Chicago neighborhood or suburb like Brooklyn? (Wheaton, Oak Park: day care, houses, neighborhoods)

[melissagrayce]

Completely appreciate all cities are different but it would be great to get some helpful feedback based on my perspective as I've never lived in Chicago and only visited a few times for work.

We currently live in London but previously lived in Brooklyn and would like to find something similar in Chicago or Chicagoland. The tricky bit is my husband's office would be in Itasca while it's more likely that I would work in Downtown Chicago.

Currently our commute is 45 minutes door to door. We have a 3 year old so good schools and a family friendly vibe are important but equally it would be great to maintain our urban lifestyle. What I mean by that we'd like to live somewhere with a high walk score, artsy, with some non chain shops, restaurants, bars/pubs, and coffee houses. Farmers market, greenery and older houses a big plus. Combined income would be around $200-250k.

Are there any Chicago neighborhoods that meet this criteria and a (relatively) decent commute to Itasca?

Alternatively although we've never lived in the suburbs I understand suburban Chicago is different from other cities in that are than any with a more urban vibe similar to the western parts of Brooklyn (Park slope, Ft Green, Cobble Hill, etc)? If this is correct what suburbs are recommended for this criteria?

Many thanks! Am going to post this on the suburb forum as well.

[Ace Rothstein]

Urban lifestyle and a decent commute to Itasca does not exist. Even in good traffic from a neighborhood like Logan Square, you are talking 40 minutes. He'd probably be looking at an hour and 20 minute ride each way

[jens123]

His commute is going to be bad, esp. in winter. Hope you haven't been checking what the weather has been like here this winter. I don't think any of our neighborhoods are very similar to Brooklyn in that people here take themselves a lot less seriously. More good news is that your income will buy you a lot more here. If decent commute is important to you, you might consider Park Ridge, Oak Park or River Forest outside the city. They all have walkable downtowns and character and are closer to Itasca. Which city hood you take depends on your age, personality etc- Lincoln Park, Old Town, River West, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Old Irving, North Center, Andersonville and others are all great urban hoods. I don't think any will feel like Brooklyn to you though.

[treemoni]

Not even close.

[melissagrayce]

Thanks for the honest feedback.

[emathias]

Chicago doesn't have very many parts that are really that much like Brooklyn, but I'd go with Wicker Park or Oak Park. Of the two, the eastern portion of Wicker Park is more like Brooklyn, but Oak Park, though more suburban, also has excellent commute options downtown, and would give a better commute to Itasca.

[chet everett]

The big difference is the level of affleunce that has blossomed in Brooklyn far overshadows even that of far more established areas in Chicago like Lincoln Park or the Gold Coast and none of those areas has anywhere near the easy to stereotype but nonetheless very distinctive self-absorbed / overly congratulatory type of residents that Brooklyn is teaming with...

The drive to Itasca is rather horrible from any of the hot neighborhoods in Chicago. It would still be pretty nasty driving even to / from Oak Park which at least avoids some of the worst choke points like United Center, the triple merge of Ike, Dan Ryan and Kennedy expressways, or the traffic of Lake Shore Drive. That said, Oak Park does not have too many of the characteristic brownstones / row houses that lend Brooklyn a lot of its visual charm and the walkable mix of artsy shops / businesses. The small taste of such things that Oak Park does offer pales even in comparison to those of Chicago's Wicker Park, which again is a fraction of what one would find in Brooklyn...

The other part of the OP's question suggests that they are a two income couple, something that is somewhat uncommon in this region where it is hard enough for one parent to deal with crummy work situations. It is a plus that Oak Park has a higher than average number of college professors / university employees whose schedule often is more flexible than traditional office workers. Given the relatively high income of the OP and their need for quality day care / schools Oak Park probably should be on their short list.

Honestly none of the desirable suburbs that are more convenient to Itasca, like Glen Ellyn / Wheaton, Elmhurst, Hinsdale/ Clarendon Hills (any of which would meet some criteria of good schools, walkable core, older homes, etc..) have anything that could be remotely compared to the vibe of Brooklyn...

Depending on how strongly they feel about trying to get various aspect of a Brooklynesque life perhaps long commute from Chicago is worth it.

BTW I believe the OP is the third or fourth Londoner headed to Itasca to surface in the past few months -- maybe the lot of you could pressure the office to find hipper office location

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by chet everett

The other part of the OP's question suggests that they are a two income couple, something that is somewhat uncommon in this region where it is hard enough for one parent to deal with crummy work situations.

Two income couples are uncommon here? Where do you come up with this stuff?

[treemoni]

You all are, of course, thinking about a different Brooklyn than I am. You guys' idea of Brooklyn is more "Brooklyn Heights".

[oakparkdude]

Originally Posted by treemoni

You all are, of course, thinking about a different Brooklyn than I am. You guys' idea of Brooklyn is more "Brooklyn Heights".

Which is what the OP was asking about.