<p>Parent of a first year here. Move in is one week away.</p>
<p>We're going to fly into Midway on Saturday morning, pick up a rental car, shop for dorm needs (pretty much everything except clothes, sheets, laptop, and guitar) and spend the night (paying a fortune for overnight parking) in a hotel downtown near Grant Park. I guess the prime destination should be a Target, and there are several options. Any recommendatations for which one? Either because the store itself is especially good, or because there are other likely shopping places in the general area? Or is there a completely different option that is is better?</p>
<p>If you’re renting the car while you’re at Midway, you’re pretty close to Ford City Mall on Cicero and…79th Street, maybe? I think there’s a Walmart down that way too. It sort of depends on what you need. What sorts of items will you be shopping for?</p>
<p>The South Loop Target at Roosevelt and Clark is a good option. I think there’s also one at 31st Street and Damen if you’re looking to avoid the downtown bustle, and that one’s right off the expressway you’ll be taking to get to the hotel. I haven’t been to that one though, so I’m not sure how good it is.</p>
<p>I’d second the one at Roosevelt and Clark. It is well-organized and has a large selection of home goods. They have free parking for customers, too- and by the time you get there it’s likely that most of their dorm stuff will be on sale (and, since they have so much dorm stuff to begin with, likely not too picked over).</p>
<p>Roosevelt is good for a lot of stores besides the Target on Clark St. If you go a few blocks further west on Roosevelt you’ll find BB&B, Staples, Office Depot, Best Buy, and even a Home Depot 2 or 3 blocks south of Roosevelt on Clinton. If you feel adventurous even going to an IKEA that was like 32 miles away wasn’t too bad. We could not have ever imagined that the trunk of an Impala would hold so much stuff. By the way if you can opt for the bigger car you’ll have a lot more flexibility.</p>
<p>Our plan is EXACTLY the same as yours is, also with a first-year. I had selected these two stores, which I was happy to see the other posters mentioned:</p>
<p>Target - 1154 South Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60605-2159
Bed, Bath, Beyond - 555 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60607</p>
<p>It’s good to know about the free parking. I’m hoping dorm items will not be too picked over, but DS insists he’s not going to be picky about linens.</p>
<p>I hope motherbear and I don’t find ourselves fighting over the last desk lamp at Target on Saturday. :D</p>
<p>It was three years ago, but I remember the staff at the Roosevelt Target being especially friendly – almost spookily so. The store was also extremely well stocked, and this was our first two-level Target: Escalators just for carts! :)</p>
<p>It was also easy to get to by car, at least from the Ramada Inn a mile or so from campus.</p>
<p>I hope it hasn’t changed too much since we went there with our first-year S. I would definitely recommend it, based on our experience.</p>
<p>Just as an fyi, there is also an Office Depot pretty close to campus (on Lake Shore between 55th and 56th). I wouldn’t count on it for everything, but it is an option for things people forget. There will also be Target Trips (via school sponsored buses) during O-Week that students can use to get a few items as well.</p>
<p>No, lamps are not provided in all dorms. Which dorms have them, I’m not sure…</p>
<p>What is in all rooms (per person – note the “or’s”): extra-long single bed (36" x 80", Pierce only 36" x 75"); dresser, wardrobe, or closet storage; desk; chair; book shelving; overhead lighting and/or lamps; window treatments (shades, blinds, or curtains); and corded telephone</p>
<p>Random words of advice not already posted, from a 4th year UChicago RA:</p>
<p>I would encourage parents and students to try and get most of the college essentials, including toiletries and school supplies, at a Target or other store before getting to campus.
There is a Walgreens, a CVS, and an Office Depot (Office Max? one of the two) but the prices at all three are a little outrageous… Dove shower gel, for example, costs about $7 at Walgreens, while it runs about $4-5 at a Target. And, to be honest, few people go to Target downtown during the school year- it’s too much of a hassle to - so I’d discourage parents/students from expecting that that is going to be a readily available money saving option.
There is also a Target trip during O-Week but the UChicago provided busses can become quite crowded when everyone is trying to fit a dorm room’s worth of things on them.</p>
<p>Any Costco closed to the U? Driving distances? We will have a rental car at the time of move in and will flying into Midway, staying near Midway on the 18th. Plan to move in on the 19th.</p>
<p>Here is a list
</p>
<p>recommendations? Traffic wise, which is the eaiest to get to from Midway? UOC?</p>
<p>Does the student have to provide toilet paper? Whatelse is provided in the bathroom, other than the fixtures of course? What about plungers? Toilet cleaners? Sponges? etc. Who is responsible for sewer backups? Plumbing and eletricals?</p>
<p>If you live in a dorm with private bathrooms you are responsible for toilet paper, cleaning supplies, plungers, etc. In most dorms nothing besides bathroom fixtures (sink, shower, toilet with seat, toilet paper holder, towel bars) are supplied, plus a basic shower curtain. You are responsible for cleaning and general maintenance of the bathroom (floors, mirror cleaning, toilet bowl, trying to resolve clogs with a plunger) and maintenance staff comes through to clean the bathroom during breaks. If there is a more maintenance-specific situation like a leak, busted light fixture, burn out bulb, sewage issue, etc. you will be able to request a building engineer to come fix the problem. </p>
<p>Students in buildings with communal bathrooms do not need to provide toilet paper or paper towels, and maintenance staff cleans and maintains these bathrooms.</p>
<p>A bathroom/shower caddy comes in handy no matter what kind of bathroom you have. The easiest Costco to get to is the one on N. Clybourn (I think you get off the Kennedy Expressway on N. Damen). There is also a big Home Depot/Lowe’s type of store right around the corner from Costco.</p>
<p>The Bedford Park location for Costco is basically on Midway’s doorstep if you’ll be in that area. I’d only recommend the Lincoln Park location if you plan on going to other stores in that area. Even on weekends, the Kennedy can be nightmarish, so it’s best to avoid it if possible. If you do need to go to Lincoln Park, Lake Shore Drive is generally a better way to do it. I believe that Cicero Avenue south of the airport has most of the stores you can find in Lincoln Park without the traffic mess.</p>
<p>Had to report back to this thread that when we got to Target there was just one lonely pink desk lamp sitting by itself on the display shelf. We ended up buying a lamp for our S at BBB.</p>
We ended up buying a lamp for our S at BBB.</p>