fastflyer

The neighborhood I was thinking of is Archer Heights. There are several other options also west of Western. Another advantage of the Southwest Side is proximity to Midway airport.

I would estimate that the 55/ Garfield bus takes about 30 minutes from Archer Heights to Hyde Park.

toomanybooks

And that same bus goes to/from MDW from (I think) the Museum of Science and Industry. Anyway, close to there.

Takes almost an hour IIRC, with many many stops over a very bumpy road, through some unappetizing neighborhoods.

It is a cheap way to get to HP from MDW. Taxis are maybe $15-18 (it's been a while for me).

Big Mo

I second the Bridgeport rec. It's the neighborhood that best matches your specs, IMO. I ride my bike from Bridgeport to Hyde Park on a regular basis.

bdesmond

The run from downtown to Hyde Park on the #6 is pretty straight forward & comfortable. They use the really new buses (with the pivoting center) and it gets on the drive at the museum campus and cruises down to 47th & Lake Park before it starts stopping again.

bdesmond

It's actually a great palce ot make a real estate investment in terms of the townhosues in the "mixed income" area as the city calls it. Most of the projects are gone and the neighborhood has improved significantly. I've spent my share of time at most of the schools in that area and seen it change the past few years.

ILuvParis

I took the Brown Line home from Wrigley Field yesterday (to the Pink line) and was just amazed by this area. It is definitely booming (and no longer because of drive by shootings). There are beautiful new townhomes across the street from boarded up high rise projects quickly being torn down. It seems to be the area (along with the West and South Loop).

paytonc

Hey, books, I resemble(d) those hunched-over undergrads!

Caveat: my own tastes may lean more towards the gritty and urban than yours. Always, always tour around any neighborhood you're looking to move to before committing; besides, it's a great way to find "For Rent" signs.

I'd third Bridgeport, if you can't afford Kenwood. The Red Line to #55 bus (or maybe the 35th St. bus to Cottage Grove bus) works better for the Hospitals employee, since they're are a good mile west of the Metra Electric and #6. It's largely single family and inexpensive, there's old-fashioned retail (e.g., diners, not Starbux), it's safe, and it's got a dynamic ethnic mix with Chinese grocers, Mexican ice cream carts, etc. If you do have young kids, Perspectives Charter and National Teachers Academy recently opened for K-8, ~1 mile north of Bridgeport. One issue: you won't find much Bridgeport housing in the usual venues, since places often go by word of mouth or in very local newspapers. And if Midway access matters, it's just off the Orange Line.

(Bridgeport has gentrified enough to merit a NY Times mention; it's a "new" option since the time when I was a trudging undergrad. I recently noted to a friend of mine who lives in Hyde Park that it must be quite strange to have the city's avant-garde art scene three miles, not thirteen miles, from the university!)

Kenwood has huge and beautiful old houses, but I doubt much is available for rent and the retail's a bit remote. North of Kenwood is Bronzeville, which is gentrifying spectacularly quickly but has almost no retail.

Pullman's a quick commute from Hyde Park and it's cheap, with gorgeous houses, but there's nothing to do once you're there.

If you're the sort who's good about being on time, take a look at this:
http://www.uchospitals.edu/pdf/uch_003496.pdf
CTA runs a rush-hour express bus between the downtown commuter-rail stations and the hospital complex. That theoretically opens up the west/northwest/north suburbs, like Oak Park (and neighbors Berwyn, Forest Park, and River Forest) or some of the north/northwest side neighborhoods along the commuter rails, like Ravenswood (North Center), Old Irving, and Mayfair (Jefferson Park). The north/northwest 'burbs are probably both too far and too expensive, and I suspect the same is true of Ravenswood.

One inherent tension among your criteria: most areas with shops and restaurants within walking distance (1/4-1/2 mi.) don't have cheap single-family houses. Maybe it's because those shops become a desirable amenity that drive up housing prices; or maybe shops need lots of shoppers and thus higher density, but regardless, it's an unlikely combination.

Hayden

I was visiting the U of C two years ago in July, and was reminded again of the level of studiousness there, assuming that (more tan) = (less studying), and vice versa--even in sunny mid-July (prime grad student time), I was hard-pressed to see more than a couple students with any visible signs of exposure to the sun. Good news--perhaps a future low incidence of skin cancer among U of C grad students!

There was a story around that time in one of the papers about the remarkable changes in Bronzeville--particularly older houses on one of the boulevards being renovated. I regret I don't recall the name of the street, though.

Good news about Bridgeport, too--perhaps Chicago's legendary neighborhood segregation (not to mention firebombings, closed housing markets, etc.), with enough time and neighborhood change, will become a thing of the past. I agree with toomanybooks' earlier comment, that one can find a sort of...evangelical cosmopolitanism in some of the places mentioned earlier, such as Hyde Park and Oak Park. Perhaps this is because in the context of Chicago, a decision to live somewhere like Hyde Park had meaning and could contrast starkly with a decision to live in other neighborhoods, as it could be understood that the person had a different view on race and class relations, for example. As new people who don't have those historical memories move into neighborhoods, and as time passes and memories fade, perhaps we can hope to see a continued loosening of these meanings within all of the city's neighborhoods.

-Hayden

Amazonia

Many, many thanks to all of you on your wonderful recommendations. We've pretty much made the decision to leave CA, the timing just pending an interview I'm hoping to score with a firm based in Chicago that I'm crossing my fingers would include paid relocation. Next weekend we'll drive about and check out the areas you've all mentioned thus far.

One other question: anyone have any recommendations on rental agents? Or, is it best in Chicago to go on one's own (via Craigslist, etc.)? It's been many, many years since I've had to look for new digs, so I'm not sure what's the best way to go about it these days.

cybermud

I just finished helping my girlfriend find an apartment (she is moving from the west loop to bridgeport) and we used craigslist and the chicago reader. A lot of agents will advertise there as well as one-off's. I would say work with agents, but don't be exclusive to them. You can search the reader online at www.chicagoreader.com.

cybermud

Big Mo

Re. Bridgeport, as mentioned, the normal outlets often are not helpful. Your best bet is to pick up the neighborhood newspaper (the Bridgeport News) when you're in town and check the real estate listings therein.

FlyByMike

Look at craiglist and the chicago reader, but I would also stop by Apartment People and see what they have listed and they will drive you around. It's all free. I used them a couple times a few years ago.