hello chi types: a two parter

[haardvark]

1. as previously noted in FB space, Clan Haardvark will be in your fair city from approx sat 27th Jul to Fri Aug 9. some of that second week I will be flying solo while C visits her sister in Indy. Would love to meet/get together with whoever's around and can pry the time loose, although if Erica sends me to a pizza joint in the NW suburbs again I'm gonna phone ahead and make sure it's really there.

2. Not quite concurrently with this, a colleague of mine is considering a trip to Chi with her family (hubby and 3 kids aged 1.5 to 7). Knowing that I've been to the city a billion times she's asking me for advice on where to stay neighboorhood wise for reasonable cost, safety, and access to amenities. I had to point out that 90% of my chicago experiences have been day trips from Cary or Harvey by car or onna train (and the few times I've stayed overnight in the city it's in a condo in Old town), I've never had to consider booking a hotel or what might be a reasonably family friendly area to use as a home base. If in-city options can't be found are there any suggestions for first ring burbs on transit? (clearly not oak park!)

I would guess they'd like to do all the standards: mus campus, MSI, art inst, grant park, lincoln p zoo, navy pier, maybe wrigley field etc.

Any suggestions / advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

[bristlesage.livejournal.com]

Anywhere on the north side is going to be better-served by pubtrans than the south side, especially with the Red Line Reconstruction. Closer to the lake, that's also true. If I were them I'd set my limits at something like west to Western Ave, south to Roosevelt, north to Belmont. With a very few exceptions (and those would be, like, a crappy block or two, so I'm sorry I can't be more specific, even the neighborhoods that were not-great a few years ago are gentrifying pretty damned fast), every place in that catchment will be safe, close to pubtrans, and an easy commute to the sights.

[haardvark.livejournal.com]

thanks nancy this is very helpful