Best Hostel In Chicago: Freehand Chicago
Set in stunning Streeterville is Freehand Chicago our pick for the best hostel in Chicago. This charming hostel is built in a classic 1920s building and comes complete with stylish décor. It has a cocktail bar, a fitness centre, and on-site laundry facilities. They even provide linens, blankets and plush towels to guests.
Chicago is a vast and expansive city.
It is the largest city in the Midwest and is a central hub for arts and entertainment, music, food, and culture.
Located on the shores of massive Lake Michigan, Chicago is home to a city population of nearly 3 million, with almost 10 million people living in the metropolitan area. To put this in perspective, New York City and Los Angeles are the only American cities bigger than Chicago.
Chicago is made up of more than 200 neighbourhoods. Spread across 77 community areas and six districts, each neighbourhood has its own unique activities, attractions, populations and history.
This guide will break down Chicagos best neighbourhood by interest.
Beginning, of course, with Chicagos most famous neighbourhood: Downtown/The Loop. Located at the centre of the city, this part of Chicago is bursting with history and culture, landmarks, restaurants and bars.
North of Downtown are Streeterville and River North. Two of the citys trendiest neighbourhoods, both are great spots for sampling infamous Chicago foods and enjoying exciting nights on the town.
Hyde Park Known For Its History And Famous Residents
Historical sitesand landmarks are common here, so dont worry about not having enough cultureto experience. Here is the University of Chicago home, which means you can seemany young people around the neighborhood. This university has given manyfamous scientists and professionals who were worthy of the Nobel Prize. One ofthose laureates, and with no doubt one of the most popular previous localresidents, is the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. HydeParks amenities are very diverse, and so are the current resident ethnicities.Besides rich history, there are plentyof places to visit and have fun on your day off, such as shops and bars.This part of town has a little something for everybody, making it so popular,yet the housing prices are below average.
Safest Neighborhoods In Chicago
Ranked the third largest city in the United States, Chicago is home to 2.7 million residents. This city is rich in history and a true melting pot. Theres something for everyone in Chicago, whether youre a sports fanatic, nature lover, foodie, or connoisseur of music and the arts. But, is Chicago a safe place to live? When you choose a large city, there may be high crime rates. However, like any city, there are safe parts and unsafe areas of Chicago.
Moving can feel overwhelming and if youre moving to a metropolis like Chicago, theres a lot to consider. With 77 Chicago neighborhoods to choose from, finding the area thats right for you might seem impossible. An easy way to narrow the options is safety, which is surely at the top of your list. This safe Chicago neighborhoods guide will help you and your family choose the best area so you can rest assured youve made a good decision.
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Remember The 100 Days Of Summer
Summer is when everyone comes out of hibernation in full force. Festival season means theres a cultural excuse to party every weekend. With more than 150 events in total, almost every neighborhood puts on a local street fair celebrating their heritage, food and music scene. From the Randolph Street Market to Greekfest, Chicagoans love any excuse to be outside, drink and explore a new neighborhood.
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Chicago Commuting And Transportation
When youre deciding where to live in Chicago,commuting time and access to transit can be a major factor. Depending on whereyou live, commuting to downtown and other areas takes a little forethought inorder to avoid spending precious time sitting in congestion. To help keep yourbearings, keep in mind that Lake Michigan is always toward the east when yourein Chicago.
While Best Places cites the average commute as under 35 minutes, this will vary widely based on where you work and live. Thankfully, there are several ways to get around sans car including the elevated trains, subway, biking, or walking. In fact, our Chicago Transit Authority operates the nations second largest public transit system. Youll need these Chicago transit maps and details on fares and passes.
Heres a quick snapshot on Chicago transitfrom the CTA:
- Serves thecity plus 35 suburbs in the six-county Chicago metro area
- More than 1.6million rides a day
- Nearly 1,500rail cars operate eight routes and 224 miles of track
- Over 1,800buses operate 129 routes covering 1,536 route miles
- Provides railservice to both Chicago airports
- 24-hourservice on some routes and night owl service on others
If you like biking, youll appreciatethe fact that Chicago has the second-highest percentage of commuters riding bikesto work. Here are some fun facts from Chicago.gov on what makes Chicago abiking city:
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North Center Quiet Go
This is a peacefuland easy-going area. Whether youre renting or buying, there are enough optionshere, but they are above average regarding prices. However, the neighborhood isworth it, with its vibrant Lincoln Avenue and a few pretty parks. Walkingaround can be even better than usual when you count in that theres the longest pedestrian bridge inthe city close by.
The Best Areas To Stay In Chicago
Skyscrapers in the Lake Shore East neighborhood overlook the Bean and Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park in the adjacent Loop neighborhood. DuSable Harbor and Lake Michigan are in the background.
One of the great American cities, Chicago is known for jazz music, Prohibition-era gangsters, their signature deep-dish pizza, and pioneering architecture seriously, if you do nothing else here, take the Architecture Cruise. The city is crammed with fabulous places to stay, from the most luxurious five-stars to hip hostels. Most options lie in the city center, but more choices are springing up in Chicagos dynamic outer neighborhoods.
Most of the Windy Citys biggest attractions are in or close to The Loop, the downtown area roughly bounded by the central loop of the L Train and the shore of Lake Michigan. Today, much of Downtowns commercial activity and some of the best restaurants and bars in the city have spread beyond the Loop to adjacent districts: South Loop, West Loop, and the famous shopping strip of Magnificent Mile, which separates the River North and Streeterville districts. This barely scratches the surface, however Chicago sprawls for well over 25 miles in all directions from here, a patchwork of neighborhoods and suburban communities dubbed Chicagoland. .
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Best Chicago Suburbs 2021
by Andre Kazimierski | Oct 25, 2021
Considering a move to the suburbs of Chicago? Heres the essential list of the best suburbs in Chicago of 2021 to help you find the perfect suburb to live in the greater Chicagoland metropolitan area.
As a precursor, we focused on medium to larger-sized Chicago suburbs that are within driving distance to downtown Chicago, Illinois. Additionally, this suburban Chicago neighborhood list factors in family-friendliness, population growth, safety, household income, affordability, and access to amenities.
Lastly, if your Chicago area city didnt make the list this year, look out for your neighborhood in future updates. Accordingly, this list will continue to be updated each year as Chicagoland suburbs grow and change. For easy reference, you can use this Chicago Suburbs Map to view all of the cities below.
Without further ado, lets dive into our best Chicago suburbs list for 2021!
Things To Do In Lake View
Spend an afternoon at Wrigley Field watching the Chicago Cubs take on MLB rivals like the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers. Watch independent films and classic movies at the gorgeous Art Deco Music Box Theatre. Visit Sidetrackone of the best gay bars in Chicagofor Musical Mondays, TRL Tuesdays, and incredible dance parties. See musical acts like Betty Who, Lord Huron, and The Dandy Warhols at indie music venue Metro. Dig into classic Italian dishes like Ricotta Gnocchi or Pasta Pomodoro at old-world joint Angelina Ristorante. Bring your own bottle of wine and enjoy signature maki like Atlantic Monkey, Fire Dragon, and Grisly Godzilla at sushi restaurant Tanuki. Try a craft beer from a featured local Chicago brewery at Sheffields Beer & Wine Garden. Or get a round of shots while watching open mic nights at dive bar favorite Town Hall Pub.
Home Price: $508,008 median purchase price $1,508 median monthly rentCrime Rate: Safer than 75% of Illinois cities
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Bucktown & Wicker Park
Known for its indie-artist vibes, entrepreneurial spirit, and buzzing six corners intersection, the Bucktown-Wicker Park neighborhood stands as one of Chicagos hippest destinations. Milwaukee and North Avenues are go-tos for resale and record shopping alongside other eclectic finds , while Damen Avenue and Division Street abound with upscale boutiques and award-winning restaurants.
Where to stay: The Robey is a favorite for its industrial-chic design and prized location . Check in, then check out any of the propertys common areas, including Cabana Club and Up Room, and two rooftop options for those seeking a little sun with their stay. Come morning, scope out brunch at Café Robey, a quaint corner eatery with a knack for American comfort fare e.g. Duck Hash, house made Biscuits and Gravy, and Chili Butter Shrimp and Grits.
Things to do: Get some fresh air along the 606, a 2.7-mile elevated rail trail that takes the cake as the longest greenway initiative of a former rail line in the country. Upon your descent at Milwaukee Avenue, swing into Ipsento 606 for some cold brew and tiny doughnuts , then stroll the shops of Damen Avenue, including the recently opened PRERY Collective, a boutique collaboration between local style curators Sararose Krenger and Emily McKenney.
Best Airbnb In Wicker Park: Homely Private Room On Cute Condo
Youll simply fall in love with this stunning Airbnb. Although it might just be a private room in a shared condo , its one of the best rated homes in Chicago. Furnished and design with a charming eye for detail, youll feel welcome at an instant. The common spaces such as living room and kitchen are shared, but youll have total privacy in your own room. This place is perfect for solo travellers and people that want to watch their budget.
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Neighborhood Stats Glenview Il:
- Glenview, IL Population 2020: 48,705
- Annual Property Tax : $8,939
- Median Household Income: $115,198
- Average Home Value: $499,900
Next, Glenview is home to the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Glen Club, a popular Chicagoland golf course and hotel. Not to mention, there are a number of shopping and dining options at The Glen Town Center Mall.
A Growing Suburb Of Chicago
Aside from the fantastic school system, Glenview has very low crime rates and plenty of family-friendly amenities that make it a great place to raise kids in Illinois. Lastly, its population has grown 5.8% since 2010. This makes Glenview one of the fastest-growing suburbs of Chicago over the past decade.
In case you are moving to Glenview, you now have a trusted painter that you can use to make your new home your own. Visit Improovy Painters in Glenview to get your free interior or exterior home painting quote within minutes.
Here Are The 10 Best Suburbs To Live Around Chicago For :
Chicago is America’s 3rd biggest city, so to put up the numbers that this city’s best suburbs have done in terms of our SnackAbility criteria, deserves a good ‘ol fashioned shout out! Not to mention, Chicago’s number one best suburb should be the poster suburb for the rest of the country.
So, what is Chicago’s best suburb for 2021? Well, according to the latest data, that award goes to Western Springs.
And if Chicago is your kind of town like it’s our kind of town, do yourself a favor and hit that down arrow key to see where the rest of Chicago’s suburbs landed on our list.
Note: This result may differ from our state wide data as we did not include commute times and crime for this analysis to allow for a larger selection of suburbs.
Feel free to check out some more reading about Illinois:
Then we used the newest American Community Survey data for 2015-2019 to research each suburb.
FYI: We defined a suburb as being within 30 miles of Chicago.
Additionally, we limited the analysis to places that have over 2,000 people. This left us with a grand total of 167 suburbs to evaluate around Chicago.
We ranked each place with scores from 1 to 167 in each category, where 1 was the “best.
Next, we averaged the rankings for each place to create a quality of life index.
And finally, we crowned the city with the best quality of life index the “Best Suburb near Chicago.” We’re lookin’ at you, Western Springs. .
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Best Airbnb In Streeterville: 1 Of 4 Bunk Beds In A Shared Bedroom
Somewhere between a hostel and hotel, youll find the amenities you need! This listing is for one twin bunk in a room with four total bunks, so you will have up to 3 roommates. The room has a private bathroom and lockers for storing valuables. Each bunk features a curtain for privacy, reading lamp, and power outlet. Linens and towels are included, as is regular housekeeping service.
Best Neighborhood For Shopping
The Near North packs in deep-dish pizza parlors, buzzy bistros, art galleries and so many upscale stores that its main vein Michigan Avenue has been dubbed the “Magnificent Mile.” This neighborhood is unapologetically, in-your-face commercial. Shops, restaurants and amusements abound. Navy Pier, a half-mile-long wharf of tour boats, carnival rides and a flashy, king-sized Ferris wheel, is the neighborhood’s top sight.
Architecture is a neighborhood highlight, thanks to iconic buildings such as the Tribune Tower and . Art is another strong suit, especially underrated sights such as the Driehaus Museum and Arts Club of Chicago, as well as River North’s many galleries.
The Near North is Chicago’s most lodging-packed neighborhood, with hotels on practically every street corner. They’re mostly midrange chain properties, though a couple of nifty boutique hotels and hostel-hotel hybrids are mixed in. This neighborhood is also where you’ll find Chicago’s mother lode of restaurants. There’s a huge variety, from deep-dish pizza to ritzy seafood to modern Mexican. It’s a touristy area, thanks to all the hotels that are here, so prices can be higher than they need to be.
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