Red Dog charged a cover long before OHM ever came along (same owners, by the way).

qs - i live in east pilsen now, and 5 years ago i lived in a place in west pilsen. i personally love it - very eclectic neighborhood, cheap rent still, usually have amusing things happening in the neighborhood that make for good story fodder. it is still a little rough (more on the west side than the east side). my place in west pilsen was a two bedroom (for myself - both bedrooms were about 8'x8') and i paid $425 a month...and it was a dump, but i didn't care. my place now is the same thing - two bedroom for just me, but much nicer, $700 a month. because i live a very monastic and sparse life, the higher rent isn't that bad. but other neighborhoods that i think are great are west town/ukrainian village, logan square (almost rented there 5 years ago when i moved to west pilsen). i prefer a more mixed neighborhood where there are a variety of people/ages/ethnicities...it feels more like a city to me that way. i also like places that are a little more rough around the edges. i personally love it here in chicago...there is always something to do. be sure to check out the chicago reader online - it is a good place to start and can help you get a good idea of neighborhoods, rent etc.

letdown - i work in river north and we have an office game called "mom or nanny." whenever we see someone pushing a stroller outside who is attractive, we all have to take a guess (and yes, the woman who works in our office joins in as well). so don't let bossman make you feel so bad about the scenery in wicker park/bucktown.

old fogey - i left the metro around 2:30 this past saturday/sunday, and there were SWARMS of drunk douche bags all over clark street wandering into the road regardless of traffic. i know that is a big part of being in/living in wrigleyville, but i almost lost it while i was riding my bike back to my apartment. i used to love going to some of the random stores around the area up there in the past, but i find myself going less and less because of the general behavior of the crowds of people. either i am getting old or people are getting worse.

If you want a diverse neighborhood near the lakefront, I'd highly recommend Edgewater, Rogers Park, and some parts of Uptown. I think Uptown and Edgewater are the most diverse census tracts outside of Queens, NY.

I lived at Foster and Sheridan from 2000-2002, which is the border between Uptown and Edgewater, and really liked the neighborhood. Maybe it's different now, but at the time my rent was pretty cheap ($600 for a huge, newly-renovated studio in a doorman building w/ elevator), the 147 express bus stopped right outside my door before hitting Lakeshore Drive, and the Red Line was a short walk away. I could also walk over to some interesting bars along Clark Street in Andersonville. Best part was, the neighborhood was mostly free of obnoxious hipsters and trixies. There were occasional crime issues (my car got broken into once, and there was an apartment building on the next block that seemed to have police activity around it on a near-nightly basis), but overall it felt pretty safe.

Uptown was still pretty sketchy when I lived there, but it's gradually getting better on a block-by-block basis. I just hope the Wrigleyville douchebag element doesn't end up spilling over into the neighborhood from below Irving Park.

Rogers Park is a great neighborhood with lots of beautiful apartment buildings, but the downside is a painfully long commute to/from the Loop unless you take the Purple Line express or Metra.

I lived in Chicago for 18 years. I assume you are working somewhere downtown. The first thing you want is to live as close as possible to your job. The trains are much more reliable than the buses. If you have the option of living close to a train I would do that was well. You should take a look at property in near south. I would say between 12th & Michigan to 31st and Michigan. Like someone said above, there isn't as much to do as the North side, but it may be cheaper and more peaceful.

LiG - the doughbag element has moved north of Irving, I am afraid to stay.

I would not live on a bus line without nearby train service.

When looking at housing in Chicago, rule #1 is : imagine the apartment when there are no leaves on the trees outside. Imagine the walk to transit on one of the "exposed flesh freezes in under 10 minutes" warning days. (Yes these exist and are frequent in early February.) Imagine getting your clothes to the closest washing machine if it is 33 degrees and sleeting rain out.

Still like your apartment?

Ok you are ready to move in!

Its all those things that make Chicagoians superior to other people. Just ask us.

guys, it can't possibly be worse than walking to work when it is
-18F without the wind chill. why do chicagoans think their weather is so extreme?

with the lord jesus christ your savior in your heart, not even the devils fiercest wind can freeze your soul.

amen

hey now bossman, no one ever said chicago had the worst weather of all. just that it's bad. and anyway, the point of my post was not to bring in a discussion of weather, but rather to point out how it can impact the apartment search in ways you don't expect, in order to help the Original Poster out.

The laundry thing I learned the HARD way, so I'm hoping to save others the trouble.

Good call Mantaray, in unit laundry, or at least in building, is a must.

god buy some freaking long underwear and a parka. its not that freaking cold there...cold was in 1978 that was freakin cold.

I love how this post has turned into "Jesus it's cold in Chicago" versus "don't be such a goddamn baby." I already know which category I'm going to fall under.

I'm flying to Chicago tomorrow to find a place to live - I'm meeting some potential roommates and looking at some studio apartments. Thanks again to everyone for the advice on neighborhoods, it helped to expand my search - now I'm looking at places all over the city.

The skyline looks stunning on a crystal clear cold day - the sun is intense, the sky is azure, and the towers sparkle. The pollution cant be held aloft in the cold air so its amazingly clear - the lake freezes into alien landscapes - its the most unique season if your open to accepting it. In a short time it will be spring, then summer the fall. Time goes by fast when you have 4 extremely distinct seasons - you are aware the clock is ticking.

I recommend Andersonville. It's a pretty great little walkable community with lots of stuff around and nicer apartment stock than much of the currently "hip" parts of the city.

I looked for a place in Ukrainian Village FOREVER and could NOT find anything that wasn't a total shithole in my opinion. I've heard this experience repeated by others I know. If you're the type that's ok with a college-style level of apartment quality, by all means go for it. But I guess I would want you to be aware that the quality of apartment stock in that area does not seem to be as nice as it can be in other areas, in general. Many people are totally fine with this and it does mean cheaper rents, in a great neighborhood. Just a heads up...

I love the weather here, and I love this city, with all my heart. I agree that it ain't that cold. Shush vado, stop bein' cranky! ;-)

yeah well i walk outside to do my laundry, and -25F is just a normal outdoor low temp here in winter.

Wow, ok then, YOU WIN THE COMPETITION! You get a ROUND OF APPLAUSE!!!

wait wait! don't end the competition just yet! let me make a pointless boast too!

.....ummm let us see..... I live....on the inside of a volcano.... yeah thats the ticket......inside a volcano.......so I don't even do laundry......I just allow my dirty laundry to spontaneously burst into flames......as I exit the little 2800 degree slice of heaven that I call home.....that probably explains my sensitivity to the cold and wet weather that I am unaccustomed to......I'm sure you can understand my predicament.

Ah, I see, Synergy lives in Boyztown!

What can I say?! I like it hot.....

yes, that is correct. i win the competition. how do you feel now?

I realize that the thread has wandered waaaay off track, but I'm back from Chicago. I'm subletting a place in Wicker Park (near Division and Damen) for 4 months. It seemed like the best way to try out the neighborhood, and this way I'll get to know the city better and I'll be able to take more time finding an apartment later on this year.

Good choice, welcome to Chicago. Hope you enjoy your new home.

see you at Goldstar for $2 bud and PBRs

Division and Damen is a cool area... Close enough to the Wicker Park action, but far enough from the obnoxiousness that surrounds the whole Milwaukee/North/Damen area. You've got some decent bars around there... Too bad Ten 56 is closed, but (IIRC) you've still got Rainbow Lounge, Innertown Pub, and some decent newer places along Division. Best barbeque I've had in Chicago was at Smoke Daddy, on Division about midway between Damen and Ashland/Milwaukee.

LiG, Smoke Daddy is good but you left before the best ever opened : Smoque. Dammmmmn. So good my s.o. went all the way back for lunch the day after we first tried it for dinner. And that's not too far from Division and Damen either! (Just a few stops up at Irving Park blue line)

vado - I have seen my breath in the men's room at simon's on a cold winter night - which, now that I'm typing it - that sounds vaguely smutty.

The bar still smells like cigs too.

And Honey 1 for the BBQ - so long as you're looking for the baby backs. Their hot links are straight from moo & oink, so you could pick some up right before you get on the skyway.
Honkytonk down in Pilsen for the pulled pork. Damn that stuff is good.

I love this town.

May all your pestilence be cured

Did you see the parade?

I saw another on the northwest side and it was like something out of the Godfather.

There were atleast half-a-dozen in different Italian-American 'hoods throughout the City.

Here's Mayor Daley making his Olympic Pitch:

http://www.joefournierstudios.com/animation.html

And don't worry the "L" usually doesn't fall off the tracks. ;-) Not too often anyway.

Theres a really big one in Melrose park, and another at harlem / Irving - the curent port of enternace for Italiens, Sicilians and general Medateranians

I do like how on the ride in from the skyway, there's a McDonalds billboard with Mayor McCheese on it stating "Mayor McCheese welcomes you to Chicagoland!"

QS__
indeed good choice.

i prefer the northern and southern extents of Wicker Park to the central area... the damen/north/milwuakee area that LiG is talking about.

South WP in particular is much more interesting than north...there are tons of great bars on division, and south. good restaurants, cool people, cool shops, less soccer moms...

honestly, you picked a really fun place to start, hope you enjoy it and feel free to use this thread or the aggregate chicago thread if you have any city related questions... as, oddly enough, MOST chicagoans have a very strong love and pride for their city, and as you can see from this thread, we WANT you to love this place as much as we do...
sounds cheesy but its true...

well i leave for chicago this weekend. i'm still not sure if this is a good idea. chicago is kind of a shithole sometimes, and has a tendancy to be uninteresting. perhaps i'll get there, turn around, and come back. plus it is way to close to home. god. what if i tell my girlfriend i'm going to seattle instead?

Great attitude. That should pretty much ensure you have an awful time here.

well you have to understand, i don't mean to be offensive, but this is an emotional time for me.

does chicago look like this?



does chicago look like this?



no, chicago looks like this,



and that is the reality that we are dealing with here.

chicago also looks like this



ive often thought that as amazing as moutains, oceans and canyons are in that they were created by the forces of nature, cities are equally amazing in that they were created by us.

ahhhhh le bossman just got PWNED!

I think Chicago looks more like this:



Or this:

nonsense children. it only looks like that from faraway. from up close it looks like this:

Hey...don't go posting pictures of my home on here le bossman, lets keep this civil and not get so personal, ok?

^that house was in Gary, IN - technicaly Chicago's Jersey City

gary is one of the boroughs of chicago dude

also, what about terrorism? lake michigan is a hole in america's security; clearly, chicago is a high risk zone. and i am a consiencious objector.

Dont piss in our lake we dont pee in your pool

the proper place to piss is the generously oversized urinals at the happy village - 36" wide, no lie