Neighborhood advice - possibly moving to Chicago (Lincoln: townhomes, construction)

[extractable]

I love this site -- I'm getting tons of excellent advice. So long as negotiations work out I'm buying you all a beer ;-) at least virtually.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by lenniel

I lived in Chicago (city) for 19 years and have never heard of "lakeshore east'. Is that some creative label applied to a crappy area by the realtors to make it sound more appealing? Kind of like "west Bucktown" (which is really the hood).

You've lived here for 19 years and have never heard of that? Seriously? It's an area in the Loop that has a bunch of new high rises including Aqua, Coast at Lakeshore East, The Tides, The Shoreham, etc. It's a real area. It's one of the main reasons the population of the Loop jumped so much between 2000 and 2010.

Lakeshore East - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[extractable]

What is University Village? (Address near Halstead at 17th). Is this place any good?

[Ace Rothstein]

Originally Posted by lenniel

I lived in Chicago (city) for 19 years and have never heard of "lakeshore east'. Is that some creative label applied to a crappy area by the realtors to make it sound more appealing? Kind of like "west Bucktown" (which is really the hood).

It is where the golf course used to be and before that, the rail yards just east of the loop.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by extractable

What is University Village? (Address near Halstead at 17th). Is this place any good?

Wide range of apartments, some are rather large and get rented out by groups/multiple students, others are too expensive for students. Many of them have the feel of condos in the burbs becuase of their layout.

Neighborhood is far less interesting than when it used to host the Maxwell St open air market, but mostly convenient.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by extractable

What is University Village? (Address near Halstead at 17th). Is this place any good?

17th and Halsted is actually Pilsen, but right on the edge where it borders University Village. Those two neighborhoods have some of what you say you're looking for, but it would be a longer walk to the Loop than you're wanting, and there isn't an el stop at that end of Pilsen. (Bus access to the Loop is easy from there, however.) It's not very close to the water, either.

For what you're seeking, I would say Near North (including River North and Gold Coast) makes the most sense.

[lenniel]

Originally Posted by Ace Rothstein

It is where the golf course used to be and before that, the rail yards just east of the loop.

Yep, got it. I know exactly where it is but just never heard of referred to Lakeshore East? I guess we always called it "that area just southwest of Navy Pier and east of Mich Ave."

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by lenniel

Yep, got it. I know exactly where it is but just never heard of referred to Lakeshore East? I guess we always called it "that area just southwest of Navy Pier and east of Mich Ave."

Yep. I always just thought of it as part of The Loop, or maybe a little residential area next to The Loop. Thanks to this forum I have learned that it can be called "Lakeshore East," "Near Eastside," or "New Eastside." Whatever. I refuse to think of a few high-rises as its own neighborhood, regardless of what its developers tell me.

On a side note, has anyone else ever tried to get to the lake by cutting through that area? Hint: Don't.

[eating while walking]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

On a side note, has anyone else ever tried to get to the lake by cutting through that area? Hint: Don't.

When I was new to the city I wandered into there at night trying to find a pedestrian path across the river. Talk about a labyrinth. The whole place is cut off from the Chicago street grid and elevated in weird ways... it's like its own little self contained arcology. It took me a while to find my way out because it was such a ghost town that there was no one to ask for directions. Definitely not my favorite part of the city.

[chet everett]

The point where Randolph turns into Harbor Dr is especially maddening. It dead ends and you end up having to really doubt that any city planner could have given even a moments consideration as to how it is that there are three levels of streets and no signage to indicate how get to / from any of them...