from the city to Downers Grove is probably right on the cusp of being reasonably doable on a daily basis - there's a lot of traffic on I-290 and I-88, but if you're getting off at Highland Avenue off of I-88 or the Butterfield exit off of I-355, it is not a pleasant drive but it also isn't the worst commute ever. Definitely bank on at least an hour commute each way everyday (with it being a breezy 20 minute drive on light traffic days and a gut wrenching 2-hour commute when it snows). If you want to live in the city, you'd probably want to stay in the West Loop or possibly the South Loop so that you can get onto I-290 quickly. Oak Park, which you can read plenty about on these message boards, would also be an attractive option for you since it's about halfway between the Loop and Downers Grove while giving you a hybrid urban/suburban feel with easy access to the city.

[aragx6]

I moved here last July to work in Lemont, which is a little south of the area you'll be working. I knew nothing about the city and didn't think i could afford to live in a decent place, so I found a place in Westmont (very near the area you're talking about) and figured I would be fine.

For some people it would probably work, but it is a lot harder to meet people our age if you live in the suburbs.

I am counting down the days until my lease runs out at the end of June, and even though it'll be a pain to commute, I'm going to do it anyway.

If I go the public transit route (I haven't really decided yet) I'll be taking the metra to Westmont and then a bus to work... door to door it will probably be an hour and a half.

Which sounds pretty awful, but what's worse for me is wanting to meet up with friends to go to a bar and having to leave around midnight to catch the last train home (Or go to a bar and drink soda; which isn't really my style)

My suggestion is to live in the city at least for a year. if the commute is killing you then you can move out to the suburbs. I wish I would have done it in that order instead of suburbs first. It's very lonely out here.

[DonkeyTeeth]

I would recommend taking advantage of your chance to live in the city. The commute is do-able, but I think you're going to need a car. Yes, its technically possible to combine the El, Metra, and buses/shuttles to get from point A to point B, but I doubt it could be done in under two hours each way which you'll probably beat commuting by car on most days. If your job offers any flexibility where you can get in a little early and leave before the PM rush really gets going, then you'll make your commute even more tolerable. If you absolutely hate time in a car, then I'd consider other options.

The key to picking city neighborhoods will be accessability to 290 (Eisenhower Expwy) which is the main E-W route to Downers Grove. I would stick with the West Loop, River North, and maybe the south end of Lincoln Park.

As far as suburbs, Oak Park could be a possibility - its about halfway down 290 between the city and Downers Grove. Its a nice spot with a solid walkable downtown, but its not going to offer the same options as the city for a 20-something, especially when you consider lake/park access, museums, shopping, etc.

Unless a car commute is absolutely unbearable, I'd definitely take the plunge and live in Chicago. You'll meet lots of other people doing the same thing you are.

[rgb123]

I'll bring the counter argument. I'm from the area and have done both. I prefer living in the suburbs while I am working in the suburbs. I agree with Frank about the reverse commute not being the best when using metra (you will get to work at odd times, usually).
Here is the thing -- its is not any easier to meet people in the city. It all depends on you and the effort you make. Being single and all lone in the city can be just as isolating unless you make the effort to get involved. And you can do those things more easily from the suburbs (with people in the city, on the weekends or even weeknights) if that is where you work. There are in fact young people in the suburbs but you wont meet them if you make no effort to meet them.

It can be hard to get some die-hard city people to visit YOU in the suburbs. But it sounds like you wont have any issue with visiting them in the city when you have the time.

Personally, I get very turned off by the "oh you live in the suburbs you must not be cool" attitidue, it is very juvenille, and I would not hang out with those people anyway!

Lots of young people live in the suburbs. I do, many of my friends do. Many of us do have established friendships already, but I dont find it any harder to meet new people, especially if you are willing to travel.

In either place, if your willing to get a roommate that will help...though I hate roommates at my age of 30. Try meetup.com

[aragx6]

If you like going out to bar and having a one or two (or six!) drinks I disagree that it's easy to live the the suburbs and visit friends in the city. The metra isn't made for late nights - and late nights are what I love most about the city!

Also, I've been trying, where do you meet people in their early 20s in the Oak Brook/Westmont/Downers Grove area? Unless you work with a lot of young people, it's pretty hard (at least for me, and I'm one of the more outgoing people you'll ever meet)

It's all going to depend on what you want and can handle.

[rgb123]

I was always able to crash at friends houses in the city, or I would stay out really late and eat breakfast and THEN drive home. I thought all people in their 20's were capable of that... there are plenty of 24 hour restaraunts. No I'm not advocating drinking and driving, I knew my limits and would stop at a certain hour, hang out awhile, whatever then go to Mitchells or something and drive home when the sun was coming up (or after). Those were the days....but nowadays usually there is a couch or something to crash on. And if you are saving money by not comutting and living in the city, maybe you can afford a hotel.

Yes the metra trains stop at midnight (or so), plan ahead. oh, and some parking garages actually close at night. Nothing like sleeping on the sidewalk.

Aragx6- Ive lived here a long time. July is not a long time to have met and made a lot of friends. Also, the suburb you live in is not the same as all of the others. Your experience may not be what everyone else experiences. It can be just as hard to meet people in the city.

[jdiddy]

If you're a transplant, I'd say it's worth the commute for at least a year. At that point, you may have established enough roots in the area where you can afford to move a bit closer to work. I'd stick to neighborhoods where it's easier to get to the Eisenhower. Ukranian Village, Southern Wicker Park, West loop, South Loop, University Village, Printers row would make it more tolerable.

The other option is Forest Park. You'll make it to Downers Grove in under half an hour, but it has two CTA lines for access into the city and a nice little strip of nightlife on Madison. If you don't do the city, that is the best possible 'burb' for your situation.

[aragx6]

I know the suburb I live in isn't like all the others, but it is the one the OP would be living in.

Also, apartments (unless they're really crappy) are expensive in this part of DuPage county, so saving money out here isn't an option. I'm looking at 1 bedrooms in Wicker Park that are cheaper than mine in Westmont.

Also, I think 7 months is a very long time to make good friends. It's never taken be 1/10th that long before. I have met a few casual friends in the city by going out- in fact my So and I have never gone out and not struck up a convo with some cool people in the city. Whereas, we went to a bar in Downers Grove and it was an older crowd and we didn't have much luck meeting anyone.

I'm not trying to argue, really I'm not. I just know how hard it is to move to a strange area and how much meeting new people can help in the adjustment process, and I wouldn't want the OP to be lonely. At least I have my SO, if I were here alone I'd have gone crazy by now.

[sbd78]

I think it depends on the type of person you are. If you love a bustling nightlife and enjoy the cultural things the city has to offer, it may be worth putting up with the long commute. There are bars in the burbs but they don't compare to the nightlife the city has to offer. I live in the burbs now because I'm married with a child, and nightlife is not a priority for me now. When I was single, I lived in the city and loved it. I think I would have been bored in the burbs when I was single. Just my opinion, I'm sure there are plenty of single people that have fun in the burbs. It is possible to commute from the city to Downers Grove, but be prepared for it to be rough, probably over an hour each way, and worse on bad weather or accident days. When I was single and living in the city, my roommate made that very commute. We lived in Wicker Park, at Damen and Evergreen. I recommend that area if you do decide to go with the city. She would shoot down Damen or Western to get on the Eisenhower and Wicker Park has a lot to offer as far as fun nightlife, good restaurants, and shopping. It's much closer to the Eisenhower than other popular neighborhoods like Lincoln Park, Lakeview, etc. Good luck with your decision.