New Abbott employee. Can I live in Evanston? (Chicago, Skokie: college, taxi) - Chicago Suburbs - Illinois (IL) - City-Data Forum

Chicagobound13 · 02-12-2013, 10:59 PM

I am moving to the Chicago area to work for Abbott. I know the campus is in Abbott Park (NW suburbs). I was wondering whether it would be realistic to live in Evanston and commute to work via the metra?

I am in early 30's, will be moving here alone and want to be as close to Chicago as possible.

reppin_the_847 · 02-12-2013, 11:37 PM

It's certainly possible. If I'm not mistaken, Abbott has some type of shuttle from the Lake Bluff Metra station to Abbott Park.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicagobound13

I am moving to the Chicago area to work for Abbott. I know the campus is in Abbott Park (NW suburbs). I was wondering whether it would be realistic to live in Evanston and commute to work via the metra?

I am in early 30's, will be moving here alone and want to be as close to Chicago as possible.

Chicagobound13 · 02-12-2013, 11:43 PM

Thank you reppin_the_847 for your reply. Yes. I have heard. I am actually trying to figure out if the metra commute is consistent and if its worth it or if I should get a car.

I lived in Evanston during college and I'm familiar with the place. I do not know any of the other north suburbs and quite frankly want to be close to Chicago.

chet everett · 02-13-2013, 06:21 AM

The real issue is probably not the living in Evanston part, as although it is not super close the general flow up the Eden & TriState is mostly predictable, but the limited options afforded by trying to rely on Metra for reverse commute...

Instead of probably more than half a dozen different trains that there are for a normal "inbound" commute there are like two that work for the reverse commute. Boss asks you to work late and you gotta say "but my train" more than a couple of times and eventually you will basically be labeled as "the guy that has less gumption than the cleaning crew".

http://metrarail.com/content/metra/e...Schedule#focus. If you can't make the 6:57 (which gets up to North Chicago at 7:49, probably slower than driving...) you have to wait for the 7:50 (which gets to North Chicago at 8:46). End of the day the 5:13 is relatively speedy(as inbound traffic on roadways is heaviest then), getting back to Evanston at 6:01. The 6:15 train gets you to Evanston at 7:02. Work later than that and you ain't back in Evanston till 8PM.(if your work location is closer to the Lake bluff station it is about 8-10 minutes closer to Evanston, I have only quote Evanston Davis St timings but the other two stations are on the same frequency, just 4-5 minutes either side of arrival / departure...)

If you have a car find a place in Evanston to live with it. If you don't have a car have a back-up plan (anything from taxi to car pool to coworker that is smart enough to live nearby and will let you crash every once in awhile...). There are certainly worse drives and frankly I would not recommend the haul all the way to North Chicago from Evanston but lots of people drive it all the time...

Chicagobound13 · 02-13-2013, 10:22 AM

Thank you chet everett for your input. I have checked out the metra schedules and I'm weighing that against getting a car. Thanks!

whakru · 02-13-2013, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicagobound13

I am moving to the Chicago area to work for Abbott. I know the campus is in Abbott Park (NW suburbs). I was wondering whether it would be realistic to live in Evanston and commute to work via the metra?

I am in early 30's, will be moving here alone and want to be as close to Chicago as possible.

Hi and welcome to the area!
I worked at Abbott for 13 years and had several colleagues who used the Lake Bluff shuttle to the train. It was a really nice set up for them, actually. The only time it became a problem was if they were in a late meeting and were in danger of missing the last shuttle to the station. When I was there they had a 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 shuttle to get to Lake Bluff. The 6:30 shuttle was added on because there were so many that needed to stay past 5:30. (I worked in ADD which was affectionately known as the "after dark division" because so many people worked so late)

I am not sure if it is the same schedule now but I see no reason for you not to take advantage of that if it is available. I mean, you can always start out that way and if it isn't working for you then get a car. The commute via car is a PITA though. But you have to do what works best for you.

Good Luck!

reppin_the_847 · 02-13-2013, 01:17 PM

If the schedules work out for you, Metra can be way more relaxing than the drive up 94. Now they have power outlets on the trains, and although they don't have wifi, you can get online if you have a data card or on your phone (or if you tether your phone connection to your laptop). Or you could nap or read the paper obviously.

Chicagobound13 · 02-13-2013, 01:27 PM

Thanks so much for all replies. I think I will live in Evanston and take the metra up. The ability to work, read, relax on the train sounds good as compared to driving. I also checked and the shuttle service still runs from Lake Bluff, so I will be good in that regard.

Chicagobound2015 · 02-22-2015, 07:08 AM

Chicagobound13,
How was your experience commuting from Evanston to Abbott with Metra? I am starting a position end of March and would like to stay in the Wilmette/Skokie area to be closer to family

nana053 · 02-22-2015, 02:21 PM

It looks like the time from the Wilmette station to North Chicago is not too bad. The question is where is the station in relation to the actual job location? It looks like you would have to take a bus from the station which adds 20 minutes or so to the commute. They only run once per hour as well. Does Abbott have a shuttle from the station? They might if they have a lot of employees who take the train.