What flys in Chicago?

[pandabear]

Personally i don't think chicago is close to LA in that aspect. If chicago is anything goes LA is more along the lines of no body cares. Alot of people seemed really self absorbed to care about the rest of the world out there. that and Its all been done, naked, with dwarves in hollywood. In chicago, certain things that will go unnoticed LA will get a second glance..only just so we can confirm we really just saw what we saw.

[Drover]

Chicago is ALMOST an anything-goes town.

If you mind your own business, we will mind our own. If you don't want attention, you won't get it. If you do want attention, you'll get it, maybe on your terms, and maybe not.

If you insist on demanding our attention, we'll insist on letting you know that you're a knob.

So it comes down to this:

• Walk around looking like a clown, we'll stare at you, and maybe shake our heads.
  
• Walk around looking like a clown and mouthing off, expect to find a foot in your ass.

[chitown68]

What flys depends on what part of the city you are in. What flys in traditional family oriented neighborhoods like Beverly and Jefferson Park is different than eclectic neighborhoods like Uptown and Wicker Park/Bucktown. I can't really say that Chicago is an anything goes type of town. It seems like a city where people for the most part are tolerant as long as other individuals don't try to force their life's orientation down their throat.

[Tex?Il?]

chitown68 said it best!

[CarolinaBredChicagoan]

In my opinion, there isn't that much of a difference between some neighborhoods and small towns. There are blocks in Chicago, New York, and many other "city-of-neighborhood"-type places that are very much like small towns. People know eachother and say hello. They aren't destination neighborhoods, so people don't have much reason to poke around if they have no business there.

There aren't as many of these homey blocks as there used to be, and that's unfortunate in a way. Still, the story I hear from people who lived in Chicago and many other cities a few decades ago is that is was exactly like a bunch of small towns all together. I still get some of that feeling in some neighborhood. Not a thing wrong with it.

In my opinion, the 'homophobic' attitude you suspect, Tree, isn't the case, per se. Many Chicagoans would simply prefer that you didn't show up in their neighborhood demanding attention. It doesn't matter if you're gay or straight. They would just prefer that you keep that all to yourself.

Just my opinion.

[j33]

I hate it when I type up a long post and have it deleted because it was 'orphaned' I sort of stated something similar in that deleted post.

[mdz]

Sorry, all, lots of trolling around here lately.

[paytonc]

Originally Posted by Drover

If you insist on demanding our attention, we'll insist on letting you know that you're a knob.

Good point. We're still in the Midwest here, and so I'd chalk it up more to politeness and reserve than true acceptance. Thus, people generally dress conservatively here; nonconformity isn't frowned upon, but it's more passively tolerated than applauded and encouraged. As a result, Chicagoans might not try so very hard to be different.

One possibly apocryphal story that illustrates the point: when I first moved here, I heard that there was a nudist lesbian bowling league. However, it was invite-only and they rented out an entire bowling alley on the far NW side one night a week (month?), both to protect them from outsiders and outsiders from them.

[kkaufmann]

Originally Posted by paytonc

Good point. We're still in the Midwest here, and so I'd chalk it up more to politeness and reserve than true acceptance. Thus, people generally dress conservatively here; nonconformity isn't frowned upon, but it's more passively tolerated than applauded and encouraged.

Well stated!

Keep in mind, Chicago is a tourist city and there is allot of Midwest out there visiting us, and they probably don't care for it. I think we have allot less of a tolerance buffer zone around our city than the cities in Cali. But as was said before, here in Chicago people will most likely be polite about it but not necessarily condone it.

Good point also about professional wear being less casual here than in Cali. Not only that, but we are much less relaxed in Chicago about work hours too. I hear about some of my company's offices in San Diego and I can't believe the hours they work!

One great thing about Chicago - for the most part nobody gives a damn about high end brands, what's in season right now, etc. I feel no pressure at all to keep up with the styles and I love it.

[prairiestate]

I would say almost anything goes. Over the past few weeks i've seen a couple women dressed as faeries at a suburban mall, a group of pirates being seated for dinner in Edgewater, and a guy in long denim skirt in Berwyn. Nobody paid any of them the slightest bit of attention.