Area around Ravenswood/Andersonville/Lincoln Square (Chicago, Evanston: apartments, transfer to, neighborhood)

[Ayrton]

Hi all,

I'm moving to Chicago this summer and looking to live within walking distance of the Ravenswood Metra for my commute. I hear that Lincoln Square and Andersonville have good restaurants, bars, and general city activity. Is there a specific area around here that's best for being close to both the Metra and cool spots? Streets/borders to focus on or avoid? I'm a 28 year old guy and hoping for a place under 900 with utilities included. Thanks for any help!

[jsk1983]

The area right around the Metra station isn't too exciting. The heart of Lincoln Square is Lincoln Ave between Lawrence and Wilson give or take. Andersonville is centered on Clark between Ainsle and Ashland. Lawrence and Western in Lincoln Square would be a fifteen minute walk or you can use the Lawrence bus. Somewhere in between the two would probably be ideal. $900 should get you a studio or one bedroom. My studio in western Lincoln Square is $675 plus $20 for cooking gas and about $30 for electric.

Are you working in the northern suburbs or just prefer to take the Metra downtown?

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by jsk1983

The area right around the Metra station isn't too exciting. The heart of Lincoln Square is Lincoln Ave between Lawrence and Wilson give or take. Andersonville is centered on Clark between Ainsle and Ashland. Lawrence and Western in Lincoln Square would be a fifteen minute walk or you can use the Lawrence bus. Somewhere in between the two would probably be ideal. $900 should get you a studio or one bedroom. My studio in western Lincoln Square is $675 plus $20 for cooking gas and about $30 for electric.

Are you working in the northern suburbs or just prefer to take the Metra downtown?

All of this is solid info.

There are tons of places to live in Ravenswood. If you want to be especially near the train, you can look up and down Wolcott and Winchester from Winnemac all the way down to Montose (although Montose would be four blocks from the Lawrence Metra station.)

The next stop north on that line isn't until you get to Rogers Park, and that's a bit of a hike. If you choose to live in Andersonville, you can take the Clark bus north to Lunt and walk about 400 feet.

Depending on what types of bars or what type of action you'd like, you might find that either will fit your needs. I'm a 28 year old guy as well, and I really could have lived in either neighborhood. Both Andersonville and Lincoln Square/Ravenswood have LOTS of young professionals. The biggest difference is the large gay community in Andersonville. If that isn't your scene, or it might make you uncomfortable, keep that in mind.

Over the last two weeks, I looked at probably 15 apartments in LS/Ravenswood, so if you have any questions, PM me. Or, PM the person above me, considering they live there.

$900 all utilities included would get you a REALLY nice studio or a pretty good 1BR. My limit was about $850, so I was looking in the same range.

Good luck!

[Ayrton]

Thanks so much for this info. It sounds like if I want to be close to the activity (in either Andersonville or Lincoln Square) I should prepare for a bit of a morning walk. I am commuting to the northern suburbs, and I gathered from reading other threads that Rogers Park might be hit and miss, and not as safe, while Evanston could be too removed and not as fun as the city itself.

Is it easy and reliable to hop on a bus to get to the Ravenswood Metra each morning? Or conversely, would it be a mistake to live closer to the Metra station, and just walk or bus whenever I want to go out? Thanks again.

[tonythetuna]

Originally Posted by jsk1983

My studio in western Lincoln Square is $675 plus $20 for cooking gas and about $30 for electric.

May I ask what streets that is near?

[jsk1983]

Originally Posted by Ayrton

Thanks so much for this info. It sounds like if I want to be close to the activity (in either Andersonville or Lincoln Square) I should prepare for a bit of a morning walk. I am commuting to the northern suburbs, and I gathered from reading other threads that Rogers Park might be hit and miss, and not as safe, while Evanston could be too removed and not as fun as the city itself.

Is it easy and reliable to hop on a bus to get to the Ravenswood Metra each morning? Or conversely, would it be a mistake to live closer to the Metra station, and just walk or bus whenever I want to go out? Thanks again.

The bus runs about every ten minutes ON AVERAGE. Since you have to catch a specific train I think your better off walking as its much more reliable. On occasion there will be two buses right next to each other then not another for 15 minutes. The buses do have a tracker system with GPS so you can get an estimate of when it will arrive. Personally I'd center my search for around Damen and Lawrence that way you'll be about ten minutes from Lincoln Square and 5-10 minutes to the train station (actually it's just a platform).

[jsk1983]

Originally Posted by tonythetuna

May I ask what streets that is near?

Lawrence and California.

[UnderTheLiveOaks]

I lived near Lawrence and Western for years and took the Metra frequently. I biked it to the platform on nice days, and if i'd lived at, say Lawrence and Hoyne or Seely, it would have been an easy walk. Relying on the bus is a gamble, though bus-tracker helps.

[Ayrton]

It sounds like living towards Lincoln Square, west of the Metra station, would be the best idea so far. How would you describe the bars and eateries in that area? Not looking for Wrigleyville rowdiness but also not looking for a sleepy nook either.

Lastly, what do you all think about ruling out Evanston? It's still in the back of my mind since it's a bit closer to my job and is also close to the lake and Northwestern (where I could maybe take some continuing ed. classes). Is the purple line access to the city really inconvenient during non-rush hours? Would I really feel the drop-off in activity and night life compared to Lincoln Square? Thanks everyone, can't wait for the big move!

[MannheimMadman]

Originally Posted by Ayrton

It sounds like living towards Lincoln Square, west of the Metra station, would be the best idea so far. How would you describe the bars and eateries in that area? Not looking for Wrigleyville rowdiness but also not looking for a sleepy nook either.

Lastly, what do you all think about ruling out Evanston? It's still in the back of my mind since it's a bit closer to my job and is also close to the lake and Northwestern (where I could maybe take some continuing ed. classes). Is the purple line access to the city really inconvenient during non-rush hours? Would I really feel the drop-off in activity and night life compared to Lincoln Square? Thanks everyone, can't wait for the big move!

Lincoln Square has tons of eateries and bars off of Lincoln Avenue, all of which serve a more professional crowd. It's nothing like Wrigleyville/East Lake View, IMHO. Whenever I patronize those places, it's a lot of after work folks in their office attire, or moms with their kids in tow.

I've never lived in Evanston, but regularly bike up that way and sometimes stop in and around the university. It's got this really cool quaint feel that is much different than Lincoln Square. I'd like to live in Evanston someday just to try it out. The cool thing is that it has excellent lake front access, and if you're a NU fan, it can't be beat.

The purple line only rushes to the loop on M-F. Otherwise, you'll have to shuttle or transfer to the red. I imagine that it would take quite a bit of time to make all those transfers to get to downtown.