I used to live there, moved out earlier this year. Its a decent area, walkable distances to Old Town, Magnificent Mile, Rush&Division area. Short drive to get on the expressway at Ontario which will be nice for you. The immediate area is not that nice though, Clark and Division is a weird intersection, you will see what I mean. Personally it wasn't my favorite building/area but you can certainly do worse.

What gift did you bring? I have reservations this Saturday and want these free courses and shots.

bring them a growler of beer from somewhere good. Or a 6 pack of some quality beer

There's a 2-for-1 cover GroupOn for Close Up 2. Nice little jazz club in the Loop. Standard two drink minimum.

http://www.groupon.com/now/deals/10-...ategory=go-out

Here's the Yelp page, if you're curious: http://www.yelp.com/biz/close-up-2-c...0up%202%20jazz

I love this place.

I'm moving out of this building in a week. Was pretty happy with the location and the price. It also has a really nice pool...unfortunately you have to have at least 2 douche-tattoos or a fake tan before you can enter. The horseshoe shuttle stops in front of the apt which can be tilting when you have work obligations. Walking distance to big and littles is probably the best thing about the apt though.

Anybody have any Lollapalooza tickets that they are willing to part with?

way to plan ahead there, champ.

I think StubHub and Craig's List are your best bets.

need some help. i'm 34 moving to chicago by myself next month from nyc. i will be working in the loop and want to live within walking distance from work. i'd a prefer a new highrise with all amenities in a nice area with bars, restaurants and night life. i've been looking in the loop, west loop, south loop, river north, gold coast and streeterville. can anyone suggest a real estate agent? i'm looking to pay around $1800 in rent.
thanks

In Chicago, you're looking for a leasing agent. They're a much better bet because real estate agents are only gonna show you vacancies of their clients. Also, the high-rise management companies and co-op's do everything in-house.

Their website sucks because they want you to walk in, but Chicago Apartment Finders is great. I'd suggest Craig's List and rent.com, too. Before going to Apartment Finders, call them and forward info about other ads you come across and your agent will make appointments. Then, when you can look, the agent will spend however long you want driving you around to look at anything you want.

thank you. does anyone have experience with @properties? they seem to be pretty good

They have a great database, but I also hear stories of them diddling around when you want to look at a Craig's List place and schedule showing to upsell you.

I'd say schedule appointments with them, too. It's a renter's market and the ethics are so different in renting. You call as many leasing agents as you want and make them do all the work.

BTW, I'm familiar with all of this as a former property owner. Now, I live with my girlfriend in her overpriced condo and we're constantly looking at apartment listings, fantasizing about dropping the albatross and rationally renting.

I didn't find out that I'd be able to go until they were already sold out.

Anyways, I've been checking Stubhub and CL, but Stubhub is kind of expensive, and CL, while more reasonable, is filled with people who are unwilling to meet in person and want their $$ by Western Union (i.e., scammers most likely). I'm happy to pay a reasonable premium to face value, so long as I can meet in person and make sure I'm not being scammed. So thought I'd try here.

Wanted to post a quick follow up to say thanks for the comments on the New Eastside. The lack of nightlife in the immediate area that people noted ultimately pushed us away from the area.

After looking at a bunch of place in the west loop and fulton river district, we just signed a lease in the Randolph Place building at Randolph/Lake and Canal. Couldn't be more excited about it and can't wait to explore all the bars/restaurants in the area. We've both been primarily on the north side of the city, so there's just a ton of places on the west side that are new to us.

Have you been to The Publican around Halsted/Fulton?

Went to see a really really good play today. You can get half prices tickets here. It touches on incredibly serious issues, yet it's light hearted with humour, some music, a little magic and even an amazing toy theater show within a show. 5 stars.

can i bother you for some more advice? i've looked at both condo/loft buildings as well rental only buildings. rental buildings seem to be much more expensive while not offering anything extra in terms of amentities.
also many listings don't explicitly say that heat and ac are included in rent. if it's gas/steam heat and central ac i would imagine it sould be included... am i wrong?
i found a beutiful 1 bdrm in south loop close to the park 1150 square feet with a balcony and parking included for $1800. i think that's an unbelievable deal, but i'm afraid of moving forward without personally looking at the property. the agent says it will most likely be off the market by the time i get out there (2wks).
what neighborhood would you recommend for a single guy in his 30's? choices are: loop, west loop, south loop, river north, gold coast, streeterville.
any help is appreciated.

since you are insisting on walking to work, unfortunately it does rule out lincoln square, bucktown, and andersonville which I think will offer up a ton and there is a big variety of things to do in those areas.

based on what you are noting, west loop and streeterville are probably your best bets. They do have some good nightlife and you aren't getting too involved in the viagra triangle race that happens in some of the areas you are looking at

You will get more amenities from the condo/loft building, but obviously never gonna find utilities included in those.

As for rental only, your price range is for rehabs, high rises, and new developments. Those apartments all have their own furnaces and AC units that you control. Places where utilities are included are places where the landord controls the heat. There are great places like this in Lakeview and Wicker Park, which are excellent areas for a single guy in his 30s.

The areas you're looking are very good, but more congested/touristy. Chicago really isn't a downtown-centric city for your leisure. Basically anywhere near the lake from Wrigley to the Loop are fantastic areas for your (our; I'm 28) demographic.

Personally, $1,800 for a 1br feels steep. The 1150 sq. ft. with the balcony and parking make it more reasonable.

For perspective, my girlfriend and I are interested in a 2br or 1br+den when we decide to move, and our max after parking+utilities is $2k. Craig's List constantly has interesting listings at $1,400-$1,700 for what we're looking for. I'm renting out my 1,000 sq. ft. 1br condo to a young couple for $1350 that includes a balcony, parking, hot tub, in-unit laundry a block from the lake. When I had multi-units, I was renting out similar 1brs with less perks for about $900-$1,150.

Not saying you're getting ripped off; I'm saying that it isn't a steal, so it'll likely still be available and if not, you'll find something comparable for one person.

Just my $0.02.

I seriously think I saw the hottest girl I've ever seen in my life walking down fullerton today near halsted as I was leaving my volunteer work. Unbelievable...

Going to the Peninsula Hotel tonight with my newly divorced co-worker. How's the rooftop terrace/bar if anyone's been?

i noticed that the abbey pub is about to be shown on bar rescue. Has anyone been to it since they've had teh rehab done that had been to it previously?

I enjoyed going there every now and then for a rugby or soccer match and the stage for music was always pretty solid. I never thought they were in *that* much trouble, but it always seemed like a small face lift would help. I just kinda worry that updating it TV-style could really change it a lot

Haven't been there in years. Thanks for the reminder, though. I always loved the sound there. Maybe I'll check it out this weekend and report.

Also, if you're a fellow nerd in the Chicagoland area, today's Yelp Deal is a 4-day pass to Comic Con for $30: http://www.yelp.com/deals/donald-e-s...ter-rosemont-3

Went to Floriole bakery (it's around racine and webster, a few blocks south of fullerton) today and got a croissant and a canele.

They supposedly make sourdough croissants which sounds awesome, but I couldn't taste any sourness in them. They were a little too "bready" for me, I like croissants that are more flaky.

The canele however, did not disappoint. If you've never had a canele, it's like a cross between a custard and a cake, usually with some rum in the batter. They're baked in special copper molds and the outsides get really dark and caramelized and almost crunchy. Whenever I eat a pastry that I made at pastry school, I can't help comparing it to the version I made at school. This was the first time ever that I immediately thought "whoa, this is better than the ones at school."

Gonna be in Chicago for 3-4 nights in a couple weeks. I am definitely eating at Publican and Girl and the Goat. I would love to hear suggestions for the other night or 2 I am there, and also good, cheap, dive-ish places to eat during the day for breakfast and lunch. I'd love to find a good cocktail bar and a good wine bar as well. If anyone has any good suggestions feel free to post them here or shoot me a PM. Thanks!