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Hi, DM...I lived in the Chicago-area most of my life except the last two years. I actually have lived in Wicker Park, Oak Brook, Oak Park, and then in the Kenwood area. My thoughts are as follows...unless you are the couple that absolutely must live in the city neighborhoods where you want to walk to different restaurants and bars every night, walk to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or local grocery store and plan on sending your kids to private schools (I went to public and I have friends who fall in the need-to-live-in-the-city category), then I don't think the city is right for your situation. First off, you noted wanting to live downtown and other commenters have talked about Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, etc. I don't consider those areas downtown. I consider downtown to be around State and Washington and then the loop around that. A lot of apartments there are very costly and you would pay a premium for parking. However, you could find a one bedroom for $2,000k. Depending on where you are in downtown, there may not be anything open at night. You may need to cross Wacker and get to Grand for restaurants and bars. Maybe the West Loop is a good area. There are a fair amount of restaurants and bars off of Halsted and Lake. I also suggest this because you would be able to hop on the Eisenhower (I-290) off of Canal or go down further West at Ashland or maybe get onto 90/94 and do the suicide four-lane change to the Ike. Assuming your hubby leaves early enough, with a lead foot and minimal traffic, then he could get to Oak Brook assuming he is going somewhere around Kingery Highway and 22nd Street in about 30 minutes. If you were to go to Wicker Park or any of the other gentrifying areas of the city, it is not realistic that the commute would be 30 minutes unless he got every single green light and never got pulled over for speeding. Look, to get from around North Avenue and Damen after you include getting out of your garage spot, parking spot or street parking to I290 will realistically take 10-20 minutes even at 6:00 a.m. In the winter, if there is any snow, it may take more like a half-hour. So, just be prepared for the commute on average from these areas in the city to take at least 45-50 minutes one way.
I think Oak Park is a great place because you both can take the Green Line, Blue Line or Metra into downtown. The Metra is only a 15 minute ride. Depending on where you live in Oak Park, you also can walk to restaurants and bars on Madison in Forest Park or restaurants and bars on Lake Street in Oak Park. Also, to drive into the city, you can hop on I290 East to the city at Austin where it is a four-laner and you can be downtown in less than 15 minutes. This is only a 20 minutes drive to Oak Brook and if there is traffic congestion, you can also take Roosevelt into Oak Brook. By the way, someone mentioned the Austin-area of the city. You must be out of your mind if you want to live there. It has some of the worst crime in the city. Some of the same comments of Oak Park apply to Forest Park. Also, living in Oak Park, it is easier to go to Oak Brook/Naperville to try their restaurants.
Some other thoughts to consider. If you live in the city and park on the street, plan on your car getting broken into. Second, in the winter time, get used to having an ice scraper. Third, if there is snow, you may need to shovel your car out of its parking spot. The decision really is whether you want your husband to spend 10 hours a week traveling versus 5 hours a week. Good luck on your decision and I hope some of this was helpful.
Hi, DM...I lived in the Chicago-area most of my life except the last two years. I actually have lived in Wicker Park, Oak Brook, Oak Park, and then in the Kenwood area. My thoughts are as follows...unless you are the couple that absolutely must live in the city neighborhoods where you want to walk to different restaurants and bars every night, walk to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or local grocery store and plan on sending your kids to private schools (I went to public and I have friends who fall in the need-to-live-in-the-city category), then I don't think the city is right for your situation. First off, you noted wanting to live downtown and other commenters have talked about Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, etc. I don't consider those areas downtown. I consider downtown to be around State and Washington and then the loop around that. A lot of apartments there are very costly and you would pay a premium for parking. However, you could find a one bedroom for $2,000k. Depending on where you are in downtown, there may not be anything open at night. You may need to cross Wacker and get to Grand for restaurants and bars. Maybe the West Loop is a good area. There are a fair amount of restaurants and bars off of Halsted and Lake. I also suggest this because you would be able to hop on the Eisenhower (I-290) off of Canal or go down further West at Ashland or maybe get onto 90/94 and do the suicide four-lane change to the Ike. Assuming your hubby leaves early enough, with a lead foot and minimal traffic, then he could get to Oak Brook assuming he is going somewhere around Kingery Highway and 22nd Street in about 30 minutes. If you were to go to Wicker Park or any of the other gentrifying areas of the city, it is not realistic that the commute would be 30 minutes unless he got every single green light and never got pulled over for speeding. Look, to get from around North Avenue and Damen after you include getting out of your garage spot, parking spot or street parking to I290 will realistically take 10-20 minutes even at 6:00 a.m. In the winter, if there is any snow, it may take more like a half-hour. So, just be prepared for the commute on average from these areas in the city to take at least 45-50 minutes one way.
I think Oak Park is a great place because you both can take the Green Line, Blue Line or Metra into downtown. The Metra is only a 15 minute ride. Depending on where you live in Oak Park, you also can walk to restaurants and bars on Madison in Forest Park or restaurants and bars on Lake Street in Oak Park. Also, to drive into the city, you can hop on I290 East to the city at Austin where it is a four-laner and you can be downtown in less than 15 minutes. This is only a 20 minutes drive to Oak Brook and if there is traffic congestion, you can also take Roosevelt into Oak Brook. By the way, someone mentioned the Austin-area of the city. You must be out of your mind if you want to live there. It has some of the worst crime in the city. Some of the same comments of Oak Park apply to Forest Park. Also, living in Oak Park, it is easier to go to Oak Brook/Naperville to try their restaurants.
Some other thoughts to consider. If you live in the city and park on the street, plan on your car getting broken into. Second, in the winter time, get used to having an ice scraper. Third, if there is snow, you may need to shovel your car out of its parking spot. The decision really is whether you want your husband to spend 10 hours a week traveling versus 5 hours a week. Good luck on your decision and I hope some of this was helpful.
This is excellent advice.
Also, I was being facetious with my Austin suggestion because that is the only city neighborhood where these travel times are doable.
I think most people consider River North and Streeterville, and even part of Gold Coast as part of downtown now for the record. However, I would not live there if I were the OP due to their time constraints and I wouldn't live in the Loop either because it's boring. West Loop is eh - pretty boring too but not terrible. We also stated that wicker park is NOT downtown. You can also definitely get a 1 bedroom anywhere downtown for less than $2000/month. The vast majority of buildings will not be that high for a 1 bedroom, though some are.
I think it can't be stated enough - if you must live in the city, then an area like Wicker Park is good. If you think you'll have trouble with the commute, then Oak Park, Forest Park, etc is really not necessarily a typical suburb.
I completely agree with Kachook, and have lived in downtown Chicago and Oak Park myself, and travel to Oak Brook frequently. West Loop, or Oak Park/Forest Park.
Downtown actually means the business/shopping/restaurant center of the city, with highrises for people living there. I have lived there, and while it can be convenient, it has no neighborhood feel and can be a bit sterile/drab and tourist infested. And it is expensive, and impossible to park. Most people live in the Chicago neighborhoods that diffuse out from the downtown center and are very accessible by train. But for your needs, you need to stay as close to the Eisenhower expressway as you can, which runs smack dab into the center of downtown Chicago and goes straight West to Oak Brook.
Living in Wicker Park and commuting to Oak Brook daily will not work. You will start hating life, and every night will be painful. The part of the expressway after Oak Park, going West, is actually being considered for expansion in the future.... so we are both dreading and looking forward to that. It will likely mean a couple years of even worse traffic while that construction is going on. I'm not kidding. The rush hour here starts very early, but fortunately ends early, so as long as you are comfortable going into work really early and staying later (until after 6:30pm) it will be more tolerable. But it will never be 30 minutes. Maybe when it is 2am and you are speeding home... You forget to take into account traffic to get to the expressway, and once you get off the expressway, which often can take more time then your time on the expressway. Those mapping estimates can be very misleading. Also remember our winters can be rough and that is an unpredictable variable that can double commute times.
Definitely if you are into restaurants, the West Loop part of Chicago is where you should be looking. In some ways it's a little stark, but it is city, it has fabulous restaurants and lots of people living in condos/lofts/apt in your age group. A few more basics, like food shopping are opening up there. You are close to downtown, and have closer access to the expressway to go straight west to Oak Brook. It will be expensive, some basics will not be convenient, and it isn't a place to have a family.
I also agree that you should check out Oak Park and Forest Park (near Madison St.), as these "urban suburbs" would be the right compromise, and keep you close enough to the city to get to where you want to go. You don't seem to appreciate that these areas are close to the subway, to a commercial rail line (Metra) and to the expressway and have great access to Chicago. They also border Chicago, although the area they border is rough (Austin neighborhood). They also have Trader Joe's/Costco/Whole foods/farmer's market nearby, some cultural things of their own, quite a few restaurants/bars etc.. Check out Marion St. Cheese Market, Autre Monde, Sen Sushi for restaurants, and if you like music, Fitzgerald's, and if you like theater, 16th St. Theater.
Regardless, you need to come and visit, and actually do the drives from the center of the neighborhoods you are considering to Oak Brook/work, during the commute times you will be driving. Again.... could be brutal.....
Hi, DM...I lived in the Chicago-area most of my life except the last two years. I actually have lived in Wicker Park, Oak Brook, Oak Park, and then in the Kenwood area. My thoughts are as follows...unless you are the couple that absolutely must live in the city neighborhoods where you want to walk to different restaurants and bars every night, walk to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods or local grocery store and plan on sending your kids to private schools (I went to public and I have friends who fall in the need-to-live-in-the-city category), then I don't think the city is right for your situation. First off, you noted wanting to live downtown and other commenters have talked about Wicker Park, Ukranian Village, etc. I don't consider those areas downtown. I consider downtown to be around State and Washington and then the loop around that. A lot of apartments there are very costly and you would pay a premium for parking. However, you could find a one bedroom for $2,000k. Depending on where you are in downtown, there may not be anything open at night. You may need to cross Wacker and get to Grand for restaurants and bars. Maybe the West Loop is a good area. There are a fair amount of restaurants and bars off of Halsted and Lake. I also suggest this because you would be able to hop on the Eisenhower (I-290) off of Canal or go down further West at Ashland or maybe get onto 90/94 and do the suicide four-lane change to the Ike. Assuming your hubby leaves early enough, with a lead foot and minimal traffic, then he could get to Oak Brook assuming he is going somewhere around Kingery Highway and 22nd Street in about 30 minutes. If you were to go to Wicker Park or any of the other gentrifying areas of the city, it is not realistic that the commute would be 30 minutes unless he got every single green light and never got pulled over for speeding. Look, to get from around North Avenue and Damen after you include getting out of your garage spot, parking spot or street parking to I290 will realistically take 10-20 minutes even at 6:00 a.m. In the winter, if there is any snow, it may take more like a half-hour. So, just be prepared for the commute on average from these areas in the city to take at least 45-50 minutes one way.
I think Oak Park is a great place because you both can take the Green Line, Blue Line or Metra into downtown. The Metra is only a 15 minute ride. Depending on where you live in Oak Park, you also can walk to restaurants and bars on Madison in Forest Park or restaurants and bars on Lake Street in Oak Park. Also, to drive into the city, you can hop on I290 East to the city at Austin where it is a four-laner and you can be downtown in less than 15 minutes. This is only a 20 minutes drive to Oak Brook and if there is traffic congestion, you can also take Roosevelt into Oak Brook. By the way, someone mentioned the Austin-area of the city. You must be out of your mind if you want to live there. It has some of the worst crime in the city. Some of the same comments of Oak Park apply to Forest Park. Also, living in Oak Park, it is easier to go to Oak Brook/Naperville to try their restaurants.
Some other thoughts to consider. If you live in the city and park on the street, plan on your car getting broken into. Second, in the winter time, get used to having an ice scraper. Third, if there is snow, you may need to shovel your car out of its parking spot. The decision really is whether you want your husband to spend 10 hours a week traveling versus 5 hours a week. Good luck on your decision and I hope some of this was helpful.
if the OP is unfamilar with the patterns of developement the fact is that this is NOT Dallas where developers plunk down miles of characterless cookie cutter homes in towns where you need to get in the car for absolutely anything like a cup of coffee / beer at a sports bar or any kind of shopping. In many towns adjacent to the boarders of Chicago one can easily walk to all kinds of shops, resturants, transit, etc. Even many towns served by Metra have very walkable cores, some of them are very conveneient to employment in Oak Brook -- towns along the BNSF or UP-W lines generally have well developed cores with a walkable range of shops, friendly neighborhood places to get a beer / glass of wine, resturants, even live theatre and music.
Sounds like a nightmare commute. While you can leave early enough to avoid rush hour in the morning, I'm talking before 6am, but there is no avoiding it in the evening unless you are working 13 hour days. If the Hawks or Bulls are playing, then there is even more traffic for you to deal with. Then you take into account the weather. Yeah, nightmare commute.
Sounds like a nightmare commute. While you can leave early enough to avoid rush hour in the morning, I'm talking before 6am, but there is no avoiding it in the evening unless you are working 13 hour days. If the Hawks or Bulls are playing, then there is even more traffic for you to deal with. Then you take into account the weather. Yeah, nightmare commute.
Ace obviously pays attention to the news reports and probably has gotten stuck in the sometimes miserable traffic that often clog all routes west of the Loop.
While the range of interesting nightspots in neighborhoods further north / east is currently superior to those near United Center the trend of folks that like the quick commute to the Loop and good access to the expressways is likely to see continued growth in these areas.
Folks tht mostly stick to the more developed areas / rely on red line for transit may not be aware how big an impact sporting events have on commute times.
Maybe check out Presidential Towers in the West Loop.
While the location does offer "walk to work" conveneience for those working in the Loop the buildings themselves are crummy with a bad mix of low income tenants and folks working on H1B visas that were not clued into the conditions...
Nicer high rises as well as lofts / commercial conversions / midrise buildings do exist a bit further west, many of which are not much more costly as the competition for tenants is better.
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because that is the only city neighborhood where these travel times are doable.
Good perspective
