Anyone know Lincoln Park well?

BeanieWeanie · July 2010

We're moving to the city from the burbs and have narrowed it down to two places in Lincoln Park. One is really close to the Lake/Zoo, between Fullerton & Diversey. It's really big and we could easily fit all our stuff in there, but it's at the top end of our budget and there's no parking.

The other is further west, close to Clybourne and Halstead, so much closer to shops, etc. It's smaller than our current place, so we'd have to sell a bunch of stuff, but it's $50 under budget and has parking and a patio.

WWYD? Any insight on which area is better? TIA!

Amanda78 · July 2010

Just on the parking front, how much are you going to be driving? Are you ready to deal with circling looking for a spot at night in January with a baby in the car?

BeanieWeanie · July 2010

Amanda78:
Just on the parking front, how much are you going to be driving? Are you ready to deal with circling looking for a spot at night in January with a baby in the car?

Probably not that much. But I'd drive to get groceries, definitely. With the place with no parking, we'd have to pay for a garage, which I think runs about $200 a month (which obviously puts us over budget).

CTL2005 · July 2010

We live in Lake Forest now, but I grew up in Lincoln Park and my parents still live there (one on Wrightwood on on Arlington). I LOVE Lincoln Park and we bring our kids there all the time. I see your dilemma as not being so much the location, but rather choosing between more space versus parking. As my kids have gotten older and their stuff takes up more room and they are more active, I would say having space is much more important. If you are going to be there for awhile then I would pick the bigger place. You can always add a parking spot later, but you can't add on more space to an apartment. Also, the Clyborn/Halsted location is close to shopping, but not close to parks and the zoo. Since toddlers are not much fun to take shopping I would pick being closer to all the green space near Fullerton/Diversy. There are so many parks near there and growing up on Arlington, my mom brought us to the zoo at least once a week and sometimes more. Can't beat a free zoo.

That's just my 2 cents.

natalie.no · July 2010

personally lincoln park is such a hassle, especially fullerton and diversy area. it's crowded, never any parking, and a lot more terrible when there are cubs games. i say the more west, the better. (i live in logan square). both neighborhoods have their dangers, but at least you would have parking at clybourn/halsted/north area, so you wouldn't have to park five blocks away in the middle of the night and walk back home. just my opinion

Calliopi · July 2010

We live in West Lakeview now but used to live in East Lakeview, only a few blocks from the lake and not too far from where you are looking. If you can swing it financially go for closer to the lake. Our daughter is 2 1/2 now and every day I miss having such easy access to the lake and zoo. There are also great bus routes from there to go down to Michigan Ave. and the loop. I also agree with the previous poster about space. They may start out little but as they get bigger their stuff seems to grow exponentially. I'm sure what ever you decide though, you will love living in the city. Good luck!

Steph138 · July 2010

I lived in Wrigleyville for 8 years and loved it but as far as parking in the Lincoln Park area, the farther west the better the parking. My husband used to live in the Southport/Wrightwood area and I never had a problem parking by his place. You can always walk almost anywhere, even with a stroller, and there was a great park not far away from his place. As far as parking and budget friendly as well as a few great neighborhoods you may also want to look at Lakeview, Roscoe Village, and Ravenswood. Really cute, but more budget friendly and easier parking, unless you can swing a garage spot into the deal.

Pockety · July 2010

It also depends on what else you want to do. If you're near Halstead/Clybourn, you're also not far from the L, which makes it easier to get to different areas of the city.

However, Halstead/Clybourn is still "up and coming," which means it still has a bit of a bad element to it - it basically backs up onto Cabrini Green, which was once a horrible project, and still has a couple buildings standing. There is a lot of integrated public housing in the area, which some people like and some people want to avoid. It is a personal decision.

I used to live near Lakeview and Fullerton (now live in the Gold Coast), and truly hated not being near the L, as the buses seem to take forever to get there and I was always missing the one that I wanted and had to stand outside in the cold waiting for one. Of course, this was before the days of the "bus tracker" application and iPhones...

egsquared · July 2010

I choose the one with more space. We live in Lakeview and have no parking and no space. If I could pick only one of those things to change, I'd pick the space. Yes, parking is sometimes a hassle, but I don't drive every day (maybe twice a week?), but I'm home everyday with DD. All the stuff we have for her in our small condo overwhelms me.

RedWingsFan · July 2010

I'd also go for space and location, so I'd pick the Fulleterton/Diversey location. We lived at Clark and Wrightwood for 7 years (pre-kids, but with our golden retriever), and we loved being so close to the lake/park. There are a lot of shops in that area (on Clark Street), and the Fullerton and Diversey el stops are only about a mile away, which isn't too bad. Plus, there are a TON of buses to take downtown. From Clark, you can get on the 22 or the 36, which both go downtown. You can also catch the 151 or 156 from Stockton, which also go downtown. Yeah, parking does suck in that area, especially during the summer on weekends when folks from the burbs come to the zoo, but it's doable if you aren't driving every day. Renting a spot in a garage is also a good idea (we rented a spot for like $170 a month on Deming, just east of Clark.

There are also a lot of restaurants right around there (Dunlay's Basil Leaf Cafe, Emilio's Tapas, Tarascas, My Pie Pizza, RJ Grunts, France's Deli), and you can easily walk to the shopping on Armitage between Fullerton and Webster.

We live in Edison Park now, and I would KILL to be back in our old neighborhood - there's just a ton to do. We go back quite a bit and I really think it's a great area. I also agree with the PPs that say that Clybourne/Halsted is still "in transition" - not sure I'd want to live around that area with a baby.

Good luck!

orienae · July 2010

I lived in East Lakeview and then East Lincoln Park from 2002-2008. I would pick the location by the lake. With the park, zoo, beach etc. you are going to have so many more conveniences than the other location. My best friend lives over there now and I envy the fact that she can easily cross the street and be in a beautiful park everyday while I (I now live in Andersonville) have to hoof it about 6 blocks to get to a truly nice park. Parking there is not great that is true, however if you don't plan on driving much I wouldn't worry about it, you can park on Stockton and leave the car there I wouldn't worry about a garage spot. If there is ever a time that you are in fact driving forever trying to find a space late at night you can also park in one of the numerous garages around there for the night and go street park your car the next day. As to grocery shopping, you may just find that it is easier to cab it back from the grocery store if you don't have a child/baby with you, otherwise Peapod is super popular as is Amazon grocery service. That area really is the best of city living although it is slightly congested.

madgeypadgey · July 2010

egsquared:
I choose the one with more space. We live in Lakeview and have no parking and no space. If I could pick only one of those things to change, I'd pick the space. Yes, parking is sometimes a hassle, but I don't drive every day (maybe twice a week?), but I'm home everyday with DD. All the stuff we have for her in our small condo overwhelms me.

THIS. I would choose space any day in the city. In the winters you might find yourself not even going outside for a day or two, so having that indoor space can be a lifesaver.

lisajoa · August 2010

I live in Lincoln park and it's great! Both areas are wonderful, but I always thinking parking is a great feature. I would reccomend using peapod.com for groceries. It is wonderful when you have little ones!

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