Free parking in River West? No way! I thought that area was meter or permit only. Wouldn't most - if not all - free parking be used up by those pesky restaurant valet drivers?JCougar wrote:Also, the streets around my building had free parking.
But yes, that is a very nice neighborhood - especially if you are a foodie. A person can really luck out on Craigslist sometimes. I found my last Chicago apartment there (2006 - 2007, before I met my husband and moved to the 'burbs). I had a huge room in a pretty sizeable apartment in Old Town, shared with two other girls. Rent was only $425. My street (and some adjacent blocks) had free parking, so that was rarely a problem. I loved being SO close to the lake (a 10 minute walk to North Avenue beach) and pretty much everything else.
For those who are NU-bound, I'd say don't live any farther north than Gold Coast, farther west than River West and farther south than South Loop. If it weren't for all the CTA service cuts that have taken place in the past few years, living in neighborhoods slightly further afield wouldn't be such a problem.
For the person with the Hyde Park shoutout - I can't say I've been to that neighborhood all that often, apart from museum visits, bike rides/training runs to the south end of the Lakefront Path and La Rabida (when I was really young). But it is no doubt the nicest South Side neighborhood, among those I've been brave enough to visit.
