The decor is a little bit eclectic (though I love wall paper), and the lake view is indirect, but it's a quiet little corner just a few blocks from the magnificent mile: https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=E+Chestnut+St+%26+N+Dewit.... Only $2,000 per month for a 2BR and 1,000 square feet.
You can do much, much better than this in Chicago by choosing a location anywhere outside the mag mile. The overwhelmingly superior quality of rental housing in Chicago is one many reasons this is a great place to start a company (unless you're hoping to raise VC money).
Also: give up. You're obviously moving back here. You bring Chicago up more than I do! One- of- us. One- of- us.
I would've posted an area a bit younger/more residential, but I didn't know what the article meant by "city center" for SF. Moving back is on the radar: we'd like to buy a place at some point and we can't really conscience the housing prices in DC or NYC, especially considering that in our field Chicago pays as much as anywhere else.
Also: give up. You're obviously moving back here. You bring Chicago up more than I do! One- of- us. One- of- us.