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I was kind of in the same boat as you. Got my MBA and moved to Chicago with my husband some months ago. I was nervous about the move so I actually bought and read every book I could find about moving to Chicago from Amazon. This helped me out a lot. I’ll share my reviews with you and anyone else on City Data who would be interested in this:
Newcomer’s Handbook For Moving to and Living in Chicago – Probably the biggest book on the subject of moving to Chicago. It’s over 400 pages of information about Chicago going through most neighborhoods and suburbs. It really has everything from neighborhoods, to transportation, to sports, to quick getaways. It’s even got all this technical information about things like luxury taxes, business laws in Illinois, etc. I think my only complaint about this book is that it’s just too much information and if you just want to get acclimated you have to read through a bunch of stuff that doesn’t apply to you. It’s best as a reference manual rather than an acclimation guisde.
New in Town Chicago – This book is kind of the opposite of Newcomer’s Handbook. Instead of including tons of factual details about everything in Chicago, it’s more of a short guide that holds your hand and helps you figure out the basics like how to find an apartment, settle in, and get around the city. But what I like best about this one is that half the book is dedicated to showing you ways to meet people and find things to do in a way that is much more personal than other books that just list places to go. This book kind treats you like a baby and doesn’t have a lot of technical information, so I’d recommend it for young people in their 20s moving to Chicago or people who never lived in a big city. It’s is an ebook so you have to have a kindle unless you buy it from their website in another format.
Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago – At first glance, this book didn’t seem all that useful. It’s full of maps of neighborhoods that are pretty obsolete now with things like Google Maps and other map apps on phones and stuff. However, the general information stuff in the back in small print is easy to overlook but extremely useful. Great stuff about using the L, classes in Chicago, and a ton of other things. It has these 8 word descriptions of hundreds of bars and restaurants that are pretty hilarious. It’s not very expensive either if you get a used copy.
Moving to Chicago – Don’t get excited by the cheap price. This book is hopelessly out-of-date. I think the latest edition is from 1996. So there’s embarrassing chapters about new fangled Internets and mobile phones. The other information isn’t all that useful either.
So which book you get really depends on who you are and what information you are after. If you just want a quick tour of the city and all the basics then get New in Town Chicago, but if you want something with more depth and technical info, get Newcomer’s Handbook. Since you mentioned you meeting people is a concern of yours then you should check out New in Town, although there is absolutely no information about jobs in that book. Or get them both like I did. Not For Tourists is good, but you don’t really need three books on the subject. And Moving to Chicago is just awful.
Hope this information is helpful.
Thanks for the recommendations! I actually didn't think of looking for a book on the subject. Are you enjoying Chicago so far?
Mainly the weather, but not only that. And I'm not talking only about winter, which we all know it is very brutal. I'm talking about non-existing springs: yeah, once in every 4 or 5 years you have a nice spring but usually springs here are mostly in the 40's and low 50's with grey depressing skies. Sure, even in cold springs you may have some 80 degree days, but they're just an handful well until the second half of May or beginning of June. Like this year: April had temperatures in the 30's and 40's almost every day; the first half of May wasn't much better with temperatures in the 40's and low 50's. Now, native Chicagoans will go any distance to say that this is not true and blah blah blah! Don't believe them because they don't know any better. If you like South Florida weather, you'll hate this weather here. Period!
The people are also not that friendly: yeah, they may be friendly as a facade but they don't really want to be your friends. You won't notice this right away, but you'll learn this soon enough. People here are as cold as the weather.
The grey all around is also very depressing: the midwest is just a flat wasteland. Sure, the architecture in Chicago is spectacular and the lakefront is pretty cool in summer but in the remaining 9 or 10 month is just depressing grey landscape.
You know, every one has their own preferences and like different things. Chicago can be a great city, it is just not for me I guess.
Good luck. If you do move here, check in with me after a year or so...
I agree with the Spring part it is pretty much non-existed and I dont even live in the city. I hate going into the city from where I live because I know it will at least be 10 degree colder. I have different changes of clothes for spring. At least in the Detroit area where I am from we actually had spring. The people here are mean too. But I do have a question for Gaby. I have family in Miami. The people in Miami can be pretty mean too!
I agree with the Spring part it is pretty much non-existed and I dont even live in the city. I hate going into the city from where I live because I know it will at least be 10 degree colder. I have different changes of clothes for spring. At least in the Detroit area where I am from we actually had spring. The people here are mean too. But I do have a question for Gaby. I have family in Miami. The people in Miami can be pretty mean too!
You maybe right. I think it largely has to do with the fact that Lake Michigan takes so long to warm up (its warmest month is September believe it or not) that if you are anywhere within 8-10 miles of it, you will feel the cold lake breezes.
Detroit is located on the river, between Lake Erie and St. Clair which are smaller and more shallow and warm up a bit faster and are not as wide open, with winds. Not, to bore you with meteorology but you might be on to something. Chicagos expansive view of the lake with bigger waves in the summer, does come with a price in terms of wind and chillier spring.
Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago – At first glance, this book didn’t seem all that useful. It’s full of maps of neighborhoods that are pretty obsolete now with things like Google Maps and other map apps on phones and stuff. However, the general information stuff in the back in small print is easy to overlook but extremely useful. Great stuff about using the L, classes in Chicago, and a ton of other things. It has these 8 word descriptions of hundreds of bars and restaurants that are pretty hilarious. It’s not very expensive either if you get a used copy.
I have this book and I think it's a really good resource for Chicago noobies looking at different areas of Chicago to live in. I have the 2010 edition and it gives an individual map for each area of Chicago where it shows all/most of the area's grocery stores, bars, restaurants, banks, stores, etc, basically the location of important landmarks for day-to-day living. It's definitely something that you probably won't need for a long time, but it's great to have at first when you're not familiar with Chicago's many neighborhoods.
Wow-I'm from Miami and moving to Chicago in a few months and this thread scared me. I'm so nervous for the weather but..is there anything else to talk about besides the weather? I'm sure Chicago has much more to it.
Wow-I'm from Miami and moving to Chicago in a few months and this thread scared me. I'm so nervous for the weather but..is there anything else to talk about besides the weather? I'm sure Chicago has much more to it.
There is much to do/see here as in anywhere but as this place has a reputation for cold winter weather and as not all places have the same it gets talked about a lot.
I once vacationed in Miami and it is amazing the difference that weather has on how people live. It was like early April(before Chicago warms up) and in Miami it was like late May weather here. The Airport had an booth outside for luggage check and tickets. Here such a booth would only be useful from May till Maybe September(assuming people don't mind the summer heat of July/Aug). October thru April would render it useless on many days.
Also there are fun things about winter. If it gets really cold for long enough the lake freezes up far as the eye can see. It looks spectacular. Snow looks pretty when it firts falls and kids love snowball fights and making snow men. On really cold days the lake and the sewers(or any warm water pipe open to the air) can steam.
Location: Pittsburgh (via Chicago, via Pittsburgh)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sosaw
Wow-I'm from Miami and moving to Chicago in a few months and this thread scared me. I'm so nervous for the weather but..is there anything else to talk about besides the weather? I'm sure Chicago has much more to it.
Yes. much more. People love to talk about the weather though. Here is a quick look about how Chicago stacks up in the weather department on a monthly basis.
Anyways, I'm moving to Chicago August 1st, and am currently pretty far into looking for apartments. It's a stressful but exciting process. I may get one of these books just so I can be even more familiar with the neighborhoods and transit system
Wow-I'm from Miami and moving to Chicago in a few months and this thread scared me. I'm so nervous for the weather but..is there anything else to talk about besides the weather? I'm sure Chicago has much more to it.
Yes, there is more. As for the weather, millions of people live here just fine, tens of millions live even further north than Chicago. So when it comes to weather, the best policy is just to deal with it and get on with whatever it is you want to do. I've lived in both better and worse climates and I've come to the opinion that if someone is spouting serious complaints about weather, they must live a pretty damn boring life. Weather can be dealt with here just like it can be in Miami - you plan your life, deal with the weather, and just go on living. Honestly, the weather registers as barely even background noise in my life - I plan what I want to do, occasionally have to change plans to accommodate particularly bad weather, but I've never felt oppressed by weather.
Anyway, to the Original Poster: If you have a free place to stay in Florida after you graduate, then don't move here without a job. But if you don't have a free place to stay in Florida and you want to move here then I recommend you just go ahead and move here and network with anyone you have contacts with here before and after you arrive. Chicago can be pretty inexpensive when you need it to be, so if you're living off savings anyway, you may as well do it where you want to end up.
Yes, there is more. As for the weather, millions of people live here just fine, tens of millions live even further north than Chicago. So when it comes to weather, the best policy is just to deal with it and get on with whatever it is you want to do. I've lived in both better and worse climates and I've come to the opinion that if someone is spouting serious complaints about weather, they must live a pretty damn boring life. Weather can be dealt with here just like it can be in Miami - you plan your life, deal with the weather, and just go on living. Honestly, the weather registers as barely even background noise in my life - I plan what I want to do, occasionally have to change plans to accommodate particularly bad weather, but I've never felt oppressed by weather.
Anyway, to the Original Poster: If you have a free place to stay in Florida after you graduate, then don't move here without a job. But if you don't have a free place to stay in Florida and you want to move here then I recommend you just go ahead and move here and network with anyone you have contacts with here before and after you arrive. Chicago can be pretty inexpensive when you need it to be, so if you're living off savings anyway, you may as well do it where you want to end up.
This weather stuff is so overblown, it's strange.
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