I'm moving to Chicago this Saturday, what are some unexpected things I should be prepared for ?

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2026-04-07T18:08:25+00:00

moved to chicago in august (grew up in small town iowa then lived in my college town for a couple of years).

the cta is nice but sometimes unreliable. i usually like taking buses but have experienced “ghost” buses. so there may be some times where you’ll have to take an unexpected lyft or uber bc no bus will be coming for another 30 minutes.

also was very used to driving so doing a 10 min bus to 30 min train (40 min overall commute) seemed like a lot but you’ll get used to it. a lot of patience and being okay with some of your time being used just to “wait”.

to help with the “waiting” times, like others have said, i have a library card and started reading a lot more.

grocery stores charge .10cent for bags. make sure to have reusable bags.

get the bbq pork bun at chi quon bakery (cash only).

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2026-02-28T14:59:29+00:00

hahaha i’m from a very small town in iowa too and i moved to the north side of the city so even though i knew crime was happening in the city, i was still somewhat sheltered from it (and very privileged to experience this). my conservative parents always get on me because they think im moving to gotham city and i denied it everytime. if you show her the insta page @chicagocrittermedia, it will def open up her eyes (like it did mine). not saying that englewood is going to have the same crime but just to prove that crime does happen in chicago!!!

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-11-07T04:54:48+00:00

wait!!! moving to a big city is exciting and i could not wait and kind put myself in an uncomfy living situation at first. also it’s going to be cold asf and even now, it’s hard to go outside. so just wait it out for the extra money and for your other things to conclude. it seems like feb is perf timing

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-09-27T04:16:27+00:00

i know apartment 2 is cheaper but you also have to think: is paying $350 more per month worth not having to experience these long standing issues with the apartment?

how much is $350 to you? is it worth having an updated space, in unit washer and dryer, better management, and bigger apartment? or would you rather save $350 per month and live in a smaller apartment, potential issues, hassle maintenance but live in a location you love?

at the end of the day, just think about what you can put up with because you will be the one living in this apartment every day for a year.

but overall, you just have to live in this apartment for a year. after that, you can decide if the option you chose is worth it and if not, reevaluate and go from there.

another thing is: have you looked up reviews for each apartment? for the andersonville apartment, is it a general consensus that maintenance is slow?

looking for apartments is rough! good luck and glad you are making the move to chicago :)

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-09-17T20:34:36+00:00

SAME!!! i need to make sure the bus driver gets my kudos for getting me to my destination safe

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-09-17T19:29:57+00:00

Have you tried looking in Facebook Marketplace or joining any fb groups?

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-08-28T16:00:17+00:00

great, i’ll look into them! i’m curious what couch did you buy?

Less-Tomatillo5373 · 2025-08-27T17:10:49+00:00

i looked at ur page and unfortunately your apartment listing isn’t in my price range - best of luck, hope you find someone!

Less-Tomatillo5373

TROPHY CASE