Location

Broadview is about a fifteen- to twenty-minute walk from campus (about fifteen minutes to Pierce, where we eat, and about twenty from the main quad). It's probably around a mile. The 171 provides the most convenient bus service, coming down South Hyde Park Boulevard every 15 minutes in the morning and every half hour in the afternoon. On the 171 it takes about ten minutes to get to Cobb and 15 minutes to the Reynolds Club.

Broadview residents are definitely more likely to walk between dorm and campus than their Shoreland counterparts. For one thing, we're slightly closer. In addition, we just don't have the same bus service - buses wait right outside Shoreland for a few minutes, and there's nearly always one there. There's a kind of pride in walking to campus, and it definitely helps fight the "freshman fifteen". That being said, there are certainly people who take buses with some regularity, and a number of residents bike to campus and back. There is a bike room on the first floor of the dorm for storage. It's only about a five-minute bike ride, but you need to be careful at first to keep track of all the one-way streets in the area.

Living off-campus definitely requires planning. You may have to shower in the locker rooms after PE class, and forgetting something at home can be stressful, but generally, it's not unusual for residents to go home during the day. Walking to campus and back two or three times in a day is neither rare nor a real pain. It's something you adapt to fairly quickly. It is also certainly possible to stay involved in extracurricular activities despite the distance. Broadview residents participate in University Theater, bands/orchestras and chorus, improv and a capella groups, sports teams, cultural groups, and other clubs. A number of residents also hold jobs on-campus or in Hyde Park.

Broadview has a great neighborhood. The 6, an express bus right to Michigan Avenue and the heart of the Loop, runs right down South Hyde Park, as does the 55, which goes to the Red and Green line train stations and ends at Midway Airport. The Metra, which also runs downtown and into the suburbs, is just a couple of short blocks west. In general, the is probably the best-situated dorm as far as Chicago public transit is concerned.

In Broadview, we live less on a campus and more in Hyde Park. A nearby shopping plaza holds Walgreens, Office Max, Ace Hardware, and the Co-op grocery store, among others. There is nowhere more convenient for late-night Walgreens runs (which tend to happen more than you'd think, usually for either chocolate or cold medicine). 55th Street, a half block north of the dorm, has a number of shops and restaurants. The most commonly frequented by U of C students include The Snail (Thai food), The Nile (Middle Eastern food), and Subway. There is also a Korean restaurant, another Thai restaurant, an American restaurant, a dollar/convenience store, a deli, and more. Broadview is also only a block north of the Museum of Science and Industry, and a few blocks from the main 57th Street businesses, including Edwardo's Pizzeria, the Medici Restaurant and Bakery, a number of used and new bookstores, and several more restaurants.

Lake Michigan is about three blocks east, so it's quicker to get out to the Point than to campus. Some east-facing rooms have a bit of a lakefront view. There's also a park immediately south of Broadview, which is useful for late night soccer, Frisbee, and snowball fights.

In the end, its location is one of Broadview's key features, and something its residents usually consider a big plus.

"What's cool about Broadview is that you have a real feeling of coming home when the day is done because we're off campus. It feels more like you're living in Chicago the city, and not just in the university - living on campus might make you more likely to cram your world into a 3 by 3 block region." - Sofya Leonova '08, Talbot House

"I enjoy the time outside to think things over." - Liz Selbst '08, Wick House

"Broadview is closer to stores like Walgreens, Office Max, and Ace Hardware than other dorms, and the bus to go downtown is also right outside our dorm. It's nice to be able to get to campus fairly easily, but to also be far enough so that you're not stuck on campus all the time." - Dan Montgomery '08, Palmer House

"After living in Max Palevsky and in an apartment close to campus, I moved to Broadview in my fourth year. I expected to be frustrated by the distance to campus, but it's actually really nice to leave for the day and come home to this charming building." - Neeta Nadkarny '05, Palmer House RA

"Even though the location is far off campus, it's nice to be able to get away from the hustle and bustle of the quads. Also, it's a great way to get exercise even when you don't want to go to the gym." - Megan Kolasinski '07, Palmer House

"When you leave classes it feels as though you are going home to your own place instead of being stuck in the middle of campus." - Hivan Herrejon '08, Palmer House