UChicago off-campus housing options

uchicagoalumna
Sat, 11 Feb 2012 18:32:27 +0000

When I lived in Hyde Park I spent time renting or subletting in five different apartments.

I’d probably start by considering price and location. When I was an undergrad, most students lived between 55th and 51st streets and between Ellis and the lakeshore. 53rd and Woodlawn is probably the center of gravity of all student off-campus housing- and all the better- there’s a liquor store, an organic grocery store, sushi, and a 24- hour diner right there. Lots of walkups. Lots and lots and lots of them. Lots of students. Lots of parties. Perhaps too many parties-- a bunch of my friends lived next door to a bunch of soccer players and another group of my friends lived in the same building as the frisbee team.

Apartments are in a variety of states of charming repair or disrepair. OP, I don’t know if you’re a parent or a student, but most Hyde Park apartments are going to be dumpy by parent standards. Most kids don’t mind an unfinished floor, cracked molding, and the like. But a parent could definitely turn their nose.

If you’re looking for something a little more dolled up, I’d recommend looking into the high rises in Hyde Park. Most of them have 24- hour doormen, exercise rooms, the works and cater to a college student/grad student/retiree/young professional sort. Definitely more tame and grown up, closer to public transportation, and so on.

Laray is right- MAC is the big player in Hyde Park. As somebody who remembers the K&G days, MAC is a big improvement in property management. I’ve lived in three non-MAC Hyde Park apartments and two MAC ones, and I vastly preferred MAC’s service. MAC owns a real range of properties: [Chicago Apartments For Rent | Downtown Chicago Apartments | Chicago Apartment Search](http://www.macapartments.com/)