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Old 03-05-2008, 08:10 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
217 posts, read 679,063 times
Reputation: 82

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Before I get flamed for asking a question that's addressed in other threads, I'd like to point out I'm asking because there's a lot of varying information spread over this forum.

I'm planning to move to Chicago in June and like most college grads, I am mostly interested in the northern neighborhoods. I'm considering places like Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville/Lakeview, Wicker Park, etc...

I will be working in the loop, near the Washington/Wells station. I would really like to take the EL, or other public transportation, and would like to commute < 30min each way. How far north, or northwest, can I go and achieve this? Can I really trust the commute times given by the CTA website? They seem low to me for rush hour, for example it says 20 minutes from the Belmont station (by Wrigley Stadium) to the Washington/Wells station at 8am...

Last edited by manchesterUnited; 03-05-2008 at 08:32 PM..
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Old 03-05-2008, 09:09 PM
 
52 posts, read 132,742 times
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Hi! And welcome to Chicago. I've lived here about 2 years and love it. However, I HIGHLY prefer the busses over trains. They're cleaner, quieter, and smell better. If you're looking to spend less than 30 minutes from Washington/Wells, go no further than Addison or Belmont. DOn't listen to the CTA's website, they no nothing. Expect to spend at least 25-30 minutes if you're going to Belmont or Addison.
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Old 03-05-2008, 09:16 PM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
683 posts, read 4,606,080 times
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The good thing about trains is that if you're on one, it doesn't matter whether or not it's rush hour as far as the length of your ride. They come more frequently and in fact I've found they are usually moving along faster because they don't do as much contruction during rush hour times. From Belmont to Wells is about 20 minutes (of course, there are no transfers either--if you move to Lakeview or directly north you'd be off the red line and have to transfer to the brown line), and yes, I've found the CTA website to be fairly accurate with length of times (at least in my experience).
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Old 03-05-2008, 09:18 PM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
683 posts, read 4,606,080 times
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Also, don't expect buses to be quiet, clean, or smell good, haha. They take a lot longer (of course).
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Old 03-05-2008, 11:12 PM
 
Location: Brooklyn, NY
217 posts, read 679,063 times
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Thanks for the quick responses! That input was definitely helpful!
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Old 03-05-2008, 11:57 PM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,687,747 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mel2882 View Post
From Belmont to Wells is about 20 minutes (of course, there are no transfers either--if you move to Lakeview or directly north you'd be off the red line and have to transfer to the brown line) . . .
Huh? The Red Line runs the entire north/south length of Lakeview and all three neighborhoods directly north.
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Old 03-06-2008, 08:06 AM
 
3,631 posts, read 10,195,624 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Huh? The Red Line runs the entire north/south length of Lakeview and all three neighborhoods directly north.
but they'd have to transfer to the brown line to get on the loop elevated... i think that's what was being said.
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Old 03-06-2008, 08:50 AM
 
Location: outer boroughs, NYC
904 posts, read 2,862,600 times
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20-25 min from Belmont to Washington/Wells sounds about right. I pass through Belmont every day on the Red Line.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the train stations in the Loop are, like, freakily close together. If your office is between the Wells elevated and State, you could probably go a bit further north than Belmont, just take the Red Line without transferring and still keep it around 30. I commute from Bryn Mawr (which considerably further north) to Lake most days, and it takes about 45 min door-to-door, just as a point of comparison.
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Old 03-06-2008, 08:53 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,687,747 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by supernerdgirl View Post
but they'd have to transfer to the brown line to get on the loop elevated... i think that's what was being said.
Well, depending on what part of Lake View they lived in, they could just as easily if not easier walk to a Brown Line station as a Red Line station. There are the same number of each serving the Lake View neighborhood. And whether they would need to transfer at all depends a lot on where they work. The Red Line subway duplicates roughly half the Loop track's coverage already, or substantially all of it the person can bear to walk an extra two blocks.
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Old 03-06-2008, 10:24 AM
 
Location: New Orleans, LA
683 posts, read 4,606,080 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
Huh? The Red Line runs the entire north/south length of Lakeview and all three neighborhoods directly north.
Oops, I meant to say if you DON'T move directly north or to Lakeview. One word made a big difference there, sorry!
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