Noise Levels of the Downtown Core (Chicago, Grant Park: apartments, rent, houses)

[Codederick]

How noisy are the downtown core neighborhoods during the night? I’d love to move downtown but I’m concerned about potentially routinely being woken up by people, cars, trains, buses, construction, etc, especially since I’m a light sleeper. I’m curious about the following neighborhoods:

The Gold Coast
River North
Streeterville
The Loop

Thanks!

[SubconsciousMe]

I live in Printers Row/South Loop. Amazing area and quiet.

We viewed an apartment by Lurie/Northwestern by Chicago/State, I wouldn't advise due to the number of sirens I heard just during the viewing.

[ChicagoMeO]

I recommend for quiet downtown living, the New East side.. which is east of Michigan to Lake Shore Drive going east, from Wacker to Randolph. No shopping, etc, so its less people.

[Codederick]

Originally Posted by SubconsciousMe

I live in Printers Row/South Loop. Amazing area and quiet.

We viewed an apartment by Lurie/Northwestern by Chicago/State, I wouldn't advise due to the number of sirens I heard just during the viewing.

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

I recommend for quiet downtown living, the New East side.. which is east of Michigan to Lake Shore Drive going east, from Wacker to Randolph. No shopping, etc, so its less people.

Interesting. South Loop is great. I just wish it were closer to the Mag Mile.

I can't believe the New East Side is the cheapest part of The Loop, as it also happens to be the safest. Studios start at $1,350/month.

[SubconsciousMe]

Originally Posted by Codederick

Interesting. South Loop is great. I just wish it were closer to the Mag Mile.

Interesting, I am about a mile from the Bean.
I do not see the appeal in loving so close to north Mich Ave. That place is nuts and full of crazy tourists. Not my speed but more power to ya.

Originally Posted by Codederick

I can't believe the New East Side is the cheapest part of The Loop, as it also happens to be the safest. Studios start at $1,350/month.

We considered New East Side but it's lack of proximity to the trains for the buildings that appealed to us was a deal breaker.

[dtcbnd03]

Gold Coast - I live here and love the area. The only downside is the noise of occasional sirens heading over to/from the medical district into our area. But other than that it's quiet. The closeness to the EL, restaurants, bars, lake and everything else vastly outweighs any occasional noise (which you'll get anywhere downtown)

Streeterville - to me this area is boring cause you have to head west of Michigan ave to find bars/restaurants/nightlife. Plus if you're close to the medical district you'll hear sirens alllll day. And there's that fire station just east of Michigan and Chicago.

River North - prime residential area and close to everything. I mean there's gonna be noise cause you're in the heart of the restaurant/nightlife area. I like how Gold Coast feels a "bit" more neighborhoody.

Loop - Never would live in loop. It's business / shopping / theater district. Better to live in River North.

South Loop - for quietness this is your BEST bet. I was in south loop for a year and it's like a suburb feel very close to the city. It's quiet with some bars/restaurants but not a ton. Close to the EL and lake. Tons of shops and grocery stores down Roosevelt but you'll likely drive a bit more in south loop. South Loop is hard to explain but trust me it's quiet...almost too quiet for me. Lollapooloza and Bears Games bring a lot of people to the area passing through but otherwise it's a sleepy area.

[SubconsciousMe]

Originally Posted by dtcbnd03

South Loop - for quietness this is your BEST bet. I was in south loop for a year and it's like a suburb feel very close to the city. It's quiet with some bars/restaurants but not a ton. Close to the EL and lake. Tons of shops and grocery stores down Roosevelt but you'll likely drive a bit more in south loop. South Loop is hard to explain but trust me it's quiet...almost too quiet for me. Lollapooloza and Bears Games bring a lot of people to the area passing through but otherwise it's a sleepy area.

I currently live in the South Loop and I have no bloody clue what you are talking about We must live/have lived in different South Loops. I can easily walk to at least 10 bars and even more restaurants. I can walk to every train and my walk score is 98 with a transit score of 100. But hey, cheers to you. Be where you are happy.

[mhays25]

The interior of a block can be much quieter than the street side, assuming there's no alley behind a nightclub or something. Find a block that's mostly residential. I don't live in Chicago but that's proven to work extremely well in my city's downtown fringe.

Barking dogs are the worst problem. It only takes one jerk in 100 to let their dog bark out the window all day, because there might be 100 units within easy earshot. And don't be near the "dog run" if the building has one. But at least this problem usually goes away at night, unlike houses were one can be outside and randomly bark at any time.

[dtcbnd03]

Originally Posted by SubconsciousMe

I currently live in the South Loop and I have no bloody clue what you are talking about We must live/have lived in different South Loops. I can easily walk to at least 10 bars and even more restaurants. I can walk to every train and my walk score is 98 with a transit score of 100. But hey, cheers to you. Be where you are happy.

I was at Michigan and Roosevelt. The Scout was the only bar near me that I would consider a "going out bar". There's no lively strip of bars/restaurants in South Loop like River North, Gold Coast, Old Town, LP, Wicker Park, and Wrigleyville. More of a sleepy feel of a bar here...restaurant there. Printers Row might be an exception but it's still nowhere near as lively as up north. Yes I was very close to El and tons of grocery stores and the stores / movie theater down Roosevelt but you're more likely to drive up/down Roosevelt and anywhere south of Roosevelt than casually stroll through a neighborhood like up north. And I love to walk and take public transportation....but I think others would agree that South Loop is sleepy and just starting to wake up.

[ChicagoMeO]

Originally Posted by Codederick

Interesting. South Loop is great. I just wish it were closer to the Mag Mile.

I can't believe the New East Side is the cheapest part of The Loop, as it also happens to be the safest. Studios start at $1,350/month.

Actually, the prices for apartment rent near the lake (including East Lake View) are all about the same. i mean you can find a reasonable apartment if you look. West loop is more expensive than all. you can find average price apartment if you keep looking. you get what you pay for. for me, i pay for the convenience of being near things i want and the money i save on not having to commute pays for the rent. so its what you want that counts. I like the safety factor, and i can hop on a bus if i want to go anywhere. If i want to go anywhere, im just a hop on the bus, or Metra, which will take me anywhere.

By the way, if you look on Apartments.Com you can find some decent priced apartments.

One bad thing about the area by Grant Park near Jackson, they always seem to have teachers strikes and other protestors that seem to hit that area. I"m glad I dont live near there, coz you will get caught in all that mess.