So excited for the food and the lake...
March 2, 2012 7:17 AM   Subscribe

Help with moving to Chicago!

I'm moving to begin a job in Chicago in August. Here are my questions:

1) My office is in the Loop. I'd like to live walking distance because I'm not planning on having a car. I'm looking at Streeterville, the Gold Coast, River North; any other suggestions, or recommendations within those?
2) I'm planning to move around August 1 so I have some time to settle in before the job actually begins. When should I come out to look for apartments? I'm used to hunting in DC, Portland, and Charlottesville, which are all tighter markets than Chicago appears to be.
3) What are best practices for apartment hunting? Should I use one of those brokers?

My goals are proximity to food and nightlife, and ease of getting to the airport (via cab/car). Any other tips and tricks about moving to Chicago and the quirks of its housing market would be great. Thanks so much!
posted by emkelley to Home & Garden (21 answers total) 5 users marked this as a favorite
 
I liked the Gold Coast though many said it was too touristy etc because I too wanted a walkable apartment. I don't know the state of 14 W Elm nowadays but it was one of the most affordable buildings in the area yet convenient to the beach, to supermarkets, the Red line, a few bus lines and everything else.

The noise really wasn't so bad if you're higher up in the building. I needed it by August 2nd as I joined a university campus (ID, IIT) at LaSalle near the Merchandise Mart. I found it via Craiglist (and then its rental agency website as I was looking by proximity to zipcode specifically) and visited in July (for interviews). The Chicago Open Forum on Craigslist (ChiOpFo) was very helpful and friendly, this too may have changed since then.

You will have proximity to food and nightlife.
posted by infini at 7:28 AM on March 2, 2012


I haven't lived in Chicago for a while, so locals can chime in here, but I would encourage you not to limit yourself to "walking distance" from your job. If you want to look in neighbourhoods other than the ones you listed (which are fairly dense and have plenty to do, but are pricey), you could still live successfully without a car so long as you're in walking distance of an "L" stop. Commuting to & from the Loop is basically what the "L" is designed for.

ease of getting to the airport (via cab/car)

That's not the Chicago way.
posted by Johnny Assay at 7:28 AM on March 2, 2012 [4 favorites]


Otoh, the Blue Line will take you to the airport
posted by infini at 7:30 AM on March 2, 2012 [2 favorites]


If you'd like to live in the Gold Coast, Streeterville, or River North, don't go with one of the agencies/brokers. You need to go through the MLS and look at rentals by owner. Chicago is teeming with "free" apartment search brokers, and they all have more or less the same inventory, which typically doesn't include condos that owners rent out, just apartment buildings with all rentals and big landlord companies. There are exceptions, but they're hard to find. So seriously, go through the MLS.

Depending on where you're working in the loop, the South Loop, or the north side of the South Loop (including Printers Row) may also work for you. That gives you access to the orange line of the CTA, straight to Midway Airport.

If you're set on living in those neighborhoods, don't worry about proximity to food and nightlife.
posted by juniperesque at 7:33 AM on March 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


I live in Chicago, so my opinion is....

You do NOT want to live in Streeterville, the Gold Coast, or River North IMO. They're mostly tourist or business sections...there's housing, sure, but it's very expensive high rise stuff and the absolute last place I'd ever want to live in Chicago. Also, I work in Streeterville...it's a great place to work (well, except the throngs of tourists) but it's just not a cozy neighborhood to live, IMO.

Your answer is public transit. If you live within walking distance of any of the trains, you will be fine. If you're new to Chicago, you might find Lakeview a good "starter" neighborhood. Close to the Red Line with plenty of restaurants, groceries, bars, shopping, etc.
posted by Windigo at 7:39 AM on March 2, 2012 [4 favorites]


Make sure you have access to the Wiener's Circle, the Whitespot of Chicago.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 7:40 AM on March 2, 2012


Commuting to & from the Loop is basically what the "L" is designed for.

Exactly. Trust me....if you move to the north Loop area you'll probably find yourself moving out of it ASAP once your first year's lease is up (unless you want to live near high-end stores and go out at night to what we call the "Viagra Triangle," where all the Rich Old Businessmen and the Young Women Who Want Them congregate).
posted by Windigo at 7:44 AM on March 2, 2012 [4 favorites]


Nthing the suggestions to consider using CTA instead of just walking. There are a number of neighborhoods that work well without a car, some of which aren't even that close in actual proximity. The El is pretty reliable, pretty safe, and pretty useful.

Beyond that, Chicago is not a city where you have to pay people to show you apartments. Unlike NYC and other places, that would be a complete waste of time and money. In the years I lived in Chicago I never had to go beyond Craigslist, but if you are wedded to River North/Gold Coast it's worth walking around to find condos for rent by owner and unsold condos being rented (often cheaply) by the developers.
posted by Ignatius J. Reilly at 7:46 AM on March 2, 2012


I'm a fan of craigslist personally. If you're used to the cities you mentioned I would look for neighborhoods you can take the train in (Wicker Park/Bucktown gets you a 40 minute train trip to the airport) and northside (incredibly nice neighborhoods include Lincoln Park, Old Town, Lakeview, Lincoln Square). I think you should look into Old Town or Wicker Park personally.

Although I would never live in those neighborhoods, I have friends that do and they love it. They paradoxically, however, drive their cars more than those who live in the slightly more outlying neighborhoods.
posted by sandmanwv at 7:58 AM on March 2, 2012


I found my first Chicago apartment on Craigslist, but still think one of the best ways to get a great deal is just walking around. This will probably not work as well for your target areas, though. Some people like the touristy, busy vibe and some don't. I found the area to feel kind of stale and over-priced when I looked around there, but mileage varies of course. You'll want to spend some time walking around, if you haven't already. You won't need to pay a broker; there are plenty of free services about (with basically the same inventory) if you can't find something on your own. I think the benefit of those is that the apartment finding service runs your credit once (so you pay them for it once) and they use that report for any place you apply to; as opposed to having to pay to have your credit run by every landlord [most landlords, but not all, will check your credit.]

My experience (and my boyfriend's as well, and we both moved here from other places [separately]) was that many landlords don't want to rent out an apartment/condo where you'd be taking posession outside of abut 45-60 days from signing the papers; I rent with a landlord who owns just two buildings, he is renting from a condo owner, but Chicago landlords seem to really hate holding empty apartments when they think they can get someone else in quicker. Again, mileage varies here too. My target date was 1 September, and there was plenty of inventory when I came in July. It's also a high point of the rental season, though I'm guessing in those neighborhoods you won't be competing with students much.

Most people don't drive or cab to the airport here. Take the train. In fact, you probably want to live in close proximity to a line anyway, if you aren't planning on having a car.
posted by sm1tten at 8:02 AM on March 2, 2012


I've lived in Printer's Row for 12 years, and recommend you check it out. There's a couple brand new rental buildings around 600 s. Clark. The red line, blue line, orange line (to midway - a much easier airport to deal with) and brown line are all walking distance. It's extremely easy to get cabs. The Loop is walking distance. Grant Park and the lakefront, Lollapalooza, other concerts are walking distance.

Downside of Printer's Row is that it skews older, though there are now a million college kids who live in the dorms nearby. The Loop basically shuts down after 6pm and on the weekends. Limited restaurants/bars, but again, the transportation options are many, so you can get anywhere.

I would not recommend Lakeview or Lincoln park to a transplant. Move close to the Loop, then spend a year figuring out which other neighborhood you might want to live in.
posted by jeff-o-matic at 8:20 AM on March 2, 2012


I've found great apartments through Craigslist. The best have been through friends that moved out of their great apartments. Welcome to town!
posted by asuprenant at 8:29 AM on March 2, 2012


West Loop might be another possibility; there's a number of buildings over between the river & the interstate and you could walk to work. Restaurant Row would be nearby, and there seem to be an almost excessive number of grocery stores in that area (Dominicks, Jewel, Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, and a Mariano's is going in). Plus depending on location you'd be close to the blue & green lines, with a short walk to the loop lines, easy access to/from the interstate, and a couple of major bus routes pass through.

Down side: not many boutiques or the like, and consequently reduced "lively street scene" when compared to Bucktown/Wicker Park/Lakeview/Lincoln Park/etc.
posted by aramaic at 8:30 AM on March 2, 2012


I also live in Chicago, currently, have for more than 15 years. I have never owned a car living in Chicago. Lived in Bucktown in the 1990's when I worked in Evanston (used to take the commuter train and then walk to work). Lived in Gold Coast last in the early 2000s, when I worked in the Loop, precisely because I like walking to work. But, turns out, I'm much happier in Boystown/East Lakeview (four miles to my office, which is in Streeterville--I usually bike, have sometimes walked home in the evening, when I take the bus I often get off the bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the way in).

For renters, rather than buyers, the Gold Coast has (what I find to be) mostly boring apartments, lacking the character and romance of apartments in other parts of the city. It's got convenient shopping and a Dave and Busters, but we mostly found ourselves going to other neighborhoods for places we felt comfortable hanging around. Fancy shops, but like everything right there between the river and the south end of the Lincoln Park itself, it's densely populated with tourists, business folk in from out of town, and suburban folk in for the shopping or restaurants. None of that is inherently bad, but it creates a character that's less homelike than many other parts of the city and it contributes to *lots* of congestion.

Streeterville is full of housing, but it's not a good neighborhood, IMO, either. Lots of businesses, lots of tourists, a couple grocery stores, one or two of the really good restaurants, but almost none of the comfortable locals type places you'll find even in Old Town. There's the Viagara Triangle which is great if you like the meat-market scene. River North is much the same. Lots of businesses, lots of out-of-towners, some good restaurants, some grocery, but lots of places trying hard (some succeeding) to seem hot, rather than the fun, local flavor I personally prefer.

We live in Boystown/Lakeview, in a place 1/2 mile to the closest L stop. The buses serve our house really well. Takes us just about an hour to get to either airport, which is usually less than it would driving (to get to either airport, we have to take a bus to the L or transfer between L lines). We only ever use cabs to/from the airport if the flight is very late at night or very early in the morning. Sometimes, we'll take a cab from the transfer point, if we're really tired of traveling.

"Nightlife" is a pretty broad category. You'd be hard-pressed, if you rent a place on the north side, reasonably near an L stop, to end up in a neighborhood with no bars, pub quizzes, improvs, street festivals, night clubs, all-night restaurants, funky shops, good brunch and the like. Hamlin Park springs to mind, but it's stumbling distance to all the fun in Roscoe Village, so you've nightlife there.

Anyway. I recommend coming to the city for a weekend and getting a short-term lease. Check for sublets in Streeterville (there tend to be lots because of the density of graduate schools near there). Then spend your weekends taking transit to various neighborhoods, getting the feel of their offerings, and figuring out which one appeals to you. Then walk around looking for For Lease signs or use one of the services (I lease out a condo in Lakeview, that I use a service for finding new tenants) and move into a longer term place.

Also, the Loop hasn't "shut down at 6:00pm" since I was a teenager.
posted by crush-onastick at 8:34 AM on March 2, 2012


Welcome to Chicago! I've also found my favorite apartments either through Craigslist or (more often) by just walking around and calling. From personal experience I would advise against brokers or buildings owned by large management companies, but others may feel differently.

I also recommend commuting to the Loop via train/bus. Not sure what kind of nightlife you're looking for, but Wicker Park/Ukrainian Village are really fun, full of food, and not too far from downtown.

Not that relevant, but I also moved here from Charlottesville/the DC area. My first Chicago apartment was in Wicker Park and I was bowled over by how many neat and lively things I could walk to while still living on a quiet, tree-lined street full of beautiful buildings. I think it's a good place to be for your intro to the city.

If you want specific advice based on the kind of nightlife you're looking for, feel free to memail me!
posted by treefort at 8:44 AM on March 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


Like others have said, downtown living is a completely different beast than living in other parts of the city. Its sterile commercial chains, high-end stores, and "douchy" bars. I'm not sure what your scene is, but if you've ever spent time in a downtown business center, its exactly like that.

Just google for some Chicago neighborhood guides. I'm fond of the Wicker Park/Uke Villiage area and have been living there for 7 years now. I also love Roscoe Village, Lincoln Sq, and even Chicago's often ignored and neglected gems like West Roger's Park.

I don't know your budget, but if you could fly in for a weekend and rent a car and visit these neighborhoods you'd better understand this. Be wary of unbelievable deals; there's a Chicago gangmap that's been published, I recommend not living in any neighborhood with an active gang.
posted by damn dirty ape at 10:20 AM on March 2, 2012 [1 favorite]


If you like late nights then choose to be closer to the Red Line which runs late.
posted by infini at 11:34 AM on March 2, 2012


Chicagoan here. Everyone who's mentioned the dull and boring nature of the neighborhoods you've initially identified is spot on. If you fly frequently for business, you'll want to live on the blue line of the El. It gets you downtown quickly and is the fastest method to get to O'Hare (far better than driving). The prime blue line residential area for young, new-to-the-city professionals is Wicker Park/Bucktown. Logan Square is also on the blue line and is populated by artists, hipsters and fixies. About 15 minutes on the El from the loop. If you're not travelling to the airport so often, I'd also consider some neighborhoods along the Brown and Red lines. Lincoln Square and Andersonville are a little farther out and attract a somewhat more creative crowd (as well as lots of families). Lincoln Square and Lakeview draw a more traditional post-college professional crowd.

Let's see, what else? Walking distance from El stops is the key to commuting happiness. Google Maps shows them all, plus routes to work that use the El. Don't neglect biking as a transportation strategy. The best apartments aren't in the broker listings - brokers charge the landlord a month's rent to find a tenant. The Chicago Reader and Craigslist are better ways to search. Best practice for finding an apartment is probably the following:

1. Research neighborhoods online. Figure out which meet your commuting needs with the help of Google Maps. Scout out the rent.
2. Visit Chicago and take the El to your target neighborhoods. Spend some time and get a feel for each. Arrange to view apartments in your price range in each neighborhood.
3. Once you've picked a neighborhood, hit the classifieds intensely and take a walk around. Lots of the best places just hang a for rent sign on the front door.

I'd try go have a lease signed by July 1st. So start looking in June, perhaps?
posted by centerweight at 11:03 PM on March 2, 2012


Best answer: While commenters have a point about the blander elements of the Near North Side, my first landing spot was River North while working downtown, and I loved being there. Over the years, I moved further north for space and quiet, but I'll always be glad I got to know those neighborhoods.

So an alternate take: if you have the means and energy to live within walking distance of the Loop, try it. It's a beautiful city; be in the thick of it while you figure out if you're here for the long haul. If you are, you have years to find classic two-flats and decent bars and the hands-down best ______ in the city. For most people, there's a narrow window of time in which it's practical to live downtown and enjoy it on foot, so maybe it'd be right for you now.

If I had to pick one Loop-walkable spot, I'd say consider Old Town. Close to downtown and the lake, but still maintains some character. Easy bus access to Wicker/Ukrainian and Lakeview, a few minutes from the expressway, and you've got the best L commute in the city on the Brown Line.

Couple of extra thoughts:
  • Don't overvalue living by the Blue Line for O'Hare access. If you work in the Loop, you're already near the Blue Line at times you're likely to fly. Midway is also accessible by L, and you may go there (or have people arrive there) more than you'd think. Just be near *a* train, more important in general than which train.
  • EveryBlock is a good way to read up on neighborhoods.
  • Since you're moving in the summer, save yourself a headache and check your big move-in weekend against the extensive neighborhood festival schedule and big city events like Taste of Chicago, Air & Water Show, etc.
  • If you're moving yourself, don't take a U-Haul or open-bed pickup truck on Lake Shore Drive. It's the biggest unposted gotcha ticket on the books.
  • Yeah, don't use a broker if you can avoid it. I never got a good place that way.
Congratulations on the job, welcome to town, and be sure to eat at the downtown Heaven on Seven at least once in your first month or why even work in the Loop?
posted by fiveoclockrock at 12:17 PM on March 3, 2012


Best answer: You sound just like us last summer! Honestly, during our neighborhood explorations, we found there to be pluses & minus to each neighborhood, but mostly they were all pretty terrific in different ways... just depends on your own personal preferences & priorities. I just wanted to second fiveoclockrock's comments.... it's exactly what I've found to be true in Chicago.

We settled in the Goldcoast/Near North area (it's amusing to discover it's so loathed, as we actually enjoy it and all the people watching!). I think it just has a bad rep because the 'Viagra triangle' is such an easy target. I agree, in the summer there are tourists galore... but as we moved from a city of more than 21 million people, the masses don't bother us & the crowd's demand actually creates a super high walk-ability which is pretty awesome and convenient.

The Loop. We lived in temporary housing for 2 months (near Wells & Lake) & that opened our eyes to the fact that the area was exactly what we didn't want - completely dead on evenings & weekends. I remember rushing to get dinner at Chipotle before they closed at 6p. SIX! People clear out after work and weekends there felt ghostly. I don't know anything about the west side, so barring that it might be an exception, we found that life happens north of the river/Wacker Drive and obviously the density of tourism tends to lessen the further north you go up towards Lincoln Park. We liked Lakeview's Southport Corridor area, the vibe is a bit on the younger side, but you get more house for the buck there so it was tempting. We also really liked Old Town's location & personality, but since it's smaller, that meant less available options. And I was leaning towards shovel-free winters which had narrowed our choices even more (to condos). =)

Broker/Realtor Services
There's a big difference between apt locator/move you for free type apt finders and a licensed Realtor. IMO Apartment locator types seem sketchy and you'd be better off with Craigslist based on the above endorsements. We used a Realtor (MLS listings) to find our current home and each time I lease out my rental property, we use a Realtor. As a landlord, I find they tend to deliver a more desirable tenant (impeccable credit scores, longer tenancy, etc) - basically someone that wants to make my property a true home versus just a place to live. As a tenant, you could safely go either way. I would start by looking at both MLS rental listings (before I found my Realtor, I liked this site best) and compare to non-MLS listings (Craigslist, management companies, etc) and see if your "favorites" lean more one way or another and then just concentrate on that method so you don't overwhelm yourself.

Okay - I have to pipe up about the train to the airport. I dread it. The L/subway/metro stations seem outdated and/or very basic, not like other international cities. So, usually you're hauling your suitcase up/down stairs. And before that you're dragging it through the nasty slush as you walk to the station. It might make it worthwhile if it were a bullet train, but the trains are so s.l.o.w. My new thing is to take a taxi to a specific subway station that travels direct to the airport AND has escalators (taxi driver suggested it and he was spot on). Frankly I don't always feel the safest on the CTA trains, so I might be biased. Getting to/from the airport isn't difficult, so specifically living near the blue line just for the airport wouldn't even make my wishlist list.

Not sure where you travel, but one cool thing I just 'discovered' is there are Amtrak passenger trains out of Chicago (hey, I'm still new here, so this is exciting stuff!). I was going to Detroit and the threat of snow storms made Amtrak very appealing if I wanted any chance of making the trip. Having been on trains where you can't sleep because you have to keep an eye on your bag at all times, I was pleasantly surprised to find my experience was the exact opposite. And it was still affordable despite reports of rising prices AND unlike planes, your internet is accessible the entire trip without any bogus 'plane wifi' fees. The whole thing got two thumbs up from me!

Last thing - living in a more condensed Gold Coast/Near North/Streeterville area means more fire trucks and ambulances and they are obnoxiously loud and very frequent. Really. If you select a unit near busier streets, build it into your budget to get a higher floor. Or if you end up in a basement apartment unit, make sure it's got a good buffer of neighborhood streets.
posted by MuckWeh at 11:55 PM on March 5, 2012


To add one more to consider, East Lakeview is very no-car friendly (the main thing to scope out when checking out apartments is how walkable the grocery store is, as there are less then it seems like there should be, though new Trader Joes have popped up recently). The express buses along lakeshore will take you to downtown pretty quickly. The Belmont bus will take you to the blue line to transfer to the airport.

Chicago neighborhoods have very definite personalities, so it will mainly be looking for fit. Look back at previous Chicago threads (there's a ton on metafilter) to get a feel for what will work best for you.

Apartment brokers mainly take you to the gigantic high rises. They can be nice in terms of ease of mail delivery (mail room) and often have a doorman. You can get more space usually if you search out on your own. If you're not looking for roommates, then I'd probably look sometime in mid June to early July.
posted by ejaned8 at 11:48 AM on March 15, 2012


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