Where to live in Chicago???

Question

Okay, I'm a 23 year old college grad who just got a sweet job with U.S. Steel in Gary, Indiana. Knowing that Gary is kinda ghetto and I would like to live near the nightlife, hott chicks, bars, restaurants, etc, near Chicago. From the research I've done on here, it seems Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park are the hot spots to live. Are these areas near all the bars and nightlife or what? Also, can I park anywhere with my car/how hard is it to find parking? Finally, how long will my commute to U.S. steel be to Gary, Indiana. Thanks.

Answer 1

Yeah, definitely do not live in Gary. The place is scary. You want to live in Chicago.

Lincoln Park, Lakeview, and Wrigleyville probably do have the highest percentage of singles and bars and nightlife. The boundaries of those neighborhoods are from North Avenue on the south to Irving Park on the north, the lake on the east and Ashland on the west.

You'd have a bit of a commute to Gary, which means you'd probably want to be close to either the interstate on the west end or Lake Shore Drive on the east end - so the street that probably would be best for you to look around is Fullerton Avenue, perhaps around Sheffield (at which point you'd also be close to the L train, and there are *lots* of beautiful singles around there.)

Parking is terrible, although you can get a parking permit for the neighborhood if you live there, and that eases things up a bit. Plus, from one of your previous questions, it sounds like you'd be getting home around 4 PM. If that's the case, the parking spaces should still be open, you can just park your car and use public transportation to get around.

The commute to Gary is probably going to be 45 minutes or so. It's a reverse commute, so it's not as bad as you might think.

There is another neighborhood you might consider, Bucktown, which is around the corner of North, Damen, and Milwaukee. It's a bit more artsy, but still filled with singles and a bit further south, putting you close to the interstate. It's a nice area, but if it were me, I'd probably choose to live in Lincoln Park and try to get close to Lake Shore Drive so I can hop on I-55 from there and get on the interstate. Fullerton and Sheffield or Clark or so. I think that might work well for you.

Answer 2

Communting from Wrigleyville to Gary every day is a bit of a grind. You have to get from Wrigleyville to the downtown train station (about 30 or 45 minutes) and THEN you have to get the train from downtown to Gary (not sure how long it takes, but I'm guessing at least 35 minutes). That's assuming you're not going to drive every day which, with gas the way it is right now, you'd be a fool to do. But If you don't mind getting up and leaving the house by 6 or 7 am every day, go for it. Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park are the party areas for "yuppies" (for lack of a better word). Lots of bars. Despite what that other guy said, the only gay area of Wrigleyville is on Halsted St. Not saying that gay people aren't walking around all over the place but as far as where the gay bars are in that area, that's pretty much it. Both areas are pretty pricey when it comes to rent, but if you've got this "sweet job" it shouldn't be a problem for you. You can occasionally find parking on the street, but it can take some time. I've wasted a lot of gas circling the block looking for a parking space late at night. If you park in front of a parking meter, you don't have to put in any quarters after 9 p.m. but you have to move it by 8 a.m. or you'll get a ticket...three tickets and you get booted. Most neighborhoods in that area, though, have residential parking permits, which means that you have to have a special permit to park there in the evening. If you move into one of these areas, you go to your alderman's office or downtown to City Hall and get one of those special parking permits and slap it on your window. It costs extra (along with the city sticker, state license plate and license plate sticke), but it's worth it if it means you don't have to hunt for a parking space late at night.

There are other places in the city where the rent is cheaper and the access to all the hot bars is just as easy. You should do a little more research before settling on these two areas. Fo the rent you'll be paying there you could probably put money down on a condo in a decent neighborhood that isn't so trendy

Answer 3

Anthony has overstated how gay Wrigleyville is. If you are east of Halsted, then you are in Boystown, but really the gay community has moved up to Andersonville. West from Sheffield to Southport is a great neighborhood in Lakeview, as is Lincoln Park and Bukctown / Wicker Park. Bucktown might be a little better for your commute since you are right next to the Kennedy Expressway.
On the South side you could try Hyde Park. It is a great neighborhood near the University of Chicago, but based on your question, I would try Lincoln Park, Lakeview (Wrigleyville) or Bucktown.

Parking will be a problem just about anywhere, but worst in Lincoln Park. Get an apartment that has a parking space.

Answer 4

It has its ups and downs like any other city. Chicago is wonderful in the summer time because of all the activities that take place. The blues fest, the gospel fest, the taste of chicago, navy pier, museums, art institute, every parade you can imagine for all ethnicity's, we have so many things going on in the summer. The winter can be rough if you aren't use to cold weather. We do have below zero weather some days, but there are also those days when there is a lot of snow but the temperature isn't that cold. Traffic can be a biotch though. You get use to it after a while. I love chicago.

Answer 5

FYI: Wrigleyville is pretty much the gay part of town, and that's ok, if that's your thing. It's actually pretty cool there at night. Great for people-watching. Lincoln Park or Wicker Park are good areas too. They're all kinda by eachother.