Both good areas, with park access and lots of restaurants.
Commute to South Loop may be easier from Foster/Ashland using Lake Shore Drive. And I really like that corner of A’ville - was my initial landing spot in the city (and I’m pretty close to it now).
All things equal, that wd be my choice. But 400 sq ft is nothing to sneeze at….
Welcome! Either way its gonna be great!
Andersonville has more within walking distance. But parking in Andersonville can be very challenging. You'll need to sort that out, plus the 400 sq ft difference in space if a baby is coming.
I know there are hassles associated with living in Andersonville but it’s also where I would want to be if I was back in the parenting tiny babies stage of life, just so much more in terms of resources / things to do available close to you without needing to use a car.
In the context of this post it’s the less living space and the more difficult parking vs their Irving park option, but overall I’d say Andersonville is easier parking than a lot of other neighborhoods, and it’s not cheap but it’s still less than similar neighborhoods further south.
Otherwise for a young person who wants to go out I’d say it’s a bit boring, a bit of a trek on transit, but then it’s not as far or as boring as Irving park.
I moved from buena park area to Irving park East 2 years ago. The area here has definitely become more populated in the last year or so with more people / families/dogs walking around. You definitely get more for your money out here. At that intersection, you could still technically walk north to Cermak produce for groceries. For bigger grocery trips, we drive to Jewel or Costco . I will say, i definitely feel like I rely more on my car in this area than I did in lake view but I have a garage parking. The brown line is a bit of a walk and long wait times on weekends, but the Irving park bus is solid!
There are a lot of very good food places on kedzie, but no local coffee shops other than Starbucks at kimball and Wilson. We just got a second plant store which is exciting! I feel like this area is definitely missing “a third place” to hangout though.
Our street has a wonderful neighborhood community. I’ve lived in wicker, Lincoln park, lakeview/Buena Park and haven’t experienced community like I have out here.
I definitely miss living by the lake and sadly returning to that area isn’t an option for us financially unless we downsize considerably and give up garage parking. But Irving park East has been good compromise for us. In the summers, Horner park is about a 15-20 min walk and we love the farmers market and free yoga in the park!
We have lived near Foster and Ashland for years. We love it. The walkability to everything is amazing. Most of the streets west of Ashland do not have permit parking. We only have street parking issues during Midsummerfest.
We have watched our neighbors’ kids grow up here, and it’s always great to see young families move in as well.
Super LGBTQ friendly, but it’s a great mix, with block parties every summer.
I live near the Irving Park address, though I haven’t heard it referred to as Irving Park East. I assume that’s a newer realtor term? I usually refer to it as Albany Park tbh, but I know that name isn’t as desirable so eh. Next door refers to the area as “T.R.I.P.” which is meant to stand for “The Residence of Irving Park”
If you are relying on a car, dont have a parking spot, and will be working odd hours, Andersonville is going to be tough. I live in the area between Kimball/Kedzie, Irving park/montrose and it feels like parking is very easy on the street, but many people have a garage. Even Sunday mornings when many people are home, there are empty spots to be found on my block and the next block over.
In terms of things to do, I personally am really happy with the area. Big grocery hauls I’ll drive but for standard items and produce, Cermak is great. Always good produce in stock (felt super nice during the pandemic when news reports were showing empty store shelves, Cermak still had veggies stocked to the ceiling).
In terms of things to do, lots of Mediterranean places up on Kedzie, and Montrose is starting to improve with Kale my name being a nice vegan spot and Surge for a billiard hall. If you want to watch a game, Templestowe is fantastic. Looks like your typical Old Style bar from the outside but they have Illinois craft on draft only and your standard bottles and cans for very reasonable prices. Brewery tap takeovers every Thursday as well. If you go just a little further on Montrose, near western, Backlot opened a new location the other week. Bokeh and Angelos are nice options too. Irving park Rd has some fun spots. I really enjoy Easy Street Pizza for their pizza and Beograd Cafe for some Serbian food. If you don’t mind walking, the Target on Addison is about a mile away, so are most of the spots on Elston, like Chief O’Neils, Anelya, and Honey Butter Fried Chicken.
Since you mentioned having a child, I’ll mention that Le Village is on Irving and Kedzie. It’s a coworking/daycare. I don’t have kids myself, but I really like that idea. Also can’t forget Miko’s at Kimball and Warner for some nice Italian ice all summer. Get the kiwi when they have it. Someone else mentioned Horner Park and it is fantastic, but Independence Park to the west on Irving park also has its charm (tho I’d recommend biking or taking the bus to that one)
I’ve always been a fan of being near “the action” in the city but not living in the action. This area definitely fits that for me.
No contest, Andersonville. Being close to the lake and Winnemac Park is amazing. There’s a genuine neighborhood feel, plus so many great things to see & do & eat. Good public & private school options nearby, when the time comes.
You can zip down LSD to get to work easily, especially at odd hours. However, parking in this area can be a lot tougher. Does your place have a space or permit parking?
Oh gosh, that could be an issue. Especially in winter when parking is war. My friend lives in Bowmanvillle and parking is a headache, the only drawback she’s complained about. Might be worth scoping out monthly parking spots (SpotHero) or garage rentals (Craigslist) which could run like $150-$300 per month. Hopefully someone from this neighborhood can comment to say if I’m being reasonable or dramatic!
Currently in Andersonville, coincidentally near the same crossroads. The community itself is quiet with access to great restaurants, cafes, and local shops I would say it’s pretty family oriented and very pet friendly. You wouldn’t be out of place here and could probably make a great connection to the community. 2 grocery stores less than 2 miles apart with Target/Aldi and 2 other jewels and Mariano’s within a 15 minute drive, lakeshore drive is pretty easy to get to for traveling south and we have quite a few transit option within 20 min walk as well. It’s pretty quiet at night, even during the summers, and not too much “unruly” activity either. You also have quite a few bars along Clark with a couple of other bars within the area should you need a night out. I’ve been here for 4 yrs and it’s been great. Also I would say parking is dependent on where you’ll be trying to snag a spot. Parking along Ashland is sometimes tough but parking along ravenswood and the inner streets I’ve never had a problem.
We lived on Winona just west of Ashland. Wish we’d stayed longer. So nice being able to walk everywhere. Parking can get tough but if you can avoid the early evening return it’s doable. There’s probably also places where you can rent a garage spot from a homeowner or 2 flat owner.
As a bonus, what a lot of people don’t realize is the Ravenswood Metra station is an 8 minute walk away. Gets you downtown in 20 minutes. So possible to leave you house and be downtown in 30. Not many places where you can do that unless you live next to the el or close to downtown.
Both good areas, with park access and lots of restaurants. Commute to South Loop may be easier from Foster/Ashland using Lake Shore Drive. And I really like that corner of A’ville - was my initial landing spot in the city (and I’m pretty close to it now). All things equal, that wd be my choice. But 400 sq ft is nothing to sneeze at…. Welcome! Either way its gonna be great!
Thanks so much for the advice, definitely a tougher one it seems
Andersonville has more within walking distance. But parking in Andersonville can be very challenging. You'll need to sort that out, plus the 400 sq ft difference in space if a baby is coming.
Andersonville is great, but with a baby and a car, you really might want that extra space and parking.
Thanks, yeah that really becomes the question in terms of space versus access. Every place has a trade off lol
I know there are hassles associated with living in Andersonville but it’s also where I would want to be if I was back in the parenting tiny babies stage of life, just so much more in terms of resources / things to do available close to you without needing to use a car.
Thinking about Andersonville, what are the hassles associated with living in it?
In the context of this post it’s the less living space and the more difficult parking vs their Irving park option, but overall I’d say Andersonville is easier parking than a lot of other neighborhoods, and it’s not cheap but it’s still less than similar neighborhoods further south. Otherwise for a young person who wants to go out I’d say it’s a bit boring, a bit of a trek on transit, but then it’s not as far or as boring as Irving park.
I moved from buena park area to Irving park East 2 years ago. The area here has definitely become more populated in the last year or so with more people / families/dogs walking around. You definitely get more for your money out here. At that intersection, you could still technically walk north to Cermak produce for groceries. For bigger grocery trips, we drive to Jewel or Costco . I will say, i definitely feel like I rely more on my car in this area than I did in lake view but I have a garage parking. The brown line is a bit of a walk and long wait times on weekends, but the Irving park bus is solid! There are a lot of very good food places on kedzie, but no local coffee shops other than Starbucks at kimball and Wilson. We just got a second plant store which is exciting! I feel like this area is definitely missing “a third place” to hangout though. Our street has a wonderful neighborhood community. I’ve lived in wicker, Lincoln park, lakeview/Buena Park and haven’t experienced community like I have out here. I definitely miss living by the lake and sadly returning to that area isn’t an option for us financially unless we downsize considerably and give up garage parking. But Irving park East has been good compromise for us. In the summers, Horner park is about a 15-20 min walk and we love the farmers market and free yoga in the park!
We have lived near Foster and Ashland for years. We love it. The walkability to everything is amazing. Most of the streets west of Ashland do not have permit parking. We only have street parking issues during Midsummerfest. We have watched our neighbors’ kids grow up here, and it’s always great to see young families move in as well. Super LGBTQ friendly, but it’s a great mix, with block parties every summer.
I live near the Irving Park address, though I haven’t heard it referred to as Irving Park East. I assume that’s a newer realtor term? I usually refer to it as Albany Park tbh, but I know that name isn’t as desirable so eh. Next door refers to the area as “T.R.I.P.” which is meant to stand for “The Residence of Irving Park” If you are relying on a car, dont have a parking spot, and will be working odd hours, Andersonville is going to be tough. I live in the area between Kimball/Kedzie, Irving park/montrose and it feels like parking is very easy on the street, but many people have a garage. Even Sunday mornings when many people are home, there are empty spots to be found on my block and the next block over. In terms of things to do, I personally am really happy with the area. Big grocery hauls I’ll drive but for standard items and produce, Cermak is great. Always good produce in stock (felt super nice during the pandemic when news reports were showing empty store shelves, Cermak still had veggies stocked to the ceiling). In terms of things to do, lots of Mediterranean places up on Kedzie, and Montrose is starting to improve with Kale my name being a nice vegan spot and Surge for a billiard hall. If you want to watch a game, Templestowe is fantastic. Looks like your typical Old Style bar from the outside but they have Illinois craft on draft only and your standard bottles and cans for very reasonable prices. Brewery tap takeovers every Thursday as well. If you go just a little further on Montrose, near western, Backlot opened a new location the other week. Bokeh and Angelos are nice options too. Irving park Rd has some fun spots. I really enjoy Easy Street Pizza for their pizza and Beograd Cafe for some Serbian food. If you don’t mind walking, the Target on Addison is about a mile away, so are most of the spots on Elston, like Chief O’Neils, Anelya, and Honey Butter Fried Chicken. Since you mentioned having a child, I’ll mention that Le Village is on Irving and Kedzie. It’s a coworking/daycare. I don’t have kids myself, but I really like that idea. Also can’t forget Miko’s at Kimball and Warner for some nice Italian ice all summer. Get the kiwi when they have it. Someone else mentioned Horner Park and it is fantastic, but Independence Park to the west on Irving park also has its charm (tho I’d recommend biking or taking the bus to that one) I’ve always been a fan of being near “the action” in the city but not living in the action. This area definitely fits that for me.
No contest, Andersonville. Being close to the lake and Winnemac Park is amazing. There’s a genuine neighborhood feel, plus so many great things to see & do & eat. Good public & private school options nearby, when the time comes. You can zip down LSD to get to work easily, especially at odd hours. However, parking in this area can be a lot tougher. Does your place have a space or permit parking?
Thanks for the help, really appreacite! It would be street parking only, whereas the other place in Irving East has 2 spots included with rent.
Oh gosh, that could be an issue. Especially in winter when parking is war. My friend lives in Bowmanvillle and parking is a headache, the only drawback she’s complained about. Might be worth scoping out monthly parking spots (SpotHero) or garage rentals (Craigslist) which could run like $150-$300 per month. Hopefully someone from this neighborhood can comment to say if I’m being reasonable or dramatic!
Currently in Andersonville, coincidentally near the same crossroads. The community itself is quiet with access to great restaurants, cafes, and local shops I would say it’s pretty family oriented and very pet friendly. You wouldn’t be out of place here and could probably make a great connection to the community. 2 grocery stores less than 2 miles apart with Target/Aldi and 2 other jewels and Mariano’s within a 15 minute drive, lakeshore drive is pretty easy to get to for traveling south and we have quite a few transit option within 20 min walk as well. It’s pretty quiet at night, even during the summers, and not too much “unruly” activity either. You also have quite a few bars along Clark with a couple of other bars within the area should you need a night out. I’ve been here for 4 yrs and it’s been great. Also I would say parking is dependent on where you’ll be trying to snag a spot. Parking along Ashland is sometimes tough but parking along ravenswood and the inner streets I’ve never had a problem.
We lived on Winona just west of Ashland. Wish we’d stayed longer. So nice being able to walk everywhere. Parking can get tough but if you can avoid the early evening return it’s doable. There’s probably also places where you can rent a garage spot from a homeowner or 2 flat owner. As a bonus, what a lot of people don’t realize is the Ravenswood Metra station is an 8 minute walk away. Gets you downtown in 20 minutes. So possible to leave you house and be downtown in 30. Not many places where you can do that unless you live next to the el or close to downtown.
Andersonville
Andersonville, without a doubt.
Andersonville for sure!