Can not afford downtown :( (Chicago, Lincoln: renter, house, safe area)

[emathias]

Originally Posted by knitgirl

I don't think you really mean "downtown". What we mean by that term is the central business area - not that many people live there period, and it's certainly not a hotbed of young transplants. If you've been reading the forum for a year, you should be familiar with the standard newbie neighborhoods. There are plenty of threads that have addressed this.

Actually, many - probably most - people include places like Printers Row, Streeterville, N. Michigan Ave, the West Loop and River North in the definition of "downtown" for Chicago. If "The Loop" and downtown were always synonymous, you'd probably never hear the term "downtown" used in Chicago.

Taken together, that definition of downtown has the fastest-growing population in the state, some of the best restaurants in the nation, and a fair bit to do. Plus, it has excellent transit to most of the rest of the Chicago area. Most of it is expensive, though, so if you'd be scraping by just to make rent in the area then, yeah, it'd seem quite boring since you'd be unable to afford what those areas do have to offer.

To the O.P. you can find plenty of places with a small, older 1-bedroom for that price range. For your needs, I'd recommend either West Lakeview, where you typically get a little more for your money than East Lakeview, but still have decent access to transit, or perhaps the far eastern edge of Lakeview, which has some good deals on older buildings. They won't be great apartments in your price range, but there should be a few in your range and the area is great, there are good express buses to Michigan Ave, and it's a nice intro to Chicago.

Originally Posted by eevee

what exactly s the "downtown lifestyle"? Downtown, to be blunt, is rather boring. sure you've got shopping on the Mag Mile, museums, and theaters, but that's pretty much it. Good bars are hard to come by, ditto good restaurants, and the shopping off the Mag Mile isn't that great.
...

What eevee means is that s/he can't afford those things. If it was really that s/he didn't personally care for those things, s/he'd say that. But s/he decrees that they're boring, or that things don't exist (I assure you, they do) which seems pretty obviously a defensive posturing. Which is silly. Everyone is priced out of certain things, but that doesn't make those things bad.

[knitgirl]

Basically this:The official boundaries as designated by the City of Chicago are The Chicago River to the north and west, Roosevelt Road to the south, and Lake Michigan to the east. As the downtown area and its many high-rises expanded out past the official community area over the years, "The Loop" has been used more generally to denote the entire downtown as opposed to just the officially designated community area.

[knitgirl]

Originally Posted by emathias

Actually, many - probably most - people include places like Printers Row, Streeterville, N. Michigan Ave, the West Loop and River North in the definition of "downtown" for Chicago. If "The Loop" and downtown were always synonymous, you'd probably never hear the term "downtown" used in Chicago.

But are those people that grew up in the area, or people from elsewhere applying the definitions from wherever they're from to Chicago?

When I was a kid, we'd go downtown to see Santa at Marshall Fields on State St or see my dad at work at 216 W. Adams. (That building no longer exists.) Definitely downtown is bigger than just the Loop, but I think the OP was using the term downtown rather loosely and not necessarily meaning what he thinks he meant. Unless he really doesn't know Chicago that well at all.

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

I have been in Chicago for 2.5 months, and I still don't really know what "downtown" is

It's more of a mindset, really.

[aragx6]

You can easily get a studio and probably a small 1 bedroom in Lakeview under $900. That's almost certainly your best bet. Once you get to know the city you might find another neighborhood you prefer, but Lakeview is a great start.

[FAReastcoast]

Originally Posted by jdiddy

It's more of a mindset, really.

I grew up in Manhattan (Washington Heights), and when one said "downtown" the thought of a gritty, casual individual living in the village came to mind (that has since changed), and "uptown" was more sophisticated, upper class (still sorta holds true today). I never really knew the term downtown was used outside of NYC growing up, and it really doesn't make sense in Chicago (or anywhere else). "downtown chicago is more east than anything; not really "down".

[Vlajos]

Downtown in Chicago is usually meant to include the highrise urban core/CBD. Sorry it doesn't match the NYC definition.

[ToriaT]

back in the day natives of chicago meant basically the loop if they said downtown. there were not people really living there as many of the new residential areas like south loop and west loop were skid rows. so if you said lets go downtown, you meant the loop or state st.

what i find is a lot of suburbanites and those not native to chicago say downtown even if its Lincoln park. I have a friend from virginia who says her son lives downtown but he actually lives in roscoe village. they think anywhere in the inner type city areas are downtown. not.

[SJaye]

Originally Posted by FAReastcoast

I grew up in Manhattan (Washington Heights), and when one said "downtown" the thought of a gritty, casual individual living in the village came to mind (that has since changed), and "uptown" was more sophisticated, upper class (still sorta holds true today). I never really knew the term downtown was used outside of NYC growing up, and it really doesn't make sense in Chicago (or anywhere else). "downtown chicago is more east than anything; not really "down".

Strange that although the New York way of distinguishing "Uptown" and "Downtown" seems to make more sense, Chicago's use of "Downtown" to mean the center of town seems way more commonplace across the country, with most cities' referring to their central business districts as "Downtown"

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ToriaT

back in the day
...

Back in the day my grandmother used to call things *****, and she wasn't talking about homosexuals.

Language evolves.

EDIT: LOL, see, language has evolved to the point city-data even considered that five-letter word starting with q to be worthy of censoring.