Anonymous wrote:I loved Evanston when we visited in 2019 on DS' college tour - when we returned last summer (2021) for a visit with our younger child, I was shocked at how many of the stores, restaurants, etc. in the area closest to Northwestern had closed - tons of for rent signs in windows. It was definitely much grittier than our experience in 2019 and speaking with our Uber driver who lived in the area, she shared that things have been tough for the area.

Anonymous wrote:I loved Evanston when we visited in 2019 on DS' college tour - when we returned last summer (2021) for a visit with our younger child, I was shocked at how many of the stores, restaurants, etc. in the area closest to Northwestern had closed - tons of for rent signs in windows. It was definitely much grittier than our experience in 2019 and speaking with our Uber driver who lived in the area, she shared that things have been tough for the area.

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Anonymous wrote:It is grittier than Bethesda.
I would argue it is farther from Chicago than “downtown” Bethesda is to DC.

you don't have to "argue" that, because it is a fact. but who cares? downtown Chicago ("the loop") is kinda boring. it's mostly just office buildings and some touristy stuff like millennium park. unless a student has an internship downtown, I don't think college students would have much reason to spend time downtown. the livelier/"young people's" neighborhoods that college students would want to hang out at with cool bars, music venues, restaurants, coffee shops, hangouts, independent bookstores and such are more on the northside- Lincoln park, Lakeview, wrigleyville, etc.

NU students don't hang out in those areas. Those areas are full of older college grads. A lot of undergrads aren't old enough to drink in the many bars in these neighborhoods which make up the night life. Students tend to stick to campus for entertainment. There used to be a lot of antagonism between the university and Evanston. Evanston really resisted being known as a college town. I went there for grad school, but not UG, didn't really seem like a fun place for undergrads though.

NP. I went to undergrad at NU and I don't think this is true at all.

My DH went to NU as an undergrad and we both went as grad students and later lived in those areas. He never hung out in the neighborhoods outside of Evanston as an UG. He and all his friends stayed on campus for the first few years for the most part. They weren't going to Lincoln Park for coffee and bookstores. YMMV.

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Anonymous wrote:It is grittier than Bethesda.
I would argue it is farther from Chicago than “downtown” Bethesda is to DC.

you don't have to "argue" that, because it is a fact. but who cares? downtown Chicago ("the loop") is kinda boring. it's mostly just office buildings and some touristy stuff like millennium park. unless a student has an internship downtown, I don't think college students would have much reason to spend time downtown. the livelier/"young people's" neighborhoods that college students would want to hang out at with cool bars, music venues, restaurants, coffee shops, hangouts, independent bookstores and such are more on the northside- Lincoln park, Lakeview, wrigleyville, etc.

NU students don't hang out in those areas. Those areas are full of older college grads. A lot of undergrads aren't old enough to drink in the many bars in these neighborhoods which make up the night life. Students tend to stick to campus for entertainment. There used to be a lot of antagonism between the university and Evanston. Evanston really resisted being known as a college town. I went there for grad school, but not UG, didn't really seem like a fun place for undergrads though.

NP. I went to undergrad at NU and I don't think this is true at all.

My DH went to NU as an undergrad and we both went as grad students and later lived in those areas. He never hung out in the neighborhoods outside of Evanston as an UG. He and all his friends stayed on campus for the first few years for the most part. They weren't going to Lincoln Park for coffee and bookstores. YMMV.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It is grittier than Bethesda.
I would argue it is farther from Chicago than “downtown” Bethesda is to DC.

you don't have to "argue" that, because it is a fact. but who cares? downtown Chicago ("the loop") is kinda boring. it's mostly just office buildings and some touristy stuff like millennium park. unless a student has an internship downtown, I don't think college students would have much reason to spend time downtown. the livelier/"young people's" neighborhoods that college students would want to hang out at with cool bars, music venues, restaurants, coffee shops, hangouts, independent bookstores and such are more on the northside- Lincoln park, Lakeview, wrigleyville, etc.

NU students don't hang out in those areas. Those areas are full of older college grads. A lot of undergrads aren't old enough to drink in the many bars in these neighborhoods which make up the night life. Students tend to stick to campus for entertainment. There used to be a lot of antagonism between the university and Evanston. Evanston really resisted being known as a college town. I went there for grad school, but not UG, didn't really seem like a fun place for undergrads though.

NP. I went to undergrad at NU and I don't think this is true at all.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the suggestions PPs. My DC is excited to tour the campus and surrounding area.

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Anonymous wrote:Only on DCUM, lol. Everyone else is leaving.

Lmao for whatever reason, Chicago/land gets the anal variety of Virginians extremely insecure and salty here on DCUM. Please refer to the above comment and the user upthread who was going on about Men Against Rape and Sexual Assault. Lol.

This is on the college thread so I'm assuming this is a potential NU parent, and NU not at all struggling to get applicants.