Good Neighborhoods for Musicians?

[NeedFreedom]

Originally Posted by Marc2

Sorry I meant Broadway and Lawrence.

Need Freedom, I actually meant Logan Square. I love Lincoln Square but many of the hipsters and *genuine* struggling artists I know live in Logan Square. Have you looked there yet?

Yeah, I've looked into Logan Square, but I'm still doing my research. LS is the main place that I'm considering right now.

[emathias]

What does anyone think of the South Shore? it doesn't get much word of mouth with the tech-savvy crowd, but it's probably more car-friendly some some areas, still has trains to downtown, and has some of its own culture. I wouldn't want to recommend it myself because I don't have enough direct knowledge of it, but I've always though it should get more press than it does.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by emathias

...South Shore? it doesn't get much word of mouth...

It is not mentioned because it is kinda shady and there really is not much to do. Not to mention it is not really "diverse"-at all.

[It'sAutomatic]

Pilsen, Logan Square, West Town, Ukrainian Village. Humboldt Park and Little Village are doable but a little rougher. Bridgeport used to be racist but it's mostly a thing of the past. I know a black couple who has an apartment down there and they don't have any problems. I think the racist violence was out of fear of the black people taking over the neighborhood during the second great migration, but now that the influx of black people to the city has stopped and it is no longer as easy and profitable to turn a neighborhood black overnight, there's not much of a cause for racism anymore.

[kellinoise]

Honestly, a lot of places in a big city like Chicago can be dangerous or have crime occur. I know more people in Wicker Park that have been robbed/broken into than I have in Logan Square. It's hard to put blanket statements over whole neighorhoods. Lock your windows, lock your doors, watch your back, be aware, don't walk by yourself at night, play it safe. Yes, stay away from certain neighborhoods, but overall, you'll be fine. Look at places in Logan Square or north/east Humboldt Park (right near Armitage & Humboldt, Armitage & Kedzie, Armitage & California....don't go much further west or south than that). Logan is starting to get expensive but you can still find some good deals. Do a room-mate search on craigslist, you can find something for $300-$350 a month, but it may not include utilities. The more roommates, the cheaper it will be.

GET RID OF THE CAR! If there's one thing this city doesn't need, it's more cars. Parking is a *****, insurance is expensive, gas is expensive, etc. You'll be better off not paying for all of that and buying a monthly $86 CTA pass.

This is all just my opinion, of course. Good luck..I hope you've actually found something by now...but if not, good luck...

[Chi-town Native]

Actually, most of my car-defensiveness comes from being a musician. You can't take the CTA home from a gig that ended at 2 am in Uptown with guitars, amps, drums, etc. Cabs can be an option, but depends on the size of your rig. Every working jazz musician knows that double bass player who always needs a ride for him/her and that gargantuan instrument (which we love so much we deal with, mind you).

Just keep one thing in mind about "hipsters" - while they all at least claim to be into local music, good luck getting most of them to actually pay even a nominal cover to support it. Most live music venues in Chicago are really just bars using music to sell booze. Not saying that's a huge problem, but it's as hard for a venue to make it in the long run as a musician here, sadly, booze pays the bills.