Best Place In Chicago Metro To Live?

[smzapalac]

My DH may be transferred back to IL. We moved to Dallas from downtown Chicago 3.5 years ago. Would love to live back in the city, but I don't know how practical that is anymore. We now have a 2 yo and another baby on the way and I am trying to figure out what the best place is in the Chicago metro area to live. I really know very little about the suburbs of Chicago. If you live in the Chicagoland area let me know your thoughts. Of course, we are considering the following:
- affordable
- schools (public and private)
- access to public transit (metra or CTA)
- close to parks, museums, dining
- ease of meeting people with kids (mom's groups, playgroups)

Thanks!

[Momof3Labs]

Most important, I think, is where your DH would work. I wouldn't even try to make recommendations without taking his potential commute into consideration. If he is working downtown, how long is he willing to commute? What is your budget, and what size home are you looking for?

[DebbieJ]

Naperville is always high on the lists, but I echo Lori's advice. Think about commuting time, home prices, etc, and then you'll have a better picture of what is comfortable for your family.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[kelly ann]

Naperville is a good choice, but if you want something more Northwest I would recommend Palatine. Good schools, metra stations close by, and lots of dining/shopping next door in Schaumburg.

Both Palatine and Naperville are suburbs, but not really near the city suburbs...like Oak Park, Evanston, etc. Of course, the closer you go the more expensive it is.

Another place I like, but it is not cheap is Wheaton/Glen Ellyn - just north of Naperville.

ETA: As the PP said, budget will determine a lot. Public transportation is so great here that it would be surprisng if you ended up far away from a station. Even though all of the suburbs above are great - they are relatively expensive. The highly rated schools come with highly priced homes :(

[C99]

Affordable is all relative. :) A lot of the suburbs have housing at a range of price points, but not all of them do.

Naperville is a very nice suburb, as others have said, and has lots of amenities for young families. I don't know anyone who was ever an adult resident of Naperville who doesn't rave about it. But it really depends on where your DH's office is located and what kind of commute he'll have.

[rupptopia]

As the previous posts said, it all depends on budget. It took us a long time to decide which suburb once we decided that the city was just too expensive.

For what is it worth, we love Glenview. It is North but not right on the lake so more affordable than a lot of the North Shore - I certainly wouldn't call it a bargain though!

- schools (public and private): great public schools & several private to choose from nearby (including Loyola Academy)
- access to public transit (metra or CTA) hubby walks to the train, 28 minutes to Union Station downtown
- close to parks, museums, dining : tons of parks, Kohl's Children's Museum, every type of restaurant you can think of
- ease of meeting people with kids (mom's groups, playgroups) : I was fearful of this but haven't had any problem, friendly down-to-earth people live around here, lots of them used to live in Lincoln Park/Lakeview/Roscoe Village. Between the park center, preschool, swim lessons, the neighbors, the pools and some charity work I do - it has been really easy to find local friends.

If you are looking in the city, Lincoln Square maybe a good place to look. I have heard though friends that the public schools there are improving though local parental involvement. It is less expensive than Lakeview or Roscoe Village.

Good luck!
Michelle

[denna]

We are looking at the Evanston area where DH is originally from for our upcoming move in September. Evanston is on the North Shore but we have found some very nice and very affordable areas. Evanston is a growing area so not everything is super expensive nor right on the lake. I think Skoki is a really nice area as well as Glenview.

[smzapalac]

My husband may be wfh, while commuting to visit clients around the midwest. Therefore, we really wanted something within the proximity of the CTA so he could take the train to ORD or MDW for business trips. I checked out Oak Park online yesterday and it looks like a nice community, however, I really know very little about it. I love Evanston, but have heard it has some transitional neighborhoods. I like the area around Northwestern, but I don't think our budget permits $1 million + for a home. I am going to check out Naperville. I see that they have a Metra station which would be nice for commutes to the city. I also want to check out Glenview as I have never been been in that neck of the woods either. For living in Chicago for 10 years I rarely went North of Wrigley Field or South of the Shedd Aquarium.

Any other suggestions would be great. Thanks for all the help!

[Lolagirl]

Another suburb with close proximity to the CTA train and Metra is Park Ridge. It's also about ten minutes from ORD, so definitely an easy commute (especially by taxi). Park Ridge is getting a little more pricey these days, but you can still find a nice house there for a semi-reasonable price. My husband's family is from PR, and he has been wanting to move back there ever since our twin boys were born two years ago. It's a very nice town, with great schools and a fantastic park district that has tons of activities for kids (I'm just not quite ready to move out of the city yet!)

Good Luck, and welcome to the area!

[Momof3Labs]

I really like Arlington Heights/Buffalo Grove too. I worked and lived there for a while, and would go back if it made sense for us. About 20 minutes from O'Hare, good trains into the city (more from Arlington Hts than Buffalo Grove), etc. Northbrook comes to mind, too, but again, it depends on your budget. I personally wouldn't call Evanston a reasonably priced option, but depends on your frame of reference.

[alexsmommy]

sleeping baby on shoulder -
Like everyone said, it's all relative. We love, love, love Oak Park - but that doesn't mean we wouldn't like other towns as well.
We like OP because it's very child/family friendly, good schools, involved parents, commited to diversity, easy to get in and out of Chicago - has two "L" lines (Chicago's public transit trains) one Metra line, interstate runs through town so easy access, affordable when compared to some north shore communties (not so affordable when compared to some other towns though), lots of park district and other child based activities, ability to walk to things (more like living in the city in that way - you can get away with one car if you needed to) and older homes (which is a plus or minus depending on what you like).
Having said all of that, if we moved north, I would look at Evanston and Glenview as there are a lot of things I like about them as well.
Alaina
Alex Feb '03
Zachary July '07

[jenmcadams]

Obviously budget is all relative and I don't think I would call Evanston and that part of the North Shore affordable, but if it's in your budget I love that area. I went to graduate school at Northwestern and my husband was commuting by Metra downtown. We lived in Wilmette (one suburb north of Evanston) and I really loved the area. It's pricey though and I heard (we didn't own, just rented a cute little house in a very nice neighborhood in Wilmette) taxes are pretty high (at least that's what our landlord was always telling us). My husband was able to walk to Metra, driving to the airport for trips wasn't too bad and he often had clients in the greater Chicago area and he never complained about going to the clients (although he was spoiled and his firm used a car service to trips to clients, so not sure he's a good reference point on commuting around the Chicago area). Metra service was quick and easy -- I used it when I worked in River North on an internship and loved it. Having said all that, we didn't have kids, so we only had second-hand knowledge of schools, etc., but everything we heard was that it was amazing. Other suburbs that friends of ours loved on the other side of the city include Oak Park, Lagrange Park, etc. I'm not sure you'd call any of these affordable either, but worth thinking about.

We live in Colorado now and wouldn't want to live anywhere else, but we loved the two years we spent in Chicagoland...Good Luck!!

[lmintzer]

I lived in Oak Park for 3 1/2 years and loved it (now I'm in the Philly 'burbs). I would recommend it in a heartbeat, except for cost. Housing is very high there. But I think it has a ton of character (which many 'burbs do not), is close to the city, has train access to the city, great schools, beautiful parks, and attracts a neat bunch of people.

I grew up in Naperville, which now has a lot to recommend it. It's changed a ton from when I left it in 1990. The downtown area is hopping with good restaurants, great shopping, and tons of strollers, lol. The schools are wonderful. You can find old, historic houses to new construction and everything in between. It's not cheap either but is a fair bit cheaper than Oak Park. The downside is proximity to the city. Driving in sucks! It's getting worse and worse by the year. If you live reasonably close to the train station, you can take the Metra in, which isn't bad (the express trains take approx. 35 minutes). But that only really works well if your destination is in the business district. Union Station is not really near the downtown area, and if you have to start taking buses or El trains from their, well, then it's not so convenient.

I've got a tired 3 year-old in my lap, so I have to run, but please post more questions as they com eup.

[teddy]

typing while holding baby...

if dh needs to fly in/out of town frequently, i would consider proximity to ohare. northwest burbs are about 20 min or so (depending on traffic) away. if ypu take back roads (not the highway), it's pretty fast. he can easily take a suburban cab to airport and back again. getting to ohare from some north suburbs (evanston comes to mind) may be a hassle because he'd have to go pretty far west and there's no fast route east/west on the north end of the city (that I am aware of).

and the metra line that serves the nw suburbs also runs express trains to/from the city at peak times. it takes dh about 20 min on the express from arlington heights. we have 1 car, dh can walk to the arlington heights metra stop in 10 min (quicker if it's snowing!).

public and catholic schools are great. the montessori school here is great. not terribly diverse in AH proper, but the general northwest suburbs area is diverse. so, consider park ridge, mt prospect, arlington heights, palatine if proximity to ohare is impt. hth.

[lizamann]

If I were to move out of the city, it would be to Oak Park. I haven't researched any other places, really, but I know people who live in OP, and every time I'm out there I want to move. I'm an old-houses-with-trees-that-meet-in-the-middle-of-the street kind of girl, so Oak Park fits the bill more than a cul-de-sac sort of place.

[table4three]

Another place that hasn't been mentioned yet is Elmhurst. We used to live there and LOVED it. It can be expensive, depending on what you are looking for, but it has great schools, great access to O'Hare, Metra runs right into downtown Elmhurst, it is very centrally located. Very family oriented too. It has a lot of character and is more the tree-lined streets older community rather than "subdivision land", though there are lots of uber-expensive tear-downs intermixed in the older homes. I used to drive into the city from there and DH took Metra - there was an express train that was 25 min or so.


DS - 2
DD - coming this summer!

[DrSally]

I lived in LaGrange and worked downtown. It is a cute little town with a downtown with a ton of restaurants and shops. The houses are affordable depending on which part you live in and what you consider affordable. The schools are supposed to be very good. For instance, there was an elementary school 2 blocks from us that had 11 kids per class. Good luck, I loved living there!

ETA: LA Grange is an inner ring suburb, so it took 30 min to downtown by car. I took the metra and then a bus (b/c) I worked up from the loop, on the lake. We also loved that we were 20 min from the airport, since DH travelled every week.

[smzapalac]

Thanks for all the feedback on Oak Park. It sounds like a nice place. I am also going to check out La Grange too. So many nice places mentioned. My friend just moved to a new home in Elmhurst and loves it, however, $2.5 million for a house is not in our budget. I really want to be within walking distance of a cute/quaint downtown area that has shops, restaurants, etc. while simultaneously having access to public transit to other parts of Chicago Metro, and access to airports. We used to live on Wells Street in Old Town and could eat and shop on our block and then hop on the brown line to whereever. I miss that in Dallas where people literally drive their cars from one end of the mall to the other so they don't have to walk the distance of the mall (no offense Dallasites).

If anyone has any other places in Chicago Metro they love please pass them along. You all have been extremely helpful.

[table4three]

Check out Downers Grove too - they have a cute downtown with shops, restaurants, metra line, walking to library and good schools. Lots of parks too. And good access to interstates. You'd want to stick close to downtown Downers Grove (south of Ogden, north of 55th or so) to really take advantage of all that. Depends on what you are looking for, but definately more affordable than 2.5M! :)


DS - 2
DD - coming this summer!

[C99]

>and the metra line that serves the nw suburbs also runs
>express trains to/from the city at peak times.

All the Metra rail lines run express trains to/from the city during commute times.

[Momof3Labs]

>interstate runs through town
>so easy access

Is that an interstate or a parking lot ;) ? Seems like every time I've tried to use it (usually mid-day during the week or on the weekend) there's a huge backup, lol!

[DrSally]

We looked at Elmhurst (and other) northern inner ring burbs first, but you can get so much more for your $ southwest or west. LaGrange seriously has the cutest and most extensive downtown that I have seen--borders, TJ's, baja fresh, starbucks, caribou, pier 1, and a ton of local restaurants, a movie theater, an awesome breakfast place, and like 5 icecream shops, metra station all within walking distance. Close to Lagrange, and a little cheaper is Lagrange park and Brookfield. It's also a few miles from Target, bestbuy, and a lot of other things.

[DrSally]

We looked at Elmhurst (and other) northern inner ring burbs first, but you can get so much more for your $ southwest or west. LaGrange seriously has the cutest and most extensive downtown that I have seen--borders, TJ's, baja fresh, starbucks, caribou, pier 1, and a ton of local restaurants, a movie theater, an awesome breakfast place, and like 5 icecream shops, metra station all within walking distance. Close to Lagrange, and a little cheaper is Lagrange park and Brookfield. It's also a few miles from Target, bestbuy, and a lot of other things.

[Momof3Labs]

I've only been through LaGrange, but just being a little south, you're liable to get a lot more for your money. And it is nice and close to Brookfield Zoo (a wonderful, wonderful place for kids)!!

[Momof3Labs]

I've only been through LaGrange, but just being a little south, you're liable to get a lot more for your money. And it is nice and close to Brookfield Zoo (a wonderful, wonderful place for kids)!!

[DebbieJ]

Yep, we were driving OUT of the city yesterday around 3:00 p.m. and were going very slow until we exited to the Tri State.

I don't think I've ever been on that expressway when it HASN'T been full of traffic.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[DebbieJ]

Yep, we were driving OUT of the city yesterday around 3:00 p.m. and were going very slow until we exited to the Tri State.

I don't think I've ever been on that expressway when it HASN'T been full of traffic.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[Fairy]

Can you stand another opinion? Born and raised here.

* I am arrogant about the North Shore. I fully admit that. And that arrogance is also about places I 100% would never live. So, PM me if you want that opinion. Wonderful suburbs I'd live in include: Deerfield, Wilmette, Winnetka (if you can afford it), Evanston (not in the Evanston HS school district), Arlington Heights, Park Ridge, Edison Park (that's far NW corner of the city), Norwood Park (also NW corner of the city), Wheaton, parts of Glen Ellyn, parts of Naperville, Long Grove. Anything not on this list does not mean it sucks or isn't worth living in. I'm just saying these are my recs.

* Each of these places are wonderful. The probelm with Oak Park is that it's a gem -- a true wonderful gem and just gorgeous, rich in history -- surrounded by drek. Walk a block the wrong way, you're not safe at night.

* Evanston is a plce I really wanted to live. We ended up somewhere else not on this list (I prefer not to say), but it's in the north by northwest suburbs and not at all convenient to get to the city; longer metra ride. Evanston is perfect in so many ways. Culture is deep and diverse, absolutely beautiful, shopping is in sevaral places and awesome (they have a great antique map store; what does that tell ya?), and you can take metra OR the L OR another L. But be careful; you don't want your kids going to Evanston HS. Good education, no question. Drugs are there, but drugs are everywhere. Problem is GANGS. Those are NOT everywhere. The good side of Evanston is some bucks. There are diamonds in the rough, but it's tough.

* Naperville is very nice. But make no mistake, it's a metropolis. Not quaint, not quiet. Huge, bustling. Schools are excellent.

* Traffic is Chicago is always gridlock all the time. It's just the way it is. 3am ain't bad. But 11am, 3pm, 5:30am, you're gonna hit traffic on the highway. It's the way it is here, you just have to deal. The sooner you accept it and tune in to 780 for traffic on the 8's and just know what you're in for, then the sooner you can just get on with it. I hate it, I dread it. But that's the way the cookie crumbles. Unfortunately. So, take metra!

* Metra is really great. The L is great, too. Metra is super safe and really clean and the culture is something you catch on to fast. Where I live, it takes an hour and 15 minutes one way; the super-express is 42 minutes one way. The Chicago area is really enormous. Chicagoans tend to consider Milwaukee a far suburb (Brewers will disagree). That's just to give yo an idea of how much is Chicago Metro. So, don't sell yourself short by staying close to the city for closeness sake. There is alot to be said for the suburbs. Now, I wouldn't live in Rockford or Joliet personally, cuz for me, that's FAR. but for others, where I live is the boonies. It's all relative. Depends on what all your priorities are.

* You really DO need to understand your budget. I have opinions on this too, so PM me if you're interested in them.

Chicago is wonderful. I love it here. I'd never want to leave ever. Traffic, winter, construction, warts and all! Wishing you the best of luck in your search!

-- Fairy

[Fairy]

Can you stand another opinion? Born and raised here.

* I am arrogant about the North Shore. I fully admit that. And that arrogance is also about places I 100% would never live. So, PM me if you want that opinion. Wonderful suburbs I'd live in include: Deerfield, Wilmette, Winnetka (if you can afford it), Evanston (not in the Evanston HS school district), Arlington Heights, Park Ridge, Edison Park (that's far NW corner of the city), Norwood Park (also NW corner of the city), Wheaton, parts of Glen Ellyn, parts of Naperville, Long Grove. Anything not on this list does not mean it sucks or isn't worth living in. I'm just saying these are my recs.

* Each of these places are wonderful. The probelm with Oak Park is that it's a gem -- a true wonderful gem and just gorgeous, rich in history -- surrounded by drek. Walk a block the wrong way, you're not safe at night.

* Evanston is a plce I really wanted to live. We ended up somewhere else not on this list (I prefer not to say), but it's in the north by northwest suburbs and not at all convenient to get to the city; longer metra ride. Evanston is perfect in so many ways. Culture is deep and diverse, absolutely beautiful, shopping is in sevaral places and awesome (they have a great antique map store; what does that tell ya?), and you can take metra OR the L OR another L. But be careful; you don't want your kids going to Evanston HS. Good education, no question. Drugs are there, but drugs are everywhere. Problem is GANGS. Those are NOT everywhere. The good side of Evanston is some bucks. There are diamonds in the rough, but it's tough.

* Naperville is very nice. But make no mistake, it's a metropolis. Not quaint, not quiet. Huge, bustling. Schools are excellent.

* Traffic is Chicago is always gridlock all the time. It's just the way it is. 3am ain't bad. But 11am, 3pm, 5:30am, you're gonna hit traffic on the highway. It's the way it is here, you just have to deal. The sooner you accept it and tune in to 780 for traffic on the 8's and just know what you're in for, then the sooner you can just get on with it. I hate it, I dread it. But that's the way the cookie crumbles. Unfortunately. So, take metra!

* Metra is really great. The L is great, too. Metra is super safe and really clean and the culture is something you catch on to fast. Where I live, it takes an hour and 15 minutes one way; the super-express is 42 minutes one way. The Chicago area is really enormous. Chicagoans tend to consider Milwaukee a far suburb (Brewers will disagree). That's just to give yo an idea of how much is Chicago Metro. So, don't sell yourself short by staying close to the city for closeness sake. There is alot to be said for the suburbs. Now, I wouldn't live in Rockford or Joliet personally, cuz for me, that's FAR. but for others, where I live is the boonies. It's all relative. Depends on what all your priorities are.

* You really DO need to understand your budget. I have opinions on this too, so PM me if you're interested in them.

Chicago is wonderful. I love it here. I'd never want to leave ever. Traffic, winter, construction, warts and all! Wishing you the best of luck in your search!

-- Fairy

[DebbieJ]

>Where I live, it takes an hour and 15 minutes one
>way

>Now, I
>wouldn't live in Rockford or Joliet personally, cuz for me,
>that's FAR.

FWIW, the Metra ride from Joliet to La Salle St is shorter than your Metra ride.

~ deb
DS born at home 12/03
Breastfeeding After Reduction is possible! www.bfar.org

http://www.bfar.org/members/fora/style_avatars/Ribbons/18months-bfar.jpg

[C99]

>Yep, we were driving OUT of the city yesterday around 3:00
>p.m. and were going very slow until we exited to the Tri
>State.
>
>I don't think I've ever been on that expressway when it HASN'T
>been full of traffic.

6 a.m. on a weekend or 12 a.m. anytime. I used to commute the Ike when I worked at a hotel, which meant I was commuting at odd hours.

[Fairy]

That's cuz you guys have expresses and are on an older established line. I'm on a newer crappy line we have to share with freight where all the trains are locals or nearly locals that I have no real choice but to take on my one day DT. Hard to complain with my flexible work sched, but still, this is not a good example of awesome Metra. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Drr . . .

From a mileage perspective, you'd never believe the train takes that long. Sucks.

[lmintzer]

Regarding Fairy's comment about Oak Park being surrounded by bad neighborhoods: yes, you do border the city and a not great neighorhood on the east. But it's not like you'd wander into it without knowing on foot in the middle of the night. I drove through it all the time to get to work without really worrying. It was the fastest way into the city when the highways were bad. As far as the North, North Avenue is fine in most places. We'd go there all of stores and little restaurants. The city neighborhood to the North isn't awful at all. In fact, lots of city workers who needed to reside within city limits (like firefighters, police officers, etc.) lived there. Elmwood Park to the North and West is a middle (lower middle?) neighborhood, but is fine. It's home to good Italian food and the local Target. I was there at night and didn't feel uncomfortable.

I guess it's all a matter of what you're looking for and what makes you feel safe/unsafe. But I certainly wouldn't rule out Oak Park for the reasons mentioned. You may just want to make sure you live a couple blocks in from the city on the East, but that's it.

[Fairy]

I don't disagree with anything you say! I do think that it's iportant to just be aware of what is nearby. But Oak Park is a truly beautiful place to live, and if you can afford it and are ok with everything important to you, then it's a great choice.

[smzapalac]

I have never heard of Edison Park or Northwood Park, but want to check those out. Might be a good option. I did get to look at Oak Park and La Grange's Web sites and I must say I am REALLY impressed by their downtown offerings. I also must admit I thought the prices for homes were a lot less then I thought they were going to be. I was thinking they would be closer to the million + range because Chicago (Lincoln Park, Lakeview, etc.) is SO expensive when it comes to single family homes.

The North Shore looks great, but I have a feeling our budget would not allow us to get the kind of house we would be happy in. Someone very nice suggested Kenniworth and I almost fell out of my chair when I saw how $$$ the houses are. Beautiful, but not in our budget at this point in our lives.

I too love Chicago and have been fighting (literally) to get back there for the last 3.5 years. However, so much has changed since we moved to Dallas. Mainly, we have a 2 yo and another on the way. We used to live in Old Town, 1 block from Cabrini Green, and I seriously never gave any thought to walking home at night. I always felt safe. Maybe I was young and stupid. Now that I have a kiddo, I want to have the diversity of city life, but the illusion of safety the suburbs provide.

Thanks again for all your suggestions. I am going to IL in Aug. to start my in-person search. If you have any other ideas just send them along. Thanks again, REALLY helpful information for me.

[Momof3Labs]

$2.5 million is hardly typical for a house in Elmhurst. No, it's not a cheap suburb, but that's on the high end, so it still may be worth checking out. It certainly has awesome proximity to the airport and the city!

[Momof3Labs]

Even the new line out that way (almost to Joliet) that does not offer expresses and shares with freight trains gets you into the city in less than an hour. I've lived in your direction (rode that line for a little while, too, it drove me batty), too, and the SW burbs have much better access to downtown IMO.

[DrSally]

FWIW, when we were first looking, we looked at Edison Park and Norwood Park b/c of recommendations from friends on the north side. What we could get for our $$ in LaGrange was soooo much more.
I forgot to mention that LaGrange has a weekly farmer's market too. If you go to look, you have to go to Blueberry Hill for breakfast. I would just love to be back there. Yes, it is close to the city and very convenient to the loop via Metra. I worked on Mich ave, though, and the added bus ride and walk made it a 1.5 -2 hour commute from door to door. If you want to drive downtown on the weekend, though, it is 30 min by car. So, eventhough it's an inner ring burb, it is not the city. We never could've afforded a house in the city. In the end, if you're looking for Value for your $$, I would consider other places besides the north shore. It is so popular, that the prices are really inflated, IMO.

ETA: I noticed you mentioned diversity, andLaGrange does not have a lot of it. I felt like I was the only minority in town.

[teddy]

Mostly everyone responding has so many nice things to say about their town! I live here and want to check out all these other 'burbs I've been reading about ;)

Because I love living in Arlington Heights, here are some links that you might want to explore:
Village
http://www.vah.com/index.htm

Library -- many programs, esp for kids
http://www.ahml.info/

Park District -- extensive class schedule for all ages and great public pools!
http://www.ahpd.org/

Realty - From million+ dollar homes to fixer uppers. Check zip codes 60004 and 60005. This particular realtor always has cute homes for sale.
http://www.picketfencerealty.com/listings.asp

[smzapalac]

Gosh, thanks for sending all these links about Arlington Heights. It is funny you sent these as my mom was recommending Arlington Heights to me. My Aunt lived there and loved it. I have never been there but planned on checking it out. Really appreciate you sending these links. So helpful to me in my search.