Also,
good neighborhoods? I'm aiming for Wrigleyville/Lakeview, Andersonville, Little Italy, Wicker Park, or Logan Square. Ideally, I would love to live in Streeterville or Pilsen but...whatever.
good restaurants?
good shopping places?
I was in Chicago for a week in summer '07. It was long enough for me to absolutely fall in love with the place, just not long enough to get a feel for the areas.
Adivce? thank ya.I'm moving to Chicago in 2011. Advice, please?
You need a CAREER to make it here, not just a high school diploma. The only job you can get with that is working at some crappy coffee shop, McDonald's, etc. and they don't pay nearly enough to live comfortably here. Oh, you could find a roommate I suppose, but that will only mean TWO people living like paupers. And you're a "Singer"? Great, get in line behind the other 75,000 people in the city trying to make it as a singer. Where do you think you're going to be singing for tips? I mean there are people who sometimes sing in the subway, but I never see the same person for two years straight. Most realize they can't earn a living singnig in the subway and get a real job.
Seriously I think it would be a big mistake for someone with only a high school diploma to move here and think they can make it. And I don't care how much you save up, rent, heat/electricity, transportation and food will eat that up quickly. Not to mention clothes, unless you plan on wearing the same outfits for at least two years while you get a good job. And how much do you really think you can save up in two years working in Kansas, a place where you admit the jobs "aren't exactly high paying"? Even if you could save up $20,000, which is difficult for people with real careers, how long do you think that would last. There are people making twice that who live here and are having trouble making ends meet. In six months you'd be reduced to eating ketchup soup and crackers. But here you are talking about living in Streeterville, good restaurants, good places to shop...you really don't have a clue about life in the big city.
I know you're not going to vote for my answer as the best because I'm nto telling you what you want to hear ("Oh, Chicago is GREAT! You'll love it here! C'mon!") but I hope you read it. Wait. Go to college, learn a career, scout out the job situation here and THEN move.
Chicago is definitely more expensive than Kansas. And unfortunately, most of the really cool neighborhoods that you mentioned (Andersonville, Lakeview, etc.) are pretty pricey. You'll probably find that you need a roommate to afford a place or you'll have to live further out. There are a lot of good websites with info about living in Chicago like Metromix, LiveHereChicago, Time Out Chicago, the Chicagoist and Gapers Block. You should check them out.I'm moving to Chicago in 2011. Advice, please?
i lived in chicago for 5 years and then we moved out to the suburbs.
living in downtown is expensive!
as for singing to get tips i doubt it will work in this ecomony so u wont get very much at all..sadly
Well i cant really help you much because im just a kid but chicago is amazing, all the food her is good so basicly all the restraunts are good
My advice is you got 2-3 years, enjoy these and then worry about that ***** when you come to it.
WOW... all I can say is good luck with the cold if you are not used to it.
try somewhere else.
Why not just ask people when you get there??
im moving to CANADA in 2011!!!
get the 23 bus
cool
Chicago will probably be quite a bit different in 2011. Taxes are 11% highest in the nation which is not only driving people out of the city but also businesses and tourism, if they dont get their act straight we are going to wind up like detroit.
Chicago is not a good place to live, high taxes, extra taxes on bottle water and soda, gas is taxed twice, meters are raising to $6 and talk of a $15 tax to drive through the loop. We had over 500 people killed this year, more than in IRaq. Politicians are corrupt, police beat up citizens. It's a bad place to live, live in the burbs, you enjoy all the good stuff chicago has to offer without the bs of living there.
Is college a possibility?
Sorry to sound like gloom and doom but I know people that aren't able to get jobs and they have college degrees....Let's say our economy gets better by 2011...You will still be underpaid because besides singing you may not have any usable skills and my company we pay more to individuals with secondary educations. You could work retail that doesn't really pay well ut it is a job.
1. Get a roommate then you can split rent
2. Pilsen is dangerous (when my sister was looking for a condo her realtor took her to Pilsen ( I was thinking what the hell are we doing here) and 2 men were getting arrested...the realtor said can you ignore that...uhmmm no...)
Some of the other places that you listed are really expensive-Lakeview for instance is quite pricey but a fun area. Bucktown and Wicker Prak are also pretty expensive.
Logan Square is an idea .
3. I would come out here with a job....also 1 week is not enough time to determine if you want to live somewhere or not I would really do your research on the cost of living here....We have one of the highest rate of taxes in the US...
4. Also what kind of money can you make at 16 to save up to move here? Be realistic...rent, food, and everything else you can imagine is pretty pricey.
If you're coming from Wichita, Pilsin will scare you. What I mean by this, is that there is a lot of gang violence around that area. Wicker Park and Wrigleyville are very expensive places to live by. Chicago is a big place with a lot of restaurants so don't try to be picky. You'll probably be eating at McDonald's a lot because of the prices. It's not cheap to live here. Go to Devon for all of your grocery needs, and for clothes, go to Lincolnwood Town Center or Old Orchard Mall.
Again, it's really expensive to live in Chicago. If you are completely confident that your singing will blow everyone away, don't waste your time and money! Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but reality bites.
I say you go to Logan Square, thats a cheaper and very hip area. Save save save! I know thats what everyone says but its so true! Just because people get paid more, it still doesn't equal out, we are one of the most pricey places to live (why I am leaving).
You might make some money working at bars and such, but not enough to live alone. If you intend on doing things of that nature be prepared to get a roommate, thats the only way you will be able to survive the rent, food costs, fuel, and the oh so lovely cook county taxes :(
However, in retrospect it is a great place to live when your young because you can only live poor once and might as well do it right out of school. Theres also lots to do, and people to meet.
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