I'm moving to Chicago and will be working in Chase Tower at 10 S. Dearborn. I'd like to live 20-30 mins max from the office. I'm looking to live in an area with a lot of nightlife, bars, and restaurants. I'm single and 29 years old. What areas should I live in and what is the max in rent you'd spend?

East Lakeview sounds perfect for you. As close to the red line as you can get. An all around awesome neighborhood, tons of bars, walkable. It's basically where most 25-early 30s folks live. Wrigleyville is nearby (think 6th Street of Chicago).

http://www.domu.com/ -> really good website to find rentals.

But look along the Red Line north of the city.

Find the Chicagoland A&M group and Chicago SEC group on Facebook as well. They can help.

[This message has been edited by ChiAggie (edited 5/30/2013 8:35a).]

I would also look in the Bucktown area. Lot's of restaurants and bars. The only pain would be no easy access to red line, but we haven't found that to be an issue. The blue line will get you to downtown and Ohare.

Also in Bucktown/Wicker Park you can typically find larger apartments and they are cheaper.