Places to live in Chicago

[rdaws]

Gold Coast / Old Town. I'm against Streeterville - as soon as you step out on to the sidewalk you're fighting tourists and class field trips to Navy Pier.

Get a bit further north and you'll have grocery stores to shop in, neighborhood events that don't involve Oprah, bars that aren't full of old men, and anything south of North Ave is no more than a 5-10 min cab ride at night. I work within a block of you (same kind of work), and a cab home at midnight to Lakeview is 12 minutes.

Leave your car at home - you can't drive it to work ($30/day for parking is more expensive than cabs would be) and your firm should pay for your car home.

You'll be working a lot, but you'll still want to go out on weekends, and you'll go out in Old Town or Lincoln Park. You'll want to be convenient to that, too.

 

[ssnyc]

I loved my place at the shoreham...it was $1601 for a lower floor 1br with a city view. Not a bad deal considering it had washer/dryer in unit and cable/internet was included. The gym was huge with a steam room, sauna, two hottubs and a big pool.

http://www.magellandevelopment.com/shoreham/

You could walk/cab to work. For me the convenience of living DT outweighed any benefits of living in any neighborhood. Visit neighborhoods as needed....live downtown. Chicago is small, downtown is a neighborhood.

 

[Meis]

Originally Posted by otc

I have seen wrigleyville called chicago's training wheels...a lot of people move there and then gtfo after their first apartment lease expires (after your first full cubs season). The people who stay tend to be fratboys who can't let go and like people peeing in their alleyways 24/7. That being said, the rest of lakeview is pretty nice. I live a block off the lake and take an express bus to south michigan ave every morning and the red line home. Commute is reasonable this way. The area is lively although the nightlife is split between the gay bars and the fratboy/underaged wrigleyville stuff. Because of that and my own interests, I might be happier living in wicker park/bucktown for the restaurants/nightlife over there...but that would mean giving up my proximity to the lake which I won't do. If you don't care about the lake though...wicker park/bucktown are great. Lots of food and activities and an ok commute (though the blue line can get super packed). West loop is super close to where you will be working but the places are pretty pricey (nice though) and tend to serve an older clientèle...lots of new yuppie couples and stuff in the area. South loop has a lot of young professionals...but it feels super bland to me. Lots of new high rises that look like they belong outside dallas rather than in an architectural city like chicago. The neighborhood lacks the cohesiveness and variety of the north side...but it is convenient to downtown and has a lot of new construction that is renting cheap compared to what they wanted for it before the crash.

Originally Posted by gladhands

For ****'s sake, do not move to streeterville. I know you're going to work a lot of hours as a first year analyst, but the ability to walk to work should not be the deciding factor. Find a real neighborhood, and I guarantee your quality of life will be better. Other neighborhoods that require you to take the L might actually be more convenient to the office. No train runs east of State Street so you'll either be walking, cabbing or bussing to work. You do not want a 20 minute walk in Chicago's winter.
As someone that lives in Chicago (and has lived in a number of different neighborhoods) I wholeheartedly agree with the above posts.

Originally Posted by fashion_newbie

Streeterville and River North are technically not the same but close to one another. I don't know how / which streets neighborhoods split at but they are both north of the Loop. I lived in LP my first year in a studio and paid 1200 for a pretty nice building. But tiny studio. When I moved to River North, I got a roommate and paid 1100 each. Our building wasn't new and therefore was cheaper. Decent amenities. I know Streeterville and River North have singles (studio/convertible/maybe an occasional 1 bed) for about 1300 - 1600. And these are generally decent units. You can go cheaper if you are willing to put up with ****** location (next to a train station), etc. Check out McClurg Court, a buddy lived there in a convertible. Don't know what they are pricing at these days. Mostly young professionals based on when I visited.
You paid $1200 for a studio in LP? That's waaay overpriced unless it was an absolutely amazing building (and a big studio).

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by ssnyc

You could walk/cab to work. For me the convenience of living DT outweighed any benefits of living in any neighborhood. Visit neighborhoods as needed....live downtown. Chicago is small, downtown is a neighborhood.

That area has the benefit of being on a clump of residential buildings and closer to lively things...some of the other downtown areas really don't.

I visited a friends new place 2 blocks south of the sears tower and while the place was really nice, the area was absolutely ******* dead at night. They can't get much in the way of food at night if they don't want to cook without going pretty far from their place...everything there operates on backwards hours (open at night monday-thursday but close at 3pm starting friday...)

You gotta want to live in at least a little bit of a neighborhood

 

[NOLA1]

Streeterville or River North for sure. I've lived in Streeterville (Ohio/Fairbanks area) for 4 years and couldn't be happier. You're close to the loop (walking distance), close to the red line, close to the River North bars, short cab rides to Old Town (you could even walk if it's a nice day) and LP, and there are conveniences like grocery stores and pharmacies in the area. The only downside as I see it is that the restaurant scene isn't the greatest but other than that it's quiet, clean and safe.

 

[Farhan]

Originally Posted by dhc905

It's not even degrees of spectacular-ness. West loop doesn't have any views unless you consider recently gentrified warehouses a view.

Not true. I have southwest exposure and my balcony still has a fantastic view of the Chicago skyline, Willis Tower included. Were I to have any eastern exposure, the skyline view would be beyond spectacular.

 

[epb]

Originally Posted by otc

That area has the benefit of being on a clump of residential buildings and closer to lively things...some of the other downtown areas really don't.

I visited a friends new place 2 blocks south of the sears tower and while the place was really nice, the area was absolutely ******* dead at night. They can't get much in the way of food at night if they don't want to cook without going pretty far from their place...everything there operates on backwards hours (open at night monday-thursday but close at 3pm starting friday...)

Greektown is right there, packed with restaurants.

The whole "live right in the office district" thing is weird, seeing people jogging and walking dogs surrounded by commuters in suits and ties...

 

[Dashaansafin]

This is a bit late but thank you guys for all the help. Does anyone have any specific recommendations as to buildings? I am currently looking at McClurg Court on 333 E Ontario St. as suggested by another member. Also looking at Oakwood, 77 WEST HURON STREET. A bit overwhelmed at the options here...thought all I had to do was narrow it down to the neighborhood.


Also, Ive been looking at the Rent.com and Apartments.com and they seem to include parking. Hopefully thats the case...


Again, thanks guys!

 

[otc]

Originally Posted by Dashaansafin

This is a bit late but thank you guys for all the help. Does anyone have any specific recommendations as to buildings? I am currently looking at McClurg Court on 333 E Ontario St. as suggested by another member. Also looking at Oakwood, 77 WEST HURON STREET. A bit overwhelmed at the options here...thought all I had to do was narrow it down to the neighborhood. Also, Ive been looking at the Rent.com and Apartments.com and they seem to include parking. Hopefully thats the case... Again, thanks guys!
You do just have narrow it to the neighborhood. Beyond that, you have to actually look at physical units that are available and in your price range. Sure there are lots of buildings, but you have to find the one that has an apartment that fits your needs that is ready to lease at the same month you want to start your lease. It may seem like there are lots of options but once you start looking at what is available, you will probably start crossing **** off the list real fast.

 

[MrGoodBytes]

Originally Posted by Dashaansafin

This is a bit late but thank you guys for all the help. Does anyone have any specific recommendations as to buildings? I am currently looking at McClurg Court on 333 E Ontario St. as suggested by another member. Also looking at Oakwood, 77 WEST HURON STREET. A bit overwhelmed at the options here...thought all I had to do was narrow it down to the neighborhood.

Again, thanks guys!

your closer into the city than I am familiar with individual condo units.

(I work 2 blocks from you on wacker)

just one BIG thing to keep in mind, public transportation. your a few blocks from the 151 bus which heads south down michigan avenue and drops you off by the sears town but you'll find them packed to capacity by the time they get to your stop during rush hour. and some days its just painfully slow.

thats all fine for getting to/from work but you'll probably want to be by an L station for your social life (I am assuming you have one), and you have quite a haul. I'd almost recommend steering closer to the blue line as it will be easier and more consistent for getting to work.

You may want to consider a little farther north, like the gold coast (maybe a mile north like along goethe), it doesn't add much to your commute and you'll have a wider variety of condo/apts available

 

[MrGoodBytes]

also you are going to pay an arm and a leg for parking. I know lots of people ditch their car and pick up much cheaper parking accommodations quite far from where they live and take public trans to pick it up on the rare occasions that they use it.