Ravinia Traffic? (Chicago, Schaumburg, Skokie: hair salon, houses, neighborhoods)

[cohdane]

Hi-- We're relocating from Boston and are considering Highland Park. A lot of the houses I like online are near Ravinia. I know there are concerts there. Is living there awful if you're trying to get home/leave home during concert traffic? I just imagine driving home late from work and being stuck in a line of 200+ cars pulling my hair out one strand at a time.

Any local insights?

Thanks.

[CaliGirl2]

Unfortunately no insight here, but a word of encouragement. I too am looking to relocate to Highland Park, and all 3 homes we're considering are close to Ravinia. Perhaps we'll be neighbors! I just got back from a househunting trip so perhaps we should compare notes re: the homes we're considering so we don't end up bidding vs. each other, lol! In the meantime, I look forward to the insight other readers may be able to offer and will pose the question to my buyer's agent as well. Good luck!

[jessiegirl_98]

I also don't know the answer to this as someone who live in Highland Park, but I can tell you the times I attempted the drive to Highland Park from Chicago for Ravina resulted in VERY long delays, both before and after the concerts. That being said, I wouldn't pass up living in a great neighborhood over this :-) Hopefully someone else can answer!

[reppin_the_847]

Ravinia traffic is not that bad in comparison the suburban strip mall hells further west and south of the North Shore (ie. Woodfield Mall in Schaumburg), lol. Honestly, you'll know the side streets, and Sheridan Road will be a great bypass usually. Most of the concertgoers and tourists will take predictable, main routes such as Highway 94 (Edens Expressway) north from Chicago up to the Lake-Cook or Clavey exits, and then head east to the park. Avoid those main roads on concert nights and you should be alright. There are plenty of neighborhood short cuts & side streets within Highland Park, and if you have GPS, you'll easily be able to re-route yourself on the go (that's what I do at least since I drive quite a bit, and not always on the same routes.

Note: if Highway 94 is ever clogged returning from Chicago, use side streets such as Sheridan Road, Green Bay Road, or Skokie Blvd + Hibbard Rd + Forest Way Rd up to Tower (or all the way up to Lake Cook Rd via Green Bay). Like I said, I use a navigation system, and thanks to this device (Garmin Nuvi 350), I hardly ever have problems navigating myself from the city back up to unincorporated Libertyville via the good old, well insulated North Shore.

Originally Posted by cohdane

Hi-- We're relocating from Boston and are considering Highland Park. A lot of the houses I like online are near Ravinia. I know there are concerts there. Is living there awful if you're trying to get home/leave home during concert traffic? I just imagine driving home late from work and being stuck in a line of 200+ cars pulling my hair out one strand at a time.

Any local insights?

Thanks.

[trailerguy]

There is one large parking lot near the Park which gets the bulk of the traffic. The city does a good job of routing the traffic to be as inobtrusive as possible to the locals. They are ferocious about ticketing cars without Highland Park stickers parking in the neighborhoods on concert nights.
The Festival has greatly increased parking fees to try to encourage people to take the train, and from what I have seen it is successful.
On the plus side, the concerts (which run from Memorial to Labor days) are wonderful. If you are close enough to walk you can have a nice stroll, a great concert and eat dinner on the lawn for $10.

[cohdane]

Hi Everyone--

Thanks for the tips. It sounds like if you know your way around (and keep a concert schedule in the car), it's not too big of a hassle. It was also helpful to get the insight about the horrendous mall traffic further west, since that's another area we might consider.

As for competing with other buyers-- we won't begin an "active" search till January or February, so you've got a head start on us. But after that, watch out!!

[Paige65]

and I drive home from work a couple of times per week during peak Ravinia hours. Your traffic will really depend upon where you are coming from or where you are going. The Edens (94) will be packed at that time of night no matter whether there is a concert or not. Lake Cook Road is always crowded during that time as well, but can be a little more congested on nights when there is a very popular act at Ravinia. Otherwise, if you are concerned about the near neighborhood traffic, it's really not bad at all. There are policemen directing traffic on high attendance nights and driving really isn't an issue. Also, in order to park on any of the streets within about a five block radius of the park, one needs to have a Ravinia tag in the window (residents are issued three tags each season). I've lived in the neighborhood (about two blocks from the entrance) for over 13 years and have rarely been bothered by excess traffic. I can't say enough good things about the area. Where else can you sit out on your patio and hear a world class orchestra practicing on a Saturday afternoon?! Also, going to Ravinia is a breeze because you can just pack up your stuff and walk. No advance planning required!

If you aren't already familiar, the public beach, Rosewood, is within walking distance and will be undergoing significant improvements (it's nice already). And, if you are closer to the Ravinia Metra (commuter train) stop (there's a Braeside stop, a Ravinia Park stop (which is actually called Ravinia Festival) and a Ravinia stop). If you live closest to the Ravinia stop, you can walk to almost everything you can imagine... barbershop, hair salons, nail salon, dry cleaners, post office, Walgreens, pizza, sushi, Chinese, American fare, convenience store, coffee shop, elementary school, parks, etc. If you have children, the schools are great. Both Braeside and Ravinia are excellent elementary schools (98% and 96% meeting or exceeding state standards, respectively, on the ISAT's this year). The middle school for the area, Edgewood, was just rated in the top ten or so of middle schools in the Chicagoland suburbs (according to an article in the Sun Times recently).

It's a nice place to live. I hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Good luck in your search.