Retiring
to the City of Chicago
For many active seniors, retiring to a city
can be something they never would’ve expected they’d
be interested in. Dreams of relaxation and golf can quickly
turn to boredom when that’s all there is to do in
a smaller community or the same town they’ve lived
in their whole career.
Retiring to a high rise however can be quite
exciting. With many luxuries like concierge services to
deliver different goods like dry cleaning and food, as well
as fitness centers, pools, and other resort-like amenities,
retiring to a big city for your golden years can be just
the thing to prevent boredom and have endless opportunities
for fun.
Chicago is a great city to consider moving
to. A Chicago high rise like the Belmont Harbor can provide
all the amenities a senior would need while being close
to all the fun activities a historic and diverse city like
Chicago has to offer.
Here are some of the different amenities
of Chicago for the retiree.
Chicago Social Scene
Chicago is the 3rd largest city in the United
States. With it comes a lot of social opportunities no matter
what the interests you.
For example, for the politically active
retiree, the City Club Chicago is Illinois’s premier
public affairs forum. Started in 1903, it has different
meetings with civic and business leaders as well as other
events with politicians. Many famous members of Chicago
society have been members or are still members today.
You can visit their site at http://www.cityclub-chicago.com/
Eventbrite.com and meetup.com are both websites
that are geared toward events and meetups with other people
interested in the same subject that you are interested in.
These are available in all cities but larger
ones like Chicago will have a much larger variety of people
in them as well as more clubs overall.
Chicago Public Transportation
Chicago has the nation’s 2nd largest
public transportation system with over 11,000 bus stops
serviced by more than 1700 buses. If that wasn’t enough
to get around anywhere you need to be there are 224 miles
of rails with 144 stations.
One of the unique benefits of Chicago is
that it’s rail system serves both major airports,
Midway and O’Hare. That means there’s no need
to figure out how to get to the airport. You can just take
the train!
Lastly, some of the routes in the system
run all night so if you happen to be out late you can hop
on the 24 hour “night owl” line.
Access To Medical Services in Chicagoland
Chicago has lots of medical schools within
its city limits. The University of Illinois, Northwestern,
University of Chicago, and Rush University all have affiliated
medical centers.
Many of these facilities have outpatient
surgery centers, walk in clinics, and other affiliated service
facilities depending on your needs.
Since Chicago is such a large city, there
is a lot of cutting edge research done in both a clinical
and research capacity. Since these medical centers are attached
to universities, there’s a unique partnership that
develops between the “practical” hospital and
the “training ground” of a university. This
means that you’ll not only be taken care of by practicing
doctors but you’ll have the “trainers of doctors”
available for your medical needs.
Access To Local Businesses in Chicago
Many high rise apartments will have concierge
services available. This means that you can have someone
else take care of your laundry, dry cleaning, appointment
setting, and also have someone there to help you plan activities
and day trips.
In many areas, there are markets, salons,
and other street level businesses that you can walk to.
The beauty of Chicago city living is that you know there
are always good pizza, Italian, and other ethnic restaurants
that aren’t usually found in smaller communities
Chicago Has Famous Restaurants
For deep dish pizza fans, Chicago is one
of the best cities to live in. If New York City is known
for its thin crust, then Chicago is just as famous for deep
dish style. The pizza wars will probably never be solved
but no matter what your favorite style is, Chicago has some
delicious pies for you to enjoy. Giordano’s Pizza
is a famous pizza place with 40 different locations.
Chicago is also famous for Italian Beefs
and Chicago dogs. No matter what neighborhood you live in,
you can find a place that serves these culinary delights.
Fitness Lifestle
A common amenity in Chicago condos is a
fitness center. Although these aren’t Gold’s
Gyms with 10,000 different machines and all sorts of classes
(maybe that’s a little exaggerated), they will have
the basics for you to stay fit.
Also, since you’re living in a city,
there are plenty of opportunities to visit parks and walk
to and from your activities. Take the train to the other
side of town, walk around, visit, enjoy the sites, come
back on the train. Either way, you’re physically active.
Continuing Education Opportunities for
Retirees
Chicago is home to a lot of public and private
universities. University of Illinois Chicago, Northwestern
University, and the University of Chicago are just some
of the many institutions of learning.
These all have public courses, night classes,
and seminars that you can attend.
For more professional training (we know
you’re never going to 100% retire), you can visit
the Chamber of Commerce and business networking groups for
short courses and classes related to your profession.
City living is full of potential training
opportunities as long as you’re willing to hunt them
out!
Entertainment for Your Retirement Lifestyle
Chicago is full of culture. With universities
brimming with cultural attractions like museums and arenas,
you can visit them almost any day of the week for activities.
Chicago is also home to many professional
sports teams. In baseball, there are the Cubs and White
Sox. In football, there are the Bears. In basketball, there
are the Bulls. Lastly, there are the Blackhawks in the National
Hockey League. For the sports fan, there are an infinite
number of opportunities to watch sports and enjoy the atmosphere
of a game.
If museums and galleries are your thing,
Chicago’s Science and Industry Museum as well as the
Art Institute of Chicago can’t be missed.
Overall, retiring to a Chicago high rise
can be exactly what you’re looking for in retirement.
As you can see there are tons of activities for anyone with
any interests on earth. That’s the beauty of city
living.
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Chicago Retirement Communities