Address: 1630 Chicago Ave., Evanston.
Size: Two bedrooms, 2 baths.
Rent: $1,850 a month.
Security deposit: One month’s rent.
Utilities: Resident pays heat, electricity and air conditioning.
Parking: Covered garage, $110 a month; uncovered, $90 a month.
Jouncing up and down on a stair-climbing machine could seem almost pleasant if this serene view of Lake Michigan were always there to help distract the mind from the tedium.
This sight of lake waters might prompt exercisers to daydream about an afternoon sailing trip or the quaint vacation spots they’ve been spotting on the Internet.
Opportunities to exercise mind and body, as well as a Lake Michigan view, can be found at The Park Evanston, a 24-story tower that was constructed a year ago in the heart of downtown Evanston.
Stair-climbing machines and other exercise equipment are in the building’s common exercise room, which has large windows with lake views.
An even better look at the water, as well as a panoramic view of the Chicago skyline, to the south, and of the Northwestern University campus, to the north, is available from an outdoor swimming pool and deck on the building’s roof.
After an afternoon sunning by the pool, a tenant here might want to indulge in a round of cyberchat on their own computer. This building is wired for unlimited, high-speed Internet access, which costs users $50 a month.
And a computer could find an ideal location in the smaller of the two bedrooms of the apartment we visited on the building’s 11th floor.
This unit’s entry door opens into a small foyer with a double coat closet. The closet would be the place to hang heavy winter coats, of course, but it also might be handy for storing a stack of paperback novels to read while relaxing by the pool.
If a snack is the first thing on your mind after a vigorous swim, it could be prepared in the kitchen, which is just to the right of the foyer. The kitchen’s beige linoleum floor goes well with the pale tan carpet that covers the floors in most of the other rooms.
Although small, the kitchen includes all of the functional amenities one could wish for, including a built-in microwave oven, a dishwasher, a stove and a refrigerator. These white cabinets have oak trim and a space above for displaying a green plant or a decorative plate.
A snack could be eaten in the dining room, which adjoins the living room. Together, these rooms measure 12 by 23 feet. A hanging lamp shows where a four-seat dining table might go.
The most attractive element of this space is a floor-to-ceiling bay window at one end. The lower part of this window can be opened to let a breeze flow through the room while you enjoy the views.
A heat and air conditioning control on one wall enables tenants to save money by turning on the heat or air conditioning in the living room only, when other rooms are not in use.
A short hallway from the living room leads to a bathroom that’s accessible to the handicapped. Opposite this bathroom is the smaller bedroom, measuring 11 by 14 feet and thus offering ample space for an office/den. It has a small, walk-in closet and a floor-to-ceiling window with a view to the south.
The master bedroom is on the other side of the living/dining room. It measures 12 by 16 feet and includes a large, adjoining bathroom decorated in the same white color scheme as in the first bathroom.
Next to this bathroom is a closet with a clothes washer/dryer hookup. These appliances may be rented from the building for $40 a month. There also is a common laundry room.
The master bedroom includes two other walk-in closets and a floor-to-ceiling window that offers the same view as the one from the living room.
For rental information, call 847-733-1630.
