Hey. Chicago.

College Life
1

<p>(I'll preface this by stating that I'm on several narcotic pain medications after a bad bad wisdom tooth extraction. A ligament of my jaw is torn. I'm bitter and dopey and thin).</p>

<p>You may have surmised from "Chicago" that this has something to do with Chicago. The "Hey" is a filler, supposed to attract attention.</p>

<p>I'm moving from Tempe (ASU. Stop thinking what you're thinking. I drink and I look good doing it and I'm going to NASSR in Montreal in August and rooming with a professor from Princeton who can't be bothered to capitalize a critical "I" in e-mail communication. Bitter; I told you. You don't know pain.) to Chicago. I want to live in an apartment with students. I went to Chicago once. I spent all day in a temple. I slept during the ride there. I'm going to visit the UIC (literary theory, Stanley Fish, T.A.ship) campus in the second week of June. My friend in Chicago is a law student, and I question his familiarity with the UIC vicinity. I will not look only to him for help in navigating my prospects. I am asking the world. Hey, World (that's you all), what ought I to do?</p>

<p>Sincerely,</p>

<p>Jenny</p>

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<p>you ought to come back when the drugs wear off because I am not entirely sure what you just said.</p>

3

<p>Ditto ottothecow.</p>

<p>What exactly are you asking for? How the Chicago area is? What to do there? Which schools to visit? What to be looking for?</p>

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<p>i think this is one of the things that sound good and funny in your head, but when you put them on paper, it doesn't work out too well.</p>

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<p>Uh....</p>

<p>Chicago is a great place that really pushes you.</p>

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<p>Yeah, Percocet will have that effect sometimes. Anyway, I'll restate this in less semiotic, drug-mediated English:</p>

<ol>
<li> How do I go about looking for an apartment in Chicago? What is reasonable rent in an urban metropolis? I'll be living in downtown Chicago; I know that much. Which neighborhoods are less hospitable but not prohibitively expensive? Is it like New York in that some of the apartments don't come with such amenities as hot water or functional light fixtures? I've done searches, but I want to know more before I contact a broker or whatever and certainly before I go there in the middle of June. I don't want to be taken advantage of as a graduate student who seems to be in a vulnerable position (i.e. in need of housing).</li>
<li> I've navigated various web-sites about Chicago, but I feel insecure still. I don't want to read about the wax museum or Wrigley Field. I want to know things about the intellectual climate of different parts of the city and if I need to carry mace (as opposed to a loaded firearm). I want to know if people will mostly let me be if I walk to the supermarket or if I should expect to be accosted or taken for a prostitute and solicited or if Chicago is more live-and-let-live. I know this depends more on the area, but I haven't found any univocal source for this either. Some of the neighborhoods are more dynamic, and their reputations are in flux. That's not pragmatic or convenient.</li>
<li> I've never really been to Chicago. Is there anything else I ought to know about it or questions I ought to be asking? I live in a large urban area now, but Chicago is a different sort of urban territory. I have no pretense about this.
(4. It's not nice to post acrimonious responses to people anyway, but it seems to be indicative of insecurity or something when someone is unnecessarily critical of someone who's in pain and on heavy medication. It doesn't bother me so much personally, but it's just poor form.)</li>
</ol>

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<ol>
<li> Two sources are meccas for renting information: one is the Reader, Chicago's free and independent newspaper, which can be found online (along with, I belive, its classifieds section). The second is craigslist.com, which should be self-explanatory when you get there.</li>
</ol>

<p>You will not be living in downtown Chicago, because what apartments do exist there are almost certainly all prohibitively expensive for a college student. You may be living in neighborhoods around the city center, though.</p>

<p>Depending on what you're looking for, I'd say you should budget $450-$650 for monthly rent.</p>

<ol>
<li> Intellectual climate: Hyde Park, on the South Side, home to the University of Chicago, is THE intellectual neighborhood in Chicago. It's ridiculous. Beyond that, Wicker Park is student-y, as is Rogers Park. Along with those two neighborhoods, Pilsen has a good art scene. What exactly are you looking for?</li>
</ol>

<p>In the vast majority of neighborhoods in Chicago, you are fine to walk wherever. There are places where you might not want to hang out on a secluded corner at 1 am for no reason, but if you wake up in the middle of the night and realize you have to buy toothpaste or something, you can walk to the local 7-11 with no problem. Like you said, crime varies by neighborhood.</p>

<ol>
<li> You should know how close you want to be to the city center, whether or not you'll have a car (I strongly suggest you don't), and what kind of neighborhood you want to live in--whether you want yuppies, immigrants, families, a vibrant nightlife, or what.</li>
</ol>

<p>If you want to e-mail me or IM me, my e-mail address is <a href="mailto:oshkeoto@aol.com">oshkeoto@aol.com</a> and my screen name is oshkeoto. I'd be more than happy to answer any and all questions.</p>

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<p>I pretty much agree with everything oshkeoto said. I would also recommend that you look for a place around the Lincoln Park area. It is really nice and if you really look, you could find a place around the $6-$700 dollar range. It is fairly close to downtown and the lake. It is very safe (although they have had trouble with serial rapist a couple of years back, but that is anywhere after dark) and very walker friendly. </p>

<p>You should also look into the near south and south loop areas, as well as the near west and west loop. These areas were undersirable about ten years ago, but is now a hot spot for urban development. Also, UIC is very close by.</p>

<p>I really would not recommend Hyde Park. Although UofC is located in that area, the neighborhood itself, and the surrounding neighborhoods are not the kind of places you want to walk around at night. UofC is full of intellectuals, but from personal experience and through the opinions of my friends that have went, they are not the most social group. Of course this depends on who you meet. Also, Hyde Park is not very close to downtown. It is closer than most places, but catching the bus and train can be a hassle. </p>

<p>Wicker Park and Buck Town is also very nice. It is known for it's "artsy" feel and diversity. There is a great night scene with many good bars, restaurants, and clubs. A lot of my friends have moved there within the past couple of years and they say that the rent is reasonable.</p>

<p>If you want a place that provides utilities you should check out the high rise apartments. It may be slightly more expensive, but there are a lot of perks such as not having to deal with maintenance.</p>

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<p>^ I have just two minor issues with what MacMike said. One, Hyde Park is fine to walk around at night, although you may not want to be alone (and his assessment of the surrounding neighborhoods is correct, although they are gentrifying rapidly). I would go along with him and tell you not to live there, though, because it's relatively isolated from public transit and other dynamic neighborhoods.</p>

<p>Two, I would warn you against Lincoln Park. I have to admit that I am in the minority in this, even among my friends, but the neighborhood to me--though it is admittedly architecturally beautiful and wonderfully located--has a very yuppy-feeling culture. The main commercial arteries carry shoe boutiques; in my opinion (and this is only my opinion that I'm submitting for you to consider), you better take advantage of what Chicago offers by living in a more diverse neighborhood (Lincoln Park is nearly 90% white).</p>

<p>Neighborhoods I think you should consider, in no particular order:</p>

<p>Rogers Park. Far North Side, but well-served by public transit and right on the lake. Good neighborhood combination of families and young people (Loyola University is right there, and there is a fairly vibrant artists' community). Home to the city's Indian and Pakistani district, which is amazing. Crime is a bit of an issue in parts of the neighborhood, but I wouldn't let that deter you. Probably cheaper than what you'll find anywhere else.</p>

<p>Uptown. My favorite. Combines a nightlife with blues clubs, multiple major ballrooms and other venues with the cultural flavor of the city's most diverse neighborhood. Not to mention it's right on the lake.</p>

<p>Edgewater. Slightly less going on in terms of nightlife and that kind of thing, but still a very interesting neighborhood on the lake, and very diverse. Home to the city's best Ethiopian restaurants.</p>

<p>The South or West Loop. Ex-industrial areas that are now being retrofitted for residential use. Walking distance to downtown. Dense. Cool stuf going on.</p>

<p>Little Italy (sort of a subsection of the West Loop). Oh, it's so pretty, and there are so many wonderful places to eat. You can get two hot dogs with fries for $3.50, then walk a block and get the best Italian ice in the city from Mario's for $1.00. Also, I suspect, pretty cheap. Also walking distance from UIC.</p>

<p>Wicker Park/Bucktown. I think this has been explained.</p>

<p>I would also look into Pilsen. It's quite nice-looking, a very vibrant Mexican neighborhood. Probably a 10-minute ride on the El to the UIC campus. I don't know all that much about it, though.</p>

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<p>Hyde park rocks out :)</p>