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.