Chicago associates: Where do people live? How much do you pay in rent? Forum

[Anonymous User]

Unrelated to your apartment location, but if you can handle a few months of cold, you're going to f*cking love it there. No one loves their city like Chicagoans love Chicago.

"And by 'a few months of cold,' I mean 'November - April of every year.'" lol

(Written as it's 42 degrees outside at 11:30 am with a predicted high for the day of 44.)

42 is not cold for Chicago. So it's only a couple of months of true cold weather (sort of a no true Scotsman argument lol).

For those not familiar with rough weather: invest in a good thick ugly parka. I have an Eddie Bauer that's lasted me a few years. Also for a few months you will be wearing snow boots outside.

Dawg I'm born and raised in Chicago, you're not talking to a FL transplant, and it feels cold out right now at 42. Yes we'll eventually get used to it but this time of year sucks especially because two weeks ago it was 70 and I was still wearing t-shirts!!

[Anonymous User]

Unrelated to your apartment location, but if you can handle a few months of cold, you're going to f*cking love it there. No one loves their city like Chicagoans love Chicago.

"And by 'a few months of cold,' I mean 'November - April of every year.'" lol

(Written as it's 42 degrees outside at 11:30 am with a predicted high for the day of 44.)

42 is not cold for Chicago. So it's only a couple of months of true cold weather (sort of a no true Scotsman argument lol).

For those not familiar with rough weather: invest in a good thick ugly parka. I have an Eddie Bauer that's lasted me a few years. Also for a few months you will be wearing snow boots outside.

Dawg I'm born and raised in Chicago, you're not talking to a FL transplant, and it feels cold out right now at 42. Yes we'll eventually get used to it but this time of year sucks especially because two weeks ago it was 70 and I was still wearing t-shirts!!

Yeah lol I was sort of tongue in cheek. Chicago has three seasons: summer, winter, second winter.

[AllAboutTheBasis]

I lived in Gold Coast for three years and loved it. Cozy and quiet, close to the Loop, and you’re right on the lake or near Lincoln Park. You’d still be an easy commute into work but have a much stronger neighborhood feel than River North or Streeterville.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, but I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

[AllAboutTheBasis]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, but I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

Honestly, I’d get a broker to help you. They are free for you (the building pays them a commission).

On top of that, find somewhere that pays for gas if they have gas heating. It’s a pretty common offering at buildings, at least in my experience. We also found that asking how long the door staff have been working at a place is also useful. Long tenures tend to correlate with well-run buildings.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

Are you comfortable outting the law firm so we know where it's located? You're anonymous. It would help to give you better guidance about commute / walking length.

Just by way of example, there are plenty of firms located on the western side of the Loop / River North that are a quite easy walk from the West Loop. Depending on where the firm is, Lincoln Park might be a (long) walk or short bike ride or it might be something that you have to take transport for. Etc.

[Anonymous User]

Places close to Latham and Kirkland?

[Anonymous User]

Chicago has excellent transit in and out of the Loop and e.g. Wicker Park isn’t just a *better* neighborhood than West Loop, it’s a *much better* neighborhood, and worth a slightly longer commute time for almost anyone imo.

I also wouldn’t be picky about which L line you’re close to, that’s a red herring, they basically all go to the Loop and what matters is commute time, not line. Also look at the Metra in addition to the L, it’s faster and better, and sometimes goes different places—like the Metra Electric makes Hyde Park an easy commute even though there’s no L stop.

Hot take: Welcome to 2021, you're living 10 years in the past. Wicker Park was the "it" neighborhood of 2010 and it's become totally played out. Also lmfao at recommending that someone live in Hyde Park and commute into the Loop / River North every day on the Metra Electric Line that sounds miserable and Hyde Park is isolated from the city and nowhere someone in their 20s should want to live once they're done going to U of C (not even then).

My take: Lincoln Park is very nice especially near the park; the Lincoln Park is an amazing amenity; it's very family friendly. The West Loop / Fulton Market is awesome if you can afford it and is where all the younger money in Chicago has gravitated, which you may or may not like depending on your perspective. It's full of parks, cool indie shops, and arguably the best restaurant scene in Chicago. It also has an influx of tech workers from places like Google to the north and students from UIC to the west which helps keep it from becoming another River North. On which, River North, Loop, and Streeterville are soulless and also being afflicted with crime problems right now and you couldn't pay me to sit in a box at e.g., Amli while people are getting car jacked outside vacant clubs at 2am. South Loop is for people who secretly wished they lived in the suburbs but are going to hold out for another 5 years before moving next door to a Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville.

LOL. This guy/gal gets it. LP and WL are the easy winners here if you're under 30 with no kids. If you are on the brink of a family, you can spill a bit north to Roscoe, Lakeview, North Center / Ravenswood or West to West Town (east of Western Ave) or Logan Sq. I'll sprinkle in Old Town if you're single, River West if you're living with a S/O. There is no right answer but there are a few wrong answers and those are Pilsen, Hyde Park or S Loop. Nothing wrong with living there, but very different vibes from the north / west side neighborhoods that you best be certain you want prior to committing. I'd personally throw Streeterville in the "wrong" column but some people love it. The Loop is a hard no, just don't even consider it.

Agree that Pilsen and Hyde Park have very different vibes to the most trendy North Side neighborhoods, and certainly should be checked out in advance, but they still have high concentrations of young professionals and not everyone wants to live in lily-white nightlife meccas with few long-term residents. Also,West Loop is much closer to being another River North than to being like any of Chicago's traditional neighborhoods as it is.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

Are you comfortable outting the law firm so we know where it's located? You're anonymous. It would help to give you better guidance about commute / walking length.

Just by way of example, there are plenty of firms located on the western side of the Loop / River North that are a quite easy walk from the West Loop. Depending on where the firm is, Lincoln Park might be a (long) walk or short bike ride or it might be something that you have to take transport for. Etc.

Kirkland

[TatteredDignity]

I lived in Lakeview for four years and loved it. 5 minute walk to the red line, 18-minute train ride (Addison). I lived between the red line and the lake (more of a residential area) and paid $2800/mo for 1700 sq ft in a nice condo building. We could have stayed there forever, even with kids. No yard, but good proximity to parks.

[CapibaraBipolar]

I can write a quick summary of neighborhood with prices and commute times, but my main question would be, What do you value, and in particular Do you want to/ value living in a luxury high rise, or do you prefer a more traditional shorter building, like a walk-up?

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

Are you comfortable outting the law firm so we know where it's located? You're anonymous. It would help to give you better guidance about commute / walking length.

Just by way of example, there are plenty of firms located on the western side of the Loop / River North that are a quite easy walk from the West Loop. Depending on where the firm is, Lincoln Park might be a (long) walk or short bike ride or it might be something that you have to take transport for. Etc.

Kirkland

The West Loop is easily walkable to Kirkland and will be more so as of end of 2023 when they do the Chicago office relocation. If you live in true West Loop you're talking about a 20-25 minute walk; if you live in Fulton Market 15-20 minute walk. And a 5-minute Uber outside of peak traffic. I'd strongly consider comparing West Loop w/ Lincoln Park (note you'll be too far to ever walk from LP). I'd drop River North (one of the most soulless neighborhoods in the city -- it's where all the junior associates first move when they get a job here and then they wise up and move to an actual neighborhood after a couple years).

[Anonymous User]

Chicago has excellent transit in and out of the Loop and e.g. Wicker Park isn’t just a *better* neighborhood than West Loop, it’s a *much better* neighborhood, and worth a slightly longer commute time for almost anyone imo.

I also wouldn’t be picky about which L line you’re close to, that’s a red herring, they basically all go to the Loop and what matters is commute time, not line. Also look at the Metra in addition to the L, it’s faster and better, and sometimes goes different places—like the Metra Electric makes Hyde Park an easy commute even though there’s no L stop.

Hot take: Welcome to 2021, you're living 10 years in the past. Wicker Park was the "it" neighborhood of 2010 and it's become totally played out. Also lmfao at recommending that someone live in Hyde Park and commute into the Loop / River North every day on the Metra Electric Line that sounds miserable and Hyde Park is isolated from the city and nowhere someone in their 20s should want to live once they're done going to U of C (not even then).

My take: Lincoln Park is very nice especially near the park; the Lincoln Park is an amazing amenity; it's very family friendly. The West Loop / Fulton Market is awesome if you can afford it and is where all the younger money in Chicago has gravitated, which you may or may not like depending on your perspective. It's full of parks, cool indie shops, and arguably the best restaurant scene in Chicago. It also has an influx of tech workers from places like Google to the north and students from UIC to the west which helps keep it from becoming another River North. On which, River North, Loop, and Streeterville are soulless and also being afflicted with crime problems right now and you couldn't pay me to sit in a box at e.g., Amli while people are getting car jacked outside vacant clubs at 2am. South Loop is for people who secretly wished they lived in the suburbs but are going to hold out for another 5 years before moving next door to a Buffalo Wild Wings in Naperville.

LOL. This guy/gal gets it. LP and WL are the easy winners here if you're under 30 with no kids. If you are on the brink of a family, you can spill a bit north to Roscoe, Lakeview, North Center / Ravenswood or West to West Town (east of Western Ave) or Logan Sq. I'll sprinkle in Old Town if you're single, River West if you're living with a S/O. There is no right answer but there are a few wrong answers and those are Pilsen, Hyde Park or S Loop. Nothing wrong with living there, but very different vibes from the north / west side neighborhoods that you best be certain you want prior to committing. I'd personally throw Streeterville in the "wrong" column but some people love it. The Loop is a hard no, just don't even consider it.

Agree that Pilsen and Hyde Park have very different vibes to the most trendy North Side neighborhoods, and certainly should be checked out in advance, but they still have high concentrations of young professionals and not everyone wants to live in lily-white nightlife meccas with few long-term residents. Also,West Loop is much closer to being another River North than to being like any of Chicago's traditional neighborhoods as it is.

Pilsen I could go either way on. Recommending that a 20-something junior associate moves to Hyde Park is flat out bad advice unless they're planning on picking up an MBA in their spare time. They may as well just go live in Oak Park at that point.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, but I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

I would live in Lincoln Park, River North and the Loop are wilding out nowadays. I'm not some becky from the burbs, I have lived in Chicago and downtown for years and have never seen it this bad. Pre-pandemic and post-pandemic Chicago are night and day.

[Anonymous User]

OP here.

Thank you to everyone for the responses - I really appreciate it. I'm thinking either River North or Lincoln Park are probably the best options as both my S/O and I would be riding the brown line (or walking). I like the sound of River West & the West Loop, but I'm worried about the commute.

Is there anything to know about apartment searching in these areas? i.e., places to avoid, areas to look, etc?

thanks again y'all!

P.S. re: cold - luckily, from a cold weather state so I'm not too worried / looking forward to it!

I would live in Lincoln Park, River North and the Loop are wilding out nowadays. I'm not some becky from the burbs, I have lived in Chicago and downtown for years and have never seen it this bad. Pre-pandemic and post-pandemic Chicago are night and day.

In what way? The shoplifting and carjackings?

[Dcc617]

I hope the comment about “shoplifting” and “carjackings” is a joke.

[Sackboy]

I'm not sure which take is worse that Kirkland is walkable from the West Loop or that downtown is "wilding out". Even if you barely live in the West Loop (e.g. near the Clinton station), that's a 15 minute walk, which you won't want to do for like 9 months out of the year due to either the cold or heat. If you actually live a good distance in the West Loop, we're talking a 30-40 minute walk. Also, yeah, there are more shootings, carjackings, and robberies downtown, but it's still fine. People are acting like downtown turned into Englewood.

[Anonymous User]

I hope the comment about “shoplifting” and “carjackings” is a joke.

I don't live downtown and I don't go down that often. Genuinely curious what people who live there or spend more time there think about it. People complain about more crime, but I don't know the data so I don't know if it's a real problem or not. I'd be interested in hearing what people who spend more time there think.

However, given the quality of your post, I'm not interested in hearing from you.

[Dcc617]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

[Anonymous User]

I'm not sure which take is worse that Kirkland is walkable from the West Loop or that downtown is "wilding out". Even if you barely live in the West Loop (e.g. near the Clinton station), that's a 15 minute walk, which you won't want to do for like 9 months out of the year due to either the cold or heat. If you actually live a good distance in the West Loop, we're talking a 30-40 minute walk. Also, yeah, there are more shootings, carjackings, and robberies downtown, but it's still fine. People are acting like downtown turned into Englewood.

Kirkland associate, live in the actual West Loop (so west of 90), walk to work every day, it's a 20-25 minute walk depending on conditions (that'll drop to 15-20 minutes when we relocate) and that includes grabbing a coffee. Love the neighborhood and wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the city. It's close enough to work, lively, safe, full of parks, green spaces, lifestyle benefits like gyms, yoga, bookstores, great restaurants (my Death Row meal is Swift & Sons), cool indie shops, lots of events, very family friendly but also lots of single 20-somethings and a good scene. So who has the bad take here?

Also anyone claiming River North / Loop haven't changed over the past 18 months are ignoring crime stats and facts on the ground. Crime is way up in the center of the city; the area feels desolate as fuck in the evenings. It isn't like it was pre-COVID. And even pre-COVID living in River North was for Ohio transplants who didn't understand the city. No one stays in River North once they wise up.

[Anonymous User]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

This is an at best misinformed and at worst intentionally distorting post.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/10/29 ... iver-north

"Deserted during the pandemic and battered by looting, downtown Chicago is grappling with a rise in violent crime that threatens the reputation of the city and its economic viability. Murders, shootings, rapes and car thefts are all up sharply in the downtown area, prompting fears among residents and business owners similar to those that have long been a reality in struggling neighborhoods beyond the skyscrapers."

Shootings downtown in 2020 were 2x what they were in 2019 and for 2021 against the same baseline they're on pace to be 4x.

[Anonymous User]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

This is an at best misinformed and at worst intentionally distorting post.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/10/29 ... iver-north

"Deserted during the pandemic and battered by looting, downtown Chicago is grappling with a rise in violent crime that threatens the reputation of the city and its economic viability. Murders, shootings, rapes and car thefts are all up sharply in the downtown area, prompting fears among residents and business owners similar to those that have long been a reality in struggling neighborhoods beyond the skyscrapers."

Shootings downtown in 2020 were 2x what they were in 2019 and for 2021 against the same baseline they're on pace to be 4x.

Yeah, carjackings are up like 700% in the bucktown/wicker park/logan square corridor over pre-pandemic and 200+% in several other neighborhoods. This is a terrible take. Things are MUCH worse in several parts of the city and violent crime is way up.

[Anonymous User]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

What a way to spend your life, going to the effort to write posts like this. You're why the internet is terrible.

[nixy]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

What a way to spend your life, going to the effort to write posts like this. You're why the internet is terrible.

At least Dcc doesn't hide behind anon for his hot takes.

[Anonymous User]

Sheltered child, there is no crime wave. It’s police propaganda to push back efforts to limit spending on cops. Also, you look ridiculous being scared of the idea of shoplifting.

What a way to spend your life, going to the effort to write posts like this. You're why the internet is terrible.

At least Dcc doesn't hide behind anon for his hot takes.

Doesn't mean he's not terrible.