Amazonia, good luck on your impending move to Chicago!

I live in Lakeview (on the north side, north of Lincoln Park), so I'm speaking from my own personal experience. I can't tell you if it's right for you, but I wanted to give you an option and idea.

If you head a further north and/or west of Wrigley Field (into neighborhoods called North Center, Lincoln Square, Uptown or West Lakeview) you'll find:

* Actual neighborhoods that have shops and restaurants (which aren't all chains);

* Some ethnic diversity (albiet no where near as diverse as Hyde Park, but virtually no neighborhood is);

* Single family homes, 2-6 flats, and very few high-rises;

* Far fewer yuppie/just-out-of-college kids like there are in Lincoln Park (though a fair number of young couples pushing strollers);

* A lot of trees.

If you go to www.transitchicago.com you can plug in a few hypothetical addresses and see how quickly you could get to Hyde Park. I initially didn't reply because I was skeptical that you'd be able to get there within an hour from the north side, but was surprised to find it was possible. (I'm not originally from Chicago, and having lived in cities with superior public transporation, I'm not always a fan of Chicago bus and rail system.) If you did chose to drive/car pool, you may already know that Hyde Park is a fast commute from Lakeview/etc. via Lake Shore Dr.