17 Aug
The B School Digs
La la la la la! Here it is! I’m excited to give you a walk-through when we’re all moved in and it’s decorated. For now, the quick snaps I grabbed while doing my tour. For those who are curious, we’re living in Regents Park apartments in Hyde park. Since I think they have 30+ floors and two towers with a doorman who won’t buzz you in unless you get permission from a resident I feel pretty safe letting you know that’s the area I’ll be in. 
The living room that I dream of every night since I left. Let’s not talk about how I let TH convince me not to take my 5DMKII body and so I wasn’t able to use my 16-35 to capture the entire room the way I could have. I won’t be listening to him again.
The view out one side.
TThe view out the other.
I took some pictures of the furnished model so TH could see how nice it looked with painted walls (and a coffee table!)
This is meant to be the master bedroom, but I think we’re going to make it the office. We spend more time at our computer than in our bedroom, and the view is a lot prettier from these windows.
I gave up a LOT of closet place for those windows in the living room. TH will get a room of his own once he’s mobile. For now, he’ll sleep wherever is most convenient!
Sick I know, but the unit hadn’t been cleaned yet when I toured it so it will be much better before we get there.
Much better with paint and real furniture, isn’t it? (Hint, hint, TH). Good news? I think we’re going to get a bed frame so our mattress isn’t sitting on the floor anymore. Fancy right?
We’ll use this as our bedroom.
The kitchen. The other downside to this apartment is the lack of light in the kitchen. It’s a bit of a hole.
Lots of cupboard space though. Hooray!
I’m really glad I took a picture of this one with all of the finishing. TH is convinced that painting is necessary in this room after I showed him this (blurry) photo.
This place has a few fun perks like an indoor pool (!!!)
A grill right by the pool.
And a fancy pants gym that even has fitness classes throughout the week!
One last look at the living room. Sigh. I’m going to put the dining room table in the far corner of this photo, so when we eat we’ll be able to look out over the whole city. The friends who put me up while I was there apartment hunting are going to be the first people we invite over to dinner. That view will contribute toward a nice thank you, right?
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Oh-kay! Officially jealous of the smokin’ view! I can’t believe you get to live there for a few years! What an experience. The house looks great too - once you get up all your stuff and paint it will be even better.
As for bed stuff, I just saw at our Costco a nice, brown, padded headboard (queen size) for about $99 - I thought that was a good deal - you should check out Costco before you move!
1I am so jealous of the view. And the pool. Are you planning on taking T1 swimming?
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 1:34 am
All the time! Especially if I can find a friend who wants to go with us. He swam for like 30 minutes on Saturday and seemed to really like it. Not in a laughing smiling way, but in an “I like to experiment and kick and see what happens when I do so” type of fashion.
amanda Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 11:27 am
have you considered infant self rescue swim classes? i am amazed at what i have seen little ones do in these classes.
I am SO jealous, you have no idea. I LOVE this place. Just tried to convince J we need to move to Chicago. Seriously, what a great place! I’m curious what the rent’s like in Chicago? Here it’s around 1400 for a smallish one-bedroom, but I’m always told that’s way inflated.
SO JEALOUS. I love it. Can’t wait to see more pictures.
3are you serious?! I am DYING! SO.IN.LOVE!
That is like a dream apartment!
4I saw when you posted the pic a little while ago when yopu were hoping to get it,but to see all these pictures and how amazing this is…………WOW WOW WOW! I can’t imagine how excited you must be to live in a place with a view and windows like that!
Congrats!
Hey Jenna!
I’m a new reader and was just wondering…Are you guys renting or buying? If you’re renting, how long will you be staying and what is the reason for the move? Gotta say, i’m loving this apartment! Gorgeous!
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Renting. We will be there for 21 months. We’re moving because my husband is getting his MBA from Booth at University of Chicago.
That is gorgeous! I think it’s really important for you to have a nice place to live, since you work from home. I will say, on the issue of furniture - we got our bedframe from goodwill for $45 and the reason it is great is because you can store stuff under the bed. Since you don’t have much closet space, this is key. Definitely make sure you get a frame or rails that put you at least 4-6 inches off the ground so you can fit things under the bed. Since you will only be there 2 years and then moving around a lot, it probably doesn’t make sense to invest in too much nice furniture (like an expensive couch) but a good coffee table is key and easy to move!
6Your new place is GORGEOUS! I’m so impressed with all the windows, the view, AND the gym and pool! I think you’re right - the kitchen is the only drawback but if you switch out that light fixture I think it will be no problem at all. It’s fun to move to somewhere not totally perfect so there’s some small project to look forward to:-)
7Jenna,
8Your apartment looks great! What a lovely view. Back in the day I spent two summers volunteering in Chicago. One of those summers I lived in Hyde Park. Lovely neighborhood. Good community, nice neighbors. Lots of cute little book shops, and other mom and pop type shops. On a weekly basis we used to go picnic at Promontory Point Park(PPP)which juts out into the lake and has a beautiful view of the city. I spent many a sunset hour taking it all in. Plus since the lakefront is all park it was great. Some days I would walk from PPP all the way to downtown by the museums. Good luck with your move, I’m sure you will love your new neighborhood in your new city! You’re making me miss it a bit.
Wow that place is amazing! So so pleased for you for finding somewhere that great. As a Brit I’m a little confused as to how renting works in America, are you allowed to paint/decorate etc? Here you have to get permission, which often isn’t given and generally have to put up with what you’ve got!
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
It varies from place to place. Almost all apartment complexes tell you it’s fine to paint as long as you are going to make the walls white again when you leave.
Jessica @ One Shiny Star Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
It only crosses my mind because I lived on the 12th floor in my dorm, and they had fire alarms going off… regularly. I’m sure those fake alarms won’t plague a grown up building (compared to one filled with drunk teenagers), but yeah… three flights of stairs for each floor… that’s 36 flights of stairs.
BY THE WAY! If you ever burn something… or have a lot of smoke with out a fire… don’t open the door (unless it is a real emergency), because there are smoke detectors in the halls that alert (and evacuate) the entire building. I once did that… after burning bacon. On a Saturday morning. Not trying to be a downer, just trying to save you from making my mistakes. lol. I no longer cook bacon.
Jessica @ One Shiny Star Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
(this was in response to my comment… I don’t know how it ended up here. Sorry.)
Is it weird that I totally bookmarked this post because I liked the decorating in the master? Love it!
10It’s GORGEOUS Jenna! Congrats on such a beautiful apartment score. I love visiting my friends in Chicago - I’m sure you’re going to love it!
11What a stunning apartment. Its almost like living in a hotel!
12I’ve lived in Hyde Park for 4 years and always wondered what the inside of Regents Park looked like. It looks amazing! Thanks for the tour!
I do now feel a bit silly for all my recommendations about U of Chicago student housing. It’s great for our budget but… you’re living in a whole different world over there. Probably the difference between humanities and B school!
13GOODNESS GRACIOUS THAT IS GORGEOUS!!! I would have been sold on just the windows in the living room and the view alone!
Congratulations!! 
14Wow, that place is gorgeous! I can’t believe it’s budget-friendly. I can’t wait to visit Chicago someday.
15Wow - what a beautiful apartment in a GREAT city! Such an exciting new adventure you’re starting on! Congrats and good luck!
16That’s a great apartment! Another option for a good place to get a bed frame is Overstock.com- we got ours from there after our first year in NYC.
17What a wonderful place! That view is amazing. So jealous!
18Stunning, stunning, stunning! I love the place, totally having apartment envy now. Looks like you’ll have it looking good in no time!
19Lovely,you will get so many colors from the lake, it will be a changing view with the city lights.
I live on the north side near the lake but away from the skyline. I have always wanted to explore the south side.
I am envious of your gym and pool! Perhaps I can convince my board that we need one.
20The pool and the gym are to die for! I just love the light in your place
21Stunning! Agreed,the kitchen is the only downside….Surely there’s an IKEA nearby? You could get some of those under cabinet lights there, similar to the model pic. Also, since you’ll get a bedframe, you could easily make your own headboard….I’ve seen a ton of tutorials on that. So much fun!
Cécy Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 6:15 pm
A friend of mine had those under cabinet lightings and her only regret was not getting them sooner. So listen to Sandi.
Cait Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 9:35 am
I second this! We had a really dark kitchen in our first apartment and the ikea under cabinet lights were a dream.
What a phenomenal apartment. It’s hard to even comprehend something that pretty and big both being in a city and being reasonably affordable.
23Hey awesome space!
A cheap-o decorating tip for above the kitchen cabinets (if you aren’t using that space for storage). TAP LIGHTS! They are inexpensive and small, but you can “tap” them all on before company or before pictures, etc. They aren’t massively overpowering, but we used to use them in our closets, because they had no light.
Don’t forget Craigslist as an inexpensive spot for headboards. Since you’ll be moving during the summer, I bet that the B-School has a swap board or email chain of people who have graduated and are moving away too. NYU & Columbia have tons of postings on people basically giving furniture away because they’re leaving the city. As Sandi said above, you can recover anything!
24Gorgeous - apart from the kitchen, I love how nearly every room has SO much light. What a view!!!
25oh man, your view is to die for! I am really jealous. I don’t think big city living is for me anymore (I used to, until I got used to quiet, smaller town living) but every time I see a view like that.. I almost change my mind!!
It’s going to be amazing once it’s all painted!
26Wow, that apartment looks AMAZING. I love my house in the suburbs, but still like this makes me wish I could live in the city. Why can’t I just have the best of both worlds??
Looking forward to seeing how you decorate it.
27I love your new place! And all o the perks (pool, gym…) make me miss being an apartment dweller.
28Wow, that’s amazing!
29I am so envious of your view! It’s absolutely breathtaking. Much better than mine - we look across the path to the next block of condos/townhouses.
Do you have a deck?
30I say, who cares if your kitchen is a hole, when your dining/ living room has that view! THAT view.
Sophia Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 11:11 am
Agreed!
LOVE!
32Jenna this place is amazing! Such a great find, and it’s even better to know that you’ll feel safe in your new city. Does the gym have childcare? How convenient to have your awesome gym in your apartment complex!
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:37 pm
I’m hoping that even without the childcare I’ll be able to visit the gym since TH won’t be working as much
Sophia Reply:
August 18th, 2010 at 8:57 am
Ah, that’s right! What an awesome two years you guys are going to have with more time together and a new city to explore
only a teensy bit jealous of the great place!
I’m so glad you found something so nice in your price range-with all the lighting you could imagine!
Really hoping we get a chance to meet up in Chicago soon
34Looks awesome! Oh what I would give for a swimming pool! What floor are you on? That’s the only thing that would worry me… all those stairs in an emergency.
I’m a worrier though.
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:38 pm
I don’t remember which floor. Like 30 plus or something?
Haha, that thought never crossed my mind. I’m a bit reckless though!
I love it. It makes me want to ditch my house and move to the city. We could be neighbors. That view is unreal!!!
36great apartment jenna! i hope everyone is truly happy with the space.
37Oh, beautiful. Glad to know we’re not the only newlyweds who have their mattress on the floor, although we’re hoping to upgrade to a “grown-up bed” once T moves into her own room.
I don’t know if you want to reveal your exact floor number, but it definitely looks like if you’re pregnant again here you’d have PLENTY of stairs to walk before/during labor.
38What an amazing view. I love the Hyde Park area. My best friend used to live there and I would make the two hour drive often to go visit. She has since moved to the burbs and misses it everyday.
39Beautiful!!!! The pool, the gym, the view- wow! I just got back from my 1st visit to Chicago yesterday. It was such a beautiful place, I had no idea. I feel like I barely got to see anything and I’m already counting down the days to schedule another trip to take it all in!
40Gorgeous! It will be even better when you make it your own. I hope you love your time there.
41That view is to die for! Congrats on the awesome pad!
42oh and bed frames are not super expensive! it’s the mattress that costs the most $$, so you’re set there.
43That place is beautiful. What an incredible indoor pool! I officially NEED to find a new place now. With a killer view like that how could one resist?
44The apartment looks fantastic! Chicago sure does have some pretty views. I was a nanny in Hyde Park last year and we always loved Promontory Point, walking around campus, Blackstone Library, eating at Medici on 57th and visiting Bixler playlot across the street, bike rides on the lakefront, Smart Museum, MSI… it’s SUCH a fun neighborhood.
I met lots of super nice people there and I definitely wouldn’t mind moving down that way. (I’m up in Logan Square, which I LOVE too)
Good luck with the move!
BTW, there is an ikea in Schaumburg and Bolling Brook. BB might be closer, but Schaumburg is one of the largest Ikea stores in the world.
45That living room is just amazing. Can’t wait to see what you do with it. The kitchen doesn’t look bad at all after it’s been painted! And the under cabinet lighting helps a lot too; do all units come with it?
Jenna Reply:
August 17th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I have no idea. I really only looked at this one
That looks amazing! Congrats!
47I think that will be fun to watch snow storms from your windows!
My husband and I came out of his humanities phd program debt free. Totally doable.
48it’s an amazing beautiful unit. Cant wait to see how you decorate it.
49If you want to make the kitchen more fun, you can always change the cabinet’s knobs (and put the old ones back at the end).
50We had a bead frame, but no headboard. One day I found one at Habitat for Humanity’s store for less than $3. I bought a can of black spray pain and voila! I had a nice looking cheap headboard that makes our bed look all grown up. And no one knows it’s a particle board.
I can’t wait to see what you do with the place.