When I moved out here a year ago and tried to find an apartment while living out of my car there was almost no question of looking in Hyde Park, the neighborhood the University of Chicago’s in. After all, I was moving here for the urban experience, and after 6 years in Berkeley the thought of another college town filled me with a certain degree of fear and loathing. Northside Chicago, on the other hand, was a blur of unrealized possibility, and like Mae West, I usually go for whatever I haven’t tried before.

Ah, how much I’ve learned in such a short time. Executive summary:

• 15 miles away is fine if the weather is good enough for biking most of the time, or you’re willing to drive every day.
• Public transit in Chicago is abominable.
• Northsiders are, as a general rule, obstreperous, unsophisticated, loutish clods given to excessive drinking, which makes them even more all of the above. (1)
• Hipsterdom does NOT equal culture. Oh, wait, I knew that already.
• I really do have a lot of work to do

But no more! At least for the first 3. I found a great apartment in Hyde Park. It’s embarassingly close to my office. And not so embarassingly close to most of my friends and the fabulous grocery stores of Hyde Park.

(1) Today while browsing the Chicago Reader for a show to go see with my friend Brett, who’s in town for a conference, I came across this “Missed Connections” from a recent Cubs game, which sums up the northside much better than I ever could: You ate my nachos, I ate your pretzel. You took my picture for me, spit on my arm, and left just before the game ended to meet your friends.

(cdm | LifeOnTheNorthSide )