Pros and Cons about living in Chicago (Evanston, Oak Park: 2014, home)

[MannheimMadman]

Isn't parking in a garage not an option sometimes?

I was driving through Clearing/Garfield Ridge the other day with my wife, and we noticed that a lot of them didn't have alleys/garages in the back, so everyone parked in the street. I love this 'hood, but the lack of yard space and garage put her off.

Although, some houses had yard space and garages..so who knows?

[long101]

my least favorite part of chicago is all the parking bs. I barely ever drive my car so I will leave it sit for a week at a time. Its a new car and didnt have holes for a front license plate. So I come out to my car and it had 6 tickets on it one day all for not having a front license plate, wtf. Then i got 3 tickets for having tinted windows. I mean come on is it really worth it for all of the scratches from people bumping into you, having to move your car for street cleaning and all that bs. Now i just rent a spot in a garage so I dont have to deal with that sht. its a good 2 miles away and costs $150. Ok Im done with my rant

[Lookout Kid]

We don't have an alley or garage, but I park in a nearby high-rise with an indoor garage. It's absolutely worth the money. When I lived in Wicker Park we had a garage off the alley and a yard, but there were only two spaces for a building with six units (and we were lucky enough to snag one). It really depends on the neighborhood.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by long101

my least favorite part of chicago is all the parking bs. I barely ever drive my car so I will leave it sit for a week at a time. Its a new car and didnt have holes for a front license plate. So I come out to my car and it had 6 tickets on it one day all for not having a front license plate, wtf. Then i got 3 tickets for having tinted windows. I mean come on is it really worth it for all of the scratches from people bumping into you, having to move your car for street cleaning and all that bs. Now i just rent a spot in a garage so I dont have to deal with that sht. its a good 2 miles away and costs $150. Ok Im done with my rant

At that point is it even worth having it?

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by long101

my least favorite part of chicago is all the parking bs. I barely ever drive my car so I will leave it sit for a week at a time. Its a new car and didnt have holes for a front license plate. So I come out to my car and it had 6 tickets on it one day all for not having a front license plate, wtf. Then i got 3 tickets for having tinted windows. I mean come on is it really worth it for all of the scratches from people bumping into you, having to move your car for street cleaning and all that bs. Now i just rent a spot in a garage so I dont have to deal with that sht. its a good 2 miles away and costs $150. Ok Im done with my rant

ahh it's people like you that remind me of why I didn't bring a car with me.

[thePR]

Originally Posted by AaronK

Weather is terrible.

Pro-Chicago is a fantastic city. If you are looking for a permanent relocation, I would not settle for Chicago. But it is nice to come and make good money for a few years, maybe experience other cultures. However, there aren't always pros with that.

Chicago is a nice city, nicer than other cities, very big, lots of opportunity. Politics, however, are corrupt. Too many liberals who believe in income redistribution and raising taxes for everything. The mayor of this city is a dick, and should have gotten his ass kicked a couple more times as a kid. The democrat machine is ridiculous, considering how fed up everyone is with them. You'd think people would have common sense and elect people with a little bit more fiscal responsibility.

Yeah, I'd come visit for a few years if you're looking for a big change. It isn't anywhere I'd want to retire, but it can be nice if you are living in the heart of Chicago. Suburbs aren't that spectacular, I should add.

For a somewhat other side to this:

There are people who have been in your situation, moving from a warm climate to a cooler one, and loved it. I personally love all 4 of my seasons even if spring can be short.

I think that Chicago is a great place to move to because like all great cities it has the urban part to it and suburban part and in those two are varying degrees of cost and feel to the area.

The "Democratic Machine" has cooled of quite a bit since the days of Richard J. Daley but once in a while you can see it rise up again. This year he shut off someone's microphone when they were talking, his father installed that, and he forced the Chicago Children's Museum to be built in Grant Park. It is a Liberal city and what do you expect them to act like with those views. I don't know Atlanta's political leanings but Chicago's stronghold on one party politics has been around for a while and looks like it's here to stay. That's something to think of when moving here.

The suburbs of Chicago are some of the nicest in the country and are great places to live and raise kids so if you are in it for the long hall, I suggest you check them out.

[long101]

Originally Posted by supernerdgirl

ahh it's people like you that remind me of why I didn't bring a car with me.

haha Yea if I could sell it I would. I bought it right before I new I was going to move which was about 7 months ago and if I sell it now I wont get jack.

[sharkylittleton]

Originally Posted by long101

my least favorite part of chicago is all the parking bs. I barely ever drive my car so I will leave it sit for a week at a time. Its a new car and didnt have holes for a front license plate. So I come out to my car and it had 6 tickets on it one day all for not having a front license plate, wtf. Then i got 3 tickets for having tinted windows. I mean come on is it really worth it for all of the scratches from people bumping into you, having to move your car for street cleaning and all that bs. Now i just rent a spot in a garage so I dont have to deal with that sht. its a good 2 miles away and costs $150. Ok Im done with my rant

When I first moved in the same thing happened to me. I had 6 no front plate tickets as well. But mine was in the front winshield... but cited as a misuse of the plate. About 10-15 minutes to find parking and average about a 4 block walk in WP, which isnt so bad from what I hear about Lakeview. In a full month here I've parked in front of my apartment for a magic total of 3 times.

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by sharkylittleton

When I first moved in the same thing happened to me. I had 6 no front plate tickets as well. But mine was in the front winshield... but cited as a misuse of the plate. About 10-15 minutes to find parking and average about a 4 block walk in WP, which isnt so bad from what I hear about Lakeview. In a full month here I've parked in front of my apartment for a magic total of 3 times.

Sharky,
Is your street permitted? Our street (Winchester) is, but it does seem to be kind of a mix of streets that are and streets that aren't.

[sharkylittleton]

Originally Posted by aragx6

Sharky,
Is your street permitted? Our street (Winchester) is, but it does seem to be kind of a mix of streets that are and streets that aren't.

Aragx6,

My street is not permitted, but there are a mix of streets that are and are not. But the majority of them are not permitted. To make matters worse, Fridays and Saturdays my neighborhood fills up with wannabe suburbanite hipsters in their huge azz SUV's and take up so much darn space. It almost makes parking nearly impossible.