Chicago featured in this article (Evanston, Oak Park: sales, cliquey, neighborhoods)

[chet everett]

The article shows nothing of the sort. It is fluff and silliness. It does nothing to examine the economic realities that also have made car ownership harder for young people than ever -- New Study Says Millennials 'Just Can't Afford to Drive' - Forbes

That young people cannot afford to start families -- Young people cannot afford to get married or have children - Telegraph

That young people don't like transit buses -- Making buses ‘sexier’ to Millennials (or anyone) :: Second Ave. Sagas

The article glosses over the BILLIONS in tax subsidies that companies gooble up for these things:
http://goo.gl/dRGkIk
Corporate Tax Subsidies Are Out of Control - Economic Intelligence (usnews.com)
Boeing, Recipient of the Largest State Tax Subsidy in History, Paid Nothing in State Corporate Income Taxes Over the Past Decade | CTJReports
Washington just awarded the largest state tax subsidy in U.S. history

So yeah, check back with me when people are not constrained by horrible economic disaster...

[marothisu]

Are you serious? The article is fluff quoting the city saying they need to crack down on large bus routes from corporations that are unregulated by the city? We're talking about San Francisco here. I have friends who do this everyday. I have people as old as you, presumably, who live there and tell me the same thing that younger people are doing. Please stop with your BS. We're talking about San Francisco and tech companies here right now providing many buses from San Francisco because their workers don't want to live in Mountain View.

Give me a break. Leave your agenda at the door if you want to intelligently discuss things. I dare you to go a single thread without mentioning government, taxation, etc. I honestly don't think you can do it. Someone asks about moving to the city, and you butt right in with your watchful suburban sage advice spouting off a bunch of things the OP doesn't care about nor even giving good sound advice to them. If you wanted a bigger forum for your agendas, take it elsewhere where perhaps it'll have a bigger real life impact.

Everyone knows your agenda and almost nobody gives a damn other than you being that annoying fly in the room nobody can seem to swat and quiet. I'm not trying to be MEAN about this, but I'm giving you the truth. Most of the posters that come here do not listen that much to you. Honestly. It's only when you stir the pot, like the last few days, that people truly chime in.

[reppin_the_847]

I contracted at Motorola Mobility a few years ago and I knew a younger manager (probably in his early 30's at most) that commuted to Libertyville from the city. I'm pretty sure he lived in River North. He used to make the drive in his Lexus ES350.

One of my friends commutes from the Chicago / Evanston border up to the industrial Lake County suburb of North Chicago for a job at AbbVie. Luckily for him he's able to take the Union Pacific North (Metra) most days to work.

Chicago's a metro area where a centralized work location simply makes sense thanks to our transit system. Another poster mentioned that commuters from all over the metro (even Indiana) can utilize the train to commute to Loop-based jobs. For folks in job-starved areas like the southern suburbs, the Loop-based jobs are just as important as it is for the yuppie in Lincoln Park.

The job corridors in the northern & western suburbs also make sense for other reasons. I don't think these corridors will disappear completely because there are advantages to being in the burbs as well. Unfortunately for Motorola Mobility, the northwestern corner of Libertyville is so far out of the way that I'm sure it was tough to attract and retain mobile, younger tech workers. At least some of the other job-filled northern suburbs are a bit closer to the city (ie. Deerfield, Northbrook, Glenview, Northfield, etc.)

[marothisu]

^ Exactly. It's too far away. If you were to put something in Evanston, Glenview, Elmhurst, etc, then it's not as much of an issue location wise.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

I contracted at Motorola Mobility a few years ago and I knew a younger manager (probably in his early 30's at most) that commuted to Libertyville from the city. I'm pretty sure he lived in River North. He used to make the drive in his Lexus ES350.

One of my friends commutes from the Chicago / Evanston border up to the industrial Lake County suburb of North Chicago for a job at AbbVie. Luckily for him he's able to take the Union Pacific North (Metra) most days to work.

Chicago's a metro area where a centralized work location simply makes sense thanks to our transit system. Another poster mentioned that commuters from all over the metro (even Indiana) can utilize the train to commute to Loop-based jobs. For folks in job-starved areas like the southern suburbs, the Loop-based jobs are just as important as it is for the yuppie in Lincoln Park.

The job corridors in the northern & western suburbs also make sense for other reasons. I don't think these corridors will disappear completely because there are advantages to being in the burbs as well. Unfortunately for Motorola Mobility, the northwestern corner of Libertyville is so far out of the way that I'm sure it was tough to attract and retain mobile, younger tech workers. At least some of the other job-filled northern suburbs are a bit closer to the city (ie. Deerfield, Northbrook, Glenview, Northfield, etc.)

The physical layout that dictates what kinds of commuting options are possible is another excellent factor in what forces some firms to offer specific options to employees. The restrictions posed by the various rivers and seaports (to say nothing of local affection of natural areas ...) means that development of both highways and employments centers in high contrained on the West Coast. In Illinois that is not really a factor.

The shifts in what drive businesses to decide that it makes sense to take advantage of offering their employees the option of taking a shuttle are have more to do with they cannot otherwise acheive -- increase productivity at lower cost. In our region so long as folks have the option to take heavy rail into Chicago the rail centric suburbs ought to maintain their desirabilty for folks that are compensated well enough to afford families.

A concern could arise should clueless firms decide to merely put the barely warm slacker bodies into offices because they are "cheap" (ie. will work for "craft beer money") instead of paying wages conmensurate with the skills of workers that can demand higher salaries...

[stephei2000]

I enjoy the spontaneity of it, and the fact that it's more social than spending time in a car. You never know who you're going to meet when you're walking about or taking public transit. In a car on the road though, the chances of meeting anybody or having any sort of real human interaction is not that much.

Very true, but I feel that is completely overhyped as most people are spending time on their I-Phones and not even greeting each other.

Yes, the chances are better than just sitting a car, but not much depending on where you live in the city.

If you can drive to a walkable area, you chances of meeting and having a conversation with people to me are about the same in place like Chicago because too many young people are worried about looking good here.

I will admit when I rent a car here and drive in the city all I want to do is get rid of the thing because it is stressful, but one of my favorite things to do was to drive to a Lakeview or some other party area from Forest Park because it was all freeway and relaxing, listen to music and get myself excited about what could happen and I would still get that street energy which I really like.


But, I become seriously annoyed riding on a train with a bunch of drunk idiots before and after going out especially now since I am older too do not really hang out late night.

However, I remember one time my car was broken down, and I took the train to go out and come home. It was very annoying to me because while I love to mingle when I am out, I am done after a certain point and need that peace and quiet after a night out to reflect and decompress.

Being on the train is like another party and I am type once I am done, I am done. So I do enjoy being a car after a good night out if the drive is not too stressful.

[marothisu]

^ There are sometimes it can feel like a party, but much of it depends on when/where you're going. If you are just going on the red line at night and a weekend between lincoln park, lakeview, and river north or through wicker park. Other than that? Not really.

I ride the train just about everyday - every morning to work, and especially in the mornings and the commute home after work it is never loud. Busy? Yes. Loud? No. Everyone is reserved when it comes to noise. People will talk to each other, but nobody is drunk and loud at these times. Riding lines like Brown, Pink, Orange, Green and Purple line, I have never seen it annoying or loud. It's the same on many other lines. Most of the time on the train is NOT like a party, I'm sorry. It's only at certain times of the night between a few select stops, and even then it's not a given. I've gone through Wrigleyville/Lakeview/Lincoln Park a number of times at 1am on a Friday where my car wasn't full of annoying drunkards.


However, I think you have a completely valid point with all the people preoccupied with their phones and what not. I listen to music when I ride public transit, but if I want to talk to anybody or see something interesting, I hit pause and take off my headphones.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by stephei2000

I enjoy the spontaneity of it, and the fact that it's more social than spending time in a car. You never know who you're going to meet when you're walking about or taking public transit. In a car on the road though, the chances of meeting anybody or having any sort of real human interaction is not that much.

Very true, but I feel that is completely overhyped as most people are spending time on their I-Phones and not even greeting each other.

Yes, the chances are better than just sitting a car, but not much depending on where you live in the city.

If you can drive to a walkable area, you chances of meeting and having a conversation with people to me are about the same in place like Chicago because too many young people are worried about looking good here.

I will admit when I rent a car here and drive in the city all I want to do is get rid of the thing because it is stressful, but one of my favorite things to do was to drive to a Lakeview or some other party area from Forest Park because it was all freeway and relaxing, listen to music and get myself excited about what could happen and I would still get that street energy which I really like.

But, I become seriously annoyed riding on a train with a bunch of drunk idiots before and after going out especially now since I am older to do not really hang out late night.

However, I remember one time my car was broken down, and I took to train go out and come home. It was very annoying to me because while I love to mingle when I am out I am done after a certain point and need that peace and quiet after a night out to reflect and decompress.

Being on the train is like another party and I am type once I am done, I am done. So I do enjoy being a car after a good night out if the drive is not too stressful.

Between the headphones for music / smartphones I wonder how much interaction there is anywhere. Metra added "quiet cars" a few years back which is at least an "optional" thing for folks that like quiet.

From what I gather many of these Silicon Valley employee shuttles have onboard wifi / vpn set ups so the folks are actually still working while they are getting picked up /dropped off...

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by chet everett

From what I gather many of these Silicon Valley employee shuttles have onboard wifi / vpn set ups so the folks are actually still working while they are getting picked up /dropped off...

People do that on the Metra too. They tether their cellphones and use it as internet on their laptops. Literally everyone I work with who rides the Metra has at some point done this in the last handful of years.

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by marothisu

People do that on the Metra too. They tether their cellphones and use it as internet on their laptops. Literally everyone I work with who rides the Metra has at some point done this in the last handful of years.

Don't think it would be possible on CTA, but easy enough on Metra and frankly most Pace buses are half empty too...