I think Bucktown may be a little too riddled with ****ing hipsters? I do not suffer complicated beards lightly. West Loop, maybe. My preference is south of Wrigleyville; I like to walk. We were literally across the street (100 feet) from the Jewel at Roosevelt and Wabash (same building as the old Opera restaurant) and it was pretty freaking spectacular.

Probably looking at $2500ish for a 2/1.5 or a 2/2. Maybe a little more. We're not super picky.

If you're worried about hipsters then why did you even mention logan sq?

Really depends on the scene you're looking for.

Streeterville is a nice area and you have close enough access to River North, the beach, lake, and shopping.

Yeah I was gonna say streeterville or river north, but I have zero experience in west loop shenanigans.

Gold Coast could also work, but the number of tourists and panhandlers is tilting.

I know that everyone has been anxiously waiting for my follow up and this seems like a good time to share how things worked out for us.

We looked at a number of places in West Loop, South Loop and River North. We would have liked to consider the Old Town area as well, but it just wasn't worth it with the extra commute. We ended up with a pretty large (1250 sq ft) 2 bed / 2 bath in Printer's Row, which is just a few blocks south of the loop. So far its been great, if you want to live in a modern, doorman building you're probably going to get the best value in South Loop. Most of the other places we looked at in the same price range were significantly smaller. That type of building is much harder to find past River North as you start to get at a lot more brownstones and older highrises.

There are good options in West Loop as well, but after visiting a lot of the area still seemed a bit underdeveloped and other than the restaurant scene on Randolph, there isn't a ton of stuff going on at night. It does have decent access to river north though and definitely still worth considering.

Similarly, there's not a ton of action in our immediate neighborhood, but there's a handful of bars, sushi, Thai, Indian, tacos, sandwiches, coffee etc. all withing walking distance, more than enough to satisfy our needs for a quick bite or beer after work. The key is that we are walking distance to the Loop and both the Red and the Blue lines, which is really nice if we want go up to Lakeview or Wicker Park or something. I like the River North nightlife, but its not somewhere we'll be hitting up multiple times a week or anything. When we do want to go its an easy 10 minute L ride or $8 cab.

For us at least, the combination of commutes on 55 and the Pink line definitely limited our options somewhat. But so far we're really happy with where we ended up, at this stage in life I'm more than happy to trade being right in the heart of all the action for nicer, bigger place and a shorter commute, while still having pretty easy access to anywhere else we want to go.

looking for some suggestions for a place to get drinks .met girl at bar in Wicker over the weekend. Im 24 (live in Lincoln Park). don't really remember much about her , she was sort of hippish

Did not know Logan Square got that hipsterish. Didn't feel that bad back in 2005.

My recollection of Streeterville is sorta mundane, medical intern-just-in-Chicago for a few years types. No?

Might check out River North. iirc, River North hadn't really re-developed before we left?

Thanks, keep the info coming.

In case anyone is interested....

http://www.yelp.com/wordmap/chicago/hipster

Are you looking for rec's in WP or LP? Many options in both neighborhoods obviously, just mess around on yelp/google maps

zoltan,

Can't comment on how River North was in the past (only been here 1 year), but it seems to becoming a go to spot for weekends. Lots of bars, restaurants, etc. Definitely expensive. I've heard the rent there is getting very high due to easy commute downtown etc.

Edit: I'd check out padmapper if you haven't yet. Good way to get a feel for pricing in different neighborhoods.

I'd look for somewhere with an outdoor component if you're going while it's still light out. There are some places with decent patio seating in Wicker Park (Bangers & Lace is a smaller patio, Standard a bit bigger).

If she's amenable to going to LP and it's later at night I'd try Barrelhouse Flat. Cooler cocktails, a little more of a hidden place than your standard bar.

Zoltan, if anything Logan Sq has become less hipster-ish since 05. I'm kinda confused as to what you're looking for as its all over the place

iirc, in 2005 there were like 3 restaurants within 5 blocks of the el stop. Lula cafe had just opened and everyone was freaking out since there was finally an interesting brunch place. I dunno. All I want is to be able to walk to an el, grocery store, low key bar, and one or two decent restaurants. And a coffee shop.

Stevemartinthejerk.YouTube

I mean you can get that pretty much anywhere, but it sounds like your preference is more on the low-key side of things. Seems like heading back to South Loop, somewhere around State and Roosevelt, could make sense for you. Or maybe the Fulton River part of West Loop, there's some nice apartments and a Jewel right there.

this is kinda what I'm saying in that you're all over the place. You can find that in a lot of places, but you've mentioned that you're in your late 30s-early 40s, don't want to be around a lot of hipsters, yet there is talk of logan sq, you want to be near an el stop (which is pretty easy on the whole), and want to be south of wrigley, yet you also want something relaxed and want a nightlife. It's just very confusing to gauge what you really want.

River North probably won't be what you're looking for as that's more of a trendy area that is good for mid-late 20s singles and cougars. Streeterville could work, but it seems like it may be more quiet than you want. Andersonville/Lincoln Sq/Ravenswood would be perfect, but you want to be south of Wrigley. Bucktown isn't close to as hipster as it was in 05, and would also generally fit what you seem to be looking for.

All I can say is that a lot has changed in the 8 years you haven't been here. It's just hard to get a full read on what you want based on what you've outlined.

I think the confusion might be in how we define "nightlife."

Funky Buddha: ew.
Crobar: Yeah my wife used to go there in 2001.
Wabash Tap: douchebag central imo
Bar Louie: Can be fun (looks like they have 324939483294 locations now though?).
green mill, poetry slam: fun but borderline a little too much of a scene. (remember this is back in 04-05).

I'm probably not as picky as I sound. I'm just concerned about drunken idiots screaming in the street at 3 am, which happened a lot living in Federal Hill/Cross St in Baltimore, where it got a lot more rowdy after being away from there for a few years.

Maybe even the Little Italy/U village area might be doable? I recall that as being pretty up and coming back then. I like ChromePony's advice generally. TR to come in a few months.

Maybe Lincoln Square east of Western. I think being near the Irving, Montrose, Damen, or Western Brown Line stations is what you want. Nice places just east of the Addison Brown, too.

I just moved from that area and loved it (Ravenswood and Wilson). We only just moved because we wanted more space and chumps rented our 800 sq. ft. condo for $1750.

Or as I like to call it when trolling the missus, "the skid mark of the el."

You'd need to be on the tight north ends of Little Italy or Ukie Village for walking distance to the El. Ukie Village more like just a couple of blocks on the northwest corner for Blue Line access.

Drunken idiotville is more widespread than it was in 05. I couldn't see myself ever living between Roosevelt and Addison again for a really long time.

Holy **** that's like all of Chicago. South Loop it is I guess, since that's south of Roosevelt.

Throwing a hail mary but... anyone know a place that sells good lake perch? Blue Bayou on Southport did but are undergoing construction.

Thanks in advance.

I would start your search at Glenn's Diner

Jamie, issacson&stein may be your best bet. They're on Fulton in the west loop right off of halstead. The hours are pretty crappy though.

Just out of curiosity (not that I'm considering it), did east rogers park ever get anything going?

Even if they don't have Lake Perch, you can search there anyways and find something awesome. <3 Glenn's.