Chicago meetup list

[chicagogirl]

Hey everyone in the currently very windy city!
Xander and I want to put together an informal get together in Chicago. Since some people don't check the boards all of the time, we're collecting email addreses for an email list of people in the Chicago area. We already have a bunch. If you're interested please pm your email to me!
Rachel :p

[Still Looking]

Hey everyone in the currently very windy city!
Xander and I want to put together an informal get together in Chicago. Since some people don't check the boards all of the time, we're collecting email addreses for an email list of people in the Chicago area. We already have a bunch. If you're interested please pm your email to me!
Rachel :p

That sounds fun, but I'm not in the Chicago area! Let me know if a formal meet-up is decided on.

[Xander]

That sounds fun, but I'm not in the Chicago area! Let me know if a formal meet-up is decided on.
Are you flying out here? :D

[Still Looking]

Are you flying out here? :D

Yes, I would have to fly from SC - definitely would have to know several weeks in advance. I've never been to Chicago, but would like to go have a look around.

[CTGirl]

I'm actually gonna be flying out to Chicago at some point in the next couple months too, to visit a friend of mine who just moved out there, so it'd be awesome if you guys wanted to meet up when I was there!

[breezerjoy]

Hi Chicago People! I am still new to the city and would love to have a little get together. I work in the Loop and live in Lincoln Park. There has been a message posted about e-mailing - this is my first time on the site so I am not sure if I want to post my e-mail address yet - but I would definitely send one - who is organizing this?! :) Can't wait!

[Xander]

Hey, welcome to QLC! :D Where in downtown do you work? I work at 444 N Michigan Ave.

...and I live downtown right now, but am moving to Lincoln Park soon.

CTGirl and Still Looking, definitely keep in touch about visiting Chicago.

[Still Looking]

CTGirl and Still Looking, definitely keep in touch about visiting Chicago.

I will PM you this weekend with my email address if you please keep me in the loop. Thanks!

[beeblebrox]

I PM'ed as well a couple of nights ago. Xander, congrats on the house. I think where you're moving to is close to my dentist.

[breezerjoy]

444 Michigan huh?!? ... I am at 435 Michigan - Tribune Tower :) Thanks for the welcome - this site is interesting - this is the first time I have written on a message board! I have to ask - what is a thread? Well, thanks again - hopefully a group of us can get together for appetizers or a Happy Hour. I hope everyone is enjoying their FRIDAY :D .

[beeblebrox]

444 Michigan huh?!? ... I am at 435 Michigan - Tribune Tower :) Thanks for the welcome - this site is interesting - this is the first time I have written on a message board! I have to ask - what is a thread? Well, thanks again - hopefully a group of us can get together for appetizers or a Happy Hour. I hope everyone is enjoying their FRIDAY :D .

I'm at Clark and Lake right smack dab in the middle of the loop and behind State Street.

[Xander]

444/435 Michigan and Clark/Lake? Do I hear happy hour next week or the week after? :D

And a "thread" is a collection of posts strung together. This is a post. You wrote a post, too. This thread is titled "Chicago meetup list"... again, welcome!

[sondra_finchley]

Question to you two in Lincoln Park- how are you finding apartments up there, or whats a tried-and-true method?

[wordsmith]

I wonder how many Chicago dwellers on here live in/aspire to live in a neighborhood other than Lincoln Park.

[beeblebrox]

I wonder how many Chicago dwellers on here live in/aspire to live in a neighborhood other than Lincoln Park.

I have no desire to move there whatsoever. I like the ethnic neighborhoods better than the up and coming expensive ones.

[wordsmith]

Same, here, but I think that any nonnative/stranger to Chicago reading these boards would probably be under the assumption that LP is pretty much the only residential neighborhood in the city, lol!

[meatwad]

I wonder how many Chicago dwellers on here live in/aspire to live in a neighborhood other than Lincoln Park.

I wouldn't want to live in Lincoln Park. It's all greyhounds and slot machines. Unless your Lincoln Park is different from the one in Rhode Island. Which I always thought was a funny name considering it's not really an Island. I mean, it has islands, but so does Alaska. We don't call that Alaska Island. And what's the deal with airline food? Am I right?

[sondra_finchley]

How is Andersonville and the area around there? I can handle a little bit of gritty but safety is also an issue. Any recommendations for good, fun neighborhoods that arent stuffed full of Starbucks? (and yes, i realize that LP is the opposite of what im requesting here but it DID look quite a bit like certain areas of London and that made me feel partly comfortable)

[wordsmith]

I lived in Andersonville, but I moved out of the city in 2001, and it's changed quite a bit in character since I last lived there, gentrificiation-wise. It's not half as gritty anymore as it was even that long ago. But it's still pretty cool, although quite a bit more expensive, now, to fund those changes. The inevitable forward march of the Starbucks takeover is hard to avoid, though. Andersonville still does have a ton of neighborhood institutions by comparison to a lot of other hoods, though. I would consider living there again.

[beeblebrox]

How is Andersonville and the area around there? I can handle a little bit of gritty but safety is also an issue. Any recommendations for good, fun neighborhoods that arent stuffed full of Starbucks? (and yes, i realize that LP is the opposite of what im requesting here but it DID look quite a bit like certain areas of London and that made me feel partly comfortable)

I spent a lot of time up there when I was a Northside graduate student. It's exactly how wordsmith describes it to be. It's one of the nicer neighborhoods that's becoming up and coming. I liked it for it's mix of bars, history, and Swedishness.

[wordsmith]

Decent arts and music scene, too.

The whole Edgewater area has a nice mix of places to live, with lots of apartments over storefronts, bigger complexes with courtyards, traditional 3- and 4-flat walkups, and on a lot of the north-south streets going toward the lake, neat old houses rehabbed as rentals. I liked it a lot because it was a good mix of ages and ethnicities.

[sondra_finchley]

I had a poke through the edgewater listings on craigs list (just to get an idea)- they look closer to the style im aiming for. Hows Ravenswood? Rogers Park?

[wordsmith]

Rogers Park is probably my favorite neighborhood in the city, it's where I worked, and initially where I lived. It, too, is gentrifying in certain areas, which is obv. good and bad. Rogers Park is generally acknowledged as the most culturally diverse neighborhood of any city in the country, for its square miles and cultures represented, and I loved that. It's long been one of the few neighborhoods where you can live on the lake on an average, middle-class income (this is changing though, due to gentrification/condo conversions/skyrocketing prices due to same). It also has the most lakeshore park of any neighborhood in the city. Very downhome people, in my experience...good sense of community, and very rich in different backgrounds.

Ravenswood, I haven't spent any significant time in. Lincoln Square's decent.

[Xander]

I wonder how many Chicago dwellers on here live in/aspire to live in a neighborhood other than Lincoln Park.
I only bought there because the building is good, there's lots to do during the night, has a Borders next to it, is very close to the lake, and most of my friends and coworkers live there. Essentially, I only considered areas near the lake, red line, or bus lines.

The street is tree-lined, quiet, comfortable, with great sidewalk traffic (essential to a healthy neighborhood I think). Lots of dogs and people our age... *shrug*

I don't know why you despise Lincoln Park so much. Why do you?

Edgewater: Too far north for working downtown. My friend commutes 45-60 minutes a day.

Ravenswood: My friend lives there and hates it. Says it's a bad neighborhood, but I've never been there.

Rogers Park: Dunno...

[wordsmith]

Likewise, I only considered areas near the lake, bus, and El lines for accessibility when I was living in and moving around within Chicago, and proximity to my work as well, since I didn't keep a car and wasn't interested in long commutes.

Lincoln Park isn't my taste, foremost because I find it needlessly expensive for the sake of trendiness, which has never set well with me in any context, but also because I've always found it to be a bizarrely homogenous area for such a diverse city. I grew up and spent many years in a small community that's greatest flaw is that was fairly one-note and lacking in any real variety or cultural or ethnic diversity. Upon moving to a city known for its vibrant multicultural character, the last thing I personally wanted to do was live somewhere that very much models the same type of homogeneity as where I'd come from. Lastly, it's kind of intelligence-insulting, in a way, that it's sooo very aggressively marketed to young people as the only real option you have or would be in your right mind to take in terms of city living for recent grads and other twentysomethings. With more than 70 neighborhoods in the city, it really does stand out to me that within a certain age group, one or two are assumed to be the only place to live. I've got a pretty good working knowledge of quite a few north and west side neighborhoods, and fewer on the south, but some...so I know that there are young people living all over the city, firsthand. But that makes it even more oddly bemusing when only one has the outsider rep for being the place to be. Really, regardless of the mythology, there are young people and dogs and whatnot all over the city. It seems like we've had this discussion, though, or else I'm deja vu-ing.

But, that aside, my question actually was more to do with a straight observation, rather than the slam you took it to be. That being that there do seem to be very few Chicago posters living elsewhere.

[Xander]

We definitely have had this conversation, so please forgive my bad memory. :p And I didn't take what you said as a slam. It's not like I have a personal stake in "Lincoln Park." hehe...

But I relate to your preference for multiculturalism and diversity. At the same time, I seem to get a sense that you feel LP isn't diverse due to design, not circumstance.

"expensive for the sake of trendiness" I don't think you can single one as the cause of the other. Property value and services/stores/amenities go hand-in-hand. Not to mention proximity to downtown, major transportation, the lake... It doesn't seem like the trendiness caused the $$, though more spending power attracts more expensive stores, I suppose... which feeds a more expensive cost of living, which requires people with more money, bringing even more expensive stores, etc... until we have Magnificent Mile standards. This keeps repeating in cycles furthur and further out, until sometime in the future, Hyde Park is as expensive as downtown today, and downtown is only for the super rich of the future (like NY). I see this as a phenomenon, not a design.

"aggressively marketed to young people" I don't think neighborhoods are top-down (save a few examples like Celebrations, FL). One of my hobbies is studying dynamic systems--business organization, insect colonies, neighborhoods--they all function on the same system. It would take too long to explain in full (maybe another thread?) but basically, diverse neighborhoods are better by many different, objective benchmarks, but the "balance" is difficult to maintain, and easily tipped to one extreme. This happens without any top-down planning. But I don't think LP is a race-diversity prohibitive neighborhood, but an economic one (which unfortunately carries many race issues along with it).

The people I know live downtown, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, Edgewater, Ravenswood, South Loop, or Hyde Park... otherwise they live in the 'burbs. So please forgive my lack of education on Chicago neighborhoods (your feedback is helping a lot, though, so thanks).

Finally, this point is moot since I've already bought, but what other neighborhoods are along the lake, near the train or bus that are good? I only know of these:
Streeterville (where I am now, which feels even less diverse), Gold Coast, Near North Side, Old Town, River North, River West, Loop, Printer's Row, South Loop, Lincoln Park, Lakeview/Wrigleyville, Uptown... and furthur north is too far a commute, and furthur west is far from the lake. I admit, I didn't do too much homework on location. I just know LP has good property appreciation potential. Thanks.

[chicagogirl]

I live in Edgewater and I like it. If I move in the summer I might move more south, like northern part of Lakeview. That's really because that's where my synagogue is and where a lot of my friends live.
I do like Edgewater quite a bit, though sometimes it's too quiet for me. It works for me b/c it's only 3 El stops from work. But then I end up taking a lot of cabs home late at night, which gets expensive.
I also like the feel of Andersonville, but I don't spend lots of time there.

[sondra_finchley]

Yeah thats a question I have about El safety at night. I read some scaremongering tourist book and the author went on and on and ON about how you should never take the El at night. Is it really THAT bad? Ive had some real winning experiences already on it, but its to be expected for a big city I guess. I have found the Metra to be quite nifty though- nicer than a lot of crappy commuter trains in Europe and you can take a bike on it.

[wordsmith]

I had one sketchy El experience as a regular user, and it was between 5-6 p.m. on a Sunday evening. I can't say I ever had any bad experiences late at night, but then, I wasn't generally traveling alone late at night, as a rule, it was usually when out socially, and others were with me. Not all the lines run through the night, and not all stations are open through the night.

I'd say as far as safety, the concern for me was more having to get off in certain areas at night, moreso than actually being on the train. Bear in mind that all the lines run through big chunks of the city, and part and parcel of that is stopping in some crappy areas. The trains are easily enough monitored. For the most part, if there is a problem, you can switch cars, call to a conductor, and they radio for police or CTA security at the next stop. Even the one time I experienced a troublesome person riding, police were on the train in pretty good time.

[chicagogirl]

Yeah thats a question I have about El safety at night. I read some scaremongering tourist book and the author went on and on and ON about how you should never take the El at night. Is it really THAT bad? Ive had some real winning experiences already on it, but its to be expected for a big city I guess. I have found the Metra to be quite nifty though- nicer than a lot of crappy commuter trains in Europe and you can take a bike on it.

I've never had any problems on the El, at night or otherwise. I'd say it could be mroe of a problem if you're not comfortable walking around your neighborhood at night. The prob is that the area right around El stations tend to be sketchy. I wouldn't take it alone after 11pm, but honestly, on the North side the El is generally packed at 9:30pm on a weekday night. :)

[wordsmith]

I've never had any problems on the El, at night or otherwise. I'd say it could be mroe of a problem if you're not comfortable walking around your neighborhood at night. The prob is that the area right around El stations tend to be sketchy.

Yeah...I used to live between two stops that were, at the time, not the best to get off at late at night (sometimes during the day, but esp. late at night)...Jarvis and Morse on the Red Line. But it's a block to block thing, really. Both those stops could be hairy, but the area in between them was fine.

[Xander]

444 Michigan huh?!? ... I am at 435 Michigan - Tribune Tower
Where do you go to lunch? I occasionally eat at the Equitable, but it's usually Nordstrom's food court or the other mall. Or CPK, Big Bowl, etc...

I wouldn't be surprised if we've seen each other before. Or if we bumped into each other and I said, "hey, watch it, jerk!" ;)

[breezerjoy]

So, two months later or so... I am back on the website/board. Xander - you mentioned a Happy Hour with the other person who works on Lake. I would love to :) I will try to check this a bit more consistantly. But just to start things out... how about a Wednesday. Maybe Wednesday march 7th or March 14th?

On the Lincoln part topic - I live there b/c my college friend's sister is letting me rent a room in her condo for pretty cheap - so it does not have to be expensive- I guess it is who you know sometimes....

[fearlesss]

Hey, this is the meet up list kinda. I do not know what everyone is doing for st patty. BUT there is a fund raiser I'm working (bartending). It is March 16 5-10 pm at Navy pier. It 's put on by the Young Irish Fellowship. Pm me if you want more details.

[Xander]

...how about a Wednesday. Maybe Wednesday march 7th or March 14th?
March 14th seems better for me, but if the 7th is good too--whichever. Where? My coworkers and I usually go to Rock Bottom. :p I'm not familiar with bars south of the river. Who else is in?

fearlesss, I live 3 blocks West from Navy Pier, so that sounds good! What charity is it? I'll send a PM as well...

[fearlesss]

March 14th seems better for me, but if the 7th is good too--whichever. Where? My coworkers and I usually go to Rock Bottom. :p I'm not familiar with bars south of the river. Who else is in?

fearlesss, I live 3 blocks West from Navy Pier, so that sounds good! What charity is it? I'll send a PM as well...


I sent a pm to you but it's the Young Irish Fellowship's Forever Green. I would post the link but I do not get in trouble.

[breezerjoy]

March 14th is fine for me - that will also give some time for others to see this and join in. Rock Bottom would be great - if I recall correctly is it right by a red line stop as well.

The Navy Pier Irish Fundraiser sounds cool - I have not decided when I am celebrating my B-day (3/20) and where - but if I am available I could attend. What is a PM and how do I send one to get more info? Is there a instruction guide I should read...lol

[fearlesss]

March 14th is fine for me - that will also give some time for others to see this and join in. Rock Bottom would be great - if I recall correctly is it right by a red line stop as well.

The Navy Pier Irish Fundraiser sounds cool - I have not decided when I am celebrating my B-day (3/20) and where - but if I am available I could attend. What is a PM and how do I send one to get more info? Is there a instruction guide I should read...lol

a PM is a private message.
Above each response is the poster's name. Click on the the name and a drop down menu should appear. One of the options is send a private message. click and and a message window appears. type the message and send. to get them in the upper right (underwhere it says welcome, breezerjoy) is a hyperlink that says private messages click that to get them.


Maybe someone can explain it better.

[chicagogirl]

So originally I said I'd collect emails to start up a Chicago meetup list from this group - for the express purpose that some people don't visit the boards often. Well.....life got hectic and I haven't visited in a while, lol. :0 Anyway, If people are thinking of meeting up in March, want me to email it out to everyone?

[sondra_finchley]

You can now almost officially add me to the list- was offered a job today out in the 'burbs. Not the greatest place I wanted to be, but the company and job fit me well. I guess Ill live :P Any meetup for me would have to be more of a friday evening/weekend thing.

[wordsmith]

I still really only come in on the weekends...even Friday night isn't very realistic for me.

[chicagogirl]

You can now almost officially add me to the list- was offered a job today out in the 'burbs. Not the greatest place I wanted to be, but the company and job fit me well. I guess Ill live :P Any meetup for me would have to be more of a friday evening/weekend thing.


Congratulations!
Which suburb? I grew up in a northern one

[sondra_finchley]

Job's in Rolling Meadows, but Im looking to live probably in Palatine or Arlington Heights. Actually, can anyone recommend places to live near Rolling Meadows? I hate mega apartment complexes, but until I get my bearings that will have to be the case. I definitely prefer a little more charm!

Thanks CG!

[chicagogirl]

Congrats Sondra!! :exclaim:
I'm not really familiar with the Rolling Meadows area, so I'm not much help there. Can you pm me your email? I'll add you to the email list.

[fearlesss]

Congrats on the new job.
wasn't there talk about a meetup on the 14?

Anyway the fund raiser I was talking about tickets are sale online till the 15th, then they are at the door only.

[Xander]

Yep, the 14th (tomorrow) at Rock Bottom (across the street from the Grand stop on red line, which is the intersection of State St. and Grand).

I'm not sure on time, though. Lets say 5:30 onwards. It'd help if you post what time you can be there, or respond to the email list.

As for St. Patrick's, my plans are still in the air, so I can't commit to anything. Are you going tomorrow? If so, fill me in tomorrow.

[fearlesss]

Yep, the 14th (tomorrow) at Rock Bottom (across the street from the Grand stop on red line, which is the intersection of State St. and Grand).

I'm not sure on time, though. Lets say 5:30 onwards. It'd help if you post what time you can be there, or respond to the email list.

As for St. Patrick's, my plans are still in the air, so I can't commit to anything. Are you going tomorrow? If so, fill me in tomorrow.


I did reply to the email list but no one said ya or nay. I'm planning on it. I guess 6 ish

[wordsmith]

Just for the record, throwing my nay in, as I don't live near enough to do midweek things.

[Xander]

I did reply to the email list but no one said ya or nay. I'm planning on it. I guess 6 ish
I'll be there a little before 6 then, and will try to get a table in the back by the pool tables. I'll also let the door person know I'm with "QLC" and to send anyone who asks to the back.

Is there a secret QLC handshake I should know about? :p I'll keep an eye out for confused people looking around.

[chicagogirl]

Hmm, now we need to develop a secret QLC handshake.... :D
See everyone who's coming tonight!

[Xander]

Hmm, now we need to develop a secret QLC handshake.... :D
See everyone who's coming tonight!
Hey, where were you?? :p We were sitting at the back corner by the wall. I asked the guy at the door, and he said "a few people asked about QLC" but he couldn't ID anyone else...

fearlesss, I'll see about going to the event Friday--I might have to leave Chicago on Friday, but we'll see.

It was fun, but I think there was bad planning. :0 Next time it'll be better coordinated so people actually know who's who. Plus, I didn't count on the "Firemen" charity... It's usually pretty empty at the back of the place.

[sondra_finchley]

Well I would hope to be able to come to the next one here (gotten over the earlier crisis- much calmer now! haha) so just post on here on occasion as to whats going on!

[beeblebrox]

I wasn't able to make it last night because my bf and I are looking for apartments and finally narrowed down our area. Tomorrow is search the city for a reasonable apartment before I have to give notice to my landlord.

[chicagogirl]

Hey, where were you?? :p We were sitting at the back corner by the wall. I asked the guy at the door, and he said "a few people asked about QLC" but he couldn't ID anyone else...

fearlesss, I'll see about going to the event Friday--I might have to leave Chicago on Friday, but we'll see.

It was fun, but I think there was bad planning. :0 Next time it'll be better coordinated so people actually know who's who. Plus, I didn't count on the "Firemen" charity... It's usually pretty empty at the back of the place.


Hey! Neither the host guy now I could find you guys! He was like 'they were here before. And they came not too long before you...' I asked a few tables, but got blank stares. I went shopping instead, seeing that I was in the area :)
We'll have to plan another one. :D

[Xander]

Hey! Neither the host guy now I could find you guys! He was like 'they were here before. And they came not too long before you...' I asked a few tables, but got blank stares. I went shopping instead, seeing that I was in the area
Doh! I asked him if people had asked for "QLC" and he said, "a few," then he couldn't ID anyone. :rolleyes:

But no worries, it was just a casual meet. We can do it again any time. Good use of your time, though. :D

Happy St. Patricks! Picture from today:

GREEN (http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3967/greenak3.jpg)
The Trump Tower is coming along slooooowly (about 1/4 done). My favorite building is in the middle (with the two triangles on the roof and columns along the sides). I work a little bit to the right of the picture.

MORE GREEN (http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5206/glowrs0.jpg)
Yes, it is that green.

[wordsmith]

The dying the river green thing kills me. I mean, it's always KIND OF green, anyway! :D

[beeblebrox]

Doh! I asked him if people had asked for "QLC" and he said, "a few," then he couldn't ID anyone. :rolleyes:

But no worries, it was just a casual meet. We can do it again any time. Good use of your time, though. :D

Happy St. Patricks! Picture from today:

GREEN (http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/3967/greenak3.jpg)
The Trump Tower is coming along slooooowly (about 1/4 done). My favorite building is in the middle (with the two triangles on the roof and columns along the sides). I work a little bit to the right of the picture.

MORE GREEN (http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/5206/glowrs0.jpg)
Yes, it is that green.

When I walk to work from my new apartment downtown, I'll be able to see the Trump Tower and Merchandise Mart. I'm going to be living four blocks away from work!!!

[sondra_finchley]

Xander you arent in the Wrigley Building are you?

[Xander]

When I walk to work from my new apartment downtown, I'll be able to see the Trump Tower and Merchandise Mart. I'm going to be living four blocks away from work!!!
North Loop, just south of the river? I looked at a few places in the area (Wabash/State/Dearborn) but no dice. They're building a Shangri La in the area (89 stories). There's a good Middle Eastern restaurant in Jewelers Row if you're interested.

I'll start a thread on buildings (http://quarterlifecrisis.com/forums/showthread.php?p=469908#post469908), since I post a ton of them...

Xander you arent in the Wrigley Building are you?
Riiiight next door. I used to live next door too (that little courtyard connecting Wrigley to Trump/405 Wabash). Cool area.

[beeblebrox]

North Loop, just south of the river? I looked at a few places in the area (Wabash/State/Dearborn) but no dice. They're building a Shangri La in the area (89 stories). There's a good Middle Eastern restaurant in Jewelers Row if you're interested.

I'll be just across the river in the West Loop (basically next door to the Clinton Pink/Green Line) that building in the Fulton Market area. I just have to walk up Lake to Clark to get to work.

[sondra_finchley]

Bizarre- I interviewed for a job in there a month or so ago.

[beeblebrox]

Bizarre- I interviewed for a job in there a month or so ago.

where did you just interview for a job?? Clark/Lake, Wrigley Building??

I'm watching the Chicago documentaries on public tv right now.