That depends on your shopping habits. If you eat in a lot, you will be carrying lots of groceries home, which can be a lot of schlepping of heavy stuff - where I used to live, food stores were a ways away, and that hauling was a bit of a chore - one of the features I love about where I live now, is that there are fresh fruit stores, a bakery, and a grocery store all on the next block or so.
No question, hauling laundry sucks ass … I hated it … but a block isn’t so bad as to be a deal-killer.
Do this: grab yerself a coin. Heads you live in Apt A, tails you live in Apt B. Flip it. Now: analyze how you feel about the result. Are you happy? Do you want to flip it again? There’s your answer.
I agree with **Munch **- you’ve already made up your mind, your conscience just hasn’t let you in on it yet.
All that said, we just passed a law. You can’t leave MN, it’s illegal now. Sorry about that.
Sounds like you’ve got a good match in terms of neighborhoods. After reading your latest post, I do have to agree with the other posters that it seems like you’ve probably made up your mind with Apt. A, and just haven’t admitted it to yourself yet. On paper, I would choose B with no reservations; but, if I saw Apt. A and fell in love with the space, I’d also have a hard time deciding.
Or just keep looking.
I knew I should have voted.
Yeah, no laundry is a deal-killer for me, too. Also, I live in a pretty quiet neighborhood (Ravenswood actually, and I dig it enough that if I ever move, I don’t want to leave the neighborhood), but I can get to bars/restaurants by walking for 10 minutes/half a mile. Assuming you mean that kind of distance when you’re talking about Apt. A’s specific location in Ravenswood (there’s a bar right next to the Damen station, and it sounds like you’d be pretty close to the stuff on Lincoln Ave.), it’s really not a big deal, and it’s better than being a block away from a bunch of laughing drunk people when you really need to get to sleep before 1am. I’m also half a mile from one El line and a mile from another. Half a mile is no big deal. A mile is kind of a pain in the ass. There are buses, so both are do-able, but I’m really grateful that I’ve got the one line in quick walking proximity.
At the same time, I would absolutely without-a-doubt get some figures on what heat is going to cost you in the winter. We have a long winter. It gets really cold. That shit gets expensive. In this vein, check the windows, too – if you’re paying for heat AND the windows aren’t newish and weather-sealed, no way.
I second the suggestion to look a little longer and see what else might be out there, if you still have time to do that.
ETA: if you want more specific info about what it’s like living in Ravenswood, PM me, I’ve been here for about 5 years.
Oh, also: for most regular grocery trips, I can fit a week’s worth on my rear bike rack. If it’s too cold, or you need a larger amount of stuff, there’s iGo and Zipcar. iGo has more cars/locations in Ravenswood, at least my part of it.
And there are still buses/trains and you can get a handcart to roll your groceries in.
I’ve suddenly lost my enthusiasm for Apt A upon discovering the colorful interior that made me love it is apparently a big no-no. They’re returning it to its original neutral bland off-white color immediately, and the tenant has to pay for painting the walls. I asked if I could have whatever coloring I like, so long as I return it to boring upon leaving, and was told it was a violation of the lease.
The hunt continues. This is sucky considering I only am available weekends to look. I’m about three weeks from being homeless. :eek:
Well, without reading your last post, MOL, I was going to vote for Apt B.
As long as the laundromat is within a block, I think you might not mind so much. You must get a wheely-cart, you’ll use it for groceries and trips to Target, too. At the very least, I’m sure the nearest laundromat has drop-off wash and fold service.
My apartment finding strategy includes making a list of “must-haves” and “would-be-nices” and I do not waver on the “must” part. So you need to decide on whether the laundry thing is on the “must” side and stick to it. Otherwise put it in the “would be nice” side and if that check mark puts a place over the top, then it’s a bonus. So far for me I’ve just been lucky to have in-building laundry, but my place now is in a courtyard building and I have to go outside to the end of the building to get to the laundry. I thought I was going to hate it, but I really don’t at all!
My “must” list included: hardwood floors, top floor, within 1 block of an El stop, within 3 blocks of a grocery store, and on-premises laundry.
Thanks to Google and photos online, I was able to vet most of that before making appointments last year. I took the second place I looked at!
And as long as you have the address and unit number, you can contact the gas company and electric company, and they will tell you how much that unit has been billed monthly for their utility! I’ve done this, and it’s very helpful to know how much forced-air is going to cost you in heat and a/c, or how much window units might run you in the summer. (my place is about $36 electric unless both air units are on, last summer they cost me about $80/month to run during an unusually hot summer).
The building owners are repainting the walls and they want an incoming tenant to pay for it? I’ve never encountered anything like that.
How do they justify that? Routine repainting should be included in the normal expenses of owning a building. If they consider this a non-routine repair, it should be charged to the previous tenant who presumably painted the walls not the new tenant.
Or is this just an accepted scam in the Chicago rental market, where everyone has to pay something like this to get into an apartment?
She’s talking about the current tenant, not her.
P.S. Every Chicago lease I’ve ever signed has had a specific prohibition on hooking up a washing machine.
P.P.S. I’ve lived in Rogers Park, Evanston, Andersonville, Uptown, and Albany Park so far - feel free to PM me for advice, though you’ve gotten some good advice here.
Have you tried looking in Uptown? Some of the streets are a bit scary, but I loved living there - lots of local bars and restaurants to hang out in, and right on the Red line for convenient access to the Loop.
My friends lived near Lincoln Square (within Ravenswood). It might be a little twee for your tastes, but it’s a pretty manageable neighborhood with its share of interesting stuff.
I lived in Lakeview (Barry/Broadway) right out of college. Lakeview was like College 2.0, but even more Dudebros. It’s cool being able to go outside and be able to find pretty much everything you want within a 5 block radius. But, I couldn’t handle all the people.
So…
The next year I moved to Ravenswood (Lawrence/Damen). As has been mentioned, Ravenswood has a bit more “30-something-starting-a-family” vibe. There really isn’t a stretch of bars or social scene to wander around. You’d have to take the Brown Line to Belmont/Fullerton (~10-15m) from the Damen stop. However, there are plenty of neighborhood bars all over Chicago. It’s not like you’ll have trouble finding a spot to drink.
Then I found a happy medium…
Bucktown/Wicker Park. I’ve been in Bucktown for 3 years and love it. There’s plenty to do around the Crotch (Damen/North/Milwaukee), but it’s quiet enough when you get a few blocks away. Compared to Ravenswood/Irving Park, Bucktown will be more expensive, though. If you’re trying to stay around BT/WP and pay less, check out Ukrainian Village or Logan Square.
You wouldn’t have to go that far from Ravenswood. There’s a whole bunch of stuff in Andersonville on Clark. And a whole bunch of stuff on Lincoln Ave., a little bit in the Square, and more just south of the Square.
(And I honestly don’t see a lot of families here, either, the high school notwithstanding – the kids seem to disappear after school’s out.)
Also, perhaps try negotiating a little harder on Apt. A? If you tell them the paint is a dealbreaker and you’re walking away from it, they might consider it rather than spending the effort to find someone else. It’ll be difficult to do that before May, which means the apartment will sit empty not making them any money for at least a month. Particularly since you’re volunteering to paint it back when you leave – you can even write those conditions into the lease.
I’m in Kilbourn Park, which is just south of Irving Park, and while new stuff to do is opening up every day, more often we head to Logan Square for drinks/dinner. Have you checked that area out? It’s a little hipster-infested right now but retains a lot of the neighborhood bar type that, like you, I tend to gravitate to.
Okay, guys, my friend is giving me the hard-sell on Pilsen. You do seem to be able to get a lot more for your dollar there, and it is close to train lines. Apparently it’s cheaper because a lot of people are scared of the Mexicans, but pssht, living in a Mexican neighborhood to me is a good thing. God, I miss pupuserias on every corner. I really do!
P.S. The Red Line smells like pee.
My friend in Chicago was giving ME the hard sell on Pilsen as well, in the event that I get this job I interview for tomorrow. He works there - seems to really like it.
This is what she said to me in an e-mail. “I’m obsessed with Pilsen and think that everyone should live there.” Ha ha - everyone. Okay, kids, so I’m back in Chicago again this weekend driving the wheels off my rental car, looking at every place within the city limits. I’m pretty close to saying “Fuck everything” and taking whatever I can afford in the interest of not being homeless.
I have to be out of my apartment by the end of the month, and I have to start my new job May 2.
Pilsen is Mexican people and hipsters. My ex-GF just moved there. One thing to consider is it’s kind of far south. You’d be looking at either a long travel time or expensive cabs if you wanted to meet people on the north side. If you’re interested in Pilsen you should definitely check out Logan Square, too.
I think Trom nailed Pilsen; we have a bunch of friends in Pilsen and it’s basically Logan Square ten years ago, but with fewer Puerto Ricans (important on a certain weekend in June.) There are transportation options to cabs, though, and Halsted is a good artery to the north side. Plus, there are some fantastic bars and restaurants other than Mexican down there. Skylark, Nightwood, Honkytonk – it’s a pretty good time. But then I’m Mexican – which also forces me to point out that pupusas are El Salvadoran, not Mexican.