A SLICE OF J1 ADVICE – CHICAGO
INTRODUCTION
Chicago is one of the most instantly recognisable cities in the USA. It is a city that has a powerful image, built on its colourful history of Prohibition – busting gangsters and its jazz and blues musicians as well as its modern reputation for innovation and commercial excellence. It’s great to look at too, with some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers - the Sears Tower and the John Hancock Centre – as well as loads of fine old buildings. Chicago is the cultural capital of the Midwest, home to a mind-boggling array of great bars, restaurants, live music, top shows, world-class museums and art galleries.The city has 15 miles of beaches.Chicago has got the world’s largest public library
It’s also got the world’s biggest biscuit factory!
TRANSPORT
Chicago O’ Hare International Airport is 18 miles from hectic Chicago. Transport to and from the airport is efficient and fast with shuttle buses, taxis, and trains running between the airport and the city regularly. TheAirport Express bus departs every 15 minutes. The first bus goes at 6.00am and the last one leaves the airport at 11.30pm. The fare is around $18.00. Though the train is cheaper, the blue line runs to the city centre for just $1.75 – it takes 45minutes, and it’s $0.25 for a transfer on. Amtrak trains arrive at Union Street,which is on Canal Street (between Adams Street and Jackson Boulevard). The greyhound bus station is on the west side of the city – 630 Harrison Street.
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) runs both bus and rail services in the city and surrounding areas… this is how it works Each journey (no matter how far) on a particular train/bus route costs $1.50.You can buy a transfer for $0.30, so you get 2 transfers on either bus/train services to be used within two hours.Transfers must be bought in advance on buses but when using trains you can just keep your ticket & top it up using the machines in the stations.Transit cards can be bought; the best kind is the unlimited travel card. These are available for 1 day, 1 week and 1 month periods. You can travel as much as youlike for the period that the card is valid & so if you're going to be using CTA a lot (which you will be when you're looking for work or digs, or both) it's worth grabbing hold of one of these.
You can purchase passesatCurrencyExchanges,Jewel,Dominick's and selected Cub Food stores.
CLIMATE
Average temperatures per month
May 15C, Jun 20C, Jul 23C, Aug 22C, Sep 18C
SOCIAL SCENE
Chicago is a very vibrant city, there's something going on every day & night and so everyone's taste is catered for. You can spend up to (and over) $10 on a martini or as low as $0.01 on a pitcher… Chicago has nothing if not variety!Some bars definitely worth a visit include Hi-Tops just opposite Wrigley Field(25cent beers on certain nights), Cullen’s on N. Southport (a Sunday night must), Hogs N’ Honeys (1555 N. Sheffield - get off at North & Clybourn El stop), buy a beer mug for $5 and bring it with you every time you go for $1 beers. And if you think you can handle it, ride the mechanical bull or dance on the bar.There areplenty of bars in Fullerton including Parkway and of course the nightclub DéjàVu, a fave Irish haunt. If you want to actually meet some Americans try Cubby Bears bar straight across from Wrigley Field – great after a baseball game! Also try Harrigans (on Halsted & Diversey), Kincaid’s, Tin Lizzie bar & restaurant (2483 N. Clark St.) and Joy Blues (1403 W. Irving Park Rd) – dollar beers available in most of these places.
Night Life:
Monday: Exit, 1315 West North, (773)395-2700
Tuesday: Durkin's, 810 West Diversey, (773)525-2515
Wednesday: Spike's Rat Bar, 12 West Elm, (312)337-3200
Thursday: Buddies, 3301 North Clark, (773)477-4066
Friday: Delilah's, 2771 North Lincoln, (773)472-2771
Saturday: The Pumping Company, 6157 North Broadway, (773)743-7994
Sunday: Stanley's, 1970 North Lincoln, (312)642-0007 (08/10/2000
Go see the free outdoor movies in Grant Park or Oz Park in Fullerton.Bring some food, beer, a blanket or chairs to sit on and watch Casablanca among the fireflies – magical. You can pick up movie brochures as well as information on everything else going on in the city at the Chicago
Tourist Information Centre in Flat Sammies restaurant beside the Water Tower on Michigan Ave. While you’re there have a bite to eat – the salads are to die for!Visit the Taste of Chicago – a ten-dayfestival of food held in Grant Park in early July – good food, great entertainment, well worth a look.
Go to Grant Park for the fireworks on the eve of the 4th of July –un-missable.
Take a trip out to Gurnee Mills (about an hour outside Chicago), a hugeshopping mall with hundreds of outlet stores including Abercrombie &Fitch, Gap, Saks Fifth Ave and many more, perfect for stocking up on great bargains before you head home. It also has an ice rink, a cinema and plenty of restaurants. A shopaholics dream – wear comfortable shoes and get the earliest train to give yourself all day – believe me you’ll need it!For a great day out take a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure in Gurnee. If you’re a thrill-seeker you’ll love the roller coasters, from the newest ‘Superman’ to the ‘Iron Wolf’ – a stand-up roller coaster, and the classic wooden roller coasters that will definitely have your life flashing before your eyes! Don’t leave the States without visiting here.
Go and see some blues in one of the many blues clubs around Chicagoe.g. the House of Blues.
Take a stroll down Navy pier at sunset, stop off in Connie’s pizza for a bite to eat and then take a trip on the Ferris wheel in time to check out the fireworks.Rent bikes and spend the day cycling along Lake Shore Drive, stopping for a swim at one of the many beaches along the way.
Take a trip to the top of the John Hancock building, home of Jerry Springer and second highest building in Chicago.Take a boat trip down the river and learn about the history of Chicago before heading out to the lake for a great view of the skyline.Of course what trip to the US would be complete without taking in a baseball game, and in Chicago you’ve got two options. See the Cubs play in the historic Wrigley Field (get off at the Addison El stop on thered line, look out the window and you can’t miss it) or visit the ultramodern US Cellular Field (formerly Comiskey park) to see the White Sox play (35th St. stop on the red line, just after Chinatown). Saturday night
is fireworks night – go there and you’ll see what real fireworks are,Dublin Skyfest eat your heart out!And for those of you who want to expand your minds there are plenty ofmuseums to keep you occupied, from the Art Institute on Michigan Ave to the Planetarium, the Aquarium and the Field Museum at museum campus (take the free trolley from Michigan Ave all the way there).There’s also the Museum of Science and Industry, further south but well worth the trip.
INFO & TIPS
Buy a 7 / 30 day CTA pass from a 'Currency Exchange'.
Tip between 15%-20% on your restaurant/bar bill or cab-fare. $1 per drink
Get 'The Chicago Reader' (or view it on Apartments,jobs, garage sales & entertainment guide - AKA the bible. It's out every Thursdayand free.
Minimum wage is $6.50 p/h, except in tipping positions where it's $2.83 - $3.09p/h
If under 21 don't look for bar/waiter/waitressing work. It's not legal to serve drink as a minor.
Take the FIRST job you get, the first 3 weeks are the most expensive of the whole summer, you can always leave when you get another one.Negotiate when you're taking an apartment, it can't hurt & may save you a fortune.
GET AIR CONDITIONING!
Buy an air mattress from Sports-Mart (Belmont on the red/brown line trains).
Kit out your apartment with 2nd hand stuff from 'The Brown Elephant' - they're in the phonebook.
Mix with the locals, they're great & your accent will go a long way!
INTERNET ACCESS
Free Internet access is available in some Chicago libraries, the biggest of which is the Harold Washington Library Centre (across from the HI Chicago Hosteldowntown). Here you can either book half hour long sessions on the bottom floors, or you can reserve a two-hour session on the fifth floor. It's best to calland make a reservation. The number is 312-7474300.Screenz, Chicago, Lincoln Park is located in the heart of Lincoln Park at 2717 North Clark Street between Diversey and Fullerton. Chicago Illinois 60614 -Phone Number: 773-348-9300 Fax Number: 773-348-9170. This place has very good rates, excellent facilities, and it’s open till 1am every night.Kinko's is a chain of internet/copying centres. Their prices are high and the environment is pretty drab.
ACCOMMODATION
Pre-arranged accommodation should be one of your main priorities during the months leading up to your departure date. The majority of students getaccommodation secured within 7 – 10 days of arrival in the US, but for biggercities such as Chicago this can prove more difficult. We recommend that youhave three nights short-term accommodation booked prior to departure if you do not have your housing pre-arranged.
Some Hostels are:
HI – Chicago, 24 East Congress Parkway, Chicago, IL 60605
Phone: (312) 360 0300
Arlington International House, 616 west Arlington Place, Chicago, IL 60614
Phone: (773) 929 5380
Chicago Summer Hostel, 731 S Plymouth Court, Chicago, IL
Phone: (312) 327 5350
is the place to go for this… you'll find lists of sublet'sand short term leases on this website. can also be useful for accommodation. It's the online version of the free paper that comes out every Wednesday, but it'supdated on a Tuesday so checking it out online can help in getting ahead of the game. The only real problem with this publication is that most of the places listed are for long term (12 month) leases, which won’t suit J1ers,nonetheless they are worth a look! (This one is decent enough, good organisationand a fare bit of choice). (this one has a lot of listings for the Hyde Park area of the city -in south Chicago- but not as many elsewhere).
These are all just examples of sites where you can browse the listings for free, but when it comes to contacting the people, you have to pay subscription. They provide good services, however there are only a limited number of listings on each site, so choose wisely. To get more sites like these, just run a search on sublets + Chicago and you should get quite a few responses. is a useful website to get tips about how to search accommodation in many cities including Chicago. There are also many useful links.
GOOD AREAS TO LIVE
Most of the work, as you would expect, is in and around the city centre, so the best place to live is the North East Side. It’s safe and has great public transport links (the El – Train - and CTA buses - Chicago Transit Authority), and are very close to the lake. When apartment hunting though you’ll notice a place called Hyde Park popping up a lot. While this area does boast far cheaper rents than all the others mentioned, what you save on rent you might make up for in taxi-fares! Trains/buses to Hyde Park aren’t as frequent as the North-side neighbourhoods and so any time you go on a night out you’ll have to get a cab home (it’s a lot further from the main J1 haunts than the other neighbourhoods, so taxis cost more too). Finally though, while it’s a safe place in itself, the areas that surround this neighbourhood are not the kind that you should walk around during the day, let alone at night! Sticking with the North-side just makes life a lot easier.
The best areas to live in Chicago are… Near North & the Loop, Wrigleyville, Old Town & Lincoln Park, Lake View, Wicker Park & Bucktown.All, except for Wicker Park and Bucktown, are on the East side of the city, which means that they're right on the lake. This is definitely preferable because it'swhere the beach & recreation drive (running, rollerblading, cycle track along the lake) are.
One of the best places to live in Chicago is Evanston. It's 20 miles North of Chicago and is a college town. If you arrive in Evanston the 1st week or two in June the students all leave and its dead handy to get places to stay. Check out Metromix.com and if you can get onto any of the university's websites.
The South, and much of the West of the city can be pretty rough, and for that reason you're probably better off sticking to the above areas for accommodation just to be safe.The best night-spots are in or near these areas also, so if you're fond of a night out, you'll get pretty sick of forking out a fortune on taxi's, when others are paying a lot less, walking or getting the El.
JOBS
Tourists pack Chicago between June & September, so places like Navy Pier, the Zoo, the baseball stadiums, and beachside café’s & vendors take on staff to meet the demand. It doesn’t stop there though! As is the case with most big US cities, there’s always work in hotels, fast food chains, retail outlets etc… Employment-wise, Chicago has the best that a city and a holiday resort can offer, all rolled into one!
By far the best way of getting a job in Chicago is by cold calling… i.e. walking into places & asking to fill out an application form, but the trick is to call into the right places & knowing how to identify them.
Seasonal Work: Look for restaurants/ bars that have outside eating areas, orplaces that are big tourist attractions. You can't go wrong by heading down toNavy Pier, it has both. Also try hotels, specifically those on the Magnificent Mile(N. Michigan Avenue, north of the river), as they always need extra people for the summer.Places with a high turnover of staff like McDonalds, the cinema's, clothing stores like Gap, Sports Mart, Old Navy etc., are all good places to look for work as they generally have vacancies.CV's are of little use to you when applying for work. The vast majority of places require you to fill out an application, so don't go overboard copying a rake of resumes! However, you should have a couple with you when making applications just to be sure, and temping agencies definitely require them.You're unlikely to find temping work within ten days as agencies won't even talkto you until they've had you're CV for about a week. Anyone who's looking for temping should send off a CV to agencies (via fax/post/email) in advance butdon't wait around for them to get back to you, get a job anywhere you can to make sure you keep your visa (remember SEVIS!).
WI-FI ACCESS
The Wireless Internet Zones Program
Chicago Wireless Internet Zones (WIZ) are locations throughout Chicago where free public wireless (wi-fi) networks are available. These networks are provided by the City of Chicago in order to promote and develop wireless technology and offer a flexible means of communication. Wireless Internet Zones are available at all 79 Chicago Public Library locations and in other public places around the city including the Cultural Center (78 E. Washington), Daley Plaza (50 W. Washington), and Millennium Park (55 N. Michigan).