Neighborhood recommendation - Late 20s/Early 30s (Chicago, Addison: best neighborhoods, home)

[citylimits]

Yeah, it's another one of those threads so please bear with me....*puts on flamesuit*

Me: Single, straight male late 20s
Budget: ~2.5k (flexible up/downward)
Looking for:
- safety
- low/mid-rise living
- easy access to restaurants & outdoorsy activities (not much of a clubbing, bar crawl type of guy anymore)
- ideally close to CTA L stop for an occasional trip to my office in the loop; I otherwise work from home or out of town most weeks and will take cabs to/from O'Hare so traffic is not an issue
- diversity (I'm S. Asian and wouldn't want to stick out like a sore thumb)

I am doing pretty well financially, but I hate spending on trendy stuff...I am very laid back, happier in sneakers and looking to meet new people who are also down to earth


Neighborhoods that I'm considering:

- Old Town/Near North Side: central location, close to the lakefront trail but concerned about the lack of diversity and general pretentiousness
- Wicker Park: love the architecture and general vibe in this neighborhood, but activities seem to be centered around eating/drinking in the Damen, Milwaukee, Ashland area; not sure about opportunities to do a lot of outdoorsy stuff (besides running on the 606 bloomingdale trail)
- West Loop/Fulton River: recommended by a lot of people in real life as upcoming, great restaurants etc. I have yet to check this area out in person

What would you guys recommend?

[via chicago]

maybe edgewater? tends to trend a little older, people who have grown out of the partying scene or were never into it (although you will find more college kids once you get up near Loyola. even then, its pretty laid back). there are bars but most are casual and unpretentious. nothing like the Wicker Park or West Loop scene. same with restaurants. its also very diverse, with high vietnamese, AA, ethiopian, mexican families, retirees/pensioners, as well as young professionals across a wide range of incomes. also a little more hippy/nerdier on average. you also have easy access to great beaches and the lakeshore path. compared to most areas of the city its quite safe. youre walking distance to Andersonville which has somewhat trendier stuff, but also the southern tip of Clark Street in rogers park which has lots of good Mexican and Peruvian options. and on the southern end you have Argyle street which is entirely Vietnamese. then cutting through it N/S is Broadway, which has Japanese, Thai, several Ethiopian restaurants, and plenty of other affordable dining choices. really, it you like good cheap eats, its one of the best neighborhoods in the city IMO, if not the best. lots of hidden gems that you'll be still discovering years later.

from a cultural standpoint, there is a growing storefront theater scene. youre also not far from the live music options in uptown.

the good news is you could easily spend only half your budget and still get a pretty nice place. while there are highrises along sheridan, pretty much everything to the west of it is charming prewar, low-midrises with lots of shady streets. the commute on the red line can be a little long into the loop (esp with current construction on the Wilson stop, and a complete overhaul of the branch is planned...something to keep in mind. there are going to be a lot of delays and construction in coming years), if youre not making that trek very often its not a big deal.

the only thing to keep in mind is you have plan on having a car, street parking is horrendous and you will definitely want a paid spot with your building (although honestly, the area is well served by public transit and is quite walkable)

[citylimits]

Thanks via chicago! By shady streets I'm assuming you meant that in a good way, like there are lots of trees? If you were to pick one from the three neighborhoods that I listed, which one would you choose?

[via chicago]

hah yes.

Fulton/West Loop is booming, but if you dont like the fact that Wicker Park focuses too much on booze and food, im not sure youre going to be any happier as thats about all anyone does there. its been the cutting edge of the trendy dining scene for a while. lots of the Michelin starred places are concentrated over there. tons of happy hour type bars. its also still quite industrial in feel. some people like this, but youre not going to find many ways to escape the concrete. that said, its not obnoxious in the way Clark Street near Wrigley is.

chicago isnt a great outdoorsy city in general unless youre close to the lake. its just the nature of the beast.

personally im not much a fan of the neighborhoods you listed for the reasons you mentioned, which is how i wound up here (and Ravenswood before that). but with the factors you mentioned, id maybe go with Old Town as its still got low rise options and if youre not into the bar scene you can pretty much avoid it.

that said, if you do O Hare frequently, wicker park would be more convenient and its a super quick ride into downtown on the L

[usamathman]

O.P. mentioned not wanting to "stick out like a sore thumb". Correct me if I am wrong but aren't all 3 neighborhoods he mentioned heavily caucasian? I'm assuming by his comments that he wants to be around more asian people. I don't think he will find that in any of the 3 neighborhoods mentioned. All 3 neighborhoods are great in my opinion.
for a single guy looking to mingle, your best bet would probably be Wicker Park followed by Old Town. Lots of single ladies in both areas. West Loop to me seems to be a bit slower with less nightlife.

[OyCrumbler]

What's the outdoorsy stuff you're looking to do?

Since you're not headed to the Loop that often, then maybe you can consider living a bit further out. Logan Square is pretty laid back while hitting most of your requirements except the outdoors-y bit where it has the Bloomingdale trail, a series of smaller parks, and heading south to Humboldt Park (the park itself).

The Edgewater suggestion seems good, too, what with the lakefront and all. You might look into parts of Uptown as well.

Or go for the novelty of living in the heart of Chinatown. They do have a nice riverfront park.

[jrs2]

Logan square will provide great outdoor activities, with the 606, huge boulevard system, and humboldt park just south.

[CA-CHI-CO]

Avoid Wicker Park if you're not into the nightlife scene. Logan Square would be a better option. Check out some far north neighborhoods like Rogers Park, since you don't need to go to the Loop every day. There are nice beaches up there and you can go to the north branch of the river, little forest preserves to the north, north shore beaches, etc...Not awhole lot for nature stuff in Chicago other than parks and beaches.

[fusillirob1983]

I don't think an Asian male in his upper 20s will stick out like a sore thumb in any of the majority Caucasian neighborhoods that have been mentioned.


All of these areas I'm about to list have decent access to restaurants.


I'd suggest North Center, Lincoln Square, West Loop, or Old Town. Lincoln Square would likely provide the most diversity of those neighborhoods. None of these are on the lake, but it's not difficult to get there from any of these places. Lincoln Square and North Center border the Chicago River as well, so that's also a plus.


Edgewater would provide a little more diversity and is on the lake, but I think the other neighborhoods are nicer. Roscoe Village is a nice, quiet area as well and if you're strategic, you can be close to the Paulina or Addison Brown line stops.


The area of Lakeview closer to Diversey and Southport is much quieter than Wrigleyville. You won't at all be affected by the ballpark if you're down that way. It's also walkable to restaurants, public transit and isn't difficult to get to the lake from there.

[chicagobear]

I would pick the near north side (River North, Gold Coast, Old Town). You can walk to many restaurants and stores, public transportation is excellent, and cabs are easily available. You get the most out of living in a "real city" like Chicago when you are in a dense area that's part of the core. Your race is irrelevant. There are many Asian professionals in these areas.