Just work with me here. (Chicago, Lincoln: dorm, theater, high school)

[REM]

I'm from Indianapolis and for the longest time i've set my sites on New York City. Now that i'm almost out of high school i was thinking about going to columbia collge, one reason being so close to home, and then going to NY.I want to know what the student life is like at Columbia, and in the city. I keep hearing that chicago's downtown is kinda dull, i also recall a time when i was down there on a firday night and saw one person on a downtown street in the summer... I has taken me a year to get over that fact that their is more than NY than just manhattan so i still need some convinceing on chicago. What's the urban life like outside the loop?

[Drover]

Downtown is dull because it's almost nothing but office buildings and businesses that cater to the people who work in them (read: close down by 7pm). That's like expecting a party in downtown Indy after hours and complaining that the place is dead; meanwhile everyone's livin' it up in Broad Ripple. Same deal here: if you want a little more vitality, you need to go to places where people actually, you know, live. Spend a day in Lincoln Park or Lakeview, since that's where a large portion of Columbia students live, with an increasing number living in the University Village/east Pilsen area. And those who live in that Columbia dorm thingy can hop on a train and be in any of those three places in 15 to 20 minutes if they need a dose of happenin'.

[mendelman]

Yes, the Loop is pretty quiet/dull outside weekday working hours, but that is no reason not to live in the area (You'll live in a dorm, I presume).

But, no worrys, the nightlife of the Near North Side (aka River North, Rush St.) is but a short 5 mile away. And Lincoln Park and Lakeview's nightlife is but a 15 minute bus ride away.

Embrace the "dull" of the Loop and enjoy the quiet during the day on the weekends (and wonderful access to Grant Park and the Lake) and run to the near northside for your weekend evening partying.

[Drover]

I don't know that I'd recommend the Viagra Triangle nightlife district to an 18-year-old kid. He won't be able to get into a lot of the establishments up there, and he'll be way out of place at the establishments he could get into, provided he had the money to patronize any of them in the first place.

[Mister Mappy]

Bucktown/Wicker Park is the semi "artsy" area. There's a number of funky little shops, and some theatres, too. Not as much as there used to be, but some. Also, it's just a quick ride on the Blue Line from downtown. I would check that area out.

[Lookout Kid]

You know, I think the idea that the Loop is dull is becoming a dated notion. I used to work on Michigan Avenue by the Art Institute, and would routinely be at work late at night. I noticed a significant difference in the area after Millenium Park was completed. Suddenly I would walk out of the office at 10:00 p.m. and there would be a sea of people enjoying the fountain, coming/going from a concert, or leaving the CSO. State Street has also become a lot more active in the last few years, and the Loop (or at least the eastern edge of the Loop) is now quite active after the offices close.

I'll also add that "downtown" in Chicago to most people includes more than just the Loop. Most consider the Mag Mile/River North/Streeterville area "downtown", and this area is bustling into the evening just about any day of the year--regardless of weather. I now work in River North (often into the evening hours), and there are nearly ALWAYS people walking around.

[Costa Rica Chica]

It depends what you are into. If you like restaurants, the theater, stuff like that - sowntown has a lot going on at night. But a young college kid would prefer the bars/clubs which are outside of the actual Loop, but easily accessible by public transportation. I think Chicago has a great nightlife.

[eevee]

I think for a college kid, the main place of interest would be the Bar Louie near Dearborn (?). granted, I've been to that place and thought it was overrated and kind of nasty (even for a bar), but that seems to be the place where a lot of Columbia kids hang out when stuck in the Loop. mostly though, they just hop on the red line and go somewhere else to have fun

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by eevee

I think for a college kid, the main place of interest would be the Bar Louie near Dearborn (?). granted, I've been to that place and thought it was overrated and kind of nasty (even for a bar), but that seems to be the place where a lot of Columbia kids hang out when stuck in the Loop. mostly though, they just hop on the red line and go somewhere else to have fun

Columbia kids go to Reggie's way more than Bar Louie's. No respectable artistic person would frequent Bar Louie's on a regular basis.

Bar Louie's on Polk (Dearborn Station) is not even in the Loop.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by REM

...I keep hearing that chicago's downtown is kinda dull, i also recall a time when i was down there on a firday night and saw one person on a downtown street in the summer...

What was it Memorial Day? I find this VERY VERY VERY hard to believe.