Safe area in Chicago, outside the main drag?

Looking for a safe area within 30 min by train or bus to central Chicago. Somewhere with hotels and restaurants (I'm talking cheap, nothing fancy) in walking distance, and an easy commute to the main tourist area. I'll be staying about a week in the spring.

I like to be near water, so I'm thinking something on the north side, maybe along the red line?

This will be my first time in Chicago, and I will not have a car.Safe area in Chicago, outside the main drag?
You might try Evanston. That's right by the lake, on the L train and Metra trains to the center of Chicago, and Evanston itself has some nice restaurants nearby. Failing that, you might try the north city - Lakeview, Lincoln Park - such as the Days Inn Lincoln Park, or Best Western Hawthorne Place, or the City Suites Hotel.




There aren't really a lot of hotels on the North side. Most are either downtown or out by the airports. The problem is that most places out by the airport aren't easily accessible to public transportation (unless the hotel has a shuttle you can take back to the airport to get the train) and hotels downtown are expensive. I've seen a few motels on the North side before in my old neighborhood but they looked kind of sketchy so I wouldn't want to steer you in the wrong direction. But given the state of travel and tourism right now, it may be worth looking at a few places downtown to see if they have any special deals or have lowered rates. Safe area in Chicago, outside the main drag?
Oak Park offers a quiet high-end suburb with local shops and good food. It's a short 25 min ride on METRA train or CTA greenline "el." The Carleton is a great old school hotel with 2 great restaurants:



http://www.carletonhotel.com/



http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=na鈥?/a>





Evanston offers the same except it has Lake Michigan as a backdrop. It too has METRA and CTA service to downtown Chgo:



http://www.google.com/search?num=20%26amp;hl=e鈥?/a>



http://www.google.com/search?num=20%26amp;hl=e鈥?/a>
Michigan Avenue is nice. Stay north of Shedd aquarium.