Is it safe to leave your car at Caroll Avenue Station? (Chicago: house, neighborhood)

[chris0681]

I'm planning a trip to Chicago during the 4th of July weekend, and I'm coming from Michigan, I figured I would take the South Shore Train into the city from Michigan City, IN and leave my car at the Caroll Avenue Station for 3 nights, is it a safe place to leave a vehicle? I hear its lighted at night and some people on here have said they havent had any problems there but I'm curious what everyone else thinks. Id rather not leave from South Bend Airport because its farther away, and there are fewer trains that leave from there into Chicago, even though thats a patrolled lot

[slow_nerve_action]

If that is your primary concern (BTW, South Bend Airport is in a worse neighborhood than Carroll Ave in Michigan City), park at Dune Park.

[chris0681]

Thanks Dune Park it is! just got tickets for it, only $15 for 2 shipped online usable for up to 90 days. I'm wondering if that lot is patrolled, I couldnt get ahold of them, it looks like a generally safe place to park though, with lots of space, over 500 spots.

[Avengerfire]

This thread should be in the Northwest Indiana Forum.

[slow_nerve_action]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

This thread should be in the Northwest Indiana Forum.

No, not really.

Surprisingly, very few people in NWI know that much about the train. About a good quarter of them are afraid of going north of I-80, let alone take mass transit.

[slow_nerve_action]

Originally Posted by chris0681

Thanks Dune Park it is! just got tickets for it, only $15 for 2 shipped online usable for up to 90 days. I'm wondering if that lot is patrolled, I couldnt get ahold of them, it looks like a generally safe place to park though, with lots of space, over 500 spots.

Its in the middle of nowhere, the station house has a "police" station in it, and there's plenty of parking.

Not that one has to work about their care getting broken into at any of those three stations....only East Chicago, Gary, and Hammond get messed with, from what I have seen, and five years of parking their daily/nightly, never had my car messed with once.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by slow_nerve_action

...Surprisingly, very few people in NWI know that much about the train. About a good quarter of them are afraid of going north of I-80, let alone take mass transit.

Yeah, and I bet you think most people that ride the South Shore on a regular basis are Chicagoans that work in Northwest Indiana.

[Jandur]

I used to live in Michigan and did the same thing you mentioned. I left my care in Michigan City at the 11th street station overnight. Nothing happened to my car. The area pretty run-down but I don't think it's unsafe or anything. Just don't leave anything visible in the car and you should be fine.

[slow_nerve_action]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Yeah, and I bet you think most people that ride the South Shore on a regular basis are Chicagoans that work in Northwest Indiana.

Its a relatively small percentage of the area population that makes up the ridership that takes those trains in. The number is getting smaller as the recession drags on.

I used to be one of them, and probably would still be if our life circumstances were different. We loved the town we were in, a great community.

While I lived out there, and came across a good number of people that:

1) never went into the city for anything
2) thought anyone that worked in the city was crazy
3) were convinced that the expansion of public transit would bring "those people" into the area.

Most of this was derivative of the fact that the communiites out there contain the "white flight" element of the South Side, now on its second generation.

Hence, the South Shore was not popular, and seen as an albatross around the region's neck, fair or not. Its a shame, its an area with a lot of promise, good housing stock and a growing number of young professionals are moving out there. They just need to start outnumbering those that believe some of the three things mentioned above, and equate "progress" with "a new Chili's".