Originally Posted by
BengeBoy
One advantage of Evanston is that she can get to the loop either via the CTA train (the El) or via the suburban commuter train, which passes through Evanston. At every el or train stop in Evanston there are apartments w/in walking distance of the train. Evanston is quite safe, and it gets her out of the city if she wants to do some bike riding on the weekend.
Since you lived in Evanston ('94?) it's not quite as free from crime against students (or seniors); Evanston city and the campus itself have stepped up uniformed patrols in response. Check news reports for the past couple of years.
And not too cheap for housing, more costly than in Rogers Park (first Chicago neighborhood to the south of Evanston). Public transit is good. Sharing housing is a great option.
Evanston (and any neighborhood adjacent to the lakefront path, though it jogs away from the lake around Sheridan Rd. leaving Evanston south to Hollywood) is reasonably located to commute downtown by bike (about 30 to 45 minutes); if there are no facilities at the architectural firm downtown, the Millennium Park bike station is a good option (with locking bike rack, locker, shower available).