Due to a number of factors, my husband & I will most likely be relocating to Chicago early this fall. While I'm currently commuting there for my consulting work, I'm not all that familiar with the various neighborhoods (given that I pretty much just go to work or sleep while I'm in town). Thus, I'm asking for y'all's advice on neighborhoods to consider in which to set up permanent residence.

Here's a quick summary of what we're looking for (we'd be moving from a 90 acre coastside ranch to Chicago, so we know we have to change our standards a bit):

- We will be renting, not buying so need a neighborhood where there's a fair amount of rental properties to choose from
- Prefer to be able to rent a single family home, as we have two large dogs that are not the best fit for an apartment setting
- Want a "real" neighborhood with shops and restaurants within walking distance, trees and such and not smack in the middle of high rises
- Ideally an easy commute via public transit to Hyde Park (which to a Bay Area native, easy means an hour or less travel time)
- Prefer to spend $2000 or less per month on rent (as one motivation for the move is to reduce our cost of living expenses a fair amount from Bay Area prices)
- Quiet is key. I'd have a hard time transitioning from the utter silence of farm life to noisy college age neighbors/busy streets.
- Not as upscale/yuppie as Lincoln Park (which is where I have an apartment now, which is nice, but a bit too bland for my taste), prefer something a bit more diverse

Since I'll continue my consulting work at U of C Hospitals after we move, the Hyde Park and Kenwood neighborhoods are at the top of our list (not just for convenience, but I very much like the general vibe of these areas). I'd greatly appreciate any of your suggestions on other neighborhoods (or even suburbs) to check out. I'd love to hear where you locals live and/or neighborhoods that you've always thought were "livable."