Chicago’s best Loop / New East Side apartments – apartment finishes and features

Chicago’s Loop includes the area known as the New East Side, which in turn includes the Lakeshore East development. You’ll find all of your major apartment options in the Loop and New East Side on our at-a-glance list of downtown apartments.

Our goal is to help you find the apartment that best fits your needs. Renters simply have so many differing priorities – and budget constraints – that singling out an overall best building would be a pointless exercise. We’ll identify the Loop / New East Side buildings that rank highest on each of eighteen different criteria in three main groups:

Location. Views; Grocery shopping convenience; Public transit access; Close to parks, beaches; Proximity to the expressway grid; Walking distance to Loop; Most dining, nightlife nearby; retail shopping

Building features. Affordability; Building amenities; Boutique ambiance; Pet-friendliness

Apartment features. Apartment finishes; Private outdoor space; Studio / convertible floor plan; One-bedroom floor plan; Two-bedroom floor plan; Three-bedroom floor plan

We’re going to hold off making a call in this category until we get a solid fix on the apartment finishes and features at the soon-to-open 73 East Lake and 111 West Wacker towers.

There’s a strong likelihood that both of those projects will surpass the level of finishes in any of the existing projects. Early indications are that 111 West Wacker will emerge as the first choice in this category.

Chime in with a comment if you disagree with our selections.

You’ll find links to our objective, visually-rich apartment reviews of Loop / New East Side buildings, and links to near real-time availability checks for most of the buildings, at our downtown apartments at-a-glance list, and some tips and advice at our Guide to renting in Chicago’s Loop / New East Side.

We’ve also spotlighted the best apartments in River North, Streeterville, the South Loop and the West Loop / Near West neighborhoods.

Next topic: Private outdoor space.

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