Moving to Chicago from SF Bay Area...need some input!

#16
Pishi said:
Toll roads! Now there is a thing that will be new! What sort of food is Chicago famous for and where do I find it?
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I like the Italian Beef Sandwich and deep dish pizza... Lou Malnati's a pretty good place. There are also a lot of good places for brunch. Tavern near Michigan Avenue's a nice place too, especially on warmer days.

I can say that I heart heart Chicago. I don't love the winter, but it's a really beautiful city. When I used to live there, I could be really tired going home from work, but when I saw the skylights I couldn't help but smile hehehe... Hope you'll like it there Pishi!

Amour you're a Boiler too? Yeahhhh Go Boilers!
 
#17
sweetlayla said:
I like the Italian Beef Sandwich and deep dish pizza... Lou Malnati's a pretty good place. There are also a lot of good places for brunch. Tavern near Michigan Avenue's a nice place too, especially on warmer days.

I can say that I heart heart Chicago. I don't love the winter, but it's a really beautiful city. When I used to live there, I could be really tired going home from work, but when I saw the skylights I couldn't help but smile hehehe... Hope you'll like it there Pishi!

Amour you're a Boiler too? Yeahhhh Go Boilers!
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I'm a boiler too!!! yaayyy go boilers!
 
#18
I did a summer program in Chicago one year and my step brother also lives there (in Wrigleyville). These are my observations:

1. South Loop is DEAD at night. I was studying at The School of the Art Institute and it was ALWAYS a challenge to find food (other than Subway) at night without walking up to the Magnificent Mile. However, during the day there are lots of cute sandwich shops around.

2. BISTRO 110 (towards North Michigan, by Bloomies) has the BEST brunch in the UNIVERSE. I :heart: the French Toast there, I could eat it daily. Also, Grand Luxe Cafe Asain Nachos (owned by Cheesecake) are AMAZING. Chicago has LOTS of good food; you just have to find it!

3. Wrigleyville is SO fun. I love visiting my step brother because Wrigleyville is always ALIVE. I noticed quickly that Michigan is somewhat quiet at night and Wrigleyville has more going on (restaraunts open late, etc).

4. THERE IS TONS OF GOOD SHOPPING but sales tax is OUTRAGEOUS. On state street (south loop) there are LOTS of bargains to be found (Fileenes, Nordies Rack, TJ Maxx, etc. etc).

Let us know what you do! I am thinking of moving there next year! We could have lunch ;)
 
#19
i lived in the northern suburbs as a kid for 4 years - Highland Park/Fort Sheridan in Lake County.. - we were 3 houses from lake michigan. get a major winter coat - the wind chills are brutal!
 
#20
Hey guys...the boy is leaving on Sunday for Chicago, leaving me behind for now. :crybaby:I'm being such a baby about him leaving. Anyway, will be heading to Chicago in two weeks for a four-day stay. We plan on checking out some locations. Based on what you guys have noted, I will check out areas other South Loop and West Loop. I imagine that state income tax in Illinois is lower than what I pay in California, so I guess a larger city sales tax makes sense.

The key issues is the darn cars. If we could leave a car here, it might make life easier. We're considering moving both cars and finding a rental space out in the boonies to leave one car. This would be until we buy a place some place in relative suburbia. What do you guys think?
 
#23
Pishi said:
Hey guys...the boy is leaving on Sunday for Chicago, leaving me behind for now. :crybaby:I'm being such a baby about him leaving. Anyway, will be heading to Chicago in two weeks for a four-day stay. We plan on checking out some locations. Based on what you guys have noted, I will check out areas other South Loop and West Loop. I imagine that state income tax in Illinois is lower than what I pay in California, so I guess a larger city sales tax makes sense.

The key issues is the darn cars. If we could leave a car here, it might make life easier. We're considering moving both cars and finding a rental space out in the boonies to leave one car. This would be until we buy a place some place in relative suburbia. What do you guys think?
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You should really leave your car. Take advantage of a big city: the fact that you don't need a car to get around. I am a Californian and as such was very attached to my car, but it's a TOTALLY unnecessary expense in Chicago. If you're going to be living here for some time, I'd even advise you to just sell the cars.

Parking is very expensive. I'd say an *inexpensive* monthly parking rate is $150-$200. Do you really want to do that for two cars you'll barely be driving? Because once you drive out, you still have to pay another $20 to park it valet or in a garage!

And forget about the hassle of having a car in the winter. I am NOT careful enough to take care of a car in the winter. The salt, snow, sleet, etc -- that's a lot of maintanence.
 
#24
Wow, I made a similar move (Silicon Valley to Chicago) a while back. Chicago is a great city and I really enjoy it. Honestly, I think the shopping on Michigan Avenue is better than shopping in SF (JMO). Consider renting in Lincoln Park. Lots of people hang out in the park in the summer and it is a great place to walk your dogs. Public transportation is great in LP too. If you need a parking spot, see if your rental unit comes with one. I have some great SAs that I can refer you to (if you want them, I will PM them to you when you are ready). As for meeting friends, you can meet some at a Chicago TPF meet. We had one last year and I made a couple of really great friends that I hang out with now. We are talking about setting one up later this summer. Stay in touch and your local Chicago tPFers will be happy to provide you with city info as needed!
 
#25
Hey guys...issue with parking. I *just* bought a new car. I feel like smacking myself on the head now. If I sell it, I will lose $$$. I guess if I park it, I lose money too. I could store it in the Bay Area, I suppose, until we figure out what we want. Gah! How frustrating!! I don't know what to do.

The other complicating factor is that I know that we will leave downtown after about a year. So, if we live suburbia (relative, of course, to the urban environment), then couldn't we use both cars? I will also likely be commuting to Milwaukee at least once/week, I'm guessing.
 
#26
Chi town Chanel said:
Wow, I made a similar move (Silicon Valley to Chicago) a while back. Chicago is a great city and I really enjoy it. Honestly, I think the shopping on Michigan Avenue is better than shopping in SF (JMO). Consider renting in Lincoln Park. Lots of people hang out in the park in the summer and it is a great place to walk your dogs. Public transportation is great in LP too. If you need a parking spot, see if your rental unit comes with one. I have some great SAs that I can refer you to (if you want them, I will PM them to you when you are ready). As for meeting friends, you can meet some at a Chicago TPF meet. We had one last year and I made a couple of really great friends that I hang out with now. We are talking about setting one up later this summer. Stay in touch and your local Chicago tPFers will be happy to provide you with city info as needed!
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Thanks Chi town! I would love to attend to TPF meet. I'll keep in touch with you guys.

Lincoln Park is a definite possibility. I've seen a lot of units in that area that look tempting. My boyfriend is staying in downtown, about a mile from the Navy Pier, and he loves it down there. He says I'll love it too...I'm sure it'll be cool. I'll have some thoughts to share after I go next week. We're going to look at places then. Here are my thoughts for places I will definitely check out:

Lincoln Park, South Loop, West Loop, Gold Coast, Lakeview.

Shopping I will worry about later, though of course that's what the BF is trying to seduce me with. He should probably start talking pizza to me...that might actually work better! :P

Okay, so what's the worst that could happen if I had to sell my beloved little red Audi A3? I would lose a few thousand dollars? Oh, that sounds so yucky.
 
#27
^^^^
Why not River North?

Have you read any books about Chicago? "Not For Tourists" makes a line of books for many cities, including Chicago. If you do a search on Amazon, there's tons of books for newcomers to Chicago.
 
#29
Lots of good ideas for you. I've lived in the northwest 'burbs (Elk Grove Village, Schaumburg, and Crystal Lake) but we took the train into the city for museums, shows, shopping, etc.

Our son moved to Lakeview/Wrigleyville after college. There's tons of stuff to do in the area and you're near mass transit to go anywhere in the city. I don't know what the rents are now, though. Some places had an alley to park in, but it's mostly find a spot on the street. You won't need 2 cars. It's too much expense and trouble.

The northern suburbs are considered the most expensive and some of the western suburbs (Hinsdale, Oak Brook) are expensive too. So your budget can determine where you'll eventually be. The best schools are there too and in Chicagoland the quality of schools usually determine housing costs.

Get warm sweaters or jackets for your dogs and booties if they'll wear them. We had them for our short-haired dogs in the dead of winter. It's really cold, but spring and summer are so beautiful it makes up for it.

Get ready for sales tax shock in Cook County (where Chicago is). It's outrageous. I think it's around 10% in Chicago now.

I hope you love it. Chicago has world-class museums, restaurants, shopping, theater, music venues, pro sports and an airport that can fly you non-stop practically anywhere in the world.
 
#30
Hello everyone...update. I visited Chicago last weekend for four days. It was really warm the first day, and then cold and rainy the rest of the stay. Overall...I loved it. It really is a beautiful city. The architecture is awesome. We ate a lot, walked a lot, and shopped some. My boy was so cute...he accompanied me as I toured Jimmy Choo, and the shoe depts at Barneys and Neimans.

On to practical matters...we have found a 3BR/2BA place in the West Loop that takes dogs and has one attached parking spot. Rent is pricey but the place was pretty fantastic. I think we're going to go for it. I looked at a lot of places in Streeterville, one in the South Loop, and a couple others in the West Loop that were in high rise buildings. They had nice amenities, but not a lot of space. My BF has two kids that will come and spend summers with us and I think we just need a bit more room to keep us all sane.

I probably won't be moving until May. But positive impressions so far. I'm nervous about the change (who wouldn't be, I suppose...).

Next challenge...getting a transfer within my company. Keep your fingers crossed!
 
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