Am I going to feel isolated in Barrington?.

[chet everett]

There are no shortages in the US of "corporate warriors" that leave O'Hare late Sunday evening and then jet from city to city acros the nation to arrive home late Thursday or even Friday but that is not the "optimal" and if you can choose to pick a spot that minimizes the non-productive time bogged down in stupid amounts of traffic it just flat out makes sense to do so.

Parts of Northbrook are actuallly not a terrible commute to/from Itasca, as the "surface street" (Willow Rd) that links Northbrook to Rt 53 has been improved to the point where is basically a controlled access highway, whereas the lack of any kind of "connector streets" make the additional trip to Kennilworth far more excruciating. Means even though distance is similar one is a mostly a consistent 30 minute trip and the other gets VERY iffy VERY often -- bottomline is that is the sort of thing that folks here would know but you can't determine from from looking at a map. Another weird bit of info -- becuase of the way that various long haul trucks and local deliveries rarely impact the AM commute most routes are signficantly swifter in the AM commute than the PM ride home in the region, depending only slightly on amount folks of heading into/out of the city. That means that routes that include "alternatives" can be smart -- for instance heading UP Rt 83 to 290 from Hinsdale is typically a an easy AM commute, but if things are tied up then it might be faster to take 294 and pay the tolls, coming home BOTH will be slower, and the decision to have some kind of "traffic conditions" GPS can be a godsend to decide which is less aggrevating...

[Drover]

Originally Posted by chet everett

some kind of "traffic conditions" GPS can be a godsend to decide which is less aggrevating...

Smartphone + Waze app.

Waze absolutely spanks traffic-enabled standalone GPS units when it comes to optimal real-time routing.

[GoCUBS1]

Originally Posted by Drover

Smartphone + Waze app.

Waze absolutely spanks traffic-enabled standalone GPS units when it comes to optimal real-time routing.

Yes, this is probably my favorite app... Love Waze!

[Marie24]

I live near the top of Route 53 and work near Itasca. I get off 53/290 at Thorndale. Commute in the morning is about 30 minutes, but Thorndale is usually backed up something awful. I'm on Thorndale for several miles off 290.

Going home is another story. It can take an hour because 290/53 gets so jammed up going north.

One of the executives with my company lives in on the North Shore (Highland Park). His commute is awful. Usually 90 minutes going home. Good thing his wife is a SAHM, as he rarely makes it home in time for his kids' school/sporting events, as the commute is so long.

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by Marie24

I live near the top of Route 53 and work near Itasca. I get off 53/290 at Thorndale. Commute in the morning is about 30 minutes, but Thorndale is usually backed up something awful. I'm on Thorndale for several miles off 290.

Going home is another story. It can take an hour because 290/53 gets so jammed up going north.

One of the executives with my company lives in on the North Shore (Highland Park). His commute is awful. Usually 90 minutes going home. Good thing his wife is a SAHM, as he rarely makes it home in time for his kids' school/sporting events, as the commute is so long.

I live off Palatine Rd. between Rte 53/290 and 294. Going north in the afternoon, I NEVER run into issues unless there is a weather or accident issue. Sometimes it does get a bit heavy north of Rte 62, but it only adds an extra 5 minutes at most. You must be talking about traffic approaching Lake Cook Rd where the expressway ends and traffic farther north is slowed down by insufficient road capacity (thanks to NIMBYS in Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods!). Going south in the morning, again, smooth sailing except for heavy traffic at the Palatine Rd/Rte 53 interchange which will only add an extra 5-7 minutes on some mornings.

[chet everett]

Some of the specific "choke points" are fairly easy to plot out -- as csfan mentions places where expressway gives way to surface streets is a biggie. Complicating the mess in some areas is local opposition to increased road capacity and/ or opposing goals -- retail business want lots of parking / vehicular access while residents that own large lots crave isolation/ restricted vehicle flow...

Other choke points are sort of temporary -- construction that reduces capacity until completed is the primary example.

In either case the key for folks considering relocation is to try to choose a location that allows for multiple alternate routes...

[Marie24]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

I live off Palatine Rd. between Rte 53/290 and 294. Going north in the afternoon, I NEVER run into issues unless there is a weather or accident issue. Sometimes it does get a bit heavy north of Rte 62, but it only adds an extra 5 minutes at most. You must be talking about traffic approaching Lake Cook Rd where the expressway ends and traffic farther north is slowed down by insufficient road capacity (thanks to NIMBYS in Long Grove and Hawthorn Woods!). Going south in the morning, again, smooth sailing except for heavy traffic at the Palatine Rd/Rte 53 interchange which will only add an extra 5-7 minutes on some mornings.

Nope, it's right around Woodfield, and I'm always in the express lanes.

[cubssoxfan]

We must live in parallel yet different universes! I NEVER, EVER have had it take an hour from Thorndale/Rte 53 to my home near Palatine Rd and Rte 83. NEVER, even with getting around accidents, even in snowy conditions. NEVER.

[wjj]

I live in the Lake County side of Buffalo Grove and I do not think I have ever seen the trip on 53 from Thorndale to Lake Cook Road take an hour. Not even close. Yes, it does jam up where the local lanes and express lanes come back together north of Algonquin, but it is not that bad - a little worse on race days at Arlington Park. I don't think it has ever taken me more than a half hour from Thorndale to Lake Cook unless it was a blizzard or a big traffic accident that closed all lanes.

Once off 53 the surface streets can be a challenge. But if going east on Lake Cook, there is not any delay vs trying to go west on Lake Cook. But even that is not horrible.

All kinds of possibilities in far north Arlington Heights - like Terramere - or the Lake county side of Buffalo Grove. Or eastern Long Grove.

[Finp06]

Thanks all. We looked at the 2 houses available to see on Monday, neither of which suited but also for us, although it looked lovely, it felt just too far away from the City. If I rode horses I'd be there like a shot. Thanks for all the advice on here - such a great sounding board. I can't wait to get some Chicago burbs living under my belt to be able to provide just a tiny piece of advice to Brits coming over.