I'm going to be headed to Chicago in a few months with my family and have been looking over places to rent for a week. I know nothing about the Chicago area but I've heard the bad areas are on the south and west sides. What about the place on the map below, is that a decent area? I found a nice looking place on Homeaway in that area but as I said I don't know anything about what areas we should steer clear of. What other areas would you recommend looking at?

Thanks in advance for any input.

The blue circle area?  PASS.

What's your budget?

Ok, thanks for the feedback. Probably going to get there on a Tuesday and leave on Friday afternoon, and for the lodging budget ideally I'm trying to keep it around $1200-$1500. I found another place up close to the Navy pier? That looked like it might be an ok area but when I google some of these areas I see some mixed responses.

Any particular activities that you and the family have on the "must do" list?

Anything by Navy Pier is going to be better than Bronzville. If nothing else you will be able to get to attractions and decent restaurants a lot easier.

I would say most any of the areas in and immediately around the loop are going to be GTG. You will deal with the usual panhandling but CPD keeps a tight lid on most serious crime in the real touristy areas. Your family should have a great time.

Thanks, we're all really looking forward to the trip. Nothing concrete on the itinerary, but we'd like to go to the Navy Pier, go to the sky deck at Willis Tower, Millennium Park, maybe the Art Museum. I'll want to go check out Wrigley field if I can. We'll have two days to sight see, not sure how much we'll be able to cram in.

As for our housing, we will look to stay at a place in the loop, in fact we're pretty set on the place I referenced that's close to the pier. Thanks again for your help and advice.

Do you have to stay in Chicago?  I would recommend the suburban areas and avoid the city.  But then again I live 45 miles from Chicago and very seldom ever travel into the city.

Not to scare you off or imply this is frequent, but while the loop is generally going to be safe anything can happen any time

Second City Cop Blog (full article at link)
https://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/2018/05/wilding-season-opens.html

Wilding Season Opens
And the media gives it exactly ZERO coverage. But Crime in Wrigleyville and Boystown does:
At least four people were injured and two arrests were made after a large group of teenagers went wild near Chicago’s historic Water Tower on Saturday evening, according to police and witnesses.

Security at the Water Tower Place shopping mall reported the first sign of trouble around 8:20 p.m. Fifty teenagers were said to be involved in a fight near the mall entrance at 845 North Michigan Avenue.

Police summoned an ambulance for an injured juvenile.

As the shopping mall incident mellowed, sparks flew again less than a block away near the landmark historic water tower and Jane Byrne Plaza.
Fifty "teens" in the initial fight. How many at the other?
...
Correct us if we're wrong, but that meets or exceeds the number of cops on duty in 018. And once the weather warms up? Our readers were also reporting from the area:
Anonymous said...
As we speak 018 is up for grabs...gangs of inner-city teens are running around punching people, running in traffic, jumping on cars while shouting “All white people must die!”

30 pending and what said...
And losing Michigan ave. 10-1 by Macy's. About 100 m/1s attacking passersby. Wow

Anonymous said...
No mention anywhere except by CWB about the 300 out of control youths wilding in front of water tower last night. Numerous citizens battered arrests and a agg bat to PO. Maybe security from water tower can run after then and apologize to them for stereo typing.
We keep telling citizens to get themselves a Concealed Carry permit and a pair of Groucho glasses in case they have to light up one of these honor roll students. And also, stop voting for the same old assholes or you're going to keep getting the same old asshole behavior

I suppose we don't have to stay in the city, I was thinking it would be easier to just stay in the city, park once at our housing, and uber or walk everywhere we want to go. I anticipate we'd be going back and forth a lot from where we're staying and out to attractions/restaurants, so it seemed it may be a hassle having to come in and out of the city several times a day.

Thanks for that!

Seriously though, I definitely understand that in any larger city pretty much anything can happen anywhere. I've never had the pleasure of visiting Chicago but my job takes me to some of our larger cities pretty routinely every year. I know Chicago has a bad rep and deservedly so, but I also understand most of that is confined to the nastier parts of the city, which is why I was asking for a head's up here on which areas I should be sticking to.

I do appreciate the head's up though. We will definitely pay attention to what's going on around us (which we do anyway) while we are enjoying our trip. I will feel naked without my g26 in my waistband though. I've pretty much decided I'm not even taking anything on the trip at all, even boxed and unloaded.

My bad, I posted this without even looking at your tacked thread at the top of the forum. I'll check out the info in there.

Ok another question now regarding something I touched on in my last post.

Obviously ccw'ing is completely out of the question. If I pack my Glock in my trunk, unloaded with ammo in a separate bag would that be gtg? Do you guys have any capacity limits on your mags up there? Any other considerations I'd need to take into account? I had about decided I wasn't going to take anything with me, but on second thought if I can take a firearm with me, even if it's not on me when I'm out and about, I'd at least feel better knowing I had it available back at our lodging.

If you have a CCL from your home state, you can "car carry" in IL.  Upon exit it must be enclosed in a locked container which could be the console in your locked car.   There is a safe harbor space allowing you to put in trunk as well.

We also have a duty to inform IF asked.

As for pistol mag capacity limits...nothing at the state level and there is a state preemption on handguns but Chicago and Cook county have limits on the books for "high cap" mags. Nothing has ever gone to court to decide.

Chicago limit is 15 and Cook is 10.  Some still think it is older law limit of 12  but it is in the muni code.

Various places have knife limits and there is no state preemption there.

Awesome, thank you very much for the info. I'll probably just stick a Glock in the trunk so I'll at least have something with me.

Yeah, as one or two others have said, I'd pass on the area you outlined.  Not only is it not close to anything, but it's still in the midst of gentrification, meaning its still got its problems.  You're better off anywhere in the Loop or close to it (i.e., Chinatown, Near North, etc.).  I wouldn't bother with the suburbs, either, unless it's somewhere on the near North or Northwest sides.  Too many of the close-in suburbs are holes themselves.  Stick to the Loop or very close to it and you'll have no problems - the article above about a fight near Water Tower is your typical big-city stuff and not common at all in the Loop.

I'm a police officer in said city.   Any questions feel free to message me. But I'd stay as close to the loop / downtown as possible. Although I'd pick an entirely different city to visit. The smaller the buildings get the more danger you face.   Sadly the bands of " kids" looting, robbing fighting and breaking stuff is a common occurrence now in the loop and Michigan avenue. So much so that our coc is tweaking over it figuring out the best way to stop it .

You don't want to stay in the burbs.

The commute would be brutal.

Metra is pretty efficient and you avoid parking, but you wont be going back and forth to your hotel.  You'll be more staying  out all day and walking or using taxis to get around

Don’t stay in the Burbs, stay between the South Loop to the south and up to Lakeview to the north. The Loop, South Loop, Streeterville, River North, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Gold Coast are what you should be searching for in no certain order.

I agree with what others have said. Stay downtown. It's more expensive, but you'll enjoy being able to walk places. It's where most of the touristy things are.

Ignore the negative comments. Chicago has plenty of problems, but it's a fun place to visit.

""to visit" is the key phrase.  Not to live.  Awful place to live if you enjoy quiet, land , firearms. No traffic. Good schools etc. Lmao. You see my point.