Postdoc at Univ. of Chicago - where to live? (to rent, condo)

[cwharland]

Hello all,

I'll be taking a 2-3 year post-doc position at the university of Chicago in the fall and my wife will be taking a job with the Chicago public school system (undetermined location as of right now). We're looking to rent a 2bd 2bath place in either Bucktown, Lakeview, or Hyde Park. We have one car and a dog. We're looking to stay below $1500/month rent.

Are we looking in the right neighborhoods? Are we leaving some out? Should we consider buying a condo in Hyde Park? Hyde Park seems like the obvious choice but would living in Bucktown be that bad of a bike ride/train commute to the university? I bike quite a ways to work everyday right now so I'm used to 5 miles rides twice a day (not in a Chicago winter though).

We don't need a bustling nightlife but don't really mind it either. I'm fine with a 30-40 min or so train commute everyday. We're mainly looking for a nice place that is safe and will allow me to get to and from the University without a car.

Thanks in advance for any help.

[chet everett]

Hyde Park is hands down the place that any post doc at UofC should consider, especially if they want to be able to get to school with minimal hassle / NO CAR in all weather. The current weather conditions would probably KILL anyone that is not a professional level Iditarod bicyclist...

[ajolotl]

A lot of people these days looking for a more lively alternative to Hyde Park prefer the south loop. It is twice as convenient to Hyde Park as Bucktown and even moreso compared to Lakeview -- biking is an option, as is the metra, or a nice 10-12 minute drive in little to no traffic. Hyde Park itself is not without its virtues, and it's incredibly convenient. What it lacks is the variety of commercial options one expects in an urban neighborhood, particularly after 8pm or so (this stems from strategies to hunker down against urban blight in the 50-80s, a trend that has reversed somewhat in the last decade, albeit slowly). Not that there's nothing (there are some interesting options) but the lack of vibrancy after dark does feel eerily suburban. All depends on your taste. In the daytime and as a community Hyde Park feels like a more viable urban community. With kids it is absolutely top notch in my opinion -- like a 50s suburb.

[Drover]

If you don't need a bustling nightlife, you'll get a lot of bang for your buck in Hyde Park. No commute to work either, at least for you.

[mycrows]

Originally Posted by cwharland

I'm fine with a 30-40 min or so train commute everyday.

Nobody responded to this exactly, so I wanted to let you know that from Bucktown or Lakeview (or really any place on the north or northwest side) you're going to have to budget an hour or more to get to campus with the CTA.

Biking is not a bad option, even in winter, but you're talking 11 or 12 miles one way from Bucktown or Lakeview. Not sure I'd want to do that twice a day. Probably take you a little more than an hour by bike, too, I'd say. There is a pretty nice path down the lakefront if you don't like dealing with street traffic.

[knitgirl]

Years ago, I worked at the main U of C library and my boss lived in Lakeview and commuted by bike on the lakefront route, so it's definitely doable.

[wondersteph]

I would recommend you wait until you know where your wife will be working, it will make the difference
otherwise I will highly recommend you to stay in Hyde Park,
I and my husband are both postdoc at the UoC too and you cannot imagine how many times we said "thanks god we live in HP!" not only because of the winter weather but also because it is just so convenient to go to work walking!
we do need to stop by our labs sometimes on the weekends and living in HP is just perfect for that
then about nightlife well honestly during the week depending on how much you have to work but we dont have time for a night life! the gym is ideally located in the campus, and it does entertain enough us weekly, there are also a reasonable choice of restaurants and even a couple of bars in HP too, and when we do want to have a more fancy drink or diner it is really easy to go downtown, and no doubt that I prefer to commute during the weekend that everyday during the week....
if you do decide to live more north, south loop is definitively a good option: a short walk during summer days to downtown, and an easy access to the bike path along the lake (definitively the best bike path to go to HP)
I would forget the (nevertheless very attractive) bucktown to go as close as possible to the lake where you will be able to join the bike path (so lakeview sounds good), but I have to say that living more north than north beach avenue would start to be a long long way and may be not an easy one when it is windy (and it is windy quite often here) if you use the bike path lake...

1500$ is more than enough to find a nice 2 bedrooms in HP btw

good luck!

[snoylekim]

Mostly agree with the other responses re HP versus Bucktown. Your commute won't be on a single train, and will be more than 30 -45 minutes ( unless someone knows a 'secret' CTA shortcut from Bucktown to HP) ..Plus, I think 1500/month for a two bedroom that isn't really a one bedroom plus a 'closet plus' in Bucktown or the South/West Loop is pushing it .. in HP it will be more than enough .. The wildcard seems to be the wifes CPS assignment ..until that's known , it's kind of tough to see a different alternative.

[Manigault]

My feeling is that if your wife has a CPS assignment there are two things to remember: She'll probably drive to work and the residential parking is much better in Hyde Park. Plus, if she considers a move, your being U connected would help her as an entree to the local UC charter schools. Or even UC's lab school.

Finally, if your tribe increases, the Hyde Park area has daycare and Lamaze classes up the wazoo. And, of course, a maternity hospital.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by wondersteph

I would forget the (nevertheless very attractive) bucktown to go as close as possible to the lake where you will be able to join the bike path (so lakeview sounds good), but I have to say that living more north than north beach avenue would start to be a long long way and may be not an easy one when it is windy (and it is windy quite often here) if you use the bike path lake...

Last year, I was commuting from Bucktown to Hyde Park (well, south campus); here's my writeup. Keep in mind that regardless of mode (particularly if buses are involved but also biking*), having to traverse the Loop will add considerable time, stress, and variability to your commute; it's best to stick to one side of town.

As far as bike routes go, I also commuted from Hyde Park to the Loop/Gold Coast for several years and usually preferred city streets (Drexel-King-Wabash) to the lakefront, particularly in the windier winter and spring.

* There are a lot more stop lights and hazards downtown, and even on the lakefront path there are hordes of tourists, several sharp curves, and a few annoying stoplights. If I biked all the way from Bucktown to HP, I'd usually swing wide around downtown to avoid the hassle.