[evoi19]

Hey chitown,

Well I might be moving to chicago for work and wanted to ask for some help on places to rent. I've been there before, and i want to stay in downtown on michigan ave. or at least close to it. I also visited wicker park, lincoln park and really liked it there too.

Do you guys have any suggestions on where i could look? I've been looking on Craigslist and have found a few, but i'm not sure if the area is any good.

Ideally, I'd like to have an underground or covered parking for the winter months, and perhaps have it close to public transportation. I'm also looking at the newer condos/apts., so any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

[BigDog]

i'm moving to chicago in august and was up looking for a place to stay in the suburbs last week...

downer's grove was where i was mostly looking along with a bit in lisle... but lisle is kinda country imo...

[RANJHA]

Evo119, theres some new condos going up on Dearborn St. starting in the low 400s which is actually a good price considering the location. My dad's thinking about buying one there as an investment. I'm not too familiar with rentals downtown but my friend lives in Presidential Towers and likes it there. It's also got a nice safe garage (he keep his viper there).

Bigdog, as far as suburbs are concerned I would personally recommend Naperville or Schaumburg. Naperville got national recognition for one of the best towns to live in and it practically has EVERYTHING there. My primary residence is near Schaumburg and it's also a booming area and real close to the highway which is nice if u need to go downtown for work for example...

Just my two cents, hope they're helpful.

Good luck with your moves, Chicago's a great place to live!

[BigDog]

Originally Posted by RANJHA

Evo119, theres some new condos going up on Dearborn St. starting in the low 400s which is actually a good price considering the location. My dad's thinking about buying one there as an investment. I'm not too familiar with rentals downtown but my friend lives in Presidential Towers and likes it there. It's also got a nice safe garage (he keep his viper there).

Bigdog, as far as suburbs are concerned I would personally recommend Naperville or Schaumburg. Naperville got national recognition for one of the best towns to live in and it practically has EVERYTHING there. My primary residence is near Schaumburg and it's also a booming area and real close to the highway which is nice if u need to go downtown for work for example...

Just my two cents, hope they're helpful.

Good luck with your moves, Chicago's a great place to live!

only problem with naperville for me is the loooong ass commute via train

[evoi19]

Originally Posted by RANJHA

Evo119, theres some new condos going up on Dearborn St. starting in the low 400s which is actually a good price considering the location. My dad's thinking about buying one there as an investment. I'm not too familiar with rentals downtown but my friend lives in Presidential Towers and likes it there. It's also got a nice safe garage (he keep his viper there).

Bigdog, as far as suburbs are concerned I would personally recommend Naperville or Schaumburg. Naperville got national recognition for one of the best towns to live in and it practically has EVERYTHING there. My primary residence is near Schaumburg and it's also a booming area and real close to the highway which is nice if u need to go downtown for work for example...

Just my two cents, hope they're helpful.

Good luck with your moves, Chicago's a great place to live!

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm looking to rent as I don't want to commit to buying a place if I'm not sure if i'll like it the condo or even stay in chicago more than 3 years. I know i'm going to miss SF like crazy. Our weather is pretty mild and constant year round unlike chicago, where you know it's winter or summer. haha

My friend actually lives in Schaumburg and tells me it's a great city. Very suburbia though.

[evoi19]

I just took a look at the presidential towers and wow, that building has some really cool amenities! Grocery market, olympic sized pool! Wow! And the price is really good too!

Thanks!

[RANJHA]

No problem, glad I could help!

Yeah, I'm sure you will miss Cali. I'm in LA once a year and I never want to come back lol. Winter is nice at first cuz it gets everyone in a certain mood lol but then it gets annoying and eventually sucks.

Good luck and take care

[RANJHA]

Originally Posted by BigDog

only problem with naperville for me is the loooong ass commute via train

go with schaumburg then, it's a little better

[chicagolab]

Live in the city, no doubt about it.
Live as close to work as possible its worth the time you have to do other things than commute.

If you want to be close to the Loop, then Streeterville and River North are great areas. South Loop and West Loop are also booming but the edges of either are hit or miss.

If you want a neighborhood feel, then Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, River West

The only suburb that I would consider for myself would be Evanston, but again... it depends what your looking for


here are just a few rentals that look pretty good (not sure of your price point),

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/358229339.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/358190769.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/357839809.html

if you have questions feel free to pm me

[evoi19]

Originally Posted by chicagolab

Live in the city, no doubt about it.
Live as close to work as possible its worth the time you have to do other things than commute.

If you want to be close to the Loop, then Streeterville and River North are great areas. South Loop and West Loop are also booming but the edges of either are hit or miss.

If you want a neighborhood feel, then Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, River West

The only suburb that I would consider for myself would be Evanston, but again... it depends what your looking for


here are just a few rentals that look pretty good (not sure of your price point),

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/358229339.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/358190769.html

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/357839809.html

if you have questions feel free to pm me

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'll look into those areas as well. If/When i decide to move i'll have to come out for a few days and check as many as i can and just pick one.

Price point isn't bad. I just want to keep it under 2k so i have mod money.

[purplewidow]

the nicest suburbs in chicago are on the north shore..ie Wilmette Winnetka, Glenview, Kenilworth, Northbrook, Northfield, Highland Park(all jewish), Glencoe(lots of jewish people too), Lake Forest(super rich) and a hand full more...the best places to live in the city are in the loop and michigan ave for downtown and old town and goldcoast which are just north of downtown...lincoln park is nice but crowded and the other areas are nicer!!!! i have livied in chicago for all but the 5 years in Hawaii so i know the chi like none other

[jet987]

I live in the Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago, just west of Lincoln Park and north of Wicker Park. Lots of condos and apartments here, parking is easy off the main streets and covered/heated parking is cheaper than the neighborhoods closer to the lakefront, and it's only a 15 minute ride on the Blue Line El train to downtown. I lived in the Bay Area (San Francisco and Berkeley) for 4 years so I know what the move is like.

[saosinned]

www.apartments.com

There are literally tons of places to rent downtown. When i was looking to move here from a suburb i just spent a day downtown going to the different places around the area i wanted to live (river north) and signed that day. There are a lot of great places on and around Michigan ave, and they're relatively "cheap." i'm paying $1310 for a convertible (bigger than a studio, smaller than 1b) but i'm a block off michigan and im in a highrise with an awesome view and a huge balcony.

let me know when you need to know the best pizza and steak places in the city ;P

[derek0480]

Look into the warehouse district by UIC. They converted a bunch of old produce warehouses into sweet arse condos (some are for rent). Underground parking and a good atmosphere...less than 10 mis to downtown.

I come back to the chi all the time (in fact be back there this weekend for the cubs game)...it is a great town.

[BigDog]

from what i've gathered so far in my searches

north of 290 is good

east of 57 is bad

united center area is bad

and near UIC is bad


am i correct in this?

[saosinned]

Originally Posted by BigDog

from what i've gathered so far in my searches

north of 290 is good

east of 57 is bad

united center area is bad

and near UIC is bad


am i correct in this?

these are basically all correct. depends on what you mean by "bad" though. wicker park is "north of 290" and there are some nice parts of it, and some not so great parts. I also have friends who live around UIC, and it's not the greatest place but its not like they're in any kind of danger. Also the areas can go almost block by block, if you get a chance just go over and check out w/e place you're looking at, you'll pretty much know as you're driving up if its a good neighborhood.

[BigDog]

well its decided for me

gonna live in presidential towers on the 23rd floor

[Kruz]

Originally Posted by RANJHA

go with schaumburg then, it's a little better

You will hate the traffic in and around Schaumburg because of Woodfield mall.

Check out Oak Park and River Forest for a more "urban" experience and a 15 min commute. It's the next best think to living in the city.

[Kruz]

What/where is 57?

[evoi19]

Ok, so it's 80% sure i'm coming to chicago in the next month. I'm going to be there for an interview next week and already have a few offers from other companies. YAY!!

So i've been apartment hunting and there are so many places. Talking with a friend of mine, she said to try to stay north of the river and avoid the south part. But some of the places i looked into that are south of the river are pretty damn nice. Her recommendations are Lincoln Park, Sheridan Park, Lakeview, possibly Bucktown. She also said to avoid Rogers Park, Logan Square and the Loop. I kinda like some of places that are around the loop though.

My number one thing is that the place has to have an underground or covered garage for my baby. HAHAHA. I know the winters there are torture, and I'm pretty anal about keeping my car out of the elements. I'm also looking for newer condos and/or lofts. For those that have been to SF or lived in SF, you'll know what i'm talking about. Something similar to this: http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/apa/396008261.html

So am i on the right track in terms of area? I get mixed messages about LP. Seems like it's an older area with older buildings? Any recomendations of sites i can visit who specialize in condos? I'm already on Craigslist, apartments.com and theenterprisecompanies.com.

It's exciting but it's going to be a difficult move i think. I looked at how much they want to transport my car on a truck and i was like, no freakin way. Almost $2k. So it looks like I'm driving and will be buying everything there once i arrive.

[chicagolab]

42st and Drexel the address on the link is not the type of neighborhood you would like, surrounded by some of the most dangerous parts of Chicago and itself is not a good area. If you want to hang out in your neighborhood, e.g. restaurants, bars, shopping then pick Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, WIcker Park, West Loop , River North.

Dont forget...Location, location, location. (10 minutes to the loop with no traffic, 30 minutes in rush hour, less to Lincoln Park, etc.). I own 2 condos in Edgewater for investment purposes because the edgewater area is an upcoming neighborhood close to everthing I need . However, my gym, our favorite restaurants, stores are in Lincoln Park, Lakeview and Bucktown (eventually I will sell the condos (not in this market) and move to one of these areas or River North). If I was renting I would pick one of those areas. There are rehabs. and new apartments all over the city. $2000 is enough for what you want in Chicago.

[evoi19]

Thanks! Looks like i'll be checking out more of the places north of the river and a lil west as well. Good thing i put that link up, I liked that one too!

Question - from lakeview, river north and LP, how far is it by train to downtown. The office is on Wells and Grand, near the Merchandise Mart. I just wanted to get an idea of the commute. It looks like a short distance, less than 10 miles, but we all know that public transportation takes longer.