US Best Cities

[+ deej]

>Kudos to you for living without a car and biking everywhere,

>even in winter. I owned a car when I lived there, but mainly

>because my job was in the suburbs and my schedule didn't mesh

>well with the Metra reverse-commute train schedule.

>Generally, I did not drive after 6PM on weekdays and rarely on

>weekends. In winter I would take public transit because it

>was easier than dealing with driving in the snow. If I were

>to move back, I would not own a car.

 

Yep. I lived in Chicago for six years without a car. I lived at the Lakefront (Irving Park & Broadway), but not having a car certainly didn't keep me *at* the Lakefront.

 

Getting to O'Hare was time consuming if you only used the L because you had to go downtown first. But the Irving Park bus line originated outside my building, so there was usually a bus sitting there waiting to start his route, which dropped you right at the Irving Park stop on the Blue line (2 stops from O'Hare). And I discovered that a cab up Irving Park to the Blue line was only about $5.

 

If I'd had a car when I lived there, I would have paid more for parking AT HOME than I would have paid at work, downtown.

 

I don't miss winters, but I sure miss the spirit of Chicago. And I'd ditch the car if I moved back.