Originally Posted by
dendawg
You didn't mention where you'll be living. This could greatly affect your training rides. As for secure parking last year parking garages were required by law to provide bicycle parking. The ones that i see where I live charge around $7-8 per day+tax. That would be an alternative to street parking if you don't have a beater bike. Parts have been known to be stripped off bikes that can't be completely stolen.
I didn't mention where I'd be living because I actually don't know yet. Right now I'm looking at a number of places in Queens, Brooklyn, and even some parts of Manhattan. I think Central Park and/or the Greenway would be good options for many of the places that I'm looking at, given what others have said, though I'm not sure what I'll do if I end up deeper into Queens.
The parking garage solution is a possibility I hadn't realized might exist, so thanks for bringing up. I'm pretty sure we don't have anything like that in Chicago, yet.