Chicago - Evanston-Chicago commute

Thinking of taking a job in Chicago (downtown - Northwestern Hospital), but may have to live in Evanston. How's the commute? Work hours would be around 7:30 am to 5 pm. Thanks.

Thinking of taking a job in Chicago (downtown - Northwestern Hospital), but may have to live in Evanston. How's the commute? Work hours would be around 7:30 am to 5 pm. Thanks.

If you're close to the purple line, your best bet would be the purple express to Belmont, transfer to the red line, take red to Chicago. Couple block walk from Chicago/State to NMH.

I'd guess you're looking at 35-45 minutes, depending on where you start in Evanston.

Out of curiousity, why "have to live in Evanston"? Potential free housing?

Thanks. No, no specific reason for Evanston. My wife will likely be working in Northbrook. Evanston just looked halfway. Any livable community will do.

Thanks. No, no specific reason for Evanston. My wife will likely be working in Northbrook.
OK, seems very reasonable, just be aware that getting to/from ORD or MDW is a very very difficult proposition. I used to live one suburb north of Evanston, and many of my friends/colleagues from that suburb would refer to Evanston as the place from which one could GET TO NOWHERE.

Good luck in your quest!!
Dave

Thanks. No, no specific reason for Evanston. My wife will likely be working in Northbrook. Evanston just looked halfway. Any livable community will do.

As for livability, you and your wife will need to sort out how urban/suburban an environment you prefer.

About "halfway", that would still be a significant commute for both persons. OTOH, if you lived in Northbrook, then you'd be left with just one commute. No matter where you live, roads at 5PM will be busy.

Either way, you both are looking at 35-50 minute commutes.

Taking the EL is your best bet; there's a Metra, but that goes to the Loop so is of little to no use for NWH.

Also, the advice of others is true -- Evanston is a great little suburb right on the lake, but it's horribly inaccessible to freeways. The only good thing is since you take sidestreets to ORD, the journey time is almost always the same; I used to allow 35 minutes (in the car). If you lived in Chicago, the ride could be 15 minutes (no traffic) or 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I lived in Evanston for 3 years in grad school. It is a nice suburb that, if you live near one of the three downtowns (particularly the two closer to Chicago), can feel nicely urban but is still definitely a suburb. But if you get too far from the lake, it turns into the hood fairly quickly.

There are good restaurants, funky independent businesses, and a decidedly hippie college town vibe at times. You will see many Subaru and Volvo wagons with alternative school bumper stickers. Think of Lindsay Lohan's parents in Mean Girls and you've about got it. Actually, Mean Girls was filmed in Evanston.

In terms of getting places, everything everyone says is true. I think Evanston intentionally leaves side streets in disrepair and mostly unplowed, and sets traffic lights to keep you from getting anywhere, to discourage traffic through Evanston.

It's not terribly hard to get to O'hare, but it will take the same 35 minutes that it would take from downtown in light to moderate traffic. You have to take a main street (like Dempster) west to 94, get off on Cicero and switch to 90 to Ohare. I tried all the routes and that was the fastest and most consistent.

Your wife's commute would involve 35 minutes or so to get to 94 and up into Northbrook, or to take Sheridan Rd/Green Bay Rd if 94 traffic is bad (which it frequently is).

Thanks everyone. We're looking for a more suburb feel, but since I'd be working downtown, I don't want a really long commute. Would living somewhere near 94, like Lincolnwood or Skokie be better?

Thanks everyone. We're looking for a more suburb feel, but since I'd be working downtown, I don't want a really long commute. Would living somewhere near 94, like Lincolnwood or Skokie be better?
IMO, yes. Western Evanston is NOT likely a place you'd want to live. There is some light industry, some housing, and some not so desirable areas.

Lincolnwood has some areas that have a bit of an Evanstonian "feel" to them, however, as it is near the city proper. Skokie is similar. Since you want to be closer to CTA transpo for NWM, I'd think you might actually consider Skokie. There is a CTA line directly into Skokie proper. The "SkokieSwift".

Good luck!
Dave

Thanks. No, no specific reason for Evanston. My wife will likely be working in Northbrook. Evanston just looked halfway. Any livable community will do.

It depends on your definition of livable, of course :)

You're coming from Madison? If so, Evanston is a good bet. It's a good mix of urban and suburban. You can actually walk places.

The problem with Lincolnwood is that it's not close to the CTA. Unless you're a doc who will get comped parking, you don't want to be driving to NMH every day (monthly parking is something like $200). Skokie has the yellow line, but most of the housing right by the station is pretty awful (just ugly old 50s buildings that don't tend to be in very good shape).

As others have stated, Evanston isn't close to the expressways, so it can be tough to get around.

You have to take a main street (like Dempster) west to 94, get off on Cicero and switch to 90 to Ohare. I tried all the routes and that was the fastest and most consistent.

I'm sorry to get off topic here, but you're off your rocker on this. The edens can be so awful between dempster and cicero that while this will work when it's quiet, when there's traffic, just that section can take 25 minutes, and then you're dumping onto the kennedy at foster.

South side of evanston, the best bet is devon/nagle. from the north side, golf/potter/dempster/tri-state usually beats out going all the way down to devon. While you may have lived in evanston and gone to ord a bunch of times, I made this trip daily for years going out to schaumburg (never again!)

Thanks everyone. We're looking for a more suburb feel, but since I'd be working downtown, I don't want a really long commute. Would living somewhere near 94, like Lincolnwood or Skokie be better?

I like Lincolnwood and think it's a great, quiet place to live, but it wouldn't help your commute to NMH. I would look into Skokie or Morton Grove; you can get to NMH easily using the EL Yellow and Red lines and your wife can go up to Northbrook by 94 or Metra's Milwaukee District-North line.

I do get free parking at NMH, so driving wouldn't be too much of an issue (if it saves me time over the El or metra - not to mention that in the winter time I wouldn't want to be walking the 5-6 blocks from the train stop to NMH).

I do get free parking at NMH, so driving wouldn't be too much of an issue (if it saves me time over the El or CTA - not to mention that in the winter time I wouldn't want to be walking the 5-6 blocks from the train stop to NMH).

Depends on your hours then. If you're doing off hours shifts, then driving will be faster than the red line, but if your work hours line up with the rush hours, the traffic can easily make the L faster.

NMH runs a shuttle between Ogilvie/Union stations:

http://www.northwestern.edu/uservices/transportation/shuttles/chicago/trainstation.html

If you can find a place close to a Metra stop this might be a better solution, since the Metra will likely be considerably faster than the CTA. I would kill myself before committing to driving between the North Shore and the North Michigan area on a daily basis.

NMH runs a shuttle between Ogilvie/Union stations:

http://www.northwestern.edu/uservices/transportation/shuttles/chicago/trainstation.html

If you can find a place close to a Metra stop this might be a better solution, since the Metra will likely be considerably faster than the CTA. I would kill myself before committing to driving between the North Shore and the North Michigan area on a daily basis.

Thanks milepig, that's really helpful. I am beginning to think the same thing as you. I've had long commutes before (I used to live in the DC area), and I don't really want to waste my life that way.

Thanks milepig, that's really helpful. I am beginning to think the same thing as you. I've had long commutes before (I used to live in the DC area), and I don't really want to waste my life that way.

I think you'll find that you end up driving half the time. With free parking you won't be able to resist. Ridge to Hollywood to Lake Shore Drive will be a breeze at 7 a.m.

Thanks milepig, that's really helpful. I am beginning to think the same thing as you. I've had long commutes before (I used to live in the DC area), and I don't really want to waste my life that way.

If Metra is an option, you might want to consider other suburbs as well: Winnetka, Wilmette, Glenview, or even Northbrook. You can live within walking distance of a Metra station, and your wife may have a bit easier commute. While I can't think of any other suburb offering an equal combination of a lively downtown and lakefront, quite a few people enjoy Glenview's proximity to major roads and amenities at The Glen (http://www.theglentowncenter.com/home_live.html). Just a thought; not meant to confuse you. :)

I lived in Evanstion and commuted to the city every day, and later commuted to Arlington Heights every day. It wasn't fun (especially the driving part), but being able to walk places was great. Not using major freeways may actually be a blessing in disguise: your commute time will be roughly the same all the time, while freeways are sometimes a crap shoot.

I do get free parking at NMH, so driving wouldn't be too much of an issue (if it saves me time over the El or metra - not to mention that in the winter time I wouldn't want to be walking the 5-6 blocks from the train stop to NMH).

I've lived in Chicagoland 16+ years and IMO you would get tired of this commute by car VERY quickly. In the winter it can be horrible.

I'd probably go with milepig's suggestion.

If Metra is an option, you might want to consider other suburbs as well: Winnetka, Wilmette, Glenview, or even Northbrook. You can live within walking distance of a Metra station, and your wife may have a bit easier commute.

+1

I used to work in the Streeterville area (that is where NMH is). As long as you are close to one of the Metra stations, there are CTA express bus lines that run from the down town train terminals (Olgilvie or Union Station) to Navy Pier. These will drop you off about 2 or 3 blocks south of the NMH campus.

The link below will allow you to select one of the bus lines and will show you the route map and schedule. The bus lines you want are 120 and 121.

http://www.transitchicago.com/riding_cta/systemguide/

Here is a link to the Metra rail site. There are 4 lines that would allow your wife to be close to Northbrook and would give you a manageable commute to downtown Chicago.

http://metrarail.com/metra/en/home.html

I think you'll find that you end up driving half the time. With free parking you won't be able to resist. Ridge to Hollywood to Lake Shore Drive will be a breeze at 7 a.m.

What if he's going in at 8 or 8:30 when it won't be a breeze?

What if he's going in at 8 or 8:30 when it won't be a breeze?

He said he'll have to be there at 7:30. Hence, my comments. @:-)

Granted, going home at 5:00 won't be a breeze, but as I said, he'll end up driving half the time. Free parking? It will be irresistible. LSD is nothing like driving on the Kennedy or Edens.

He said he'll have to be there at 7:30. Hence, my comments. @:-)

Oh, duh, first post, sorry, missed that.

Granted, going home at 5:00 won't be a breeze, but as I said, he'll end up driving half the time. Free parking? It will be irresistible. LSD is nothing like driving on the Kennedy or Edens.

LSD doesn't seem to get nearly as bad at night as it does between 8-9 in the morning. There will be backups at Fullerton and Belmont and at Hollywood due to the light, but yeah, nowhere near as bad as the expressways.

LSD doesn't seem to get nearly as bad at night as it does between 8-9 in the morning. There will be backups at Fullerton and Belmont and at Hollywood due to the light, but yeah, nowhere near as bad as the expressways.

That's good to know. I suspect the morning won't be bad, since I need to get there so early. I was worried about the afternoon, but if northbound LSD is tolerable in the afternoon, that would be great.

That's good to know. I suspect the morning won't be bad, since I need to get there so early. I was worried about the afternoon, but if northbound LSD is tolerable in the afternoon, that would be great.

Why don't you make a "virtual experiment" by looking at the traffic situations at different times of the day?

http://www.travelmidwest.com/lmiga/map.jsp?mapname=chicagoArea
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Chicago,+Cook,+Illinois&layer=t&ll=42.001346,-87.796555&spn=0.391884,0.649567&z=11

I was worried about the afternoon, but if northbound LSD is tolerable in the afternoon, that would be great.
Northbound LSD is "ok", but does back up at Hollywood. The easiest way around this is to take Sheridan north and then cut West just a bit north of the light.

You'll be fine - I do the same drive a few times a week.

Dave

That's good to know. I suspect the morning won't be bad, since I need to get there so early. I was worried about the afternoon, but if northbound LSD is tolerable in the afternoon, that would be great.

To partially quote Mayor Daley, however, "never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever," drive on a day when the Cubs have a night game. :D LSD is a parking lot from Grant Park through Irving Park until after 7 p.m.

To partially quote Mayor Daley, however, "never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever," drive on a day when the Cubs have a night game. :D LSD is a parking lot from Grant Park through Irving Park until after 7 p.m.

If you're able to leave at 5 pm on the dot, LSD shouldn't be too bad. (I live just north of Belmont and drove or bused to/from downtown for 15 years.) Stay in the left-most lanes. I think Cubs-related traffic is the worst starting at about 5:45.

Can tell the non locals here-- there are no "freeways" in Chicago, only "highways"

Can tell the non locals here-- there are no "freeways" in Chicago, only "highways"

Actually we call the "expressways."

Isn't "freeway" mainly a California thing?

Isn't "freeway" mainly a California thing?

freeway in MN (where I grew up), I adapted to expressway ;)

That's good to know. I suspect the morning won't be bad, since I need to get there so early. I was worried about the afternoon, but if northbound LSD is tolerable in the afternoon, that would be great.

One thing to be aware of, if you decide to drive in on a really cold day, a lot of other people will have made the same decision. I've often seen traffic be quite a bit worse on cold days (and no snow/ice to cause it due to bad roads, just more people).

Current Evanston resident here (at least, until June). If you're working at Northwestern Hospital, you might be able to take the NU intercampus shuttle bus from Sheridan Road (and the big parking lots at Ryan Field) to the downtown campus.

I did a similar commute this summer to River North, and I took the Purple express to Merchandise Mart, but the hospital is significantly further East so the bus is a better option as long as your job covers it. If you have a Northwestern employee ID card, you should be fine.

Finally, re: quality of life in Evanston. The relationship between the university and the city is really, really, bad, a function of the school not having to pay any property taxes on its bundle of valuable lakefront real estate. Rents are really high in the "nicer" part of Evanston near campus, and there are constantly issues between students partying and residents trying to live in peace (despite the fact that NU isn't a party school compared to anywhere else in the Big Ten). Check out this article: http://gawker.com/5664243/epic-rager-at-northwestern-u-drunks-hollering-about-bljbs-frighten-children. Ridiculous, on so many different levels.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about the area, too.

Before I get started on this, disclaimer, I'm an NU alum, former NU employee, and was an Evanston resident for 10 years not counting my 4 as a student.

The relationship between the university and the city is really, really, bad, a function of the school not having to pay any property taxes on its bundle of valuable lakefront real estate.

To be clear on this, that's the relationship between the city council/government and the university. IME, most residents don't really care all that much (and a good number of them are tied in some way to the university, either as employees or alums). Obviously, those living really close like in the article below would be an exception to that.

History note: Northwestern has been there longer than Evanston (1851 vs 1855) and has that property tax exemption in its charter (that is, state law). The Evanston city council routinely uses that exemption as a red herring whenever they have problems balancing their budget and need to raise taxes (look over there! they're not paying taxes! it's their fault yours have to be raised, not that we can't control our spending!). This isn't a recent thing. I found a news record once of this same thing happening in the 1870s. That's right, the city has been using this excuse for at least 130 years. Northwestern also generally pays for the city services it uses (has own police, pays for fire service, pays for water/sewer, etc).

Rents are really high in the "nicer" part of Evanston near campus

It's not just near campus that's nice. Most of the area between the L and the Lake is nice, as are scattered other areas like Central Street.

and there are constantly issues between students partying and residents trying to live in peace (despite the fact that NU isn't a party school compared to anywhere else in the Big Ten). Check out this article: http://gawker.com/5664243/epic-rager-at-northwestern-u-drunks-hollering-about-bljbs-frighten-children. Ridiculous, on so many different levels.

That party thing seems odd to me. Was a random home game (homecoming was a couple weeks later, family weekend was one week prior), was a loss, so the exuberance level should have been down some. I guess it was only 3 weeks into the year, so probably another week until midterms rolled around. If it'd just been near the game, etc, I'd happily blame the Purdue fans, but it sounds like it was the houses near Maple/Foster. That's been a weird spot for years. Split neighborhood, bunch of houses rented to students, the rest residents, those off campus spots tend to get more parties, since campus is pretty heavily regulated.

Can tell the non locals here-- there are no "freeways" in Chicago, only "highways"

Actually we call the "expressways."

Actually in my experience they are quite the opposite - more like "crawlways" or "parkingways" :D

Actually in my experience they are quite the opposite - more like "crawlways" or "parkingways" :D

Hey now. They're just fine...

At 3 AM Sunday morning.

Hey now. They're just fine...

At 3 AM Sunday morning.

lol, isn't that true....

Before I get started on this, disclaimer, I'm an NU alum, former NU employee, and was an Evanston resident for 10 years not counting my 4 as a student.

To be clear on this, that's the relationship between the city council/government and the university. IME, most residents don't really care all that much (and a good number of them are tied in some way to the university, either as employees or alums). Obviously, those living really close like in the article below would be an exception to that.

History note: Northwestern has been there longer than Evanston (1851 vs 1855) and has that property tax exemption in its charter (that is, state law). The Evanston city council routinely uses that exemption as a red herring whenever they have problems balancing their budget and need to raise taxes (look over there! they're not paying taxes! it's their fault yours have to be raised, not that we can't control our spending!). This isn't a recent thing. I found a news record once of this same thing happening in the 1870s. That's right, the city has been using this excuse for at least 130 years. Northwestern also generally pays for the city services it uses (has own police, pays for fire service, pays for water/sewer, etc).

It's not just near campus that's nice. Most of the area between the L and the Lake is nice, as are scattered other areas like Central Street.

That party thing seems odd to me. Was a random home game (homecoming was a couple weeks later, family weekend was one week prior), was a loss, so the exuberance level should have been down some. I guess it was only 3 weeks into the year, so probably another week until midterms rolled around. If it'd just been near the game, etc, I'd happily blame the Purdue fans, but it sounds like it was the houses near Maple/Foster. That's been a weird spot for years. Split neighborhood, bunch of houses rented to students, the rest residents, those off campus spots tend to get more parties, since campus is pretty heavily regulated.

I'm a NU senior, and you're pretty much spot-on. Most residents (especially in the "student ghetto" between Ridge and Sheridan) understand this, they know that they're moving into a college neighborhood, and they recognize that if they lived near campus in a place like East Lansing or Madison things would be much, much rowdier. Northwestern employs more police than the city itself, and actually funds a "party car" operated by EPD to patrol the student areas on weekend nights. Things are changing, slowly, with university president Shapiro a lot more open to wet status for fraternities on campus because he recognizes that it's bad PR/neighborhood relations for drunk students to be causing a ruckus in the streets around campus.

This was in the news again this week, with Evanston threatening to begin enforcing a decades-long "brothel" ordinance (actually, had nothing to do with brothels ever, but NU took the moniker and ran with it) that prohibits more than 3 unrelated people from living together. See: http://www.dailynorthwestern.com/updated-evanston-backs-down-on-brothel-law-1.2448459 Enough bad press made them back down, but the law remains on the books, and it's believed that the university agreed to think more about bringing social life back on campus when they talked to the city government about this.

I was referring to the "nicer" area as the part where students live, even though most of the houses and apartments that students rent are anything but nice...converted sun porches as bedrooms, people living illegally in basements, etc. There are certainly some families who have been there for a while and have really nice houses, but the whole area is kind of a zoo. Back to the topic of this thread, if the OP is looking to move to Evanston I'd recommend more "downtown" - the new condo buildings are pretty nice and not a bad deal with the weakened real estate market, and there's a lot less competition for housing once you get a bit further from campus because students aren't as willing to make the trek to their classes, so rents are way lower.

I agree with some of the other posts saying to look at other north shore communities like Wilmette, Winnetka, etc. Evanston is an easier commute to NMH, but the Metra is pretty good from points north as well.

Northwestern employs more police than the city itself

Sorry, but this is not true. Evanston has 165 sworn officers. I can't find a sworn number for UP, could only find 93 for all divisions, but that's including parking enforcement, which I don't think are sworn officers (they're not even part of the police in Evanston).

Things are changing, slowly, with university president Shapiro a lot more open to wet status for fraternities on campus because he recognizes that it's bad PR/neighborhood relations for drunk students to be causing a ruckus in the streets around campus.

The trend toward pushing the partying off campus goes back to the early 90's (just before I started) when there was a rash of people getting drunk and falling out of 3rd/4th floor windows (it was 3 or 4 people, 2 died within a year or so). Hell, back in the late 80's, there was a bar in Norris. Those days are long gone. It's probably wise to reverse the current trend that has pushed so much of the raucous behavior off campus into the surrounding neighborhoods.

I was referring to the "nicer" area as the part where students live, even though most of the houses and apartments that students rent are anything but nice...converted sun porches as bedrooms, people living illegally in basements, etc.

My personal favorite is the formal dining room with french doors to the living room converted to a bedroom. Two different places I lived in had that one.

So, I would like to bump this thread with some updates. I'm about 6 mo from moving to chicago and we're still trying to figure this thing out. We've decided against Evanston, now we're thinking Sauganash, Lincolnwood or Skokie. With metra, it seems to take about 45 min to 1 hr to make the trip. How long is the drive from these areas? Again, need to be at Northwestern Hospital at 7:30 am and I get done with work at around 5 pm. Thanks.

For me, to commute by car into the city every day would be hellish.

Traffic, ice, snow, rain, stress. Not to mention the cost of gas, parking, depreciation, insurance...

You can get work done on the Metra, too, or just do your recreational/newspaper reading.

However, obviously a lot of people disagree, based on the traffic.

Interestingly, of all the choices, Evanston was going to be the easiest, least expensive commute. Sauganash is a lovely area but there is no way to get anywhere from there. :) (My choice would be Evanston and the L.) You're going to have to bookmark travelmidwest.com and watch the roads. I've got it on my iPhone and it's a godsend.

The drive from any of them probably won't be too bad in the early a.m., but nightmarish at 5:00.

Hopefully, someone who has lived in those areas will post and help you out.

In those areas, you'd be on the expressways. Coming in early, you'd mostly be fine, Kennedy to Ohio to St Clair or something depending on where your parking is. You're talking early enough that it won't be too awful.

OTOH, going home at 5 would be terrible. A couple times a month, I end up driving to Skokie around that time (from Lakeview on the north side) and the traffic is almost always terrible.

Look into the Metra options (someone upthread mentioned that NMH has its own shuttle from Ogilvie/Union, oh, google found it easily http://www.northwestern.edu/uservices/transportation/shuttles/chicago/trainstation.html), like toomanybooks says, at least on Metra you can read or work or do something beyond agonizing over the traffic.

So, I would like to bump this thread with some updates. I'm about 6 mo from moving to chicago and we're still trying to figure this thing out. We've decided against Evanston, now we're thinking Sauganash, Lincolnwood or Skokie. With metra, it seems to take about 45 min to 1 hr to make the trip. How long is the drive from these areas? Again, need to be at Northwestern Hospital at 7:30 am and I get done with work at around 5 pm. Thanks.

Huh? Metra to downtown from Evanston is 20 minutes. El to downtown from Evanston is about an hour.

It's not too too difficult to take the el from the Metra station downtown. It would involve about a 5 block walk, however. But I bet that NMH has a shuttle of some sort.

Driving from Evanston to NMH and back sounds like hell.

Driving from Evanston to NMH and back sounds like hell.

The post you responded to said they weren't doing Evanston...

Huh? Metra to downtown from Evanston is 20 minutes. El to downtown from Evanston is about an hour.

It's not too too difficult to take the el from the Metra station downtown. It would involve about a 5 block walk, however. But I bet that NMH has a shuttle of some sort.

Driving from Evanston to NMH and back sounds like hell.

Reread his post...Evanston is no longer under consideration.

So, I would like to bump this thread with some updates. I'm about 6 mo from moving to chicago and we're still trying to figure this thing out. We've decided against Evanston, now we're thinking Sauganash, Lincolnwood or Skokie. With metra, it seems to take about 45 min to 1 hr to make the trip. How long is the drive from these areas? Again, need to be at Northwestern Hospital at 7:30 am and I get done with work at around 5 pm. Thanks.

Driving from the city to either Skokie or Lincolnwood around 5pm will be a nightmare, and that's just in the Summer. I would totally consider L to/from Skokie: Skokie Swift and Purple Line Express should not take longer than 40 min or so.

Thanks for the input. This seems like an unwinnable situation for me (still trying to convince mrs. mlbcard to find a job in the city). I figure with the metra and the shuttle from union station to NMH, it'll take about an hour each way. Is that on par with driving to sauganash, lincolnwood or skokie, or a little longer?

Thanks for the input. This seems like an unwinnable situation for me (still trying to convince mrs. mlbcard to find a job in the city). I figure with the metra and the shuttle from union station to NMH, it'll take about an hour each way. Is that on par with driving to sauganash, lincolnwood or skokie, or a little longer?

Probably a wash most days, less than an hour in the morning, but well more at night. There will be some days (usually weather related) where it will be simply appalling how bad the traffic can be.

Why is the Mrs tied to northbrook? available transfer at current company?

Probably a wash most days, less than an hour in the morning, but well more at night. There will be some days (usually weather related) where it will be simply appalling how bad the traffic can be.

Why is the Mrs tied to northbrook? available transfer at current company?

No, but her dream job is there with a position available.

Come visit, rent a car, and try the commute a couple times when you'd be driving to see what you think.

In snow/ice it is really really bad, IMO. Accidents to get around, delays, stress...

Then try the Metra/shuttle.

No, but her dream job is there with a position available.

Have you considered Glenview? Pretty close to Northbrook, and there are nice housing developments close to Metra and Tri-State (I-294), although the actual train ride is closer to 45 min, as compared to 25 min from Evanston.

Thanks for the input. This seems like an unwinnable situation for me (still trying to convince mrs. mlbcard to find a job in the city). I figure with the metra and the shuttle from union station to NMH, it'll take about an hour each way. Is that on par with driving to sauganash, lincolnwood or skokie, or a little longer?

I used to do consulting for NMH about 20 years ago and I am very familiar with the commute. There are 2 different bus options from the train stations to NMH. One is the NMH shuttle. The other is the 120/121 busses run by the CTA. The NMH shuttle will take you directly to the Med Center campus and the CTA drops you off about 2 or 3 blocks south of the campus. In either case you have to allow 20 or 30 minutes to get from the train stations to your office.

If you choose to live in the Sauganash area, there is a train stop in Edgebrook (Devon and Central). That would take you about an hour to get to NMH.

If you choose Skokie, you can take the CTA from Skokie to Howard Street and then take the CTA to Chicago & State. That is about a 5 block walk to NMH. From Skokie you can also take the train from Morton Grove to Union Station as well (the same line that goes to Edgebrook, just the next stop north).

Personally, I would also look at other suburbs along the other commuter rail lines. There are a lot of very nice communities having excellent school systems that are a suprisingly short communute on the train from downtown.

In any event, I would avoid driving at all costs.

Personally, I would also look at other suburbs along the other commuter rail lines. There are a lot of very nice communities having excellent school systems that are a suprisingly short communute on the train from downtown.

In any event, I would avoid driving at all costs.

Can you let me know which other suburbs you're thinking of? Thanks.

I used to do consulting for NMH about 20 years ago and I am very familiar with the commute. There are 2 different bus options from the train stations to NMH. One is the NMH shuttle. The other is the 120/121 busses run by the CTA. The NMH shuttle will take you directly to the Med Center campus and the CTA drops you off about 2 or 3 blocks south of the campus. In either case you have to allow 20 or 30 minutes to get from the train stations to your office.

If you choose to live in the Sauganash area, there is a train stop in Edgebrook (Devon and Central). That would take you about an hour to get to NMH.

If you choose Skokie, you can take the CTA from Skokie to Howard Street and then take the CTA to Chicago & State. That is about a 5 block walk to NMH. From Skokie you can also take the train from Morton Grove to Union Station as well (the same line that goes to Edgebrook, just the next stop north).

Personally, I would also look at other suburbs along the other commuter rail lines. There are a lot of very nice communities having excellent school systems that are a suprisingly short communute on the train from downtown.

In any event, I would avoid driving at all costs.

I wonder why the op has rejected living closer to NMH? There are neighborhoods as nice as Skokie, Evanston and Lincolnwood and the commute would be measured in minutes.

Reread his post...Evanston is no longer under consideration.

I understand - I'd like to know why.

For dual commutes to NMH and Northbrook, Evanston isn't bad. Multiple train options to the city and a not-horrible drive to Northbrook.

Of course, Glenview, Skokie, Wilmette, etc are probably easier to get to Northbrook and not too much longer by train. I'd say Glenview and Wilmette are nicer by a long shot than Skokie, but Evanston is nicer than any of them. It has a nice faux-city feel.

Can you let me know which other suburbs you're thinking of? Thanks.

Basically any place near one of the Metra stations on the Union Pacific North line, Milwaukee District North line, North Central Service, or the Union Pacific Northwest line.

http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map.html

I live near the Mount Prospect station on the UP NW line and I can get downtown in less than 40 minutes on one of the express trains. I don't know if the NW line would be good for your wife's commute to Northbrook. I can get to the Lake-Cook Rd exit on I-294 in 20-25 minutes in rush hour traffic.

Basically any place near one of the Metra stations on the Union Pacific North line, Milwaukee District North line, North Central Service, or the Union Pacific Northwest line.

http://metrarail.com/content/metra/en/home/maps_schedules/metra_system_map.html

Just a note of caution that North Central does not operate on weekends.

I understand - I'd like to know why.

For dual commutes to NMH and Northbrook, Evanston isn't bad. Multiple train options to the city and a not-horrible drive to Northbrook.

Of course, Glenview, Skokie, Wilmette, etc are probably easier to get to Northbrook and not too much longer by train. I'd say Glenview and Wilmette are nicer by a long shot than Skokie, but Evanston is nicer than any of them. It has a nice faux-city feel.

My rationale remains that it's not smart to commit both people to a commute. Let one person live close to work and the other commute by train. The person who lives close can be home in minutes and then tend to things like after-work errands, getting dinner started, walking the dog, whatever, while the person with the long commute can get home later but not have to worry about chores.

Thanks for the help everyone. I finally got a chance to make it to Chicago and tour the areas I was considering, including doing the commute. If the mrs can't find a job in the city, I've decided that train/nmh shuttle or CTA from Evanston are the only ways to go (and after driving around Evanston and Wilmette, I've decided to add it back in - as long as I stay away from Howard St). There will be a few days that I'll have to work strange hours, but then the traffic won't be so bad, so I should be handle to the commute then. I won't enjoy the hour-long commute each way, but at least I'll be able to get some work done.

Thanks for the help everyone. I finally got a chance to make it to Chicago and tour the areas I was considering, including doing the commute. If the mrs can't find a job in the city, I've decided that train/nmh shuttle or CTA from Evanston are the only ways to go (and after driving around Evanston and Wilmette, I've decided to add it back in - as long as I stay away from Howard St). There will be a few days that I'll have to work strange hours, but then the traffic won't be so bad, so I should be handle to the commute then. I won't enjoy the hour-long commute each way, but at least I'll be able to get some work done.

Congrats! Wilmette and Evanston are great places to live in. Purple Line Express is not bad, and if you get on board inbound train at or north of the Davis St. stop, you will have a nice, comfortable seat to work or read a book. :)

Thanks for the help everyone. I finally got a chance to make it to Chicago and tour the areas I was considering, including doing the commute. If the mrs can't find a job in the city, I've decided that train/nmh shuttle or CTA from Evanston are the only ways to go (and after driving around Evanston and Wilmette, I've decided to add it back in - as long as I stay away from Howard St). There will be a few days that I'll have to work strange hours, but then the traffic won't be so bad, so I should be handle to the commute then. I won't enjoy the hour-long commute each way, but at least I'll be able to get some work done.

I think you will like our city and its environs. There is a lot to do.

Post back if you need anything.

Gotta correct my post - I meant that I'll be considering Evanston and Wilmette in addition to Sauganash/Lincolnwood/Edgebrook... either way, the train will be the way to go. btw, how's downtown Evanston. I liked it, but I was wondering if it is more geared toward college kids.

btw, how's downtown Evanston. I liked it, but I was wondering if it is more geared toward college kids.

It's a pretty good mix. There are plenty of NU-oriented things, but also plenty of stuff aimed older. NU's undergrad population is about 8k, city population is about 75k, so it's hardly like a rural college town where everything is aimed toward students.

Gotta correct my post - I meant that I'll be considering Evanston and Wilmette in addition to Sauganash/Lincolnwood/Edgebrook... either way, the train will be the way to go. btw, how's downtown Evanston. I liked it, but I was wondering if it is more geared toward college kids.

It also depends which downtown - Evanston has a few. The main one, near Davis St at Orrington, is nice. There's a lot of spillover from NU but also a bunch of nice restaurants and a mix of bars that skew to the college-y.

The strip along Main St is quieter and smaller.

The strip along Central Av is very suburban-feeling.