Hyde Park (Chicago: fit in, houses, neighborhoods)

[mandipoo]

Hey guys..It looks like we will finally be moving to Chicago!.
My b/f has a jobs offer in Hyde Park, but I am really wanting to move to
the lakeview area. I guess my question is this, how is the commute via mass transit from lakeview to hyde park? And if we do end up in Hyde Park is there plenty to do, restaurants, bars, shopping, movies with in walking distance?
Thanks for the help!

[soulful]

I know 3 or 4 people who work at the University in Hyde Park and all of them live in Lakeview or adjacent neighborhoods.

There certainly are some restaurants and small commercial strips in Hyde Park. However, it doesn't compare to Lakeview/the northside. For example, in Lakeview you will have the choice of movies at the Music Box (super cool almost 100year old art house) or the newer Landmark Century theatres on Clark just north of Diversey. In Hyde Park, you will have to travel for things like movies.

As for the commute, it isn't great. Everyone I know who works in Hyde Park has tried many, many options and all take about 50 minutes each way on an average day from Lakeview. I suggest you go to the transitchicago website's "tripplanner" and explore using various times of the day (and even varying your schedule by 5 minutes can bring up different options). Most folks wind up taking the Red Line and then connecting to a bus either on State St downtown or further down south closer to Hyde Park. It seems it still comes out to the same amount of travel time. You can also use the Metra train station from Hyde Park to downtown and connect to the Red Line by walking a block or two. Again, doesn't make much difference timewise.

Good luck with your move.

[Avengerfire]

Take Lake Shore Drive if driving. If you do and it is not rush hour (or there is not a Cubs game or Bears game) it should take you 30 minutes tops from Hyde Park to Lake View.

There is also a Hyde Park to Lake View express bus but it only runs from 330 pm to 630 pm. It leaves 60th and Kimbark every half hour. It takes about an hour to get to Belmont and Halsted. It only runs Northbound for some reason. There are many other ways to get back and forth via the CTA. Via the CTA bank on an hour or more in travel time no matter what route you take.

As Dsimicata said check the CTA website. The Red line to #6 Jackson Park Express probably is the best route.

[Manigault]

There's pretty good transportation to Hyde Park from Lakeview and it takes about an hour in rush hour. Depending where a person works, you can take the Metra, the #2 bus or the #6 bus. Check out the CTA website for what floats your boat:

Chicago Transit Authority | 1-888-YOURCTA

I like to put my bike on the CTA in the morning, lock it at work and then ride home along the lakefront. That can be very pleasant.

If you move to Hyde Park, remember it is a company town and a bedroom community. There's a good variety of restaurants but not much nightlife.

[fine_where_I_am]

Originally Posted by Manigault

I like to put my bike on the CTA in the morning, lock it at work and then ride home along the lakefront. That can be very pleasant.

I was going to say, if the commute is around an hour, then maybe cycling would be a good idea instead. 30-60 minute bike ride I'm guessing? (60 minutes for me probably )

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by Manigault

There's pretty good transportation to Hyde Park from Lakeview and it takes about an hour in rush hour. Depending where a person works, you can take the Metra, the #2 bus or the #6 bus. Check out the CTA website for what floats your boat:

Chicago Transit Authority | 1-888-YOURCTA

I like to put my bike on the CTA in the morning, lock it at work and then ride home along the lakefront. That can be very pleasant.

If you move to Hyde Park, remember it is a company town and a bedroom community. There's a good variety of restaurants but not much nightlife.

By company town, do you mean that its the University of Chicago employees and people who just use the neighborhood to live?

[Humboldt1]

Where will you be working? Lakeview is very cool, home to julius meinl, great coffee bar with awesome desserts.

If your b/f is going to hyde park everyday he will spend 1-2 hours a day commuting, 5-10 hours a week. If you are working on the northside I would understand you looking a lakeview.

Hyde Park is not a big hangout area, but you can always get to Lakeview and other hangout areas fairly quickly, especially on weekends. I assume you will be spending more time working than hanging out so definitely factor into his and your (I assume you are working too) work commutes along with being near hangout areas.

Of course, this is advice coming from a single guy who only hangs out on the weekend. During the week, I am too busy with work for such things.

[Manigault]

Originally Posted by Tex?Il?

By company town, do you mean that its the University of Chicago employees and people who just use the neighborhood to live?

I mean that the U is the big gorilla in Hyde Park. You'd be surprised the amount of realty it owns and how many private houses it controls. Plus the hospital never saw a vacant lot which it did not think a building would fit into. I'd say that no more than 20% of the people in Hyde Park are university connected as student, faculty or staff. Plus there are other seminaries and such in Hyde Park plus fallout from IIT and elsewhere.

It has been noted in the major journals that the UofC is unique among urban universities in that most of the faculty live in the neighborhood. So they can all get together and think smart thoughts or something. During the eighties, the law school had one professor who did not live in Hyde Park. One. He lived near north. Believe me, the situation on Morningside Heights is far different.

The problem comes when someone has a different opinion, even aesthetic, than the university. Then there can be a wrasslin' match. It also got a bad reputation during urban renewal.