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zeroidea
join:2001-02-05
Chicago, IL
 ·AT&T Midwest
| Do you commute? I'm curious as to whether more people commute TO Chicago, or FROM Chicago? I've occasionally bought/sold things 'locally' and have been surprised that almost none of the people I've interacted with actually live in the city - nor do they seem to come here often, as they usually want me to drive out to the suburbs.
I still don't understand how chi.forsale manages to be so useless. I'd swear that any number of cities with less than half Chicago's population have more active .forsale newsgroups..  | |
|  | | Hilbe
join:2002-12-13 | I myself live in the far north Gurnee. I drive to the Deerefield area, and like others said avoid the city at all cost. | |
| RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| I live in Western Springs (@I-55 and I-294 for those unfamiliar) and my office is less than 2 miles away in La Grange so I have no need to commute for work. However, we head east as often as we can. We can be on the Stevenson at 1st Avenue in about 5-10 minutes, and if there isn't a major backup inbound, I can be in Grant Park in about 20 after that. During the summer we're downtown (Monroe @ LSD) at least once a week after work and/or on weekends to go sailing from Monroe Harbor, and we are in various other parts of Chicago to dine at various restaurants year-round.
My wife rode the Burlington Northern for 9 years when she worked for Sears in the big black tower. My brother in law is a lawyer and takes the train (12+ years now) from W.S. every day to his office on Jackson. We have excellent Metra service here...and use it to get downtown for meetings, etc.
Except for Wrigleyville and Lincoln Park, it is usually easier for us to get into the city, get parked, and go do something fun than it is to get from here to Schaumburg (I'd rather poke my eyes out), for example. Yeah it's annoying to spend $10+ to park your car, but you cannot find much of what Chicago offers in most suburbs, and you cannot match Lake Michigan anywhere else. Daniel Burnham and his associates may have had their own agendas but they did stumble into a plan for a spectacular urban environment. And then there are the quirky joints, bars, clubs and storefront restaurants that most 'burbs actively avoid because, as you know, having fun in many suburbs is not allowed... 
Find me a place as cool as Websters Wine Bar (Webster near Clybourn) in Naperville. Or the Tasting Room (Randolph at Ogden) for that matter...or Ohba, or Tru, or the Art Institute, or Skyline Stage @ Navy Pier (yeah it's corny, but...), or Park West, or...
The city is what you make of it. | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
 ·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
1 edit | Re: Do you commute? I'll take my Naperville anyday.
I stopped commuting about a year ago and absolutely LOVE it. I couldn't stand the train and the crowds and the cold and the heat and the morons who wouldn't cover their mouths before coughing on the back of my neck and the loud talkers and the throat clearers, etc. I used to catch a cold 2-3 times a year. Now, I barely catch anything once a year. My kids are healthier too.
And, although we (my wife and I) used to make a few jaunts into the city every month, I find Naperville has quite a bit to offer. Especially when compared to about 12 years ago. Although, the crowds are annoying. But, with having kids now, and downtown Naperville being less than a mile from my house, it's much more convenient and much less stressful.
Give me a nice burb anyday. | |
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cybermud
join:2000-08-25
Chicago, IL | Re: Do you commute? I live in the west loop, very close to the Tasting Room that Radio Doc mentioned, which is a GREAT place. My walk to work in the loop every day takes 20 minutes regardless of weather or traffic, and my commuting costs are zero! | |
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lionelgroulx
join:2001-11-27
Chicago, IL
| said by Goober  :
I'll take my Naperville anyday.
Yuck.
Naperville is just like any burb. If you want to ride a bike or walk? Tough, there are no developed sidewalks in many parts of Naperville.
See any sidewalks along Route 59? Nope.
Want to go out and get sauced and take public transportation back home? Good luck.
Ogden avenue is a parking lot during rush hour. Naperville road, Route 59 and I-88 sucks as well. I'll take the train over that.
Naperville is still not as worse as the south west suburbs (Orland Park, Tinley Park..etc.). I'd rather eat glass than move back to towns where the police are out of control.
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alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes problems | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
| Re: Do you commute? Naperville is definitely not like any other burb. In fact, I think this statement that all suburbs are plain vanilla and generic is a very bad mis-characterization.
I love the downtown riverwalk and the downtown itself. That's what won me over when I first came here.
Also, the things that appeal to me in Naperville are the fairly low incidence of crime, the high quality schools and the fairly quiet conservative nature of the city. And it's affordable to boot.
Chicago proper is just too crowded, too noisy, too crime-ridden and too dirty for my tastes.
I didn't mind working in the loop, but I didn't like the inconvenience of not being able to hop in my car and go where I want and park wherever I want.
Also, there are tons of sidewalk everywhere in Naperville and all over the place. I guess I haven't been to places where there aren't any. Well, yeah I guess can't recall seeing sidewalks on 59. But, who walks along that street? And, I like to stay away from that area generally. It's so commercial and crowded. Luckily it's like that only on the very far western portion of Naperville. You can't characterize a whole city based on one commercial zone. | |
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lionelgroulx
join:2001-11-27
Chicago, IL
| Re: Do you commute? said by Goober :
Also, there are tons of sidewalk everywhere in Naperville and all over the place. I guess I haven't been to places where there aren't any. Well, yeah I guess can't recall seeing sidewalks on 59. But, who walks along that street? And, I like to stay away from that area generally. It's so commercial and crowded. Luckily it's like that only on the very far western portion of Naperville. You can't characterize a whole city based on one commercial zone.
There are tons of sidewalks in the downtown and immediate surrounding areas. But on Diehl for example? Naperville road? What about the bridges over I-88?
So if someone without a vehicle who lives north on Route 59 wants to walk to the mall they are SOL? (And have to walk into the train station, under the tracks, out of the train station, through the parking lot without getting hit, and then into the parking lot of the red lobster..etc.)?
There are a lot of homes & apartments North & Northwest the Route 59 train station.
I do have to admit, the Naperville police were actually pretty decent.
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alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes problems | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
| Re: Do you commute? True on all accounts. In that way, Naperville is a typical suburb--not designed for being walker friendly unless you're in a neighborhood or park area.
My baseline assumption is that a suburbanite must have a car. Obviously that's not true in the city. | |
| | | | | RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| We went to the Naperville Ribfest for 10 years, and finally gave up because:
1) Traffic and parking pandemonium which makes Lincoln Park on a Saturday night a breeze by comparison.
2) More drunk people pissing in the bushes than there ever was after a weekend night game in Wrigleyville.
3) Enough rude assholes to fill Comiskey Park. Taste of Chicago is Ravinia by comparison. These (adult) jerks have no problem cutting in line, stepping on you, spilling beer on or knocking down kids who get in the way of their quest for corn-on-a-stick or elephant ears.
4) Probably the worst crowd control this side of Altamont.
Naperville is overbuilt, overhyped, and far worse than the Loop. You can keep it. I quit going anywhere near downtown Naperville once it got a fatal case of the "cutes". 15 years ago there were real restaurants owned by actual, creative chefs. Now it's Just Another Mall. Too crowded, noisy and the ass-holiness is unbearable. Sorry. One of my best friends lives out there and he's about to slit his wrists working at home. "Stepford" is real; it's a subdivision in Naperville...
You stay out there...that makes one more parking place for me in Chicago.  | |
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lionelgroulx
join:2001-11-27
Chicago, IL
| said by RadioDoc :
We went to the Naperville Ribfest for 10 years, and finally gave up because:
Ahhh ribfest. Good eats...but I've only found luck going the last day and avoiding the crowds and fools. I don't know what it is about the other days.
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alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes problems | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: Do you commute? Well you can't argue with a lifer...
Montparnasse was great in it's time when Suzy Crofton was there, and Emilio's Meson Sebika has it's good days when Emilio is there.
There's restaurants, and there's great restaurants. One in Naperville, Montage, making an effort to be the latter is out in the sticks on 59 in a strip mall. As for the rest, I guess I have a different idea of what qualifies as "best", and will agree to disagree. You can't find anything approaching the quality of several in Wicker Park or the Loop anywhere near there though. Sorry. I've pretty much tried them all. | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
| Re: Do you commute? I can't argue that Chicago has great restaurants. I think, though, as suburbs go, Naperville has some of the best. That's not to say they are better than the ones in Chicago. That was the reason my wife and I (before kids) used to go to Chicago. But, since having the "li'l darlings" I think we don't have to go very far to get above average eats.
Although, I'm not sure that loop restaurants can be blanketly called good. Yes there are a few higher-end ones that are nice, but on a day to day basis (having done it for about 12 years), my co-workers and I never could find anyplace that was very good for just regular lunches. The loop is just rife with awful Chinese restaurants.
My workplace was located at LaSalle and Adams. Maybe there's better in some other parts of the loop. | |
| | | | | | | | | RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: Do you commute? No, there are quite a few bad restaurants in the Loop. I didn't mean to give them all a blanket endorsement. It's the great ones there which overshadow most in the burbs I'm talking about.
Anyway, the point was that there are far more reasons to head into the city than there are to stay in sub-bore-bia. | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | trs23
join:1999-07-24
Chicago, IL
1 edit | Re: Do you commute? I've seen much worse traffic in the burbs than the city. Try heading down golf road in Schaumburg on a Saturday.
I like how people say they would have to give up their car in the city. I live in a 4bedroom 3bath townhouse with a 2 car garage. I have the EL 3 blocks away and tons of bars / clubs / restaurants within an easy cab or walk away.
I also pay less per month than people living in Lincoln Park and paid less for my house than many Suburbs.
And my house just appreciated 84% in the last 5 years! Try that in the burbs!
Where do I live? Wicker Park / Bucktown / Logan Square. | |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
1 edit | Re: Do you commute? said by trs23 :
And my house just appreciated 84% in the last 5 years!
Where do I live? Wicker Park / Bucktown / Logan Square.
I live in Logan Square too,
Have you gotten your property tax bill yet?
Our property taxes went from $3200 last year to $6100 this year!
Try that in the burbs!
I love living in the city but I need to get the hell out of cook county!
*edit* sorry 6100 not 6800 | |
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drmorley
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-20
Park Ridge, IL
clubs:
| Re: Do you commute? We just looked at a couple of houses in Prairie Crossing in Grayslake where the property taxes were $7500.
It looks like the wife and I might be moving out of our beloved city this spring. Not to Grayslake though | |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
| Re: Do you commute? said by drmorley :
We just looked at a couple of houses in Prairie Crossing in Grayslake where the property taxes were $7500.
It looks like the wife and I might be moving out of our beloved city this spring. Not to Grayslake though
Yeah that's a lot, I suppose some burbs are pricey but it's one thing when you go in knowing that and another when they suddenly double with little or no notice.
I wouldn't even mind so much if I thought there was something good coming of it but where is it going?
They don't plow the side streets in the winter, our street looks like it hasn't been repaired in 50 years, the schools suck, the police don't come when you call them, Water bills have gone up, city sticker prices are going up, meters, tickets, etc, etc, etc...
I wouldn't really mind it if I thought it was going for something other than putting in bicycle lanes on the major roads. | |
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Goober
Premium
join:2000-12-17
Naperville, IL
·Comcast
·WOW Internet and C..
| Re: Do you commute? said by Jon :
said by drmorley :
We just looked at a couple of houses in Prairie Crossing in Grayslake where the property taxes were $7500.
It looks like the wife and I might be moving out of our beloved city this spring. Not to Grayslake though
Yeah that's a lot, I suppose some burbs are pricey but it's one thing when you go in knowing that and another when they suddenly double with little or no notice.
I wouldn't even mind so much if I thought there was something good coming of it but where is it going?
They don't plow the side streets in the winter, our street looks like it hasn't been repaired in 50 years, the schools suck, the police don't come when you call them, Water bills have gone up, city sticker prices are going up, meters, tickets, etc, etc, etc...
I wouldn't really mind it if I thought it was going for something other than putting in bicycle lanes on the major roads.
Recently they did property reassessments here in Naperville. They didn't raise rates, since they'd already significantly upped them just a year or two ago. But personally, from what I can tell, my property tax will go up to $8000.00 this next year because of the reassessment.
My wife and I every so often consider moving (within Naperville), but property tax rates make it a very significant disincentive to move up. I've got a mental block against paying $1000.00 or more a month for property tax on my personal house, which is where our next move would take us.
On the flip side, I do think that we get something good for our taxes. That's what makes it tolerable (barely). | |
| | | | | | | | | | RadioDoc
58ef2c0
Premium,ExMod 2000-03
join:2000-05-11
·AT&T Midwest
| said by Jon :
Try that in the burbs!
I love living in the city but I need to get the hell out of cook county!
Tell me about it...Crook County is more like it. We were up to $5,500+ in property taxes on our house and $13,000+ on 5000 sq. feet of commercial property with three storefronts on it before we hired a lawyer to go beat it down. They got it reduced to about 50% of the original assessment. It's a racket. Appeal that sucker...there are law firms which do this on a contingent fee basis for 1/3 of the tax saved. It's well worth it if you see those kinds of increases. | |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL
| Re: Do you commute? said by RadioDoc :
said by Jon :
Try that in the burbs!
I love living in the city but I need to get the hell out of cook county!
Appeal that sucker...there are law firms which do this on a contingent fee basis for 1/3 of the tax saved. It's well worth it if you see those kinds of increases.
Yeah we're appealing, We actually appealed last year too b/c they have our building listed as a 4 unit and it's really only 2 and an "In-law" apt.
They basically sent us back a letter saying,
No, we decided our assessment is right so you're appeal is denied.
We let it go for some reason but this time we're gonna fight it.
We mailed our appeal a few day's ago, We measured the house outside (that's what our lawyer told us to do) And sent assessments of comparable properties on our block so we'll see what they come back with.
We're trying it on our own before we ask our lawyer to do something we have to pay for.
BTW: If you live in Cook County you can search for assessments Here | |
| | | | | | | | | | revuney
join:2003-03-22
Somerville, MA
| Re: Do you commute? Live in Mchenry, commute to Kenosha everyday for work.
Not too bad of a ride, since the vast majority of it is cutting thru the various farmland across the state-line area. Used to Live in Kenosha, but moved to Mchenry for a year, so I could be a bit closer to School/GF.
But after another year or so, I can likely start telecommuting to work, and I'll probably move back to Evanston or Rogers Park (on the northside) .. I really miss living in the city. Kenosha was quaint and pretty. Mchenry is.. just kind of.. well it's halfway between work/School . But Chicago is home. Always has been, always will be. | |
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drmorley
Premium,MVM
join:2000-12-20
Park Ridge, IL
clubs:
| Been living in the city since I was 19. I worked in the Loop for a number of years, but for the past five years I've been doing the reverse commute. Personally, I can think of no better way to spend 2+ hours each day.
If it were up to me I would never leave the city. I would sell our cars and just take taxis or the L. I've been to Woodfield Mall and I'll die happy if only I never have to return.
I love live music and there's no better venues then the Metro, Riviera, Double Door or Park West. My first concert was U2 at the Metro for their Joshua Tree tour.
I won't even touch on restaurants. I | |
| ChiDavid78
join:2003-07-14
Lisle, IL | I own a condo in Lisle by the train and work in the loop so it is "kinda cityish" I guess. NExt place I own will be in Oak Park or Berwyn, somethign that is "urban suburbia." I like having both worlds right now. I only drive on weekends =) | |
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Jon
Premium
join:2001-01-20
Lisle, IL | I commute from Chicago to Schaumburg.
The ride out at 5:30am isn't bad but back in almost always sucks, Friday's especially. | |
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lionelgroulx
join:2001-11-27
Chicago, IL
| Re: Do you commute? said by gdm :
Now I will be starting a new job in the city and taking the train like I used to. I do agree train can be a pain with riders but I will take metra over CTA any day!!!
Another thing sucking about Chicagoland is the lack of decent overnight (night-owl) transportation. Only the blue & red CTA lines run 24/7 and a handful of buses. Metra trains leave the loop at 12:30/45 at the latest.
The CTA has been doing an efficient job at cutting off night-owl service on its rail lines. Remember when the Green Line (Oak Park - Englewood, Dorchester) and Purple line (Evanston) ran 24/7?
Not exactly accomodating for those folks who have to work the late hours (ie. maintenance workers) in the loop who do not have automobiles.
Pace of course has been stricken with funding issues and service cuts across the board. And it wasnt until 2-3 years ago that Pace stopped illegally deducting full-rates on CTA cards rather than just the transfer fee.
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alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes problems | |
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gdm
Premium,MVM
join:2001-06-15
Mchenry, IL
clubs: | Re: Do you commute? Yup very good points. | |
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Chinabound
Premium
join:2002-12-21
Antioch, IL
clubs:
·Comcast
| Geez. this almost turned into a Naperville thread.
To answer your curiousity zeroidea , there are still far more people commuting into the city each day from the suburbs, rather than out to the suburbs from the city. If that ever changes, they will change the direction of the reversible expresslanes on the Kennedy from inbound in the morning to outbound in the morning! However, I read in the Tribune more than 15 years ago how the trend is changing. As these lily white suburbs continue to grow, so will the outbound commuters.
In addition to our home in Westport, we also rent a house in Antioch, up by the WI state line. Once a month we drive down to Chinatown for our food shopping (my wife is Chinese). I time it perfectly: We leave the house at 10:am - reach the Kennedy Junction around 10:45 with the expresslanes still set for inbound - Chinatown 15 minutes later. Do our thing there in Chinatown for a couple of hours, then return home with the expresslanes in our favor once again, before rush hour begins. I commute more in New York City from Connecticut, which by comparison - Chicagoland people don't even know what a traffic jam is! | |
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zeroidea
join:2001-02-05
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Midwest
| Ah.. Well, thanks to all who contributed their views..
Chicago seems to have a very different relationship with its neighboring towns than, say NYC or Cleveland have with their suburbs.. I grew up in NJ and attended college in OH, and both times the cities were the only real place to go for top-rate entertainment, and the suburbs had large populations of city-workers who wanted to live in houses. | |
| | | ChiDavid78
join:2003-07-14
Lisle, IL | I think the way it goes is "to each their own" on the city/burbs thing. I like aspects of both and would never stop going to concerts in the city, but I am unwilling to give up my car for every day chores so I live in the burbs. | |
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atoms
join:2000-12-16
Chicago, IL
| I live in the city and commute from my bedroom to my home office. The consulting work is nice, but I'm not much of a self-saleman, so I will probably be looking for a full time job in January. I have never worked outside the city (unless you count Evanston) since I moved here in 1988.
So when I look for a new job my number one criteria will be: What Kind of Commute? If I can't do it by bicycle or walking then either I will have to be desparate to take it, or the compensation will have to be enormous. | |
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