Working on a movie, need a tiny place for 6-8 months/Park Ridge, Skokie, Niles? (Chicago: apartment complex)

[DirectorInDTW]

So...I just found out that I'm moving to Chicago to work on a film for about 6-8 months-and there's a strong possibility that it could be longer.

I need to find a place to live.

I don't need much-literally, a tiny studio would be just fine. I don't care if this is nothing more a 12' x 12' glorified bedroom-it just has to be clean & quiet & safe with a private entrance, with parking for one car. It also has to have laundry facilities in the building somewhere (There's nothing more depressing than a laudromat).

Maybe a window or two would be nice...

It doesn't have to be pretty or upscale-just clean & quiet. Heck, I could easily live in a commercial space, too. Doesn't need furniture-I can take care of that.

If I had to, it really doesn't even need a kitchen (I think a bathroom would be pretty much mandatory, though...don't you?).

It can't be overly expensive, because I already own a home elsewhere with a hefty little mortgage payment every month!

I'm a boring, quiet older guy who's idea of a wild night out is to actually have a second beer (which I probably won't finish). Sometimes, I even turn on the radio while I sit at home at night, working on my laptop. God, I'm boring myself here as I describe me.

Because of where I'll be working, it's been suggested that I look at Skokie, Park Ridge, and Niles. I'm open to other areas, though-but I won't be moving to the Southside, or Downtown, or anything like that-I'm too suburban.

1.) Does anybody have a place that they want me to take a look at? Any suggestions of places that you have run across?

2.) It sounds like Skokie has some really nice areas, and some not-so-nice areas. Would someone please give me some parameters of the areas that are nicer, including cross streets? It would help me immensely.

And-if you want to tell me the areas to avoid, that would be even better. (Here's my rule of thumb-if I need to worry about my car at night, or there's bars on the windows of the place I'm living-it's the wrong area for me).

3.) When I've spent time in Chicago before, it's always been on the dime of some company that I worked for-therefore, I know where the Drake is. And the Intercontinental. And a couple of really good expense account restaurants-and not much else.

And I don't know anything about the North suburbs where people really live at. If there's another suburb that you think might be appropriate for my needs, please let me know.

4.) And I'm free-ranging a little, but please tell me a little about closer-in places like Berwyn.

5.) If it gives you any idea of what I'm used to, I now live in the very nice, safe-but-not-fancy suburb of Royal Oak, Michigan.

Thanks for all of the help, you guys-I really am looking forward to being there.

Jim

(and no, I can't tell you what film I'm working on-not yet, anyway!).

[Drover]

There's no part of Skokie that's bad enough that you need to worry about your safety or your car. The bigger issue I see with Skokie, and the other places you're looking, is that it's not really "studio apartment" territory. But that may not be a dealbreaker depending on your rental budget. How much are you looking to pay for rent, including off-street parking?

If your "suburban" sensibilities are the main thing holding you back from considering the south side, you may want to reconsider. Measured as a percentage, and certainly as measured by sheer square mileage, more of the south side is quasi-suburban in form than the north side. Granted a lot of it isn't habitable by the standards you enumerate, but enough of it is that we can make recommendations there if we know where you'll be working and the commute won't suck. Plus you'll usually get more for less down there. And the relatively safe parts of it are a better fit for your "don't want to be bothered" lifestyle.

Also, while laundromats may be depressing, a whole lot of 'em do drop-off service. The going rate is around 75-80 cents a pound. For a single person with average clothing habits, figure about $20/mo, which isn't a lot more than you'd spend dumping your own coins into a machine. So you might want to consider that option if you find a place that has everything you want except on-site laundry facilities.

[DirectorInDTW]

Drover-

Thanks-I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

It doesn't have to be a studio. I just want to aim for something really small and probably unattractive, because my budget is so limited, and because all I really need is a bed and a shower. I'm trying to keep to $700-$750 or so total, and I know how ridiculously low that is.

I'm avoiding the south because I think it will be a long way from the office, which is likely to be to the north. The offices haven't been set up yet, though, so that could conceivably change. Also, the parts of the southside I've driven through looked like Detroit to me (and I'm sure that I missed some great parts-I just don't know my way around any of the city).

And I had totally forgotten about a laundry drop-off service-thank you. That's a great idea.
It's just not something that people use a lot in Michigan, for some reason.

Is there any other areas that you guys would recommend, based on my previous post and my budget?

[tonythetuna]

You could shoot for the Leaning Tower YMCA in Niles.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by DirectorInDTW

Drover-

Thanks-I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

It doesn't have to be a studio. I just want to aim for something really small and probably unattractive, because my budget is so limited, and because all I really need is a bed and a shower. I'm trying to keep to $700-$750 or so total, and I know how ridiculously low that is.

I'm avoiding the south because I think it will be a long way from the office, which is likely to be to the north. The offices haven't been set up yet, though, so that could conceivably change. Also, the parts of the southside I've driven through looked like Detroit to me (and I'm sure that I missed some great parts-I just don't know my way around any of the city).

And I had totally forgotten about a laundry drop-off service-thank you. That's a great idea.
It's just not something that people use a lot in Michigan, for some reason.

Is there any other areas that you guys would recommend, based on my previous post and my budget?

When you say $700-750 "total" do you mean utilities and everything, including off-street parking? Because you'll be hard-pressed to find that in a relatively quiet, drama-free neighborhood anywhere in the city, much less on the north side. You might be able to find a studio or a small 1-bedroom for that much even with utilities, but you'd almost certainly have to contend with street parking. But a lot of neighborhoods that are a couple miles away from the lake and/or the city center have pretty easy street parking. Or you might get lucky and find a studio or small 1-bedroom on the outer fringes or inner suburbs in an apartment complex with a parking lot. But that's a long shot.

[knitgirl]

Unless you do something like the "Y", you might have a problem with the term of the lease, especially this time of year; landlords are going to want a full year. You said you'd need it for 6 - 8 months which puts you leaving somewhere around October or November (If you're coming soon). The rental market really slows down after October 1st, so they are not going to want to risk the apartment being empty all winter.

[DirectorInDTW]

Thanks much-that's a very good point, KG.

And Tony-I took a look at the Niles YMCA website. Believe it or not-I'm going to check it out. Thank you.

Jim

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by DirectorInDTW

And Tony-I took a look at the Niles YMCA website. Believe it or not-I'm going to check it out. Thank you.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do. I know people that have had stints there. At least it is not in a crappy area either.

[smtb]

Would you be interested in renting a room in a Skokie townhouse? I have a townhouse with a finished basement that offers privacy. A college student rented from me temporarily one summer, and I have been considering finding another student or temporary renter.