laowai

I just saw your other post and wanted to add that Ravenswood is a good option, as well--especially if you want to be closer to the Metra line. You'd be right between Andersonville and Lincoln Square (cute, formerly German neighborhood). You could take the Brown Line or the Red Line downtown (both around 35-40 minutes--the Brown Line is more scenic, but the Red is usually a little quicker). The Metra is only 15 minutes or so, but it drops you off on the west side of the Loop--good if you're going to Union Station, Greek Town, the UIC campus, or the opera, but otherwise not so convenient, I've found. Finally, Chicago is awesome! But then, I've never been to New York...

There are tons of amazing places in and around Andersonville. (And personally, I'd choose Andersonville over Edgewater; it's a nice 15-20 minute walk from Andersonville to places like Uptown and Lincoln Square, whereas Edgewater feels like it's a little further removed from the city. You'd only be a stop or two further away from Evanston on the Red Line, as well.) The Middle East Bakery and Grocery is one of my favorite small grocery stores in the city, with all sorts of imported treats, fresh baba ganoush, hummus, spinach dip, falafel, meat and veggie pies... Then the Hopleaf is possibly the best bar in Chicago, with a number of Belgian beers on tap, delicious mussels, macaroni and blue cheese (!), and even a small selection of Polish mead. The Neo-Futurists put on an amazing hour-long show called Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind--60 original shows in 60 minutes, and the line-up changes every week. There are a couple of decent pizza joints, a bunch of great coffee shops (Kopi Cafe comes to mind, but there are lots of others), an Ann Sather, a wonderful crepe restaurant at the corner of Clark and Foster... and the list goes on. In sum, it's a lovely place to live. I'm living in China now and miss it quite a lot.