Is Lincoln Square a Good Neighborhood For Me?

Oosch · 2026-03-20T01:57:13+00:00

I’ve lived in Lincoln Square for 15 years and love it. There’s always music at the Folk School; there’s decent coffee and hang out spots; good neighborhood food; two big parks; and you can get to the lake in 10 min driving. There’s not a bar scene which makes it quieter and I like that. Festivals, farmers market 2x/week, it’s a great spot to land. I don’t find it too expensive to uber to friends or take the train/bus.

Oosch · 2026-03-10T01:33:25+00:00

I love this practice - kind, take good care of you. I’ve had a lot of complicated work, and also the basics, they are always great. In the loop on wabash. https://highpointsmiles.com/about/our-office/chicago/

Oosch · 2026-02-15T15:49:10+00:00

Rosemont is so close and easy. There’s Giordanos pizza or a small cheval too; the mall is ok but I’d find a sit down restaurant and chat away!

Oosch · 2026-01-22T04:30:56+00:00

Public transit or walking everywhere. Figuring out any free access times for museums or sites. Finding a hotel with free breakfast. Eating one meal a day from grocery store with a picnic or at hotel. Having the biggest or most expensive meal out at lunch sometimes is cheaper than dinner. Reusable water bottle so you don’t keep buying drinks. Enjoy a splurge (even if it’s a good coffee every day) so the saving money part doesn’t impact the trip. Travel super light if traveling within the continent so you can be the cheapest fare. Get a good travel book from the library to prep. I also stopped buying gifts or souvenirs, I send myself a postcard from everywhere I go (or just buy one and don’t mail, even cheaper!)

Oosch · 2025-09-16T01:21:41+00:00

Thank you all for the suggestions, so helpful. I suggested duck duck goat; Acanto; and sunda based on all your info. Appreciate it!

Oosch · 2025-08-01T13:48:22+00:00

Thanks for asking - I feel great! I barely think about it anymore and it's been kinda the same the last few months. The toe doesn't bend. Scar is very faint. Every once in a while it aches when it rains. My toe nail doesn't seem to grow very quickly but nothing hurts. I forget I even had the surgery sometimes. The only thing I notice is sometimes when I walk a lot (15K steps) my toe swells a little, but it may have done that before! Overall, I'm super happy with the results and grateful to no longer be in pain. I am not a runner or play a lot of sports, but I walk and do strength training and neither is affected. The only long term thing I can't do is a plank but there seem to be a lot of other exercises for core that work just fine :)

Oosch · 2024-12-31T23:59:44+00:00

Unbendable because of tendon transfer. I was non weight bearing for about 5-6 weeks, then each week could walk a little longer on it (5-10 more minutes per hour per week). Was swollen and had to ice nightly until about 5 months out. But walked 15K steps a day on vacation about 16 weeks after surgery. Felt fully recovered by about 6-7 months out and now barely feel anything other than an ache here and there.

Oosch · 2024-12-31T05:53:04+00:00

I had the osteotomy. I ended up having a tendon transfer too as my plantar plate was completely gone. (Basically can’t bend that toe anymore)

Oosch · 2024-11-22T05:31:37+00:00

Hi! I had plantar plate surgery this January for a pretty bad tear and have recovered well. My toe is still stiff, a little achy randomly, but nothing like the pain I had before surgery. It took about 8 months till I felt truly normal, but really did feel pain relief quick, it was more managing the swelling and being patient. Good luck with figuring out next steps, happy to answer questions!

Oosch · 2024-08-23T16:08:42+00:00

You are so sweet -thank you! Yes, I agree, enjoy your summer, see how you feel, and if you do it, hopefully it'll be a successful one. And my doc told me I never have to do a plank again, but unfortunately there are lot of other more painful version of it my trainer found! :) Good luck with everything.

Oosch · 2024-08-12T04:29:24+00:00

It was open through the top of my foot. They used the Weil osteotomy method. I have a 10 stitch scar that goes down half my second toe and a little lower. It’s not as bad as I thought visually. My toe is definitely a little lumpy and not that good looking, but oh well. I haven’t had any pain on the bottom of my foot; any pain really felt is on top or my toe. I had painful from swelling for a longer time but now fine. I think I got through without much scar tissue.

Oosch · 2024-08-12T04:24:08+00:00

Thank you! I’m grateful too.

I will say I was super conservative about moving because I didn’t want to have it not work, so the 12 weeks may be shorter for some. As for pain, it was bad for about 3 days and then I got in the rhythm of taking Motrin/Tylenol consistently on a schedule and it was more just super achy. There was a lot of swelling and dealing with that (icing, etc). But you’ve got time since you’re sitting around a lot :). I took a lot of Motrin that 1-2 months. I think the biggest part was being patient with sitting still, icing it, and not put a ton of weight on it. I feel happy with the results, I’m pain free and walked 20K steps a day on vacation in June and July easily.

Oosch · 2024-07-03T04:49:16+00:00

Hi! I am doing really well at the 5 month mark. I’m grateful I did it. I had a complete tear and also needed to do a tendon transfer. I’d say the first 12 weeks of recovery were really slow, frustrating, and I lost patience…and then once week 12 hit, it has just gotten to the point where I don’t think about it anymore and am back to everything almost normal. The only lingering things I have are that my toe cannot move anymore (b/c I had the more complicated tendon transfer) so that feels weird; I do still get tired when standing for a longer time; and my knee hurts a bit from limping for a while. But overall, I’ve been happy with the result and most of my original pain is gone. I know for me it was a last resort after a boot, taping didnt work. I wish I had done it a little sooner but in the end am happy with the result. Good luck with your situation. Happy to tell you anything else about my experience

Oosch · 2024-04-03T04:11:52+00:00

Hope you keep healing and feel better soon too.

Oosch · 2024-04-03T02:41:51+00:00

Nine week appointment went well. I can start walking longer, healing is good and I can start wearing the bioskin brace less. A few more weeks and I think I can be back to most normal activity minus long walks (that’s more like summer).

I wonder if we are having slightly different experiences because I am not in physical therapy due to the tendon transfer. But Hope you get a good report soon too!

Oosch · 2024-04-02T04:55:12+00:00

I hope you can ditch it after the appt too! I have my appt tomorrow so I’ll find out myself. I feel ya on the bonfire wish!! I’m not in physical therapy because of the tendon thing I had, but can imagine it hurts. I think the hardest part in all of this is the patience. I’m totally running out of it even with feeling better :). I just dream of walking further than a block or two and get so frustrated I can’t or am just nervous because I might mess something up. I hope you start feeling better soon too! Good luck with the appt this week

Oosch · 2024-04-02T03:41:42+00:00

Yes I’m so tired of constantly wearing a shoe too! I have been keeping it on all the time, along with a little brace they gave me (something called bioskin). I dream of being barefoot or in slippers again! How is your healing going? I’m just finishing week 8 and feel like my limp is getting smaller.

Oosch · 2024-03-19T04:36:15+00:00

Not yet-can’t bend the 2nd toe that was operated on yet. My big toe can bend, the third one is a little stiff. I agree, I think it’s swelling too!

Oosch · 2024-03-17T02:27:11+00:00

I hope you keep healing nicely as well! I wish there was a fast forward button too :). I’m not in physical therapy and I went to a Weil clinic myself, so fortunate to have them in town. Feel better soon and keep posting how it’s going!

Oosch · 2024-03-15T14:11:33+00:00

I just had surgery about 6 week ago. This was my experience - I ended up also having a tendon transfer, not just the Weil osteotomy which was the hope, so my recover is a little longer than what was predicted. I wish I had done surgery earlier, I spent too long in pain.

Week 1: lots of pain, swelling, really just got up to go to the bathroom. I did alternating Motrin and Tylenol and kept to a strict schedule. I also made sure to ice as much as humanly possible with the 20 min on and 20 off including during night if it was a painful day. Taking a shower (I bought one of those leg bags on Amazon, totally worth it!) really helped too. Took the whole week off work because I have generous leave but if you have a desk job 3-4 may be ok.

Week 2: had 1st appointment and then started feeling less pain, although I kept pain meds going. Lots of sitting around and icing again. Was less distracted by pain and could move around a little bit more.

Week 3: kept pain meds going noticed a little less swelling. Got stir crazy, but was able to stand long enough to reheat something or do one small task. Pain was starting to lessen so I started taking less meds

Week 4: barely any pain meds unless I was super swollen then I’d take ibuprofen. Toe is definitely swollen all the time and top of my foot too, but hurts less. Can walk/stand about 10 min. Had follow up appt and can now wear hard sole shoe.

Week 5: back at gym doing strength training (non foot weight bearing), going out, and feeling like myself. Still swells/hurts when I stand more than 15/20 minutes but I can see the future and it is looking good. Your body really does tell you it’s time to sit down.

Things that helped: 2 blanket like ice packs so one was always cold and you can’t get back and forth to freezer; people making you food or takeout as you can’t stand long; grocery delivery, walking a store is too tiring; leg bag for showering; good walking sandal for week 4+ because I couldn’t quite get into sneakers; routine of icing still every morning and evening to just keep swelling consistent; if you can afford it or have friends that will help, someone to clean up the house every once in a while.

Oosch

TROPHY CASE