Safe CTA stops to live close to for a newcomer (Chicago: lease, tenants)

[Drover]

Well, Junior Terrace is a very nice area, one of the nicest in the city in my humble opinion. But be aware that it's very near some not-so-nice areas and that the closest L stop (Wilson Red Line) is the nastiest stop on the entire north side of the city, rivaled only by Howard and maybe Jarvis.

[heartchicago]

I was hoping to rely on the express buses for daily commute to downtown, but yes, on the weekends, we would be using the el to get around

[Drover]

The Wilson stop is "OK" during the day, if barely. I'd avoid it altogether at night, mostly because of the territory you'd have to walk through to get there. I'd hoof it down to the Sheridan stop if you need to get to or from the Red Line at night.

[heartchicago]

We found a nice place in Andersonville, south of the Edgewater Medical Center. On Everyblock, the area at and North of Edgewater Medical Center has some crime, but it seems a lot less compared to even a relatively safe area like Lincoln Square. Does anyone have any comments about the Andersonville area around Bryn Mawr and Ashland? The Jewel there seems good, and there is a nice produce market right across the street from it. The brown line is easily accessible by the Damen bus (took 7 minutes to get there), and then taking brown line to the loop seems to be less congested (albeit slightly slower) than red line.

[Drover]

Oooh, the Edgewater Medical Center, birthplace of Hitlery Clinton.

Anyway, I used to live a block from there. Quiet, mostly drama-free area, and it has only gotten more upscale in the intervening years. The Clark Street corridor is one of the best dining/nightlife areas in the city. I don't remember where you're commuting to, but if you have to get downtown, it can be a bit of a haul. But you two fairly convenient options: 1) a 10-minute walk to the Bryn Mawr Red Line station, or catch the Damen bus on Ashland and take it down to the Damen Brown Line stop. I used to do the latter, and my commute to the Merchandise Mart took 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how long I had to wait for a bus.

[heartchicago]

Originally Posted by Drover

Oooh, the Edgewater Medical Center, birthplace of Hitlery Clinton.

Anyway, I used to live a block from there. Quiet, mostly drama-free area, and it has only gotten more upscale in the intervening years. The Clark Street corridor is one of the best dining/nightlife areas in the city. I don't remember where you're commuting to, but if you have to get downtown, it can be a bit of a haul. But you two fairly convenient options: 1) a 10-minute walk to the Bryn Mawr Red Line station, or catch the Damen bus on Ashland and take it down to the Damen Brown Line stop. I used to do the latter, and my commute to the Merchandise Mart took 40 minutes to an hour, depending on how long I had to wait for a bus.

This apartment is near there too. My plan was to take the bus to the Damen brown line. It should take an average of 40 minutes, but since the bus stop is a very short walk away, I feel good about the commute in the winter. On bad winter days, I just have to budget far more time, but there were very few other options that fit what we were looking for. Those that came as close were almost twice the price in rent.

Finding this place was like serendipity really. My wife and I did an exhaustive search based on all of the suggestions. We had two days to fit in as many appointments as possible and get to all on foot. The first day was lousy. We saw only one that we liked. The second day was staring lousy with agents not showing up to meet us or apts renting before we could even see them. One that we were scheduled to see had rented that morning. The landlord called and said that he had another property we might like based on our criteria. We had mapped out every apartment we were scheduled to see to make sure it fit most of the criteria. So, spending the time to go see one that we had not planned on was illogical to me, however, I had a good feeling about this landlord. As it turned out, the one he showed us fit almost everything we wanted. We were walking around Clark, North of Bryn Mawr, and were just very happy with the area. Thank you all for your help. We are looking forward to moving to chicago and beginning our future there.

There was an apartment locator who was very helpful, and two locator services that were not. I recommend Carmen Ramos at Groupfox (carmen@groupfox.com). Eventhough we did not choose one of her listings, she was considerate and respectful to our priorities. The other two we tried to use were apt people and apt and condo center.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Drover

Oooh, the Edgewater Medical Center, birthplace of Hitlery Clinton. ...

Yeah and John Wayne Gacy.

...and myself.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by heartchicago

This apartment is near there too. My plan was to take the bus to the Damen brown line. It should take an average of 40 minutes, but since the bus stop is a very short walk away, I feel good about the commute in the winter. On bad winter days, I just have to budget far more time, but there were very few other options that fit what we were looking for. Those that came as close were almost twice the price in rent.

One thing you have going for you that I didn't back then was the CTA bus tracker that will tell you within a couple minutes when a bus will arrive. I had to go out and just stand there without a clue if the bus was coming in 45 seconds or 20 minutes. Plus, they just upgraded their service so you can get e-mail notices sent to your cell phone or Crackberry or whatever, so you'll even know when you're standing at the Damen train station and you don't have a computer terminal in front of you.

[scarletneon]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Yeah and John Wayne Gacy.

...and myself.

and epic Medicare fraud!

[heartchicago]

Originally Posted by Drover

One thing you have going for you that I didn't back then was the CTA bus tracker that will tell you within a couple minutes when a bus will arrive. I had to go out and just stand there without a clue if the bus was coming in 45 seconds or 20 minutes. Plus, they just upgraded their service so you can get e-mail notices sent to your cell phone or Crackberry or whatever, so you'll even know when you're standing at the Damen train station and you don't have a computer terminal in front of you.

While not convenient, there is one more route to get to the loop. One could take the 22 to near the Rogers Park Metra and then take the metra into downtown. I suspect that would be fastest, but since I pay for a UPass anyways, it is also the most costly. My wife and I were taking brown line during "rush hour" and it was nowhere as crowded as the others. I figure I could even get a half hour of reading done.

Is there anything a renter should know or make sure is taken care of with regard to "vintage" apartments in these old buildings? Common sense things are to make sure the stove, fridge, light fixtures, and peephole work. But is there anything in particular about these older apartments that is important to know?