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I live on a lower floor right above the bus stop and it is hell! very noisy. I'd never live on a busy street unless I was maybe 20 floors up,, but then you can still hear certain noises, people protesting, kids drumming on the plastic garbage bags, etc.
Nice if you have a view of the lake but if you face another high rise, it can be claustrophobic.
True, you dont hear all the noise if your windows are closed, but sometimes you want fresh air on a nice 73 degree summer night. Then you hear the cars with music pumping very loud from cars going by, fire engine sirens and motorcylces revving up their motor and people screaming/talking loud when they go by as they go out and party.
I currently live on the first floor (of 2 ) and I hear every. little. thing. going on... it took me so long to reply to these because with all of the crap going on around my building, you wouldnt have wanted to hear what was on my mind! ugh
i hear every in and out of my neighbors, every door open and close, every car...i loved it at first because i could literally park at my door but add a horribly maintained building and even horrible landlord...oh wait i'm going off topic.
so the noise thing is a sensitive point. i will be sure to find one as high as possible.
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Originally Posted by andrew61
I have to admit, when I first moved into my highrise, I felt the same way. I had never lived in a doorman building before, and to suddenly have someone knowing all your comings and goings, and what guests you have and who they are and when they arrive and leave, and to have to let the doorman know when you have an out-of-town guest staying over and how long, so they know to let them in... all that made me a bit squeamish as I'm a very reserved, private person. I really didn't like it at first. But it's something you do get used to over time.
THIS is what i was most worried about. not that i have a revolving door or anything but still...ick.
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Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
Warning! Do not believe all these people that say you cant hear anything like street noise because of their type of windows. Some time you want to open those windows like i said above and get fresh air in! yeah fine in winter, but whatcha gonna do about summer?
if you ever go on apartment hunting, open the windows and listen in , in fact, go when it is the most noisy - i.e. if you are downtown or in a bar/shopping area, go when its most noisy - shopping area - go when theres lots of shoppers and cars, ina bar area, go at night when you can hear all that noise. But dont forget the sirens, if you live near a hospital - especially if your street is a major ambulance street, or just in general truck noise if your near Lake Shore Drive or an expressway.
Really, I have lived here in this place for 8 months AND I STILL HAVE NOT GOTTEN USED TO IT! I'm ready to move - yesterday.
thanks for the warning.....i love this site, because there are SO many things i wouldnt have tried. hell my current apartment has ill-fitting windows that let tons of wind in, and i wish i'd known to pay more attention to that when i visited. (here i go complaining again)
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
I think the answer is live way up high, maybe above the 20th floor to eliminate a lot of noise.
- of course, its more expensive the higher you go.
Also, i lived 3 doors down from a busy street, but my window/balcony faced west, and i didn't hear the noise from the busy street. so thats going to be my next place. On a side street.
theres a very nice highrise on 3200 N Lake Shore Dr, however, I think a 4th floor apt would be too dang noisy. Oh did I mention I'd never live above a bus stop either! the buses using their air brakes and that burst of air when they put on the gas or whatever they are doing, is pretty noisy too.
this is great to know as well. i had no idea there would be a price differential the higher you go.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO
I thought of that, however, I want to live in a neighborhood, where there are more diners, restaurants, boutiques, shops, and different environment all together. Like the poster up there said its too sterile and not much to do very conveniently day to day. Theres like no trees except a few decorative ones here or there.. my heart is really in lakeview.
the other side of the building has one thing - if you dont go high enough, your view is blocked by another high rise, so its darker more closed-in, and so thats one reason I didn't take an available apt on that side. if you go too high its too expensive for my paycheck. I will save some money by goin to Lakeview too.
so wait, are you in lakeview now, or is that where you're headed?
the poster above was referring as lakeview as being too sterile/boring, i think. it's high on my shortlist, which is why i'm interested.
As others have said, the doormen are something to get used to. I personally think they're good to have. You feel more secure with a doorman because obviously not just anyone can come into the building. My building has 24 floors and I'm up on the 21st. The view is stunning: I look directly south down the Chicago river, Wacker drive, views of Sears Tower from probably 10 blocks away, Merchandise Mart which is a couple blocks south, Trump Tower to the slight south east, and a ton of other buildings. To the west (since it's a corner apartment), I can see as far as the eye can see to the horizon. Sunsets every day. United Center. Expressway. It's pretty awesome. Walls are really thick, probably concrete, so I never hear neighbors above, below or to the side ever. No TVs blasting or footsteps. Parties aren't a problem. The only time I ever hear people is out in the hallway and that's rare too since I have a place at the end of the hall. Looking down the hall is crazy... it's really long and looks like it's straight out of the Shining.
The building has its own dry cleaner who also accepts and signs for all the packages so you never miss the UPS guy and have to sign the little sticky note. The building has a beautiful courtyard that's on the second floor elevated above the street. It's about half the size of a football field and full of winding paths and trees. There's an indoor pool and a work out room with a TV.
It's true how it's like living in "vertical village." You run into different neighbors everyday but don't necessarily need to talk to them or be friend. That's up to you. Waiting for elevators is the only real annoyance I can think of. Besides that, it's safer, nicer, and more comfortable than any place I've ever lived. It's obviously more expensive too but the amenities and the view are worth it.
So for cons I'd say:
-Waiting for elevators.
-Running into lots of people in the elevators which is only a con if you're really introverted or awkward
-Expensive
No other cons I can think of. Everything else is pretty positive.
this sounds like the best of the best aspects of everywhere i've lived lately, all in one. i live in a miserable town now, so the people that are actually *from* here are horrible to be around, but i enjoyed my more "full featured" apartments.
my first was a 6 floor building in a complex of 3. there was a gym and a few entertainment rooms, garage, etc but my life was too busy back then to really enjoy it. the apartment itself is similar to a lot of what i'm seeing in the high rise ads; modern everything, etc.
my second was in a similar building in another suburb. it was managed by horrible people but there was a social room at the top and that was nice. my favorite part was being able to take visitors up there sometimes instead of always hosting people in my apartment. the building also had tons of courts, a pool, gym, etc and that was nice too. i *did* enjoy that place a little more. there was also a pretty busy lobby and sometimes i'd go chat with the retired ladies that hung out there ...it was kinda cute.
i just couldnt stand management. their maintenance workers were in and out of the apartments all the time (unrequested) which was super annoying. i had zero privacy. working from home around all of that was difficult.
now i live in a small building with no amenities and (again) crappy management. (crappy management is not rare in this town, totally an owners market).
i love having a private entrance, close parking, etc but having to be around people isnt so bad. the elevator thing wouldnt be super horrible as i dont have to rush in and out often.
i was totally on the hunt for the rare duplex or something in that area but you guys have convinced me that a high rise may not be all that bad.
for anyone else curious like me, there are tons of youtube videos for these places too...a nice way to see the highlights.
thanks for the warning.....i love this site, because there are SO many things i wouldnt have tried. hell my current apartment has ill-fitting windows that let tons of wind in, and i wish i'd known to pay more attention to that when i visited. (here i go complaining again)
this is great to know as well. i had no idea there would be a price differential the higher you go.
so wait, are you in lakeview now, or is that where you're headed?
the poster above was referring as lakeview as being too sterile/boring, i think. it's high on my shortlist, which is why i'm interested.
Highrises charge more the higher you go up because you get a better view, and its considered more posh, and actaully there might be a buffer of air which is why living on floor 20 is quieter than living on floor 2. I right now live downtown, but I would love to live on a side street in lakeview because it is less traffic and pedestrians shopping and driving cars on the busy streets. Motorcyles and cars love to use Lake Shore Drive and Wacker Drive as the Speedway at 2:00 a.m. because there is not much traffic. Depends where you are in Lakeview as it varies. You can live on the 800 block of Newport and have those beautiful gray stone apartment buildings, and you can live on Cornelia just off Broadway and there are cute lil stores or coffee shops, you can live on Diversey and have the same noise problem as me, you can live at the Darien (3100 N). and have the buffer of Lincoln Park grassy area that is between you and the ramp to Lake Shore Drive, I would not live on the 2nd floor of 3200 n Lake shore drive right up above a bus stop, nor 2900 N Sheridan because of the noise.. I'd rather live on the 500 block of Surf or Oakdale, or Cornelia or Hawthorne, but not directly on Broadway or Halsted or Sheffield. I'd live on Kenmore and School St, but not on Belmont street for the noise and traffic issues. I dont think I'd live on 5600 N Sheridan for the noise of cars coming off Lake Shore Drive, but I'd live on one of the side streets that are a block from Lake Shore Drive.
Highrises charge more the higher you go up because you get a better view, and its considered more posh, and actaully there might be a buffer of air which is why living on floor 20 is quieter than living on floor 2.
News to me. Maybe some of the higher end ones do, but my unit costs the same exact on the 25th floor than it does on the 4th floor of my building. All units cost the same, even though I have a "cooler" view than the 4th floor unit. It all costs the same in my building and I know that's true for some of my friends' buildings.
I would actually argue that living on the 20th floor is not necessarily quieter than the something like the 2nd If you are 2 blocks away from bars, you are going to hear it on the 20th floor easier actually. I've been in areas downtown (Gold Coast) where you can't hear anything on the ground level as far as stuff like bar noise goes, but up 15 floors, you can hear it all. You have natural geography like trees to block out some of the sound if you are closer to the ground and the noise isn't coming from right outside your window. The trees are not going to block out much of any noise if you're up high on the contrary.
News to me. Maybe some of the higher end ones do, but my unit costs the same exact on the 25th floor than it does on the 4th floor of my building. All units cost the same, even though I have a "cooler" view than the 4th floor unit. It all costs the same in my building and I know that's true for some of my friends' buildings.
I would actually argue that living on the 20th floor is not necessarily quieter than the something like the 2nd If you are 2 blocks away from bars, you are going to hear it on the 20th floor easier actually. I've been in areas downtown (Gold Coast) where you can't hear anything on the ground level as far as stuff like bar noise goes, but up 15 floors, you can hear it all. You have natural geography like trees to block out some of the sound if you are closer to the ground and the noise isn't coming from right outside your window. The trees are not going to block out much of any noise if you're up high on the contrary.
OK that might be true, since I have not lived in all buildings, but I can only tell you my experience from apartment hunting. It is true that two people on the SAME floor might haver different rents based on city view or lake view, or difference of amenities, or like if one tenant lived on the sucky side of the building, or the reason you stated.
Good you detailed your experience too. I agree with your reasoning. And I'm glad to hear that to consider in my next apartment search. For example, I believe living on floor 2 of a residential street is going to be quieter than the 20th floor above Division and State.
Lots of factors to consider.. i guess the moral of the story is - open the windows of your future apartment and see how the noise is, actually I could learn a lot just by standing on the sidewalk in front of the apartment building and see how the noise and car traffic and pedestrial traffic sounds.. also if you could do it at night when the party crowd comes out, that would be idea. sort of like a stalker heheh
Here's another question....why would these places require orientation? The building at 3950 N LakeShore has a few ads on CL and there's a bit about "approval by condominium board" and "orientation" .
Maybe to learn all the condo rules? Or to get the condo owners of other units to know you better? or to give you a tour of the place and let you know all the ins and outs of living there?
this is for a rental, but i see what you mean...the owners reserve the right to decide what kind of people live around them.
feels creepy, i'd probably just avoid that one.
Craigslist Rental != RENTAL. Do you know how many people rent out their condos? Tons. I have a coworker who lives in this building and it's a condo building. Not to mention the description states:
"Two bedroom, 1 bath condo on the lakefront WITH ALL UTILITIES INCLUDED."
ChicagoMeO is probably correct. Although it's a little weird, pretty much everywhere at least gives you a packet of information. This place just goes one step further and it might be just for people who sublet, so they know the rules of the condo association.
One thing I dislike about highrises is the need to say "Hi" to every person I see in the elevator or the doorman everytime I come and go. It honestly got old for me after a while.
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