<p>So, I’m in Hyde Park now, and I’m wondering-- where can I get a good haircut? I expect to pay around $50 or so. I’ve had long hair all my life, and I want it cut boy-short for the first time, so I want to go somewhere where they’ll do a good job. Everyone is wondering why I didn’t get it cut before moving, but I had no idea where to go in my hometown either.</p>
<p>I can always stock up on hair scarves and handkerchiefs if it goes badly, but I’d prefer to ask for advice and have a good experience!</p>
<p>1) The place on 57th that’s near the Florian and on the same side of the street as the Florian. It’s the place that’s closest to Stony Island.</p>
<p>2) Milio’s, right off the Belmont stop on the Red Line, gives killer hair cuts for 30-50 bucks, easy. They are much more “edgy,” but I got a plain cut there that I really really liked in the 30 dollar range.</p>
<p>Hmm… unalove, if you don’t mind answering another question, do you have an opinion on how safe would it be for me to travel to Milio’s on my own during the day? If I’m not terribly familiar with public transportation (only used it once or twice in a much smaller city), is it going to be overwhelming? Will it be dangerous? I want to get this haircut over with. Would it be practical to travel to Lincoln Park during the O-Week downtown trip and get it done then?</p>
<p>oatmelia, I can answer that. Day, night, not really a problem. You get on the Red Line or the Brown Line and get off at Belmont. Depending on where your dorm is, you either take the 55 bus west to the Red Line Garfield station, or you take the 6 bus downtown and either get on the Red Line at Harrison (basically the first or second stop after it gets off Lake Shore Drive) or go into the Loop and get on the Brown Line at any stop, or you take the Metra to the Loop and get on the Brown Line. Any way is fine. The 55/Garfield route takes you through crummier looking neighborhoods, and the Garfield station itself, in the middle of a huge expressway, is one of the least beautiful places on Earth, but dozens (if not hundreds) of Chicago students do it daily without incident. There will probably be several with you on the bus and train. The 6 bus route, along the lake, is actually beautiful. The Metra is fastest if you time it right, but more expensive. Belmont is a bustling, mildly upscale neighborhood with lots of shops and stuff attractive to students, but not edgy in the least.</p>
<p>Do it once, and you’ll feel comfortable going whenever you want.</p>
<p>Those train and bus stops and all the street signs say North, South, East or West. The streets are numbered, zero is in the Loop. There is not so much east, that’s mostly Lake Michigan. The sun is rising in the east and setting in the west.</p>
<p>Ha ha, thanks everyone. I know I sound like a dolt, but that’s what I am when it comes to navigation-- a dolt. I’ll go get my haircut and cinnamon roll soon.</p>
<p>I know it can be daunting to move to The Big City and use public transportation for the first time. But you really owe it to yourself to get accustomed to it. The CTA system can get you all over the city at a reasonable cost (especially if you get a ChicagoPlus Card), which is very cool when you think about it. And Chicago is a fabulous city to go all over – not just the Loop area and the Magnificent Mile (which of course you should visit), but many neighborhoods that are much more, um, exciting than Hyde Park (except intellectually). If you feel intimidated by the public transportation, you’ll be trapped in Hyde Park, and that’s just not the way to get the most out of your time at the University of Chicago.</p>
<p>I don’t have any scientific basis for this, but the people I know who have liked the University of Chicago least were also people who never took advantage of being in Chicago. There’s a reason why people – especially twentysomething people – generally move FROM small towns TO big cities!</p>
<p>just returned a few days ago from dropping our son. He’s at Shoreland in a triple. Wow - what a dump. I have lived in many places during undergarduates schools, graduate school and tiny grubby apartments during medical school - but this was pretty bad. The building looks so much better from the outside. The furniture was just barely held together - the university should be ashamed.</p>
<p>The University has also been trying to rid itself of the Sho’ for the better part of at least 3 years, but construction is lagging on the new dorm. (The new dorm should be open next fall).</p>
<p>A lot of my friends enjoy or enjoyed living in Shoreland, and I enjoy visiting my friends there. To me, the building has-- and I’m not being facetious here-- a lot of character.</p>
<p>They are. I think it will be torn down next year (or as soon as the new dorm is ready). You are right in that it looks very nice from the outside. I drove by very early Sunday morning and I thought wow, what a beautiful view they must have.</p>
<p>And a counterpoint: On Saturday, I heard over and over I heard parents and first years commenting on how charming and pretty Breck is. And it is. From the pics on line, it looked pretty dilapidated. S’s bedroom, while not spacious, was bigger than we expected, albeit oddly-shaped. However, it is bigger than his room at home, and he and his roommate seem to have settled right in. The place has character. S and both felt the location was excellent for the things he wants to participate in. (We’ll see how he feels about the walk to class in January, but right now, he loves it.)</p>
<p>The only thing I was disappointed in were the restrooms, which were very, very dated (not that S will care). I understand that Breck had been closed for several years, though, and was pushed back into service quickly when the first-year class size started growing.</p>
<p>Breck may have been renovated over the summer - Broadview also had some work done. Poor Shoreland must be pretty shabby by now - but at least there is the new dorm to look forward to.</p>
<p>The private bathrooms, kitchens, space, views, etc., make the Shoreland a much nicer spot than you’d think. And its neighborhood is nice, too. But inside . . . it’s really, really decrepit. Slumlike.</p>