Possibly Moving From NYC to CHI (Chicago, Evanston: fit in, rentals, how much)

[coreynyc]

I might be moving to Chicago for a job and I'm doing so preliminary investigating, would appreciate some help/insight on neighborhoods (& suburbia) for rentals.

Me: 38, white, Jewish, male, born & raised in Brooklyn, lived in NYC for all of my post college yrs (mostly in Manhattan except we've lived in Forest Hills for the past yr) my whole life. I'm a "young" 38. That's not to say I party like crazy but I like going out on occasion and I definitely still have younger/hipper tastes.

Wife: 32, white, Jewish, born raised on LI (5 Towns), lived in Manhattan since college until we moved to Forest Hills. She's probably acts a few years old than she is.

No kids yet (but hopefully in the next couple yrs)

We've both been to Chicago a few times and are familiar with Loop, Gold Coast, Wrigleyville, and to a lesser extent some of the other North Side neighborhoods.

My job (if it comes to fruition) will be at Soldier Field, she will most likely be transferred to the Willis/Sears Tower.

While we loved living in Manhattan, we moved out because we needed more space for the money (plus living in the post college mecca if Murray Hill was wearing on us). We couldn't find anything good for the money in our target neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, & Brooklyn Heights so we moved to Forest Hills.

My wife likes the quiet, slightly more suburban nature of Forest Hills (but she really likes the 'hoods in Bklyn). I don't like that FH lacks a good variety of good bars & restaurants that are reasonable.

We don't currently have a car and chances are we won't be getting one right away so I am thinking the city will be a better bet for us but I know some of the burbs in Chi are somewhat urban with good transit options.

So I realize this is long winded post but to sum up...I guess we are looking for a good/youngish (but not too young that we are out of place) neighborhood that isn't too far of a commute (or too much of a hassle) with a good variety or reasonable restaurants/bars along with nearby services like a supermarket, cleaners, etc...something that will generally fit into our lifestyle. Baby is not happening in the next year but is a possibility within a few years, so a neighborhood that is baby friendly is in the equation but that is a lesser concern right now. We can always move if/when the time comes.

Thanks in advance...

[Lookout Kid]

I think you might like Andersonville (on the western edge of Edgewater). It trends a bit more 30-something than Lake View and Lincoln Park. It's quite peaceful, but still has urban amenities--including a wonderful strip of restaurants, bars, and shops along Clark Street. And the Red Line will work for commuting to both the Sears Tower and Soldier Field.

Other similar neighborhoods you might like are on the Brown Line (like North Center and Lincoln Square), but that commute doesn't work as well for Soldier Field. The Brown Line can be painfully slow once you get north of Lake View, and there isn't a stop near Soldier Field (the Red Line stops at Roosevelt, which is still a bit of a hike). Transfers would only add to that Brown Line commute.

If you don't mind a more dense, urban setting, the 146 bus along the lakefront basically goes to the doorstep of soldier field. It runs express from Belmont on Lake Shore Drive, so it's convenient for the neighborhoods just north of Belmont.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

...Other similar neighborhoods you might like are on the Brown Line (like North Center and Lincoln Square), but that commute doesn't work as well for Soldier Field. The Brown Line can be painfully slow once you get north of Lake View...

I get to the Loop in 30 minutes from Western on the Brown Line.

Besides, you can switch to the Red Line at Belmont or Fullerton. (Which rarely takes more than 5-10 minutes.)

[BigLake]

I'll put in a quick plug for Oak Park. Inner suburb, somewhat hip vibe but not overbearing, youngish, good communting options (Green and Blue Lines and Metra can get you to the Loop where you can get transportation to Soldier Field), esp. for your wife. Decent (not great) restaurant options. Downside-- might be tough without a car but doable for a short period.

Not sure how much rent would be for a large two bedroom, perhaps $1500? Still cheap compared to NYC.

Likewise, Evanston on North border of Chicago is a good option. Same general pluses as OP.

[soulful]

I suggest Andersonville or Lincoln Square. You will enjoy living on the quiet side streets off the main commercial drags where you can find restaurants and bars. Both of these are baby friendly. p.s. you would also do fine in parts of Lakeview or Lincoln Park. Both have a fair number of couples with infants. A touch more expensive but worth taking a look.

[Lookout Kid]

^Yeah, I think the parts further west in Lincoln Park and Lakeview could work for these guys. Like the Southport Corridor or the area south of DePaul.

[5Lakes]

North Center, Ravenswood, or Lincoln Square would be good. They are on a similar scale as Forest Hills, but the lack of bars and restaurants will not be a problem.

Although, Bucktown probably feels the most like many of the neighborhoods in Brooklyn you like and it would be quicker to downtown than the other areas I mentioned. Old Town feels like Brooklyn Heights though.

If you don't want to be around a bunch of Murray Hill/Hoboken types then stay out of Lakeview/Wrigleyville and much of Lincoln Park. You will probably like the south, east, and far west portions of Lincoln Park, but closer to Depaul and around Lincoln Avenue is a Murray Hill type crowd.

[reppin_the_847]

Given your parameters, I'm thinking Gold Coast, Old Town, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Bucktown, or Wicker Park. Gold Coast will have the most Manhattan feel out of those areas, followed by Old Town. Lincoln Park/Lakeview, I'm not sure what to compare to in NYC. Bucktown / Wicker Park may have similarities to the Williamsburg type vibe in Brooklyn (used to be hipster central, but is rapidly becoming Lincoln Park west or Yuppie West lol). Oh yeah, and I forgot to add that the Gold Coast has a nice Jewish deli right in the neighborhood (Ashkenaz Jewish Style Deli). Check out the Yelp reviews on it: http://www.yelp.com/biz/ashkenaz-jew...e-deli-chicago

Originally Posted by coreynyc

I might be moving to Chicago for a job and I'm doing so preliminary investigating, would appreciate some help/insight on neighborhoods (& suburbia) for rentals.

Me: 38, white, Jewish, male, born & raised in Brooklyn, lived in NYC for all of my post college yrs (mostly in Manhattan except we've lived in Forest Hills for the past yr) my whole life. I'm a "young" 38. That's not to say I party like crazy but I like going out on occasion and I definitely still have younger/hipper tastes.

Wife: 32, white, Jewish, born raised on LI (5 Towns), lived in Manhattan since college until we moved to Forest Hills. She's probably acts a few years old than she is.

No kids yet (but hopefully in the next couple yrs)

We've both been to Chicago a few times and are familiar with Loop, Gold Coast, Wrigleyville, and to a lesser extent some of the other North Side neighborhoods.

My job (if it comes to fruition) will be at Soldier Field, she will most likely be transferred to the Willis/Sears Tower.

While we loved living in Manhattan, we moved out because we needed more space for the money (plus living in the post college mecca if Murray Hill was wearing on us). We couldn't find anything good for the money in our target neighborhoods of Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, & Brooklyn Heights so we moved to Forest Hills.

My wife likes the quiet, slightly more suburban nature of Forest Hills (but she really likes the 'hoods in Bklyn). I don't like that FH lacks a good variety of good bars & restaurants that are reasonable.

We don't currently have a car and chances are we won't be getting one right away so I am thinking the city will be a better bet for us but I know some of the burbs in Chi are somewhat urban with good transit options.

So I realize this is long winded post but to sum up...I guess we are looking for a good/youngish (but not too young that we are out of place) neighborhood that isn't too far of a commute (or too much of a hassle) with a good variety or reasonable restaurants/bars along with nearby services like a supermarket, cleaners, etc...something that will generally fit into our lifestyle. Baby is not happening in the next year but is a possibility within a few years, so a neighborhood that is baby friendly is in the equation but that is a lesser concern right now. We can always move if/when the time comes.

Thanks in advance...

[mikedoyleblogger]

I second (third? fourth?) Lincoln Square. I grew up near Forest Hills then lived in Park Slope for several years before moving to Chicago. Lincon Square reminds me of both. (Most of Chicago feels like an amalgam of Queens and Brooklyn, actually.) It has a lively, urban, second-tier neighborhood vibe like you might find on Seventh Avenue in the Slope or Austin Street in Forest Hills--though the local population with their bulldozer strollers may remind you more of the Slope. I've been here seven years and it's my next target neighborhood--somehow it fits my ex-New Yorker comfort zone.

It's also got two 24-hour bus lines and the Brown Line running right through it at Western, which is about a 30-minute ride to Quincy in the Loop (where your wife would get off for Sears' Tower), and much less time to destination lakefront neighborhoods like Lakeview or Lincoln Park.

I can't speak for Jewish cultural amenities as I'm not Jewish, but I will say Jewish culture is much less apparent here than back home and, unlike NYC, more centered in the suburbs than in the city. It's a palpable difference and probably one of the reasons some New Yorkers come here and think Chicago feels a little bland--since we're all culturally sort of honorary Jews in New York.

(Example: Once I had a long conversation with a Jewish co-worker about chocolate vs. coconut macaroons. A short while later she introduced me to a friend as a fellow Jew. When I asked her why, she told me no one else but a Jew would have such a strong opinion about macaroons. I told her no, it was because I was a New Yorker. She didn't get it. Get it?)

[coreynyc]

Thanks for all the help/insight thus far.
BTW, I am more of a person who views being Jewish as a "nationality" or being culturally Jewish than religious. I am barely religious.