📢Hub Chatter

c/chicago-living

18

king.lisa•11h ago

My landlord said I was overwatering my plants, turns out he was dead right

Kept watering my fern every day because it looked droopy, guy from the unit below me finally said enough. Now I only water it every 4 days and it actually grew 3 new fronds in 2 weeks. Anyone else have a landlord who actually gave good advice for once?

19

davis.casey•23h ago

Just realized my building is using the wrong fire extinguishers

I was talking to a fire safety guy named Tom last week at the hardware store on Clark. He told me the extinguishers in my building are Class B rated but we got gas stoves and dryers that need Class C. Said a lot of old buildings in Chicago have the same issue. Anyone know if the landlord legally has to fix this or am I overthinking it?

16

phoenixgonzalez•1d ago

The guy who yelled at me for recycling wrong in my building

Last Tuesday I was sorting my cans and bottles in the alley behind my apartment on Fullerton when this older guy came out and started saying I was mixing everything up wrong. He grabbed a milk jug out of my bag and held it up like I'd committed a crime. How do you handle neighbors who treat the recycling bin like their personal project?

20

laura_ross•3d ago

I finally invested in a snow blower for my Rogers Park alley spot

After shoveling my 40-foot alley parking pad by hand for the last four winters, I bought a used Toro from a guy on Facebook marketplace for $200. The first real snowstorm hit last week and I cleared everything in 15 minutes instead of fighting with a shovel for over an hour. Has anyone else found that moving to a machine just changes how you deal with Chicago winter parking headaches?

20

ellis.victor•3d ago

My neighbor swore the CTA bus tracker app was useless, now I check it every morning

Old guy down the hall named Frank told me last winter to stop using the Ventra website and just look out the window instead. Said those bus arrival times are always off by at least 10 minutes. Well I finally downloaded the Transit app after missing the 22 three times in a row last month near Clark and Diversey. Now I know exactly when to leave my apartment and I've only waited more than 5 minutes once. Has anyone else found a specific app that actually works better than the official one?

24

simonmoore•4d ago

Just learned that parking signs in Wrigleyville have a secret layer of meaning

I was standing at the corner of Clark and Addison waiting for a buddy, and this old timer pointed out that some signs with red and white stripes actually mean you can park during certain hours if you read the fine print on the back. Turns out a lot of folks around here don't know about the 4 PM exception on Sheffield during game days. Has anyone else caught these hidden rules or am I just late to the party?

28

paul_morgan•4d ago

Lost $200 on a fake parking pass near Wrigley last summer

I bought what I thought was a legit parking pass off Facebook Marketplace for a Cubs game in June. Got to the lot off Addison and the guy scanned my QR code and just laughed, said it was already used. I had to scramble and pay $60 for a random spot six blocks away. Anyone else get burned by those fake parking scams online?

9

faithg26•6d ago

Found a shortcut through alleys that cuts 15 minutes off the expressway

I had to run from Logan Square to the Loop during rush hour and GPS said 45 minutes on the Kennedy. Started zigzagging through some random alleys and side streets near Grand and now I do it every time it saves me at least 15. Anybody else got a secret route they swear by?

11

paul233•8d ago

My building's laundry room elevator broke for the 4th time since June

I went down to do a load of towels last night and the service elevator was stuck between floors again. That's the only elevator that goes to the basement where the machines are. Had to haul my laundry bag down 4 flights of stairs and back up again. Anyone else's building just refuse to fix the elevators properly around here?

20

finley777•11d ago

I finally hit 10 years in my Bridgeport apartment and people think I'm crazy

Everyone keeps telling me I should move to a new building with amenities and in-unit laundry. But I've been in this same two-flat on Lituanica Avenue for a decade now. My rent only went up $150 total over those 10 years which is basically unheard of around here. The landlady still calls me by my first name and fixed my leaking pipe within 2 hours last winter. Has anyone else found that staying put in an older building actually saved them more money than moving around?

22

park.iris•12d ago

Switched from Metra to driving for my Loop commute and saved $60 a month

I was taking the Metra from Evanston every day for about 8 months. Cost me $4.50 each way plus parking. One day my train was cancelled and I drove in. Ended up finding a spot near my office for $12 flat. Now I drive every day and save around $60 a month even with gas. Anyone else ditch the train for driving and find it works better?

19

mark731•13d ago

Our block's garage sale turned into a 3-hour cookout last Saturday

We set up in Logan Square with a few tables of old furniture and baby clothes around 8 AM. By 10, one neighbor dragged out a tiny charcoal grill and started making burgers for everyone. I swear I sold maybe $40 worth of stuff but ate three burgers and had to borrow a chair because I lost mine to some lady from down the street. Has anyone else had a garage sale turn into more of a party than a sales event?

8

dylan413•14d ago

Lost $60 on a parking spot rental scam near Wrigleyville last month

Found a sublet listing for a spot on Craigslist, paid via Zelle, and the guy ghosted me the day I showed up with my car. Anyone else run into fake parking rentals around the North Side?

12

the_jason•16d ago

Found a way to keep my radiator from clanking at night after 2 years of sleep loss

I live in an old Logan Square walkup and last month I finally tried bleeding the air out of the pipes with a simple key from Ace Hardware. Has anyone else dealt with those loud bangs that wake you up at 3 AM?

21

rileyjones•16d ago

Met a guy at the Brown Line who taught me about my neighborhood's history

Last Tuesday I was waiting at the Belmont stop and this older guy next to me starts pointing at a building down the street. He told me it used to be a jazz club in the 1920s where Louis Armstrong supposedly played once. I've walked past that place for 3 years and never knew. Has anyone else had a random stranger drop some wild Chicago history on them?

29

wren806•16d ago

Why does every new building downtown have those stupid tiny balconies?

I was walking through River North last weekend and every new high-rise has these 3-foot deep balconies you can barely stand on. Are developers just checking a box or do people actually use them for anything?

26

juliawalker•21d ago

PSA: Lake Shore Drive construction is a total mess right now

I drove down LSD last Tuesday around 5pm and it took me 45 minutes to go from Belmont to Fullerton because they've got 2 lanes closed near the Wilson Ave exit. Crews are doing something with the barriers but nobody bothers to put up signs warning you until you're already stuck. Anyone else find a better route to get north side without losing your mind?

20

norag55•22d ago

Pro tip: the blue line secret I wish I knew 10 years ago

I used to waste 40 minutes every morning waiting for packed buses on Western until a coworker told me to walk 3 blocks to the California stop on the Blue Line instead. Turns out the trains run way more frequent and I get a seat 9 times out of 10 now. Anyone else got a weird transit shortcut that saved them time?

2

olivia_webb•23d ago

Debate: Is the Belmont Harbor launch ramp worth the chaos on summer weekends?

I tried launching my kayak at Belmont Harbor last Saturday and spent 45 minutes just finding a parking spot while watching a guy in a truck argue with a biker over a space. On the other hand, the water was calm and I had a solid paddle along the lakefront once I got in. Do you deal with the hassle for the convenience or would you rather drive farther to a quieter spot like Montrose or Diversey?

10

luna_green•23d ago

PSA: CTA buses run way less often after 10pm than I thought

I waited 25 minutes for a #22 bus last Tuesday night near Belmont and Clark, and three packed ones went by before I gave up and called an Uber. Anyone else notice the schedules are basically useless after dark?

14

jamieperez•1mo ago

Paid $300 for a plumber to snake my kitchen drain last week

Turns out it was just a clogged garbage disposal that I could've fixed myself with a $5 Allen wrench. Did anyone else get burned by a simple fix that you overpaid for?

28

henryreed•1mo ago

Lost my bike lock keys in the rain on Belmont last Tuesday

I was locking up my bike outside the Jewel on Belmont and it started pouring, so I rushed to get inside. When I came out 20 minutes later, my keys were just gone from my pocket, must have dropped them in a puddle. Had to walk my bike 2 miles home in the rain because I couldn't cut the lock with just a file. Anyone else ever lose their keys at the worst possible moment in Chicago?

23

the_julia•1mo ago

Found a $5 trick that finally stopped my windows from fogging up

My apartment windows have been fogging up every morning since November. It got so bad I had to wipe them down with a towel just to see outside. I tried those spray defoggers from Home Depot and they did nothing for more than a day. Then my neighbor told me to try shaving cream. I rubbed a dime size amount on each window pane and wiped it dry. It's been 3 weeks now and zero fog. Has anyone else found a weird hack that actually works for Chicago winter window problems?

11

simonmoore•1mo ago

The automatic vent fan in my bathroom died mid-shower and my whole apartment steamed up like a sauna

This happened about three weeks ago in my place near Logan Square. I was taking a hot shower on a rainy evening, and about halfway through I noticed the fan had stopped making its usual noise. Didn't think much of it until I stepped out and could barely see the mirror. The whole bathroom turned into a fog machine. I had to open the window wide in 50 degree weather and point a box fan out for 20 minutes just to clear it up. Called my landlord the next morning, and he sent a handyman two days later who just replaced the whole unit. Cost me nothing, but that half hour of standing in the cold wet air was miserable. Has anyone else had a bathroom fan quit at the worst possible time?

27

nina_sullivan61•1mo ago

The Hamilton el stop escalator was broken AGAIN this morning

I waited 12 minutes for the next train because the escalator repair took up half the platform. Does anyone else feel like the CTA just tapes these things back together instead of actually fixing them?