Booth students have many choices when it comes to housing but some are much more popular than others. The first main distinction is whether you live “in the loop” or somewhere else. Our best guess is that around 75% of Booth students live “in the loop” in the main 15 or so buildings clustered near Millennium Station (the Metra train stop that many Boothies take to Harper).
Why do Boothies live in the Loop?
– Millennium Station is right there and it takes 25min (including train + walking time) to get from Millennium Station to Harper (the building where most Booth classes/events are held)
– The Gleacher Center (where evening and weekend classes take place) is a 10min walk away
– Well connected by transit to the rest of Chicago
– There are many things to do nearby including walking/running/beaching along Lake Michigan, Millennium Park, The Art Institute, broadway/symphony/standup shows, fitness classes in River North, and some good restaurants in West Loop and River North.
– Many TNDC’s and club socials are planned for nearby locations
– The large number of fellow students who live here creates a tight-knit student community
There are two major areas where Boothies live in the Loop, Lakeshore East and on Michigan Avenue.
Michigan Av: Millennium Park Plaza (aka MPP), MILA, 73 East Lake, Millie on Michigan, Parkline
Lakeshore East: Aqua, Shoreham & Tides, Coast, Cascade, Parkshore, North Harbor Tower, 400 E Randolph
Buildings in Lakeshore East are closer to Mariano’s (the grocery store) and further from the train station (no building is more than 10min walk from the train station). These Lakeshore East buildings are further from MPP and the other Michigan Ave buildings but relatively the same distance to Gleacher (the evening class building) by taking Columbus Ave
Context of how many Boothies: a few is 0-15, a handful is 10-25, a lot is more than 25.
Millennium Park Plaza (aka MPP) is definitely the most popular building for Boothies, almost half of this 38 floor building is Booth students. The building and units are somewhat more dated with a communal laundry facility on the 37.5 floor and a newly remodeled gym and half-length pool on the 38th floor. It is located directly across the street from Millennium station. Lots of options for studio and 1 bed, 2 bed, and 3 bed apartments. Options for 1 beds and 2 beds fill up as summer and the new school year gets closer. Reach out to a current Booth student to get a referral and ask the building for the Booth student discount. https://www.millenniumparkplaza.com/
MILA is directly diagonally across from MPP on Michigan Ave and Lake St. This building has a rooftop pool and lovely common space both indoors and outdoors on the 6th floor. Lots of Boothies live in this building. https://milachicago.com/
73 East Lake is across the street from MILA on Lake St. This building has a full-length pool and nice gym and lounge spaces as well as a large lounge on the top floor. Many Boothies live in this building. https://www.experience73.com/
Millie on Michigan is due north of MILA on Michigan Ave. This architecturally cool building is the newest addition to the neighborhood. It has upscale amenities and a convenient location for getting to Gleacher or the train to campus. A few Boothies live in this building. https://rentatmillie.com/
Parkline is on Randolph St and near Michigan Ave. This building has very modern amenities including a rooftop pool and grill area. This building connects into the walkway under the street to get to the train station. A handful of Boothies live in this building. https://parklinechicago.com/
Aqua is doubtless the coolest building architecturally. Its units are atop the Radisson Blu hotel that is the base of this building. The building has great pool / spa / gym amenities, many units have amazing balconies, and there is an underground connection into the walkway to the train station. A handful of Boothies live in this building. https://www.rentaqua.com/
Shoreham and Tides are a pair of Lakeshore East buildings, Shoreham is closer to MPP and the train station. A few Boothies live in this building. Tides is the sister building to Shoreham but a little further east and thus further from the train and MPP. A few Boothies live in this building. https://www.shorehamtides.com/
Coast is a luxury building on Wacker with very nice amenities and the ability to shortcut across the river to Gleacher. A handful of Boothies live in this building. https://www.rentcoast.com/
Cascade is a luxury building right by the lake (aka as far east as Lakeshore East goes). It has really nice amenities but is maximally far from the train station. A few Boothies live in this building. https://cascadeapartments.com/
Parkshore is a condo building right by the lake in Lakeshore East. It is a bit older than Coast but still quite nice. A handful of Boothies live in this building. https://parkshorecondo.com/
North Harbor Tower is another building right by the lake in Lakeshore East. It is also a bit older than Coast but still quite nice. A handful of Boothies live in this building. https://www.northharbortowerchicago.com/
400 E Randoph is another condo building like Parkshore. A few Boothies live in this building. https://www.400er.com/
Other buildings / neighborhoods to consider:
Park Millennium, Chandler, Regatta are all condo buildings in Lakeshore East where you would need to find an owner to rent you their apartment instead of renting directly from the building management. Very few if any Boothies currently live in these buildings.
Joffrey Tower (aka 8 E Randolph St) is another condo building near Parkline on Randolph that has similar apartments to MILA or 73 E with nice balconies. A handful of Boothies live in this building and some of them rent from Booth alumni.
Hyde Park: Quite a few Boothies live in Hyde Park near UChicago and the Harper building. This neighborhood is full of other grad students, professors, and families.
South Loop: A handful of Boothies live in buildings in South Loop (NEMA https://www.rentnemachicago.com/ and others) and drive to school or take buses.
West Loop / Wicker Park / River North / Gold Coast / Streeterville / other Chicago neighborhoods: There are many other neighborhoods that a few Boothies live in that are a little further out but have cool bars and restaurants. The main consideration here is how you plan to get to and from classes (Chicago El train and bus system, ubering, or biking are great options).
