<p>man i use googleEarth all the time just to stare in awe at the city. so go ahead. but during o-week the house o-aides will make sure you can handle public transportation on your own and its actually quite simple. the shoreland is right by a 6 stop (bus that goes downtown), read about it on the housing thread.</p>
<p>Any housing suggestions, good dorms for getting singles? I am a first year from somewhere very warm, so I'd like to be as close as possible to the gym and the library.</p>
<p>Maclean is all singles. First-years cannot get assigned singles in Max P or Pierce (which are closest to the gym and library). [Max P is across the street from the gym and right next to the main library, Pierce is across a practice field from the gym and a block from the main library].</p>
<p>Max P is ultra-modern, everything works (for the most part), rooms are small but homey, and your floor is the most likely to be made up of social people. You're a block from the bus to the Red Line, 30 seconds from the Reg (library), and half a block from the new, multi-million dollar gymnasium (Ratner). In terms of convenience, it cannot be beat. </p>
<p>In response to the comment about Hyde Park not being "the hood": firstly, people from the area consider it very much the hood; secondly, any place where there are posters advertising "National Turn in your Gun day" qualifies as "the hood," in my view.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, there is a HUGE difference between Hyde Park and the surrounding neighborhoods in crime and level of poverty. Household income is one indicator:</p>
<p>Hyde Park: $45,000
Woodlawn (to the south): $21,000
Washington Park (to the north): $15,000</p>
<p>The murder rate in Hyde Park is about the same as my small midwestern hometown (1-2 a year). The same cannot be said of many surrounding neighborhoods.</p>
<p>So if "the hood" is a poor urban neighborhood with a high crime rate, Hyde Park isn't even close. (Though it is very geographically close to areas that fit that description). If "the hood" is any urban neighborhood where not everyone has a picket fence (though some do) and walking alone at night isn't a good idea, it probably qualifies.</p>
<p>I find some of these posts funny! I grew up in and around Chicago, lived in Hyde Park for about 9 - 10 years off and on and my H went to the university and my S graduated in 2005 and is now living and working in NYC. My S who was raised here in the burbs of CT found UChicago and Chicago itself a great place to live and go to school even though he experienced a couple of incidents. </p>
<p>My H who also experienced a couple of incidents, used to feel safer walking with me in Hyde Park bc I was "street wise". I am not saying this to toot my horn or anything and I don't particularly value this but I did gain a sense of what could be potentially dangerous. I took a self defense class when I was 15 at the U. of Chicago and many of the things I learned there have stuck with me. Here are some tips that I learned growing up in Hyde Park:</p>
<p>1) It is always best to walk with others after dark.
2) If you see a group of 3 or more guys walking towards you if you are alone, move to the other side of the street.<br>
3) Always look behind you when you get into a car by yourself.
4) If you are female and must walk at night, place your keys between your fingers so the sharp ends stick out. If someone grabs you, use these at the vulnerable places - eyes, throat, sternum or groin.
5) If you must walk alone very late at night, act as if you are crazy i.e. talk to yourself (maybe in another language!), kick the bushes, walk weird and I guarantee people will leave you alone!!
6) The boundaries have changed somewhat, but I learned to never go alone south of 63rd St., north of 47th Street nor west of Cottage Grove. These places are mostly safe in a group.
7) If you are grabbed, scream as loud as possible.
8) If you are held up at knife or gun point, give them all of your money. This happened to my mom and she only had a $1 which reminds me..
9) Don't carry a lot of money on you. Take only what you need. Don't carry several credit cards on you - just one and/or debit card. This will make life simpler if your wallet is stolen.
10) Be aware of people behind you. They could run up and grab your purse, etc. Just always be aware of your surroundings.
11) If you must get off at a bus stop that is dark or walk along a streeet that is dark and quiet, walk in the middle of the street. There is less likelihood of someone following and jumping you.</p>
<p>Hopefully, I have not made you all paranoid! If you follow these simple guidelines, you will be fine, I am sure. You can always take a self defense class or karate class that teaches you where to kick and punch someone if they grab you. </p>
<p>But you know what - I love Chicago and feel mostly safe there. I can't tell you how much more improved Chicago is in the last 15 years. It's a wonderful city with lots of cultural offerings. I would move back in a heartbeat! Next post I will give you the top ten things you shouldn't miss during your UChicago days.</p>
<p>"5) If you must walk alone very late at night, act as if you are crazy i.e. talk to yourself (maybe in another language!), kick the bushes, walk weird and I guarantee people will leave you alone!!"</p>
<p>That made me LOL.</p>
<p>My H went to Penn for UG, and we lived off campus in West Philly during grad school. What Peacemaker had to say applies near Penn as much as it does in Chicago, and I dare say, Columbia or any other campus in a major urban city. Use common sense.</p>
<p>Besides walking with keys between my fingers, I also carried a whistle on my key chain. Only used it once -- H and I were walking from our car to our apt. and he was cornered by three guys. (My pocketbook was inside my coat, which why I suspect they didn't target me.) I blew a long whistle and yelled, "MOVE IT!" in a bellowing voice I didn't know I had (though my kids would say I still have it :)) and they ran off. So did we. I also recommend walking down the middle of the street if alone. Don't look like a victim. Walk tall and purposefully. Don't play your ipod or yak on the cell after dark -- it's a distraction. Don't walk home drunk and alone. If you feel like you're being followed, head into a public building (grocery store, laundrymat, gas station). Carry cab money (doesn't have to be much -- just enough to get you back to campus or a place where you can meet up with someone else and get home safely).</p>
<p>If you live near a big city and have not learned to ride public transit, learn to do so before you head to college! (There is a reason my kids get their hair cut and see their dentist in town...) Walk the neighborhoods around campus during daylight. Learn the landmarks. Learn which stores are open late. Know where the local fire and police precinct buildings are located.</p>
<p>I was born in Chicago (near Garfield Park) and lived there til I was six; my H almost went to Chicago for grad school. He goes to the city every couple of months for work and loves the place. He is from the Bronx and says Chicago reminds him of NYC when he was younger (and that's a good thing). </p>
<p>There is an excitement and vitality to living in a major city that can't be replicated in the suburbs -- embrace it and enjoy it! Again, just use common sense.</p>
<p>Here is my list of ten things you absolutely should do, see or experience while you are a student at University of Chicago (Keep in mind that I have not lived in Chicago in 22 years but I visit regularly because my folks still live there and my son attended from 2001 - 2005):</p>
<p>1) Have a breakfast out, either at Salonica's, Medici's (is it still there and does it serve breakfast?), International Pancake house and when you are feeling more adventurous and rich, have a special breakfast at The Walnut Room at the State Street Macy's (used to be Marshall Fields~sniff!) between mid Nov. and first week of Jan.</p>
<p>2) Sit and read next to Botany Pond - a little respite amongst the hubbub.</p>
<p>3) Take a swim off the Point in late Sept. or early Oct. while the water is still warm, i.e. if the weather is warm.</p>
<p>4) Fly a kite on the Point on a great windy day.</p>
<p>5) Take a walk and bring a picnic lunch to Wooded Island (behind the Museum of Science and Industry). Do this as a group and maybe one of you can find a tree that hangs over the pond (We used to do this in high school).</p>
<p>6) Take the train downtown and visit the Cultural Center and attend a free music concert inside (check out the schedule on-line). Also check out the schedule of perfomances at the Public Library downtown. The Auditorium Theatre has great dance concerts.</p>
<p>7) At some point, when you or a friend have a car, take a ride along Lake Shore Drive on a beautiful spring day with the windows down! Take it all in!</p>
<p>8) On a June evening before you leave to go home or if you are staying for the summer, take a walk around the campus in the evening and see it in a different light during a warm time of the year. </p>
<p>9) Go ice skating on the Midway - it's a lot more profeeional looking now than when I was a kid but it will probably still give you a great experience.</p>
<p>10) Take a trip to the near nothside of Chicago and either go to a music club (you must be 21!) or go to a play (Steppenwolf Theatre or Victory Gardens Theatre).</p>
<p>11 (O.K. I can't contain my enthusiasm for Chicago!) If you love animals and flowers, go to the Lincoln Park Zoo and also the Conservatory. Go on a day when there aren't so many people.</p>
<p>12) Go to the top of the John Hancock building on a beautiful day and have a drink - I don't know whether you have to be 21 or not.</p>
<p>There are many more but this is a start!
Oh and the best thing to do if you are there during the summer is attend either the Fourth of July concert/fireworks or better yet - go to the city side of the Planetarium, on the rocks or grass and stake a place with a blanket and watch the fireworks. Venetian Night is great also which is usu. the first week-end of Aug. or the last week-end of July on a Sat. Go to the Monroe Harbor, stake out a place early with a blanket or folding chairs, bring food and watch the boats on parade and the fireworks afterward. There is nothing like this, I think, in another major city! The people are awesome and the police are friendly on their horses.</p>
<p>Oh, I just remembered another one:</p>
<p>Eat at a Thai restaurant sometime. I recommend The Snail on 55th street, about a block or two east of the Metra tracks, I believe.</p>
<p>Peacemaker, it's even better than that - Chicago has a lot of music clubs with 18+ shows. </p>
<p>This is one of the most important links for anybody looking to find stuff to do in the city: <a href="http://centerstagechicago.com/%5B/url%5D">http://centerstagechicago.com/</a></p>
<p>You can filter by shows that are 18+: <a href="http://centerstagechicago.com/events/music/age/18.html%5B/url%5D">http://centerstagechicago.com/events/music/age/18.html</a></p>
<p>Places like Metro, Abbey Pub, and the like have 18+ shows all the time and I've seen some really good shows. Considering these places sell beer for $6 a can, being under 21 actually saves you a lot of money... </p>
<p>And remember, you can swim in the point, and read by the botany pond, and I'm sure you can read by the point but it's generally a very bad idea to swim in the botany pond. No comment as to personal experience in this matter.</p>
<p>You are funny jack! I never went swimming in the Botany Pond but I did see a friend fall in!! Hilarious!</p>
<p>More hilarious were the costumes at the Lascivious (sp?) Ball that I attended as a hs student. I suspect that that tradition does not continue or does it?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the University dropped the Lascivious Ball in 1984.</p>
<p>new question: i will be visitng chicago / the uni next week... is the carleton inn in a bad neighborhood. too inconvinent to the uni, the museum of art etc? thanks</p>
<p>The only Carlton Inn I know of is in Oak Park, a western suburb. It is very close in about 9 miles from the loop. One can take a train downtown and catch either a bus or the Metra to Hyde Park. Oak Park is a nice little town. There are closer places. The Ramada Inn in Hyde Park is closer as well as a nice B & B on Stoney Island Ave bordering the campus, the Wooded Isle Suites.
<a href="http://www.woodedisle.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.woodedisle.com/</a></p>
<p>thanks.. the ramada isnt the in the AA book for some reason.. im checkign it out as i type.. thanks again</p>
<p>another random questin: all the kosher resturants seem to be in skokie..can one get from chicago to skokie using public trasnport/</p>
<p>thnaks soo much!!!!!!!!!!</p>
<p>We stayed at the Wooded Isle Suites place and it's actually pretty nice. They're appartment type rooms and really are within walking distance to campus. We were only there one night, but there would've been nothing wrong with staying for a few more.</p>
<p>last summer i went to my bro's law school graduation. I forget which area, but i saw tons of 22' Chrome wheel Escalades and the drivers looked like they sold their house are crack to buy that car. I also swa what you would call "street" basketball. It was pretty intimidating for my asian parents.</p>
<p>i also would like to mention that my bro's car, which is my car now, was scatched from the head light to the tail light. It happened on campus. NOT COOL!</p>
<p>One can take public transportation to Skokie, but the Bartlett Dining Hall on the U of C campus offers Kosher meals. There are others in the closer Chicago loop and near north area, and in the Devon area as well. <a href="http://local.yahoo.com/IL/Chicago/Food+Dining/Restaurants/Kosher+Restaurants%5B/url%5D">http://local.yahoo.com/IL/Chicago/Food+Dining/Restaurants/Kosher+Restaurants</a></p>