jeggy

welcome to crook county, Il. since you lived in cali, you already know how it feels to have everything fun made illegal. except here, some things are legal but the crooked politicians allow it cause they profit from it.

if you decide to bring your car, look for living out in the burbs. take the train for work and start looking for a winter car. unless you're badass like me and drive your S year round.

i love living in the burbs. i can have my car, drive around into and out of the city for fun times and partying and when it's all over, i can find plenty of parking at home.

enjoy your stay and hope to see you at an autocross!

tekstar

Thank you all for the great advice!

I have looked into this as well, but I don't like the idea of having my car so far away from me.

I have heard this from friends as well. Being within walking distance to bars/restaurants would be a plus, but I like having an apartment gym and nearby parks more.

These areas look great, thanks!

I am working by Wacker and Columbus. Yeah, I have been looking at rehabbed units at Marina City but they still feel old.

Good to know, thanks! Are the streets as bad as SF? I hate driving my S in the city (hks hipermax coilovers aren't so street friendly).

Haha, are Chicago laws pretty similar? Require front plate and cat/no tint allowed etc.

Watching patinums videos definitely makes me want to bring my S with me

philbert

seriously, look into Cobbler Square. on site gym, parks don't get any better than lincoln park, and you get the restaurants and some bars. looking at the website, it looks like they've updated the kitchens/baths in units and some common area stuff.


IL requires a front plate, but you'd hardly know it attending a local meet... you will need a city sticker on your windshield, or you're susceptible to finding a ticket in it's place after leaving it parked on the street. i've never heard of a ticket for the lack of front plate being left on a parked car.

also, IL just recently changed the tint law, allowing up to 35% all around, or if the rear is tinted more than that, only 50% on the front side windows.

AcuraTilIDie

I've gotten a ticket in the city, while parked, for not having my front plate on. And the police officer took a picture so I had no way to contest.

patinum

A front plate is pretty much required if you park in the city. Luckily for me, the S doesn't get parked in the city. If I'm parking in the city, I take the daily driver. The only time the car is parked is in my garage or in the burbs (meets, autox, cruise, etc.). I doubt anyone gets pulled over for not having a front plate, although it would be a ticket they can tack on if you are pulled over for speeding. So if you have the S as just the weekend toy, I wouldn't worry about front plate or tint (or possibly city sticker).

z_speed

If you do bring the S, save yourself a ton of money and keep the car registered in Cali. Another area to consider that's a little off the beaten path is Andersonville. It's near the lake, the CTA red line is easily accessible to go downtown, and the Clark St bus takes you straight to Wrigleyville.

Chris S2K

FYI - Andersonville is a HIKE from downtown, but it's located near a bunch of bars/restaurants and in close proximity to Wrigleyville. I'm not sure what your scene is....but some people won't be comfortable there since it's comparable to the Castro District of SF, just a lot cleaner and mellower.

And to echo z speed, you'll save $150 (IIRC) per year for the city sticker by not registering your vehicle in IL. Based on your criteria of being close to the office, I still recommend the areas I mentioned earlier. If you do decide to move to a nearby neighborhood, pick from the following list below (from nearest to downtown to furthest).

River North/River West/West Loop (walk/bus/train to work - red/brown/blue/purple line)
Gold Coast (bus/train -red/brown/purple line)
Old Town (bus/train - red line)
Lincoln Park (bus/train - red/brown/purple line)
Wicker Park (bus/train - blue line)
Bucktown (bus/train - blue line)

I didn't list the South Loop because I don't know enough about it to comment, but my suggestion is stay away since most of the culture lies north of the loop (aside from Chinatown) and you'll be partitioned off by the downtown business district which is dead after 6PM. While River North has its merits, I think you'll grow tired of it after a few months and at that time, you'll probably venture off to other areas. Wicker Park, Old Town and Lincoln Park come to mind...plenty of nightlife and restaurants.

FYI - the train system in Chicago in not nearly as good as the BART, so you'll need to factor in the delay to your commute the further out you go. Alternatively, you'll need to wait for trains the closer you get to the city since they will be filled like a can of sardines.


***Edit***
Just read you're working near Wacker/Columbus. This changes everything since that is the eastern side of downtown. Your best bet is the east side of River North, Lakeshore East, or the Gold Coast. You can find plenty of studio apartments for cheap near Division/State and close to "viagra triangle." Or live further away for cheap and with your car.

PeaceLove&S2K

Want to rent my place? I'm moving to California.

s2_derrick

roads are alot worse, and so far noones given me grief for not having on my front plate, also i run the tolls all the time

PeaceLove&S2K

Wait, am I going to have to put my front plates back on? I'm moving to San Diego in a few weeks. It really sucks if I do...