What is great about the Chicago area? Positive Posters!!! (Phoenix: public schools, restaurants)

[MayaLucy]

Originally Posted by Beardown91737

- culturally ahead of most of the nation and world, including museums and fine arts
- great food, including better meat and milk at the grocery store
- more park land than most of the country
- many destinations by air and train
- OK to vote after you are dead
- very few Texans
- entertaining politics
- you can tell yourself that in 6 months it won't be so hot and muggy
- you can tell yourself that in 6 months it won't be so cold and windy

This had me cracking up! We just moved here from Austin, TX a few days ago and I'm self-conscious of my plates (not to mention that we also got rear-ended on the way here, and currently have an abundance of duct tape on our bumper). I feel like I need to put up a sign and say "It's not what you think! We're from Austin, not REAL Texas! We're cool, don't worry! ;-)

I'm joking around, of course. I know some fantastic people in and from all parts of Texas. But, there are certain aspects of certain Texans that I will be happy to see less of here.

[civis]

Another positive note: they kill lot of folks in South Chi, but haven't yet started in North, so you if you are from the north you still have time to get the hell out of.

[NoVA2016]

Thanks for the museum info, frostopy and kmanshouse

Not very positive there, civis.

[Avondalist]

Originally Posted by NOLA101

-Best cultural amenities between the coasts

I have lived in the SF bay area and have also seen what Seattle has to offer. Chicago has better cultural amenities than either, unless you're counting pop culture as culture. The Art Institute is way better than the DeYoung, for example. I have never been to LA so I cannot comment on the culture there, but its reputation proceeds it.

I would say Chicago has the best cultural amenities west of the east coast.

[Avondalist]

I think the best thing about the Chicago area is the educational opportunities available to families at relatively low cost, as compared to the coasts. There are great public schools in some suburbs, and houses in those suburbs are still mostly within range for middle-class families.

The second-best thing is the rootedness of the people. There are many family businesses in the area that have been in operation since the late 19th century. I feel more of a sense of place here than in more newly-developed regions, although Chicago doesn't compare to many parts of the east coast in this regard.

Chicago to me is a "happy medium" place: approaching the east coast in quality of life, yet priced to be accessible to many.

[edsg25]

" What is great about the Chicago area? Positive Posters!!!".......This thread has gone on a whopping 5 pages and 44 posts and people have stuck to topic, readily offering the vast array of incredible attributes that Chicagoland offers.

So why is it that if the same question were asked on the Chicago forum, it would degenerate immediately into not singing the praises of the Chicago area, but an insane bashing of the very place?

Look...I'm not really trying to "start something" here, so I guess I'm just saying: the degree of negativity on the Chicago forum can make it an exceedingly unpleasant and totally delusional place to be. A far cry from the atmosphere on the Chgo suburban forum.

[ShampooBanana]

As someone who moved away from Chicago (and who was born and raised there for most of my life), this is what I miss the most about it:


1. The skyline - not many compare to it in the world, and it's spectacular from the lake or driving on lakeshore drive
2. One of the best park systems in the world, including the awesome forest preserves that ring the city. Thanks, Daniel Burnham!
3. A fantastic architectural and arts history. Birthplace of the skyscraper, home of Frank Lloyd Wright, Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and many many more.
4. A cool history, starting with Fort Dearborn, boomtimes, I & M canal, Great Chicago Fire, the rebuilding boom, 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition, Burnham plan of 1909, architectural experimentation, the lakefront plan, and on to today
5. Some of the biggest and best cultural institutions in the world - many accessible right on the beautiful lakefront.
6. Some awesome festivals that attract millions
7. Awesome sports town with huge fan support and success (well, except for the Cubbies, but they're DUE)
8. Some of the best food in the world, and it's own unique food culture
9. So many diverse and cool neighborhoods to explore, with as many different ethnic enclaves
10. Taking the El downtown on a balmy Saturday morning to catch a Cubs game at Wrigley and then hanging out at the bars afterwards
11. Some excellent suburbs with some of the best public schools in the country. Many of them have great little downtowns of their own that continue to get better.
12. Proximity to a lot of fun places within easy driving distance - Milwaukee, Wisconsin lakes, Lake Geneva, Indiana Dunes, Starved Rock, Galena, southwestern Michigan, the Dells.
13. You can get pretty much anywhere on a direct flight from O'Hare or Midway.
14. Not as outrageously expensive to buy a house as NYC, Boston, DC, LA, San Fran, San Diego, etc. For a city of it's size and for what it offers it's a much better deal than many places.
15. For the most part the people are down to earth. Less "fake" than you'll find in many places in Cali or Florida and much less abrasive than many East Coasters.


That's my take. There is a lot that I don't like about it, too (and are major reasons why I no longer live there), but there is plenty good to speak of.

[numberfive]

I'm moving due to the financial status of Illinois, but here are some things I'll miss about the Chicago suburbs, in no particular order:

Traffic patterns (like zipper merging)
Portillos/Lou Malnati's/etc
Four distinct seasons
Mild summers
Childhood memories in specific areas

[NoVA2016]

Originally Posted by edsg25

" What is great about the Chicago area? Positive Posters!!!".......This thread has gone on a whopping 5 pages and 44 posts and people have stuck to topic, readily offering the vast array of incredible attributes that Chicagoland offers.

So why is it that if the same question were asked on the Chicago forum, it would degenerate immediately into not singing the praises of the Chicago area, but an insane bashing of the very place?

Look...I'm not really trying to "start something" here, so I guess I'm just saying: the degree of negativity on the Chicago forum can make it an exceedingly unpleasant and totally delusional place to be. A far cry from the atmosphere on the Chgo suburban forum.

Yeah - I think it's pretty great. Why not look at things half full rather than half empty? OR .....maybe the people on the Chicago forum are just jackholes. Could be that too. Sometimes that is contagious.

[NoVA2016]

Originally Posted by ShampooBanana

As someone who moved away from Chicago (and who was born and raised there for most of my life), this is what I miss the most about it:


1. The skyline - not many compare to it in the world, and it's spectacular from the lake or driving on lakeshore drive
2. One of the best park systems in the world, including the awesome forest preserves that ring the city. Thanks, Daniel Burnham!
3. A fantastic architectural and arts history. Birthplace of the skyscraper, home of Frank Lloyd Wright, Burnham, Louis Sullivan, and many many more.
4. A cool history, starting with Fort Dearborn, boomtimes, I & M canal, Great Chicago Fire, the rebuilding boom, 1893 Worlds Columbian Exposition, Burnham plan of 1909, architectural experimentation, the lakefront plan, and on to today
5. Some of the biggest and best cultural institutions in the world - many accessible right on the beautiful lakefront.
6. Some awesome festivals that attract millions
7. Awesome sports town with huge fan support and success (well, except for the Cubbies, but they're DUE)
8. Some of the best food in the world, and it's own unique food culture
9. So many diverse and cool neighborhoods to explore, with as many different ethnic enclaves
10. Taking the El downtown on a balmy Saturday morning to catch a Cubs game at Wrigley and then hanging out at the bars afterwards
11. Some excellent suburbs with some of the best public schools in the country. Many of them have great little downtowns of their own that continue to get better.
12. Proximity to a lot of fun places within easy driving distance - Milwaukee, Wisconsin lakes, Lake Geneva, Indiana Dunes, Starved Rock, Galena, southwestern Michigan, the Dells.
13. You can get pretty much anywhere on a direct flight from O'Hare or Midway.
14. Not as outrageously expensive to buy a house as NYC, Boston, DC, LA, San Fran, San Diego, etc. For a city of it's size and for what it offers it's a much better deal than many places.
15. For the most part the people are down to earth. Less "fake" than you'll find in many places in Cali or Florida and much less abrasive than many East Coasters.


That's my take. There is a lot that I don't like about it, too (and are major reasons why I no longer live there), but there is plenty good to speak of.

Great list! Hope you like AZ! I am sure come retirement, we will be going somewhere. Cubs are way overdue. My dad was born in Chicago and lived there for his elementary school years while my grandmother attended University of Chicago for her masters (Go Grandma!). The man is in his late 70s and needs to see them win this year.