UChicago A.M.

[PsyK]

Thanks!! Where is everyone thinking of living? It's tempting to live in Hyde Park to be near the school, but rents seem comparable in other areas of the city closer to downtown. I was particularly looking at Lakeview. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Have you received the invite to our Facebook group? Dr. Clum will be sending you an email notification soon if you haven't. There are a lot of discussions going on about where to live, and from the looks of it, a significant number of people will be living closer to the city. Personally, I decided on graduate student housing in Hyde Park, but a lot of others have chosen elsewhere. It sounds like there are going to be carpools forming, so that certainly helps!

[teacup]

Thanks!! Where is everyone thinking of living? It's tempting to live in Hyde Park to be near the school, but rents seem comparable in other areas of the city closer to downtown. I was particularly looking at Lakeview. Does anyone have thoughts on this?

Hey, thought I'd jump in. I used to live in Chicago and would strongly advise against living in Lakeview if you're going to school in Hyde Park. I lived in both Lakeview and Hyde Park and even though geographically they're only a few miles apart (my guess is 12 or 13?), public transportation would take FOREVER. When I lived in Hyde Park, it took about forty minutes to get to the Loop on the red or green lines. I worked in the Loop when I lived in Lakeview and it took an hour...and Lakeview and Hyde Park are on opposite sides of the Loop, so you're looking at a nearly two-hour commute. Hyde Park is a lovely, lovely, lovely area. It has lots and lots of things to do, wonderful bookstores, some really cool dive bars (Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap!), and lots of ethnic restaurants. Not to mention Hyde Park Produce, aka the best grocery store in the world...for produce. Anything else you get there is horrifically expensive but the variety and price of the fruits and veg is outstanding. It's a very interesting community - you have the U of C intellectual set with all the east coast, 'shroom-doing rich kids, and then you have impoverished single moms struggling to raise five kids on a part-time job with the CTA. Best neighborhood in Chicago...the Loop is overrated anyway Hope that helped. Good luck with your housing search!

[2011 MSW Hopeful]

Hey, thought I'd jump in. I used to live in Chicago and would strongly advise against living in Lakeview if you're going to school in Hyde Park. I lived in both Lakeview and Hyde Park and even though geographically they're only a few miles apart (my guess is 12 or 13?), public transportation would take FOREVER. When I lived in Hyde Park, it took about forty minutes to get to the Loop on the red or green lines. I worked in the Loop when I lived in Lakeview and it took an hour...and Lakeview and Hyde Park are on opposite sides of the Loop, so you're looking at a nearly two-hour commute. Hyde Park is a lovely, lovely, lovely area. It has lots and lots of things to do, wonderful bookstores, some really cool dive bars (Jimmy's Woodlawn Tap!), and lots of ethnic restaurants. Not to mention Hyde Park Produce, aka the best grocery store in the world...for produce. Anything else you get there is horrifically expensive but the variety and price of the fruits and veg is outstanding. It's a very interesting community - you have the U of C intellectual set with all the east coast, 'shroom-doing rich kids, and then you have impoverished single moms struggling to raise five kids on a part-time job with the CTA. Best neighborhood in Chicago...the Loop is overrated anyway Hope that helped. Good luck with your housing search!

Thanks so much! After my last post I had actually settled on looking for an apartment in Hyde Park anyway. My boyfriend may be moving with me, and he'd be working elsewhere in the city and would want to keep a car, which seemed like it'll be easier to manage in Hyde Park than in other parts of the city. Plus it'll just be nice to be so close to the school. I liked the few days I spent there and certainly don't have any hesitation about living there. And my friend did a great job of selling the neighborhood -- Jimmy's, the Point, Hyde Park Produce (wow, the produce prices - "overripe" (completely perfect) strawberries for $0.99!).

I'm not applying for university housing due to the aforementioned boyfriend. That being the case, does anyone have insight on what rental companies/properties are particularly good, and probably more importantly whether there are any to avoid? I'd be looking for a studio or (ideally) a very affordable one-bedroom. I did join the Facebook group for the incoming class, so I'll be keeping an eye on that, too.

[teacup]

Thanks so much! After my last post I had actually settled on looking for an apartment in Hyde Park anyway. My boyfriend may be moving with me, and he'd be working elsewhere in the city and would want to keep a car, which seemed like it'll be easier to manage in Hyde Park than in other parts of the city. Plus it'll just be nice to be so close to the school. I liked the few days I spent there and certainly don't have any hesitation about living there. And my friend did a great job of selling the neighborhood -- Jimmy's, the Point, Hyde Park Produce (wow, the produce prices - "overripe" (completely perfect) strawberries for $0.99!).

I'm not applying for university housing due to the aforementioned boyfriend. That being the case, does anyone have insight on what rental companies/properties are particularly good, and probably more importantly whether there are any to avoid? I'd be looking for a studio or (ideally) a very affordable one-bedroom. I did join the Facebook group for the incoming class, so I'll be keeping an eye on that, too.

Yeah, Hyde Park is much more car-friendly than other neighborhoods. Street parking is more plentiful than in other parts - I know I've heard of people who paid more for parking in some parts of the city than rent. That's gross. I know parking's a disaster in the Loop, but HP seemed more open. I don't know about a lot of rental places, but I lived in a MAC property. We called it the House of the Destitute. I had to sweep every day or so the giant chunks of ceiling that fell to the floor. So probably steer clear of MAC. I lived on 53rd Street. It was a few blocks north of campus, walking distance from grocery stores, close to public transport, a nice stroll to the lake where there were lovely views of the Chicago skyline. I was always interested in looking at the Flamingo. I'm pretty sure that's in Hyde Park, although it might be in South Shore? SS is a bit dicier. But I never looked at it, so it could be a huge dump - who knows?

MAN I miss Hyde Park. You guys are lucky! Thinking about it makes me super hope I'll get in when I apply! Congratulations, you lucky, lucky future Hyde Parkers!