<p>I'm curious to know what crime is like around the campus. I've heard only bad things about the south side of Chicago, and given that much of the student pastime is centered around the community, I can't say that I wouldn't be a little worried. I've lived in the center of metropolitan areas before, so I have an idea of what to expect, but I'm wondering how it compares to other campus environments.</p>
<p>Check out:</p>
<p>Community</a> Safety | The University of Chicago</p>
<p>and</p>
<p>UCPD</a> Daily Incident Reports | The University of Chicago</p>
<p>which gives a listing of every incident reported to the UCPD. Since the UCPD coverage area is much wider than the area where dorms are and where students live, the crime reports are somewhat inflated and usually don't even involved anybody U of C-affiliated.</p>
<p>Staying safe is a matter of being smart. Be aware of your surroundings, if you don't feel comfortable walking alone, call the UCPD or SafeRide, if you see something potentially uncozy going on, walk away from it. I'm not going to say crime doesn't happen here, because that's clearly not true, but I really have no complaints about living in Hyde Park and most of the stuff that I suggest (being aware of your surroundings, etc.) would hold true even if you went to school in the middle of a cornfield.</p>
<p>To be honest.. the college community is okay.. but once you step out of the "boundaries" its really not all that safe anymore.</p>
<p>Frankly, crime statistics for the affluent north side of Chicago are often worse than Hyde Park. With a tough economy, urban areas may feel more crime. But, crime fears should not hinder your attending the U of Chicago. I live adjacent to the Yale campus and there is actually more crime in the general area of Yale than there is around Chicago. Part of that has to do with the fact that the U of Chicago has the second largest private police department in the world, just after the Vatican. Like Unalove has repeatedly said, use common sense and you should be fine.</p>
<p>I'd like to say something about stepping out of the boundaries. I don't live in Hyde Park. I've been on campus several times, all over. It's not like you are going to accidently cross the street the wrong way and be in some God-forsaken shoot out zone. You would have to hike across a giant park (like Central Park in New York) to the west or hike loooong blocks south to be somewhere you shouldn't. From my perspective. You should excercise the normal, everyday caution around campus that a person ususally does out in the world.</p>
<p>Part of it also depends, IMO, on your exposure to large cities. S attended a very diverse, semi-urban HS, used public transit frequently and feels pretty comfortable in Chicago. Common sense is the key. He walked someone home the other night because the person was not entirely confident doing so alone. There are others on campus who will help you acquire a sense of street smarts, and I can testify that the campus cops are everywhere (far more so than in the Penn community, where DH and I lived while he was in grad school). No reason to lock yourself in your dorm room and live in fear!</p>
<p>We are headed out this week for a campus visit Thursday and Friday and have never been in the area before. We'll be staying at a hotel near Midway airport. What is the best driving route (from a safety and traffic perspective) to get to campus each morning and about how long should we plan to get there? Googlemaps suggests 63rd street, but I wanted to check with someone who actually knows.<br>
Thanks</p>
<p>If you don't mind spending a little more time on the road, I'd take Adlai Stevenson (55) to Lake Shore Drive South which takes you straight to the Shoreland/campus. Taking one of the avenues straight to campus will take you through some sketchy neighborhoods you might want to avoid.</p>
<p>If you want to see exactly how it looks like driving from Midway (either or 55th or 63rd) go to Google maps and do StreetView. You can "drive" from Midway to UChicago at street level and actually look at the neighborhood. I don't think most people that fly into Midway drive such a circuituous route to campus as the Adlai Stevenson. I might be wrong, as we flew into O'Hare both times we've visited the school.</p>
<p>We've taken 55th back and forth to campus many times, and it's quite convenient. We took 63rd once, sort of by mistake. It's not like we felt in grave danger or anything, but 55th is better. 55th goes through poor but nicely maintained neighborhoods.</p>
<p>I took the 55 bus route (which goes east on, yes, 55th Street) when I came into town for move-in, and it is just fine. </p>
<p>Found it interesting that UChicago instructions on getting from campus to Midway have one go downtown and then catch the #6, rather than taking the 55.</p>
<p>For one not accustomed to living in a city, the 55 could seem somewhat harsh. Taking the Orange Line downtown and then catching the 6 would be a better route for somebody who's never been to a city before, plus I don't imagine the travel time is all that much longer.</p>
<p>Having taken the 55, 59, and 63 bus on various occasions, I wouldn't discourage them from a safety point of view. You're on a bus, with a bus driver, and most of the people who are on the bus are not the kinds of people you'd ever consider dangerous-- they're on their way to and from work, they're mothers with children, etc. </p>
<p>55th street is faster than the 55 expressway. It's a $20 cab ride versus a $30 cab ride.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for the suggestions. My husband will be driving a rental car & I'll be navigating, and we don't anticipate making the drive very late at night. The suggestion for 55th street sounds good and I did virtual-drive it via google and it did look fine, though I'll be cautious not to go too far off the beaten path. I'll file away the public transit info for later in hopes daughter will someday be making this trip by herself.
Much obliged to all.</p>
<p>Andorra409, my D took the 55 bus alone as a high school student visitor. It was fine. As unalove points out, there's a bus driver. And it was pretty obvious that she was headed to Hyde Park.</p>