How did you decide what city/town to call home?

[omieluv]

Date: 3/3/2007 5:50:10 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 3/3/2007 4:38:30 PM

Author: omieluv

Date: 3/1/2007 6:18:31 PM

Author: KimberlyH

Date: 3/1/2007 5:34:20 PM

Author: omieluv

I was raised in a suburb right outside of Chicago and currently work in the Loop. The city is great, food and culture is everywhere. Parking is of course terrible, but if you get the hang of the train and do not mind walking, you should be fine. As for the people, it really depends. I think we are more warm than some cities, but that is starting to change. In fact, I was talking with a woman who was born in Chicago, moved to New York for 10 years and moved back. She could not believe how much Chicago has changed, in that is starting to slowly morph into New York. This was her opinion of course. She said we are not New York''s twin, but she could see some patterns starting to emerge.


The public schools in the city are not so good, so definitely a private school is a must. I live in a suburb, which is about a 15 minute train ride away from the city where the schools are pretty solid. In fact, many young people who love the city end up moving to this suburb when they have kids because of the proximity to the city and for the school system.


Moving from where you live to Chicago will be a change, that''s for sure! I went to school in Tampa to escape to nicer weather. While the weather was nicer, the city did not give me the ''Chicago'' feel I was used to, so I did not relocate there on a permanent basis.


As for your family, you will miss them. You are just going to have to relocate here to know for sure...

Thanks for the info, omie. The culture is what we love so much about the city, from the zoo to the parks to the museums to the theatre to the amazing food, all of the things we love are there, and the feeling we get when we visit, which is quite frequently, is that we are ''home'' in many ways. We have explored so much of the city itself, the suburbs is one of the few places we haven''t managed to visit. And we take public transport, we''ve even ridden the buses, while we''re there. And have become quite familiar with the L, or is it el? This is quite different from the sprawling CA lifestyle where everyone owns a car and we both enjoy it so.


DH would actually prefer to live in the city if we move, which is quite opposite of what he usually prefers, while I am much more a city gal so I that aspect would be right up my alley. He and I both are just in love with Chicago.


I can see the comparison to NYC to some degree, and I love it there as well, but there are some major differences in the vibes the two cities give off.

Yes, it is the ''L'' however, I must warn you that our ''L'' is nothing like the subway system of NYC. If you are going to live and work in the Loop, you will be fine, but sometimes it can get tricky. For me, it works out fine b/c I live in a suburb where I have access to the L, making my trip to work a breeze. While you do not need a car, many of my friends in the city have one, b/c they also like getting out of the city to visit friends/family living further out.

We would definitely have a car, but we would only need one, which would be nice. Thanks again for sharing such great info, omie.

Not a problem, always glad to help. If my bf and I end up living where I live now, we will only need 1 car as well.

 

[cutes814]

Date: 2/22/2007 5:22:59 PM
Author: MC

Date: 2/22/2007 12:55:39 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone! I really appreciate it. DF, you''ve given me food for thought re: the weather. I think I''d react the same way you have. MC, we''d be trading acreage for non, and have no kids at this point. I am not someone who needs a lot of space, but DH is and I think he wants to move more than I do even though we''d be losing land and sq. footage (we live in a rather large home) and property. In the end the adjustments will be harder for him, if we move, because I''m the more flexbile of the two of us. I would just really be missing my family. I don''t know if it''s better or worse that this isn''t something we have to decide right now.

Do you think that if you decide to have kids, your parents will be very interactive? Definetly consider this before moving FAR away. Having active extended family is a HUGE luxury once you have children.

I totally agree with you MC! one of the best things we have to thank for is the fact that my MIL and mother can watch our daughter, Alyssa, anytime we want. It''s a huge money saver, since we don''t have to pay for daycare and on top of that, we can actually go out on dates and stuff since both sides of our family are readily available when we need them.

Sam and I grew up in SF and all our family and friends live in the bay area. I''ve thought about moving away to another state or such because it is so expensive to live here! But our hearts belong here and we can''t bear to move away from all the people we love and know.

Looks like it''s going to be tough since housing is so high in SF, but I guess somehow we''ll manage...we just love it here too much!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/6/2007 5:32:33 PM
Author: Milly

Date: 2/22/2007 5:22:59 PM
Author: MC

Date: 2/22/2007 12:55:39 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Thanks for sharing your stories, everyone! I really appreciate it. DF, you''ve given me food for thought re: the weather. I think I''d react the same way you have. MC, we''d be trading acreage for non, and have no kids at this point. I am not someone who needs a lot of space, but DH is and I think he wants to move more than I do even though we''d be losing land and sq. footage (we live in a rather large home) and property. In the end the adjustments will be harder for him, if we move, because I''m the more flexbile of the two of us. I would just really be missing my family. I don''t know if it''s better or worse that this isn''t something we have to decide right now.

Do you think that if you decide to have kids, your parents will be very interactive? Definetly consider this before moving FAR away. Having active extended family is a HUGE luxury once you have children.

I totally agree with you MC! one of the best things we have to thank for is the fact that my MIL and mother can watch our daughter, Alyssa, anytime we want. It''s a huge money saver, since we don''t have to pay for daycare and on top of that, we can actually go out on dates and stuff since both sides of our family are readily available when we need them.

Sam and I grew up in SF and all our family and friends live in the bay area. I''ve thought about moving away to another state or such because it is so expensive to live here! But our hearts belong here and we can''t bear to move away from all the people we love and know.

Looks like it''s going to be tough since housing is so high in SF, but I guess somehow we''ll manage...we just love it here too much!

My parents live 2.5 hours away, on a good day, so it''s not like they''d be readily available to us here either. That makes moving a bit easier, because it''s not like they live down the street. I would be able to visit them as often as I do now (about 6 times a year). They don''t visit us much at all (they''ve been here 3 times since I moved to SD two years ago, once was for our wedding), so that wouldn''t really change. I talk to my mom either via email or telephone every day, and would still have that ability. So our means and frequency of communication wouldn''t change much. The big difference would be the ease of transportation. I am not a fan of people who fly with small children and I would have to become one of those people, if we decide to have kid(s). And the whole idea of dropping the kid(s) off with my mom and dad wouldn''t exist, or at least it would mean traveling a bit further to do so. Ah, so much to think about!

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 3/3/2007 11:00:00 PM
Author: bluehue
Can''t argue with you Cehrabera on the grey! The few hours of sunshine today was a clarion call to the outdoors! I think you are right to point out from that what you come is such a huge factor as to how you view the winters.

okay okay... so there are a FEW moments in the spring with the flowers that are truly glorious... I''ll miss it when I''m surrounded by palm trees in southern california - but not for a couple years LOL Kinda like how I miss the new york snow - until I remember pumping my own gass during blizards in 20 below weather!!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Just an update...

John took a business trip to Chicago at the beginning of the week and before he left we had a lot of conversations about what exactly we would look for in a house/neighborhood if we move. We printed off a bunch of homes from the MLS that interested us and he went on a fact finding mission. What he found was really positive. He''s narrowed it down to a particular neighborhood that suits us (I want a house, not a condo, we want to be close to downtown, we want a finished basement that includes a guest area, etc.) So we''re basically 90% sure we''re moving, probably sometime this summer. We''re going to take another trip in April, together, so I can check out the neighborhood and we can explore a bit.

I told my parents we''re probably moving, which was extremely difficult for me. Mymom is not at all saddened by this, she said she just wants us to be where we''re happy. My dad said it makes him sad but that we''d only be "a plane ride away" and that we need to do what is best for us.

 

[Skippy123]

Kimberly,
I am so excited for you guys. You have been wanting to move; do what your heart wants. Your dad is right, you are just a flight away! Keep us posted!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/24/2007 3:12:23 PM
Author: Skippy123
Kimberly,
I am so excited for you guys. You have been wanting to move; do what your heart wants. Your dad is right, you are just a flight away! Keep us posted!!!

Thanks so much, Skippy, as always you are so sweet! We''re both pretty excited, but I still have my far-from-home reservations. But you never know whether or not you''re doing the right thing until after it''s been done...so it will just be a big adventure!

 

[poptart]

DH and I live 2500 miles from our hometown, and although it was hard at first, we''ve gotten used to it and have come to like it. We talk to our families very often, and see them during the holidays, which is nice. I personally think it was one of the best decisions we''ve made, and just remember that if you really end up not liking it, you can always find somewhere a little closer to family. It took us a few months before we really felt comfortable out here and made some very close friends, but now we really do enjoy it. Best of luck, and congrats for going after what you want!

*M*

 

[KimberlyH]

Thanks so much, poptart. I find your words quite encouraging. We see my parents every other month or so now (they live about 150 miles away) and J and I have agreed that I can travel to visit them as often post-move as I do now, which is really great! My sister is an 8 hour car ride away, so she''ll be closer, if I fly. I talk to my mom every day and that won''t have to change. As I said, a new adventure!

 

[Rod]

Date: 3/24/2007 1:42:05 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Just an update...

John took a business trip to Chicago at the beginning of the week and before he left we had a lot of conversations about what exactly we would look for in a house/neighborhood if we move. We printed off a bunch of homes from the MLS that interested us and he went on a fact finding mission. What he found was really positive. He''s narrowed it down to a particular neighborhood that suits us (I want a house, not a condo, we want to be close to downtown, we want a finished basement that includes a guest area, etc.) So we''re basically 90% sure we''re moving, probably sometime this summer. We''re going to take another trip in April, together, so I can check out the neighborhood and we can explore a bit.

I told my parents we''re probably moving, which was extremely difficult for me. Mymom is not at all saddened by this, she said she just wants us to be where we''re happy. My dad said it makes him sad but that we''d only be ''a plane ride away'' and that we need to do what is best for us.

Kimberly, I''m so happy for you. You know how we''ve wrestled with where we''ve been living and you know I think life is just too short to not be where you want to be. I''m very excited to hear about your likely move to Chicago!!!

 

[San Diego Bride]

my husband and i still laugh and wonder how exactly we got to where we live now. we''re both city people. between us we''ve lived in boston, miami, chicago, houston and san diego, where we met and were married. we both have very specific careers and finding jobs in the same city was more difficult than we could have imagined. we really wanted to move to chicago. we love the sites, the diversity, the restaurants, the museums. (i''m envious of you kimberly!) unfortunately, we didn''t like the jobs... or the low salaries that would come with them. we regrouped after pushing the chicago thing for a few months and just decided that we''d look anywhere that had job openings for us. we were wide open to any possibility. that lead us on a journey throughout the us.

here''s what we were looking for:
-jobs for both of us in the same city
-the ability to pursue our professional goals
-diversity
-proximity to an airport for easy travel
-largish city
-whole foods or trader joe''s (my needs)
-chipotle and jamba juice (husband''s vices)
-good restaurants
-a young professional population
-lots of democrats

the idea of moving itself was not particularly stressful for us. we''d both done it a number of times and although we are close to our families, we didn''t live close to them. we''re not going to have children which left us more free in the moving process.

so where did we end up... south dakota.

how the hell did that happen. (we still wonder). in the end, they made us job offers we couldn''t refuse. our salaries here are more than double what they would have been in chicago. we have a lot of time off and really like our jobs. we have a great house and a laidback lifestyle. we didn''t get the big city, whole foods, trader joe''s, chipotle, or jamba juice. we lack good restaurants and could definitely use more diversity. but you know what? we have each other. we have good jobs and a good life. and when we want something we don''t have here, we get on a plane. we won''t stay here forever, but will certainly stay a few years to pay off most of our very large educational debts and build a nest egg. maybe for our next move we''ll get everything on our list. we''ll see. but for now i consider myself pretty damn lucky. and then i laugh at the thought of feeling lucky to be here.

 

[KimberlyH]

Rod, I say 90% because John cannot commit to something totally and completely until immediately before it takes place...but it''s more like 99%. I''m a "make the decision and lets do it" person in our relationship, he''s the "we need to sleep on it, for many many nights" counterpart. It''s good balance! Point being, I can say for sure we''re moving but he doesn''t want me to until we''ve put the house on the market and start packing, so I abide by that. Too funny!

Novia, South Dakota, I bet it''s a very interesting place! I too am a city gal and am really looking forward to the move.

 

[Rod]

Date: 3/26/2007 6:43:23 PM
Author: KimberlyH
Rod, I say 90% because John cannot commit to something totally and completely until immediately before it takes place...but it''s more like 99%. I''m a ''make the decision and lets do it'' person in our relationship, he''s the ''we need to sleep on it, for many many nights'' counterpart. It''s good balance! Point being, I can say for sure we''re moving but he doesn''t want me to until we''ve put the house on the market and start packing, so I abide by that. Too funny!

Novia, South Dakota, I bet it''s a very interesting place! I too am a city gal and am really looking forward to the move.

Funny! Maybe that''s why your relationship works well. Charlie and I are the same. I make pretty immediate decisions, he needs the think on it, sleep on it, digest it, regurgitate it, before he''s comfortable with it. Tonight, for the very first time, he started talking about how he''s actually excited about going back to Tampa. All this time, it''s been me who was pushing to go home. He needed time (evidently a lot of it) to be glad about it. We had coffee at Starbucks and we chatted about how we can''t wait to go to our favorite beach and go for a walk! I''m looking forward to hearing that you''re house on on the market and you are in fact headed where you want!!!!

 

[Mara]

kimberly congrats on making a decision...

as i''ve mentioned previously we are thinking about the same thing, we just booked our east coast trip to see greg''s family in may and we are adding 2 days onto the beginning to go check out raleigh, nc. it''s kind of scary but exciting as well. guess we''ll really see if we can see ourselves (and a potential family) there.

we see my parents almost every weekend for dinner or some sort of event, so for me the biggest thing is leaving my family. sometimes i don''t even want to think about it!! but we''ll have to see how it goes. also we have kind of said that even if we do decide to move somewhere else, it probably won''t happen this year...we will most likely decide what to do this year and then maybe start planning for the change to happen in a year or so...so it''s more graudal and we have time to figure it all out. or we might decide we don''t want to leave! time shall tell.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/26/2007 9:47:30 PM
Author: Mara
kimberly congrats on making a decision...

as i''ve mentioned previously we are thinking about the same thing, we just booked our east coast trip to see greg''s family in may and we are adding 2 days onto the beginning to go check out raleigh, nc. it''s kind of scary but exciting as well. guess we''ll really see if we can see ourselves (and a potential family) there.

we see my parents almost every weekend for dinner or some sort of event, so for me the biggest thing is leaving my family. sometimes i don''t even want to think about it!! but we''ll have to see how it goes. also we have kind of said that even if we do decide to move somewhere else, it probably won''t happen this year...we will most likely decide what to do this year and then maybe start planning for the change to happen in a year or so...so it''s more graudal and we have time to figure it all out. or we might decide we don''t want to leave! time shall tell.

Thanks, Mara. It''s nice not to be in limbo anymore, albeit a bit scary! But one never knows whether something is right for them or not until they try it...so we''re going to try it! Our next big adventure (and my 4th move in as many years!).

 

[omieluv]

Congrats on your decision! I would be curious to know where you are looking to move & from what you describe, I think I have a good idea of the area you are looking in b/c there are only 2 suburbs within 9 miles that have excellent schools with nice homes.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/27/2007 4:08:45 PM
Author: omieluv
Congrats on your decision! I would be curious to know where you are looking to move & from what you describe, I think I have a good idea of the area you are looking in b/c there are only 2 suburbs within 9 miles that have excellent schools with nice homes.

Hi omie,

Thanks! I'm pretty excited. DH just booked our trip to do a bit of wandering with the perspective that this will be where we live, as opposed to a cool vacation spot. I don't mind sharing the area, we've concentrated our search to the Lakeview neighborhood. Schools aren't a factor as if we choose to have child(ren) they would attend private school so where we end up in relation to a school doesn't make a difference. John had a great time exploring earlier this month and found that this area was a great fit for our needs/wants w/o the price tag of Lincoln Park.

 

[Independent Gal]

Lakeview is GREAT! I''ve spent time in Chicago and had many friends living there. It''s such a vibrant neighbourhood, and is particularly lovely close to the Lake. The vintage buildings are gorgeous! And there are express buses down the LSDrive that take you directly to Tiffany and Graff in 10 minutes! Yay!

If I settled down in Chicago someday, Lakeview would be exactly where I''d want to live too. So maybe we''ll be neighbours some day!

For the moment, I''m itching to move back to my home country. But regardless, my (ideal) place to settle down would be somewhere where:

1) ... I could find meaningful work (my current career is highly specific: you go where the job is, but that means I''m thinking about a career change... too constraining with respect to the other considerations)

2)...there is an international airport (both me and M are from abroad! our parents are many 1000''s of miles away)

3) ...I can walk safely by myself, preferably even at night.

4) ... future kids could go to a public school with kids from a diverse array of backgrounds, but still get a good education.

5) ... there''s plenty of green space ( at least parks, but preferably forest reasonably nearby),

6) ... there''s good public transit

6) ...there are good and diverse restaurants (I miss Afghan food! I miss Ethiopian food! but at least a solid Indian restaurant)

7) Lots of music, art, theatre, etc to choose from.

... there''s lots of sunshine, but preferably also plenty of snow in the winter

If only I were close to my whole family, that would be wonderful. But since they''re now far flung around the world, that''s not possible.

Good luck with your move. I''m sure you''re going to love Chicago. Especially in the summertime. It''s such a great city! And there''s so much going on.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Kimberly, I'm so happy you chose Lakeview! It is a wonderful Chicago neighborhood, and selling a lot of real estate there I can certainly vouch for the fact that it's not as expensive as Lincoln Park, but in my opinion just as nice of a neighborhood.

Any chance you'll be town at the end of May in time for the gem show GTG?

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/27/2007 7:11:23 PM
Author: Dee*Jay
Kimberly, I''m so happy you chose Lakeview! It is a wonderful Chicago neighborhood, and selling a lot of real estate there I can certainly vouch for the fact that it''s not as expensive as Lincoln Park, but in my opinion just as nice of a neighborhood.

Any chance you''ll be town at the end of May in time for the gem show GTG?

DeeJay: It''s great to hear that a realtor thinks we''re making a good choice! We''ll actually be in Hawaii during the gem show, but don''t think I won''t be requesting a Chicago GTG once we move. I''ve never been brave enough to walk into Graff, but with your boulder to accompany us I just might be able to get the gumption up!

Independent: Thanks for the encouraging words, again it''s so nice to hear that people "in the know" think we''ve narrowed it down to a good place. DH is in real estate and has quite the keen eye but as outsiders it''s nice to hear we''ve made a good choice.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh, Kimberley! You must go in to Graff! They are very welcoming there and not at all snooty. The last time I went, I was with my mom and we were both TOTALLY scruffy, and not wearing any jewelery at all. My mom was in her mucked up 10 year old walking shoes and had left her ''boulder'' at home (she has a 2.67ct RB). It was clear we didn''t intend to buy anything that day, too. I said as much. And you know what? They were more than just kind and attentive. The man let me try on a necklace with a half million of diamonds (it was HEAVY!) and said i could try anything else I wanted, and he gave me a beautiful hardcover catalogue and chatted about diamonds and jewelery design. He showed me all kinds of special things from the back too. The only thing they didn''t do was offer us a cocktail!

And there wasn''t even the tiniest HINT of condescension, even though the place is so chi-chi inside (as it should be in Chi-town! heehee!) and we were a mess. Every time I''ve ever gone in there they have been wonderful.

Not at ALL like Tiffany''s, where I always feel like the staff think I should be grateful to get 2 minutes of their time, even when I DO intend to buy something that day.

OK, I''m finished gushing. Graff has a special place in my heart, you see, because my fondness for diamonds first became an obsession there when they showed me the world''s most excuisite cushion (D, IF, perfectly proportioned... but more than that...something special and excuisite about it) in the world''s most excuisite setting (thin rose gold with chanel set pink diamonds). I almost fainted!

OK, now I''m REALLY finished gushing.

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 3/28/2007 2:24:48 PM
Author: Independent Gal
Oh, Kimberley! You must go in to Graff! They are very welcoming there and not at all snooty. The last time I went, I was with my mom and we were both TOTALLY scruffy, and not wearing any jewelery at all. My mom was in her mucked up 10 year old walking shoes and had left her ''boulder'' at home (she has a 2.67ct RB). It was clear we didn''t intend to buy anything that day, too. I said as much. And you know what? They were more than just kind and attentive. The man let me try on a necklace with a half million of diamonds (it was HEAVY!) and said i could try anything else I wanted, and he gave me a beautiful hardcover catalogue and chatted about diamonds and jewelery design. He showed me all kinds of special things from the back too. The only thing they didn''t do was offer us a cocktail!

And there wasn''t even the tiniest HINT of condescension, even though the place is so chi-chi inside (as it should be in Chi-town! heehee!) and we were a mess. Every time I''ve ever gone in there they have been wonderful.

Not at ALL like Tiffany''s, where I always feel like the staff think I should be grateful to get 2 minutes of their time, even when I DO intend to buy something that day.

OK, I''m finished gushing. Graff has a special place in my heart, you see, because my fondness for diamonds first became an obsession there when they showed me the world''s most excuisite cushion (D, IF, perfectly proportioned... but more than that...something special and excuisite about it) in the world''s most excuisite setting (thin rose gold with chanel set pink diamonds). I almost fainted!

OK, now I''m REALLY finished gushing.

IG, I appreciate the gushing! The last time we were in town Graff was locked with a private customer inside. I was, of course, drooling at the window display, which was a blast.

Please gush away!