Living in Urbia

In My Humble Opinion
1

My wife and I are currently in the midst of pretty serious apartment hunting. We are considering doing this because we’re both tired of our current commutes. My wife has lived the vast majority of her adult life in a very rural setting, and I’ve spent most of my adult life living in the suburbs. We’re living in a fairly urban setting right now, but it is still nothing like living in the heart of downtown of a major metropolis, which is what we’re looking at doing now.

We’re aware that such a move will bring about some pretty major changes, both positive and negative. Among the things we’ve considered are:

NEGATIVES

  • A significant increase in city noise (traffic, sirens, etc.);
  • Lots of panhandlers and questionable elements wandering the neighborhood;
  • A significant increase in our monthly rent;
  • At many potential locations, paying for parking on top of rent;
  • At many potential locations, having to park off-site (possibly several blocks away);
  • There is only one major supermarket in downtown, and it’s not within convenient walking distance to almost any place we’re considering.

POSITIVES

  • My commute to work would go from the current 45 minutes to one-hour range by car/subway or car/train to being about a seven-minute walk;
  • Living in a more secure building than our current building;
  • An elevator, which we don’t have now, which makes for easier hauling of stuff;
  • At many potential locations, un-carpeted floors, which makes it more likely that we’ll get back the deposit that our cats’ claws have pretty much assured will not happen at our current place. Also, my wife just prefers not having carpeted apartments.

We have not fully committed to moving, but we’re very strongly considering it, particularly since we found a place today that fits almost all of what we had been looking for. But we’re wondering what things about urban living we might be forgetting. For any of you who have lived in the middle of a major city, what advice can you offer? What else should we be thinking about before we make the leap?

2

Well, you know I live right smack in the middle of urban Chicago. I don’t drive here, but that could be a pain. You can probably find a place that delivers groceries, it is common here. I have hardwood floors here, although I don’t have animals, it is easy to mop them with a swifter and keep them clean. A short commute is great. I have about ten public transit options for me to get to work, even on the overnight shift. You get used to the panhandling and I regularly donate food to help people in need, there are usually bins in my building.

3

You mention you would be able to walk to work – if you won’t need a car on a daily basis, you may want to consider selling it, and using Zipcar for those occaisions when you need a car. Even if you use it every week for groceries, it’s still much, much cheaper than car ownership (esp if parking is additional, or your insurance goes up from parking in the street). I struggled with the decision, then M. nature made it for me when my car was totalled in a freak tornado. I have to say, it was the best thing that could have happened!

I’m concerned though, that you aren’t walking distance to some shopping. I would make a significant effort to find a place that is near – if not a good supermarket – at least a halfway decent convenience store. Being cut off from basic necessities WILL become a drag (even if you keep your car, you won’t want to move it late at night and lose your spot).

A pro you haven’t mentioned is that you will generally walk more. I think after a period of adaptation you won’t think of “walking a couple of blocks to you car” as a significant negative.

ETA: panhandling isn’t an issue in my neighborhood (it doesn’t come automatically with urban living) and your aggressive panhandling expectations may be overblown – but you know your area better than me.

4

My family and I just sublet a place in downtown Minneapolis, where there’s not much in the way of street-level mischief and your bigger buildings come with indoor parking. Admittedly, the cold climate has a lot to do with both circumstances - in fact, our lessor jumped ship to LA - but there is also good community planning and organization. And there’s a danged good grocery store that just opened 5 blocks away.

5

Downtowns have a tendency to turn into ghost towns in the evenings and on the weekends. I don’t like this aspect about them.

I love living close to work. I live within walking distance of my office, and it really makes for a “zen” existence. However, I don’t think I’d want to live downtown (where my building is). Not only for the reason stated above, but because I like spatial separation from my work and my life. I like experiencing different scenes throughout the day, you know? And parks and trees and front porches–even if they don’t belong to me–make me feel good inside. Downtown residential areas often seem barren. Also, the wind blows harder in them during the winter and the concrete’s heat kills you in the summer.

6

I live in a dense part of Chicago, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I do have a car, but could easily get along without one. I often go weeks without using it.

There are “ma and pa” grocery stores all over the place for food shopping. Yes, they are pricier than a big supermarket, but if you dump your car (and parking and insurance) you are still miles ahead. And you can always take a cab or the bus to a big store if you want to stock up. And we have Peapod (grocery delivery) which is very popular.

If you choose to keep your car, you don’t necessarily have to pay for parking in your building. If you only use it occasionally, check Craigslist for the odd space for rent. Chances are you can find a cheap one within a few blocks of you.

You also don’t need nearly as much “house” when you live in the city. If I want to sip a coffee and stare out a window, I don’t have to do it at home; there are a dozen places to do that within a block of my home. I don’t need a yard; there are city parks everywhere to walk my dog. I don’t need a months worth of groceries; I can always run out to the local shop for a quick ingredient. I like to think that in the city, you don’t just live in your house, you live in your entire neighborhood.

Noise could be considered a pro or a con, depending on what you are used to. When I visit friends in the country or the suburbs, I have trouble sleeping. It’s TOO damn quiet!

Yes, there are crazies and criminals in the city. But there are also thousands of other people to help form a buffer around them! One lone nut on a suburban block has a good chance of choosing you for his victim. On my block, there are hundreds of residents who could take a bullet before he gets around to murdering me. Also, if you think back to your most heinous serial killers (Gacy, Gein, Bundy, Speck) they were all suburbanites, not city dwellers. So I feel safer here than I would anywhere else.

Good luck with your decision!

7

FWIW: The fire, police and EMS sirens have dissuaded me from moving closer to my work. My place of employment is on the 6th floor of a building downtown and the noise of the sirens occurs at least several times a day and is so loud it interrupts conversations. I’ve been working at that location for the past 9+ years and the noise still bothers me.

8

I actually use Zipcar on occasion already since I use public transportation to get to work, and I sometimes want a car for lunch. I had not considered the insurance premium going up – I think I’m going to make a phone call tomorrow to get a quote on the area. Thanks for that!

We’ve taken a walking tour of downtown in the past, and I believe there are a number of small markets that would fit this bill really well.

It actually gets pretty bad in parts of downtown here, but I have spent many years around it, and it’s not a huge concern.

You know, LA has gotten a LOT better about this. There are lots of “trendy” folk about because of the bars and restaurants that have cropped up in the last five years or so (the cause and effect may be reversed — I honestly don’t know). On the few occasions I’ve had of late to be in downtown at night, there have been plenty of people around those spots. Those spots, of course, also have the highest rents, so I’m not sure we’ll end up right by those, but who knows?

I actually spent seven weeks living in Chicago at the beginning of last year for a work situation, so I have a small sampling of what you’re talking about. (In fact, you provided me with some food advice while I was there, which I appreciated.) LA doesn’t have the same feel in terms of getting around easily to me, particularly since most of my friends and regular weekend activities involve places I can’t get to on public transportation. Still, I will do my best to keep an open mind about it. I imagine we’d keep our cars for the first few months, at least, and try our best not to use them to see how we do.

Peapod isn’t out here yet, but there are some comparable services popping up. It would be worth investigating prices on that.

Thanks!

I wondered about that, and I think it could go either way. As I referenced above, I spent some time in a high-rise in downtown Chicago, and for those weeks, the sirens and other city noises really didn’t interfere with my sleep at all. On the other hand, I was on the 31st floor of a building during that time, and wouldn’t be anywhere near that high based on the places in LA we’ve looked at so far, AND the majority of places we’ve seen only have single-paned windows. So, I just don’t know. I’m guessing we’d get used to anything, so I don’t want to rate it too high a factor.

9

If you’re in LA, Lyft just launched there. It’s basically like a taxi service, except it’s regular people that you hail with your smartphone. It’s cheaper than a cab and the people & cars are always really nice. I’ve been using it in San Francisco since it launched and it’s completely changed how I navigate through the city.

Something to consider as part of the transportation mix.

10

Hardwood floor + noise = NOISE

My first house was on a streetcar line. Being a rental, it was never carpeted.

First order of business: have carpet and HEAVY pad installed, THEN move in.

The tenants had left a plant there while they got settled. When the man came by to plck it up, he couldn’t believe how quiet it was.

Just as pianos have that massive sheet of spruce, and good guitars use the same spruce for tops, the oak floor acted as a huge soundboard.

If you are not accustomed to urban noise, either get rugs (lots and lots) or be prepared for noise you will not believe.

And noise while you are awake and expecting it is entirely different than noise when you are trying to sleep. Even with the carpet, it still took me 3 days to get anything resembling sleep.

11

Re: noise, I’m reminded of a scene in The Blues Brothers. Elwood has just picked up Jake upon his release from prison, and brought him home to his one-room flop downtown. The el train rattles past the window, making conversation impossible for 20 seconds or so. Jake asks how often the train goes by. Elwood tells him: “So often, you won’t even notice it.”

12

Or the opposite extreme. The neighborhood turns into a drunken fraternity row after hours.

I’m not sure where you are looking, but be prepared to pay more for less space. In places like NYC, this can be a shocking adjustment as you will be asked to pay the equivalent of a mortage payment for the most expensive home in your town for 600 sq ft.