What Other Chicago Neighborhoods Are Most Like Andersonville?
September 16, 2013 11:56 AM Subscribe
In a few months, I am moving to Chicago. I will be working in Hyde Park, and am trying to decide where to live. I am rather enamored of Andersonville. What other neighborhoods might I like?
About Andersonville, I like:
-- the walkable commercial streets with eclectic/funky local businesses, bars, and restaurants.
-- the tree-lined moderately dense residential streets.
-- the fact that it's within walking distance of the lake and the beach.
-- the fact that it's on Lake Shore Drive, which I prefer to the Dan Ryan.
However, I don't love the fact that it's so far north. It is a relatively long drive from Hyde Park, and a really long way from Hyde Park by public transportation. (I expect I'd drive most of the time, but it would be nice if public transportation were a more viable option.)
Are there other neighborhoods that might suit me better? I like Wicker Park/Bucktown/Ukranian Village a lot, but they're far from the lake and the drive. Is there a part of Lincoln Park that's as dense and funky as Andersonville? If so, what part, specifically?
I lived in Hyde Park for four years, but haven't lived in Chicago since 2004. Price is comparatively unimportant; I'm willing to spend more to live somewhere I like.
About Andersonville, I like:
-- the walkable commercial streets with eclectic/funky local businesses, bars, and restaurants.
-- the tree-lined moderately dense residential streets.
-- the fact that it's within walking distance of the lake and the beach.
-- the fact that it's on Lake Shore Drive, which I prefer to the Dan Ryan.
However, I don't love the fact that it's so far north. It is a relatively long drive from Hyde Park, and a really long way from Hyde Park by public transportation. (I expect I'd drive most of the time, but it would be nice if public transportation were a more viable option.)
Are there other neighborhoods that might suit me better? I like Wicker Park/Bucktown/Ukranian Village a lot, but they're far from the lake and the drive. Is there a part of Lincoln Park that's as dense and funky as Andersonville? If so, what part, specifically?
I lived in Hyde Park for four years, but haven't lived in Chicago since 2004. Price is comparatively unimportant; I'm willing to spend more to live somewhere I like.
What's wrong with Hyde Park itself? I'm not trying to be snarky, but it largely satisfies all of the criteria you've stated above. (At least it did when I lived there, though one could debate the first one.) A bit more info on why you're not considering in Hyde Park might help narrow things down.
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:38 PM on September 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Johnny Assay at 12:38 PM on September 16, 2013 [1 favorite]
Agreed that Hyde Park has changed / is changing a lot, for the better.
You might also want to look at Bridgeport.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:58 PM on September 16, 2013
You might also want to look at Bridgeport.
posted by kickingtheground at 12:58 PM on September 16, 2013
I live in Edgewater right now having lived in Hyde Park for the past 5 years and I'd say they're pretty similar, though Hyde Park has less of the whole commercial street aspect going for it ( I've heard that's because of a very restrictive local council, but who knows).
posted by Carillon at 12:58 PM on September 16, 2013
posted by Carillon at 12:58 PM on September 16, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks for the thoughts so far. As for Hyde Park:
Partly I'd just like to try something new, but in particular I'd like someplace with more and more walkable commerce, bakeries, and/or good food. If the Harper Court development and other such things take off, maybe it will be better in 3-5 years, but it seems to me it's not there yet. (But if that's wrong, and it's already much more interesting now than it was in 2004, I'd love to know how/where!)
posted by willbaude at 1:26 PM on September 16, 2013
Partly I'd just like to try something new, but in particular I'd like someplace with more and more walkable commerce, bakeries, and/or good food. If the Harper Court development and other such things take off, maybe it will be better in 3-5 years, but it seems to me it's not there yet. (But if that's wrong, and it's already much more interesting now than it was in 2004, I'd love to know how/where!)
posted by willbaude at 1:26 PM on September 16, 2013
Buena Park is Andersonville-ish. (Quiet, residential, etc.) While not a center of commerce, it's very close to Boys Town, which is. On the downside, it's also pretty far north, and is adjacent to Uptown, which used to be (probably still is?) skeevy.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:12 PM on September 16, 2013
posted by Going To Maine at 2:12 PM on September 16, 2013
This is a dilemma I've faced as well. I "solved" it by just sucking it up and moving to Andersonville (and since to Uptown, which I also really like, albeit for different reasons). I adjusted by commuting via Red Line so I could read and email while in transit.
The neighborhoods I'd classify as most Andersonville-like are Lincoln Square, North Center, Ravenswood, and Roscoe Village, all of which are just as far from HP. Moving down the Red Line, East Lakeview/Boystown (around Halsted) and West Lakeview (around Southport) can be pleasant enough, but the gain in commute time is marginal and you have to fight your way through Cubs fans.
It's a brutal commute to HP from Logan Square or east Humboldt Park, which are the areas where you would want to be if you liked Wicker Park ten years ago.
On the South Side, I think Pilsen would be your best bet. (Bridgeport has its own charm, but Halsted and 31st are both sleepier than 18th.) The thing is, the commute from Pilsen isn't so great either, despite how much closer it looks on the map.
Bronzeville, Oakland, and North Kenwood are much safer and more pleasant than they were in 2004, but there's virtually no commercial activity whatever, certainly nothing you could describe as "walkable." HP/South Kenwood are getting a little more lively, but there still isn't much to do, and your friends in the rest of the city will still forget you exist.
Sorry, I wish there were a better answer.
posted by hal incandenza at 2:27 PM on September 16, 2013
The neighborhoods I'd classify as most Andersonville-like are Lincoln Square, North Center, Ravenswood, and Roscoe Village, all of which are just as far from HP. Moving down the Red Line, East Lakeview/Boystown (around Halsted) and West Lakeview (around Southport) can be pleasant enough, but the gain in commute time is marginal and you have to fight your way through Cubs fans.
It's a brutal commute to HP from Logan Square or east Humboldt Park, which are the areas where you would want to be if you liked Wicker Park ten years ago.
On the South Side, I think Pilsen would be your best bet. (Bridgeport has its own charm, but Halsted and 31st are both sleepier than 18th.) The thing is, the commute from Pilsen isn't so great either, despite how much closer it looks on the map.
Bronzeville, Oakland, and North Kenwood are much safer and more pleasant than they were in 2004, but there's virtually no commercial activity whatever, certainly nothing you could describe as "walkable." HP/South Kenwood are getting a little more lively, but there still isn't much to do, and your friends in the rest of the city will still forget you exist.
Sorry, I wish there were a better answer.
posted by hal incandenza at 2:27 PM on September 16, 2013
On the South Side, I think Pilsen would be your best bet
Pilsen looks like Andersonville? Wow. I'd have thought it would fail the "tree-lined streets" test.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:39 PM on September 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
Pilsen looks like Andersonville? Wow. I'd have thought it would fail the "tree-lined streets" test.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:39 PM on September 16, 2013 [2 favorites]
True enough. Lake access isn't great either.
posted by hal incandenza at 2:46 PM on September 16, 2013
posted by hal incandenza at 2:46 PM on September 16, 2013
If you want something Andersonville-esque that is near LSD and the lake, I suggest you look into Buena Park, a little neighborhood tucked into the south part of Uptown, bordering on the northern marches of Boystown. A few years ago it was booming among people who like funky stores and the like. It's also close enough to Lakeview that you wouldn't be completely deprived of quaint store fronts, and it's very near to the lake. That said, Buena is not really that much closer to Hyde Park than Andersonville. And it's adjacent to the scary parts of Uptown.
I'd also check out Bridgeport and Pilsen. I can't really speak for either, but there are some Chicago MeFites who could. Hopefully they'll be along shortly...
posted by deathpanels at 4:53 PM on September 16, 2013
I'd also check out Bridgeport and Pilsen. I can't really speak for either, but there are some Chicago MeFites who could. Hopefully they'll be along shortly...
posted by deathpanels at 4:53 PM on September 16, 2013
Printer's Row? It's got the trees (if you don't mind trading single-family homes for condos), the shops, bars, and restaurants, the walkability to all the South Loopy goodness, the lake, LSD (and the expressways just in case you change your mind), and the #2 and #6 buses straight to Hyde Park.
posted by sldownard at 3:20 AM on September 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by sldownard at 3:20 AM on September 17, 2013 [1 favorite]
If you're concerned about the commute, you can live in Andersonville within walking distance from the Metra station at Ravenswood, take the Metra downtown (it's about a 20-minute ride), transfer to Millennium Station from Ogilvie (about a 1-mile walk), and take the Metra Electric to Hyde Park (~15 minutes). You're basically looking at about an hour of transit time, but it's relatively pleasant on the Metra, and an A-B pass should cover you on both legs.
It's really hard to compare Andersonville to other neighborhoods. The density of shops and funky houses is a little reminiscent of the Southport corridor, but there are more chains there. Buena Park, which is part of Uptown, has the neighborhood-vibe but to be honest is surrounded by a lot of currently unsafe areas with shifting borders. Printers Row is an interesting suggestion. It's dense and has lots of cute shops, but the big downside is that it's pushed up against the colleges there including the big mega-dorm that houses undergrads from four local colleges. It gets rowdy at night, and strolling along the Row is not going to be the relaxing neighborhood stroll you're looking for, unless you enjoy sharing your space with a lot of college kids who are on their own for the first time and are enjoying their newfound freedom in the city. There are some areas of Lakeview that are reminiscent of Andersonville - the mid-streets in between Clark/Halsted and Broadway, like Barry, Wellington, and Oakdale - and have that nice stretch of Broadway to enjoy shopping.
The biggest problem is that you're going to have a bummer commute pretty much anywhere on the north side to Hyde Park. It just is what it is. That 'hood is far out. If you really love Andersonville, and plan to drive most of the time, it's probably worth it to just look in Andersonville.
posted by juniperesque at 11:55 AM on September 17, 2013
It's really hard to compare Andersonville to other neighborhoods. The density of shops and funky houses is a little reminiscent of the Southport corridor, but there are more chains there. Buena Park, which is part of Uptown, has the neighborhood-vibe but to be honest is surrounded by a lot of currently unsafe areas with shifting borders. Printers Row is an interesting suggestion. It's dense and has lots of cute shops, but the big downside is that it's pushed up against the colleges there including the big mega-dorm that houses undergrads from four local colleges. It gets rowdy at night, and strolling along the Row is not going to be the relaxing neighborhood stroll you're looking for, unless you enjoy sharing your space with a lot of college kids who are on their own for the first time and are enjoying their newfound freedom in the city. There are some areas of Lakeview that are reminiscent of Andersonville - the mid-streets in between Clark/Halsted and Broadway, like Barry, Wellington, and Oakdale - and have that nice stretch of Broadway to enjoy shopping.
The biggest problem is that you're going to have a bummer commute pretty much anywhere on the north side to Hyde Park. It just is what it is. That 'hood is far out. If you really love Andersonville, and plan to drive most of the time, it's probably worth it to just look in Andersonville.
posted by juniperesque at 11:55 AM on September 17, 2013
I had a similar dilemma a while back between Hyde Park and Uptown. I wound up leaving Hyde Park mostly because most of the fact that everything closed early and public transportation was terrible.
I wound up moving to Buena Park, which I adored. If you're able to drive, it's an even better option, since taking the El and/or bus from that far north takes ~90 minutes each way.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:34 PM on September 17, 2013
I wound up moving to Buena Park, which I adored. If you're able to drive, it's an even better option, since taking the El and/or bus from that far north takes ~90 minutes each way.
posted by yellowcandy at 8:34 PM on September 17, 2013
I live in East Lakeview and am pretty much not a dudebro (I think). There are certainly plenty of them around but unless you spend a lot of time in sports bars they really aren't much of a factor.
Within 5 minutes I have almost every type of food you can imagine available and a rather large lake. Within 10 minutes there are about 5 different grocery options. Within 20 minutes I have the Diversey, Wellington and Belmont L stops and several fast and straight shot bus routes to the Loop. There are some quirky shops but not as much character as some other neighborhoods but really how much time do you spend in those shops? Those other neighborhoods are all still accessible to you when you want to shop. Walk west and you get low(ish) density wooded areas. Walk east and you get high-rises and then park.
Walking through the park by the ponds to the zoo in the evening is the deal maker for me. Even though the zoo isn't open at night you do sometimes to get to hear the wolves and wild dogs howling at the emergency services' sirens and in the winter you can see the bear looking at the bunnies and wondering if 'it' sticks to their fur.
It's not a cool neighborhood that will score you authenticity points that you can hang on a waxed handlebar mustache but I have never lived any place more suited to me.
posted by srboisvert at 2:33 PM on September 22, 2013
Within 5 minutes I have almost every type of food you can imagine available and a rather large lake. Within 10 minutes there are about 5 different grocery options. Within 20 minutes I have the Diversey, Wellington and Belmont L stops and several fast and straight shot bus routes to the Loop. There are some quirky shops but not as much character as some other neighborhoods but really how much time do you spend in those shops? Those other neighborhoods are all still accessible to you when you want to shop. Walk west and you get low(ish) density wooded areas. Walk east and you get high-rises and then park.
Walking through the park by the ponds to the zoo in the evening is the deal maker for me. Even though the zoo isn't open at night you do sometimes to get to hear the wolves and wild dogs howling at the emergency services' sirens and in the winter you can see the bear looking at the bunnies and wondering if 'it' sticks to their fur.
It's not a cool neighborhood that will score you authenticity points that you can hang on a waxed handlebar mustache but I have never lived any place more suited to me.
posted by srboisvert at 2:33 PM on September 22, 2013
Response by poster: Thanks to everybody for your thoughts so far. We'll be apartment-hunting (and checking out Printer's Row/South Loop too) over the next two months, so any late readers who want to chime in would be most welcome. I'll also update with the results.
posted by willbaude at 1:24 PM on October 16, 2013
posted by willbaude at 1:24 PM on October 16, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
Maybe something like Old Town? It's kind of...sedate...and really effing pricey, but it's dense, leafy, and close-ish to the lake. And much further south, though there's no super-direct public transit route to Hyde Park from there.
Basically, having to get to Hyde Park from anywhere that isn't Hyde Park sucks. A lot. I have friends who live in Hyde Park and friends who live in Minneapolis. I see the MPLS friends 4 times a year. I see the Hyde Parkers NEVER.
posted by like_a_friend at 12:23 PM on September 16, 2013