Chicago 2016: Our credit rating is lower than your credit rating

Good enough! Better than where I went to school, which was terrible. We're in the Nettlehorst district.

Crap - not sure what happened to me response. Here's an approximation:

Thanks for the suggestions!

Yes, Oak Park! That was the first place on our radar. We were visiting Chicago a few months back actually looked at houses in Oak Park and Berwyn (as well Evanston and some of the northwestern neighborhoods like Jefferson Park/Portage Park/etc.). Berwyn, at least back in January, seemed to have a lot more places available and was cheaper. Would you recommend Berwyn?

My sister-in-law lives in Lincoln Square and has been pushing Andersonville on us hard. Seems like it's too expensive for what we're looking for.

After living in a 600 square foot flat in SF for a decade (with two large dogs, and partially with a kid), my wife's main requirement is SPACE. We want a standalone house - so that probably means the suburbs for us. It's also important to me to be able to walk to things and have access to a train to get to the city for work/shows/etc.

I should also note that we are moving from SF because we can't afford it here -- we are not $$$ tech industry types. Chicago seems so cheap!

After looking at Portland prices on Craigslist for the last couple of years, I took a look at Chicago prices and thought the same thing.

Would you recommend Berwyn?

Yes, but only as long as you don't plan to send your kids to high school there. And even then the Berwyn elementary schools are iffy, hit or miss. There are a couple of good private schools (Children's School), and those with means send high school kids to private school (usually parochial), but overall - eh. I hear Berwyn is only acceptable on a block by block basis. Like, some blocks are good, others are shitty. I would recommend Forest Park over Berwyn, though its prices are creeping up toward Oak Park, and public schooling is only good through middle school (the Forest Park high school is not good). So yeah, Oak Park is really the way to go, better on all fronts except for the cost of housing. There are beautiful homes, it's diverse and as liberal as San Francisco, public transpiration is great. It's the kind of community that just voted to raise its taxes to help fund the schools (which are dealing with both an influx of families from Chicago, fleeting CPS, and also the state, which has been operating without a budget for two years).

OP, fyi, has 8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and one awesome high school that also gets kids from fancier-pants River Forest (which is also really nice and worth a look, though significantly less diverse and more conservative than Oak Park).

Andersonville and the like ... it's nice, as are lots of Chicago neighborhoods, but honestly I hear so many CPS horror stories, tales of lotteries gone wrong and being unable to go to the good school down the street. This site is useful: https://cpsobsessed.com

CPS, just move within the boundaries for the elementary school you want, automatic entry. Easy for us transient renters that is. High school.... I don't have to worry about that for a decade or so. But if we are in the same place, Lakeview HS will be good enough.

I don't have a high bar for schools. As long as it is good enough.

You say that now ...

my cousin and his family live in Oak Park and it sounds pretty great. they love it. they send us real estate listings for beautiful Oak Park Victorians all the time.

Thank you for reminding me of why we were so into the idea of Oak Park in the first place. There are SO MANY neighborhoods/towns that it's easy to get overwhelmed by everything. Good to know about Forest Park - I'll definitely look into that as well.

Someone recommended Skokie to my wife. Any knowledge of that realm?

Evanston is good

Seconded!

bumping this in absence of a rolling 2017 thread

my friend is unable to make it, so: is anyone interested in a ticket to see Depeche Mode on Wednesday? it’s unfortunately way out in Tinley Park, but them’s the breaks

barring that, I am planning on tentatively sticking around town until saturday if anyone wants to hang

oh man - i have to work on wed nights now :(
friday nights too! what a great life

i am sure your students (is it a teaching gig?) appreciate it!

yes
same old job

Mh I drink

I think LL is saying Thursdays are a good day to have two beers

So Rauner's recent losses and compromises ... is this because he knows no one likes him and he's seriously vulnerable at the polls?

okey dokey, Jeff, if I hear no different I will make my way to your neighborhood sometime after working hours tomorrow?

btw this tinley park amphitheater thing is pretty damn big. I'm right behind the sound booth getting eaten by mosquitos (pond nearby!?!)

they should really find a way to limit mosquitos to the lawn area

I should be able to make it out after 7 or 8 ish? Jenny is going out after work so I have to wait for her to come home. Come to Beermiscuous. That's where I drink.

Potential venue change, Corridor tapped their new hazy IPA yesterday, so maybe we could head up there. I'll let you know what time I'll be there once Jenny let's me know what time she'll be home. Still trying to get some other people to come out too. ALL ARE WELCOME.

UPDATE: 5pm tapping of new DDH IPA - Bendy Straw w/Vanilla & Lactose Sugar! Intensely dry hopped w/ #mosaichops#hazyipa #craftbeerchicago pic.twitter.com/OI0uNYGace

— Corridor Brewery (@CorridorChicago) August 30, 2017

Wish I could go but I have to see SZA tonight, which is super early.

noted!

I'm staying in Lakeview, btw, so I'm flexible!

My coworker who lived in england for a while loves to sing the joys of Nando's so I am checking that out

I don't quite get the passion for Nando's. It's good, but it's just good chicken.

Nandos is more like nah.

Where are you staying in Lakeview?

it was good but very much a chain

I am near clark/diversey

hey Jeff, sent you my phone # via twitter dm if you want to give me a heads-up. I am guessing I’ll be out wandering around after pretending to attempt a nap but actually chugging some coffee

There's a new Collectivo Coffee (Milwaukee chain) at Clark and Wrightwood that is pretty great. All-day breakfast wraps, good coffee, lots of outdoor seats.

I'm trying to remember what the place I went to for breakfast in these parts yeeears ago was. Maybe some cajun-style stuff with red beans? probably not a place anymore. I may check out that coffee place, thanks for the recommendation!

Maybe thinking of Wishbone?

Heaven on Seven?

it may have been wishbone? sounds familiar, although I may be remembering the PBS show with the detective dog

Amy Schumer at the Hidden Cove, after doing a secret set at the HungryBrain:

https://instagram.com/p/BZJVsDKlkpS/

She is an honorary Chicago ILXor now.

amy schumer was at hidden cove tonight and i am so pissed that of all the celebs i could have seen i got fuckin amy schumer

— gentle skank (@jerry_coke) September 16, 2017

i wonder what she sang
that place is the best