Downtown Chicago Apartments Near Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago)

You are a healthcare / medical professional under the employ of the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago aka RIC), but you’re new to downtown Chicago. Where should you live?

Moving to a brand new city can be tough, especially if this brand new city is as large as Chicago. What also makes it tougher is having a short amount of time to find a place to live that works with your current lifestyle and is not far from your workplace.

Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly RIC) is located on 345 East Superior Street, Chicago, IL 60611, within the beautiful Streeterville neighborhood located in downtown Chicago. Given the close proximity to the center, Streeterville is clearly one of the top neighborhoods to live in if you are a healthcare / medical professional working at the hospital. Another neighborhood in close proximity would be Gold Coast or Lakeshore East. Yet another that is a fantastic place to live as a young single person would be River North. Although each of these neighborhoods is a great choice, each has its unique characteristics as we describe in further detail below.

All neighborhoods mentioned above (Streeterville, Gold Coast, River North, and Lakeshore East) all have these characteristics:

1. Walking distance to Shirley Ryan AbilityLab and Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
2. Located in downtown Chicago near Lake Michigan, Navy Pier and the Magnificent Mile.
3. Great jogging routes up / down Lakeshore Drive with spectacular views of the lake.
4. Walking distance to historic Chicago Loop landmarks (i.e. the Bean, Grant Park, etc.)
5. Near Jane Addams Memorial Park.
6. Beautiful views of the lake and city from many of the high-rise apartments and condominiums in these neighborhoods.
7. Lots of coffee shops for studying medical “stuff.”
8. Many other healthcare / medical professionals live in these neighborhoods.
9. There are two fantastic beaches within walking distance, Ohio Street Beach in Streeterville and Oak Street Beach in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
10. One can live very easily without a car.

Streeterville:

1. Streeterville is where Shirley Ryan AbilityLab is located which makes it the most convenient to live in in terms of proximity.
2. Streeterville is close to a Whole Foods grocery store.

Gold Coast:

1. Many wonderful historic restaurants and bars.
2. Closest to a fantastic shopping scene on Oak Street and Michigan Avenue (Mag Mile).
3. Closest to the Chicago Air & Water Show.

River North:

1. Closest to the fantastic Chicago downtown nightlife scene.
2. Great location for singles or newlyweds.
3. Home to many fantastic restaurants.

The Cloud Gate (A.K.A. the Bean) in downtown Chicago.

Lakeshore East:

1. The best downtown neighborhood for raising children as there is a large private park and playground.
2. Many other families with children located in this neighborhood.
3. The best place in downtown Chicago to own a dog as there is a large private park and a large dog play area.
4. Very convenient Mariano’s grocery store location.
5. Closest neighborhood to Millennium Park and the Cloud Gate (A.K.A. the Bean).

In summary, all of the above neighborhoods are great places to live as a medical professional working at RIC. There is no wrong choice. We wish you the best luck on your move to downtown Chicago.