So... Chicago...

[Zeb_Carter]

Oh. My. Fuck.

*insert heart attack*

I am SO not going to survive there...

Sure you will...the streets are all laid out in a grid...north and south, east and west. South of State street once out of the loop the streets that go east/west are numbered...State street being zero. North of State and they are named, just as the streets are west of Madison, which is kinda confusing.

Then there are the few streets which run on a diagonal - but they all run out of downtown to the edges of the city and beyond. Ogden and Milwaukee come to mind. There are a few, such as Lake street, which kinda wander around a little but it mostly goes east/west.

You'll make it...I have faith in you.

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

Sure you will...the streets are all laid out in a grid...north and south, east and west. South of State street once out of the loop the streets that go east/west are numbered...State street being zero. North of State and they are named, just as the streets are west of Madison, which is kinda confusing.

Then there are the few streets which run on a diagonal - but they all run out of downtown to the edges of the city and beyond. Ogden and Milwaukee come to mind. There are a few, such as Lake street, which kinda wander around a little but it mostly goes east/west.

You'll make it...I have faith in you.

No, it's the sheer number of people that it would take to make a place have that many suburbs. Navigation has very rarely been a problem with me.

Remember that my high school class had 13 people in it. We were about twice the normal size of a class. Where I'm at now, the Tampa area, is the biggest city I've ever lived in. It's enough to make me very nervous and not want to leave the house most of the time. A sea of people that big... well.... It won't be a good thing.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

No, it's the sheer number of people that it would take to make a place have that many suburbs. Navigation has very rarely been a problem with me.

Remember that my high school class had 13 people in it. We were about twice the normal size of a class. Where I'm at now, the Tampa area, is the biggest city I've ever lived in. It's enough to make me very nervous and not want to leave the house most of the time. A sea of people that big... well.... It won't be a good thing.

I know how you feel. After five years of working from home and only going out to the store or such, I too have become sort of a recluse. But, I do enjoy the fact that I can get anything I want at one of the many stores around the Metro-area.

Rush hour is a bitch though and I hate getting caught up in it. But it's better than having no place to go when cabin fever hits. A walk in a field might be ok in the nice weather but a trip to Target is great in the rain!

 

[MaeveoSliabh]

I know how you feel. After five years of working from home and only going out to the store or such, I too have become sort of a recluse. But, I do enjoy the fact that I can get anything I want at one of the many stores around the Metro-area.

Rush hour is a bitch though and I hate getting caught up in it. But it's better than having no place to go when cabin fever hits. A walk in a field might be ok in the nice weather but a trip to Target is great in the rain!

You do have a point...

Guess we shall see how it goes, eh?

So.... How much does the average massage therapist charge per hour up there? LOL

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Oh. My. Fuck.

*insert heart attack*

I am SO not going to survive there...

Nah, it's not bad. You never see those sidewalk scenes like from NY, with masses of people elbow to elbow all walking fast. The trains, buses and x-ways are jammed at rush hour, but you get used to that, it becomes just a routine. The people are polite and friendly, they generally love to be helpful.

The coolest thing would be to work downtown and live not far. The whole Loop is like an architectural museum - it's beautiful. Grant Park, the Mag Mile, the Lakefront from Oak Street beach north - it's all pretty darned cool. A helluva town.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

You do have a point...

Guess we shall see how it goes, eh?

So.... How much does the average massage therapist charge per hour up there? LOL

I don't know. The only time I ever had a massage was when I went to China, then it was only my legs and feet.

Although you may have to join a union, Chicago is heavily unionized, that's why there are no Wal-Marts or Targets in the city limits.

 

[Come Play]

Target Stores In Chicago

"...there are no Wal-Marts or Targets in the city limits"

There already are at least a half-dozen Target stores *inside* the city limits.

With the veto of the big box ordinance, I would expect Wal-Mart to start opening stores inside the city as well.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

"...there are no Wal-Marts or Targets in the city limits"

There already are at least a half-dozen Target stores *inside* the city limits.

With the veto of the big box ordinance, I would expect Wal-Mart to start opening stores inside the city as well.

The big box ordinance isn't the problem, it's the city trying to dictate the wage that should be paid to Wal-Mart workers, plus the unions will want to have a say in things too.

 

[S-Des]

OK, cool... Thank you!

About how far is it from all the big corporations and stuff?

If you're thinking the big corporations, you definitely want to be on the North side of the City (Northwest is OK too). If you look on a map, most everything is north if I-90, not too far off of I-294. I personally think you'd have a better shot at a job in the suburbs....the city can be a tough nut to crack. Here is the general breakdown of the area....you can go to one of the local realators and check out the prices of what's for sale to get an idea of how expensive it is.

North.....not too bad, but similar to NY...no parking, lots of people in a small area, fun things to do at all hours

Further North.....Very expensive, ranges from difficult to afford to insane

Far North.....Can be scary, but better pricing. Might be too far for job-related stuff.

NorthWest....Can be expensive, but it depends. Lots of opportunities (Schaumburg. DesPlaines, etc...).

Near West.....NO!!!!!!!!!!!

West.....Very cool (Downers Grove, Lisle, Naperville, Glen Ellen, etc...). I'd recommend this unless you have a solid job in mind that's too far away

Near South.....HELL NO!!!!!!!

Far South.....Not too bad, similar to West (Oak Lawn, Tinley Park, Mattson).

SouthWest....Can be very cool, but the job opportunites are limited. Most people I know from the Joliet/Plainfield area commute and the drive is a bitch.

The areas between don't change too much, so you can sort of fill in the blanks. It mostly depends on your needs. If you don't have a car, you will probably need to be in the city. Our public transportation isn't the most effective, unless it's downtown or going downtown. There are job opportunities all over, so it might not matter which you choose. I live far South and it's great, but I have to commute to West (about an hour each way). If I had to work from my actual office (I do field service, so don't even see my office much), it would be 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours each way.

If you have any specific questions, you can PM me. Because I've had several travel jobs, I know the area very well (from Far South to Far North....City to Far Far West).

BTW, I just saw that Chicago had the 2nd worst traffic of any city in America (which doesn't surprise me at all). Keep that in mind if you are expecting to drive or catch a bus anywhere.