If I were thinking of moving, I’d move to Chicago. Spent a week there in September (and met up with a bunch of very nice Dopers one night, by the way) and had a marvelous time. For the moment, I have a lot keeping me here in Columbus, though.
Sounds like an excellent move for you.
GT
Perhaps it’s because I’m a suburbanite that grew up in the Quad Cities, but I always have ketchup on my hot dogs! And everyone is usually nice about it and wait until I walk away to make insulting comments quietly to their coworkers 
Bye.
I’m going over to the corner, to cry.
[RIGHT](sniff, sniff.)[/RIGHT]
Please don’t cry. I still have a phone message from you. It made my day and it meant and means a lot to me. This is just one of those things I have to do.
Thanks.
Wow.
I’m touched, Blue.
Don’t worry, crying don’t hurt ya, it just hurts for ya.
Do all the things you need to do, and be sure to do a few things you don’ t need to do, too!
Chicago! Heads up! You’re gettin’ one fine little Kangaroo, take care of her.
Tris
Hope no one minds a bump, but it looks like I need a bit more help.
My housing may have just fallen through. I’m working on it, but I need to presume for the moment that it’s gone. So, what areas of Chicago should I be looking at? I am looking to rent a room, though I’m in an apartment now. I’m planning to get rid of a lot of stuff. I’m looking for employment, but expect to move before I have that nailed down. So a short lease or a month-to-month lease would be ideal. Despite what GingerOfTheNorth says, I am not a psychopath. I do have a declawed, older cat (before anyone jumps on me, she’s 15 and was declawed by her previous owners before I got her when she was 9), but a friend has agreed to take her for a month or two if needed. Obviously, I’d prefer to avoid that.
Anyway, if anyone has some suggestions, I’d sure appreciate it. I’m pretty down about this housing situation, as it seemed pretty ideal.
If you are going to UIC you should check with the University itself. They could probably recommend student organizations that could get you to cheap(er) housing or people looking for roommates. Also they have an employment board that could help get you a job. Work with the recruiting/temp agencies that people have posted here. Keep in mind, they should not be asking you to put up any money.
If you don’t mind a little commute, you can live outside the city itself (and possibly save a few shekels). UIC is on the CTA Blue Line so you could live along that line quite easily.Oak Park is a nice area. Good luck and let us know what happens.
Oak Park is very nice, but can be expensive. Forest Park is right next to it, and I think rents are still cheaper there. You could live just as close to Metra train, and the Blue line & Green lines of the CTA train. As erie says, the Blue line goes right to UIC, and it’s only about a 10 minute trip.
Sorry to hear things haven’t worked out. But Chicago is a major city, with people moving in and out for jobs and school and such, there is a good supply of short term housing here and I’m confident you’ll find something. I’m sure you’re using craigslist – I personally have rented out a room short-term using CL, I have no concerns about the people I found, and given that many of them didn’t reply to my emails, I assume the room-seekers found other options as well. If you’re interested in Hyde Park, you can also browse this site – November might be tight but in December is the UofC winter break (quarter system) so there will be many options. If you want any opinions on finding shared housing on the Internet let me know, I’ve been on both sides more than once. If you’re just looking for short-term then I don’t think that you have to be too picky on the neighborhood, anywhere recommended in this thread is fine for a few months. Good luck!
I totally spazzed on Forest Park. Good call. Nice area, more reasonable.
Thanks everyone.
I’m not at UIC yet, just applying there with an eye to attend either UofC or UIC. I was just being hopeful.
I will definitely look again at the temp agencies and so forth. I’ve pretty much been using Craigslist for housing exclusively, but I’m sure I’ll branch out now.
I really appreciate everything. I’m looking forward to the move, but it got a lot more scary when I got the “nevermind” e-mail from my almost future landlord.
No prob…the west suburbs are my neck of the woods, so I’m pretty familiar with the general area.
If you end up at UofC, apartments in that neighborhood (Hyde Park) are pretty reasonable. I had a studio there when I was very young & poor…I was on a nice street, and although the place was small, it was decent enough and affordable.
ETA a caveat: Be sure to stick to Hyde Park itself, though…the neighborhoods surrounding it are not good. This means from the lake on the east to Washington Park on the west, and 47th street on the north to Midway Plaisance on the south (Midway is a large boulevard that runs through campus). I would probably stay a few blocks south of 47th street for good measure.
Thanks Sarahfeena. Since I have almost no knowledge of the city itself, that sort of direction is very useful.
No problem! The thing about Hyde Park is that it’s a nice little neighborhood, but it’s totally isolated…a little island in the middle of some really bad neighborhoods. When you’re there, you are pretty safe, but you have to be a little cautious of how you get there & back from other parts of the city. And, as HazelNutCoffee will tell you, it can be a little dull from the perspective of a young person who wants to have fun. But it’s pleasant, and if you attend UofC, it’s the only way to go…any other neighborhood that’s reasonably safe and affordable will be a bit of a distance away.
When I was temping, I had good luck with Manpower and/or Kelly (yes, I was a Kelly Girl…they actually gave me a button that said so. I stuck it on my Red Wing Boots).
I don’t know much about you, but to 2nd MrBusGuy’s comment on the wind downtown, beware if you’re 120# or less. On icy days, I’ve seen plently of the smaller ladies get blown over when a gust hits the Sears Tower just right.
Tourism: You’ll hear some locals poo-pooh the whole idea of checking out the touristy things in Chicago…ignore them. I love the Sears Tower on a clear day, I love the Architectual Boat Tour, and even Navy Pier is OK for a short period of time.
I hope you get into U of C!
You can find some cheaper rents in Uptown and/or Andersonville (you’d have to take the Red Line to the Loop and transfer to the Blue, but it’s not too complicated). Also, I think Rogers Park is still cheap (longer train for you, though). I was always surprised to hear that rents were relatively cheap in the ritzy areas as well (River North, Streeterville [yes, Streeterville, Chicago Dopers])…may have something to do with building owners sitting on properties, waiting for the next great time to sell.
Layer…yes. If you’re typically a cold person, don’t be embarrassed to buy one of those Elmer Fudd-hats (with the earflaps). You won’t be alone. If you’re on the cheap, look to the Army/Navy Surplus store on Belmont…lots of very warm stuff for low prices…and durable! I think Ragstock is down there, too…I think it’s still a good thrift place (comments welcome).
The bars are generally fun. I’m not sure of your age, but I guarantee you can find a local with lots of friendly regulars for a new peer group. Or, join a club. The Reader (the Dope’s parent publication) is a GREAT guide on what to do.
-Cem
Sorry, Cemetary Saviour, I didn’t notice your post before.
Another bump, and I hope people are still interested.
Moving-in day will fall between 3 December and 6 December with the most likely day being 5 December. Oddly enough, it turns out a close non-SDMB friend will be visiting family in Chicago at that time, and is (amazingly enough) willing to help me move in while she’s there. She arrives late on the 4th, which is why the 5th is the most likely day. I’d really prefer the 3rd, but I don’t think I can manage to leave Bawlmer on the 2nd.
The place near UIC worked out in the end. I was my usual amazingly charming self, and prevented the deal from falling through. I am excited about this. There will be a puppy involved. I cannot post photos yet, as the puppy isn’t around yet, so no shooting me via Internet.
I wanted to rent a cargo van to move my stuff, and indeed got rid of things with wild abandon to get to that goal. But since moving day was never settled, I never managed to look and see what my options were. Turns out you can’t rent a cargo van one-way from anyone. So I guess I’ll be renting a 10’ truck. This is not my idea of a good time, especially since I won’t have much stuff in it.
I guess that’s my update for now. Wish me luck in selling/Freecycling the rest of the stuff I don’t want. And renting my apartment so I don’t have to pay the “break the lease” fee.
Good luck! When you get here, we need to have another Chi-fest. 
Amen that!
Best of luck with your move! Welcome to Chi-town.