Tell me bout Chi (Chicago, Manhattan: rental car, rental, crime rate)

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by Ilovehockey85

No, Chicago has its share.

Youre prolly talking about Newark, Irvington, Paterson, etc.

Chicago has no shortage.

Originally Posted by marothisu

I can't give you spot on info, but I doubt there's no jobs available in it. I mean, it's a big city with a good amount of crime in some areas, and there's going to be a lot of people on probation and what not.

Govt workers in general..pretty sure there's jobs. My friend interviewed for an engineering one lately, and I have a few other friends in govt here. It's a big city, so there's a lot of govt jobs. How many available? Not sure, but I'm sure you can find that online somewhere.

Yea, I figure that too. Corruption and crime is good for me-means I'll find a job lol

Originally Posted by Ilovehockey85

Chicago goes harder than NY dude. There are a lot of other cities IMO that do.

Everything romanticized about NY is about Manhattan. Nobody around the country or the world is clamoring to live in Sunset Park, ya know? Its all about Manhattan, and what it has become, im not a fan of. Chicago is much more "real" to me. Everything about it. It does city living much better than NY does, IMO.

Yeah I went to Kean, graduated in 08. Lived in Somerset/NB last year. Worked in S Plainfield.

There are definitely neighborhood similarities between NY/NJ and Chicago. Only difference is scale. NYC is 19 million metro, Chicago is 10.

True, people mostly glorify Manhattan, but that's where most of the action is so it's understandable. The messed up part is that places like Sunset Park are expensive too. Brooklyn is actually the second most expensive area in the country after Manhattan if they were their own cities separately, and Queens is up there too.

[Ilovehockey85]

Originally Posted by marothisu

That's a good way of putting it. It's highly romanticized. You can be like "oh man I want to live in a loft behind a big clock" or I don't know. You just watch movies or shows and everything about it is romanticized. Never thought about it like that, but it's extremely true. I'm guilty of that growing up, I"ll admit it.

I think it depends on who you are and what you're looking for. You know like, certain types of artists or fashion industry stuff (actual fashion designer, even if Chicago has some of that) and NYC will be better. I used to want to live in NYC badly (it's where my mom and her side is from) but now that I"ve lived in Chicago, I see what is and what is not. If I'm going to move to another big city after this, I am not even thinking of NYC (Istanbul in reality). Music? Plenty of music stuff going on here just like NYC. NYC you might get discovered faster, who knows, but there's tons of music venues here, and then clubs, and artists doing their own thing.

A lot of what NYC offers, you can find in Chicago, just on a cheaper and smaller (although still big) scale. Not everything, but a lot IMO.

Basically.

Theres nothing you cant get in Chicago you cant in NY/NJ. Its just different scale and entirely subjective as to which you want.

Chicago is arguably the best food city in the country as well.

I rate Chicago with NY and SF as the top 3.

[marothisu]

The one thing I will give NYC credit for is more CHILL lounges. Like here, when someone says "lounge", there's a 75% chance it's just a nice club with a bunch of pretentious people trying to impress each other and playing (decent) club music. I've only run into a small handful of dark places here playing a bunch of chill electronica people would smoke to or whatever.

It's very bar or club oriented here, or music venue, not as much "mannnn I'm going to chill the **** out listening to some Thievery Corporation and Banco De Gaia.."

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by Ilovehockey85

Chicago is arguably the best food city in the country as well.

Yep, there's a lot of food here for sure. Tons of cuisines are represented here, although not all of course (I can name a few, but no big deal). My one thing is that I wish there were more 24 hour places in certain areas here. Like all the 24 hour indian/middle eastern places are too far away from me.

[Ilovehockey85]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

Yea, I figure that too. Corruption and crime is good for me-means I'll find a job lol



True, people mostly glorify Manhattan, but that's where most of the action is so it's understandable. The messed up part is that places like Sunset Park are expensive too. Brooklyn is actually the second most expensive area in the country after Manhattan if they were their own cities separately, and Queens is up there too.

I spend and spent a lot of time in both, and I agree. Everyones getting priced outta Manhattan and filtering into the outer boros, which is raising the COL there. Its not happening overnight, but slowly.

Chicago has a big gang problem, though. Worse than NY and I think LA. Murder rate is higher, but as others said, strictly limited to few parts of the city you have no reason to go to. Its very much isolated.

Great artists like Common and Lupe come outta Chitown too. Conscious rap.

[OleSchoolFool]

Originally Posted by marothisu

The one thing I will give NYC credit for is more CHILL lounges. Like here, when someone says "lounge", there's a 75% chance it's just a nice club. I've only run into a small handful of dark places here playing a bunch of chill electronica people would smoke to or whatever.

It's very bar or club oriented here, or music venue, not as much "mannnn I'm going to chill the **** out listening to some Thievery Corporation and Banco De Gaia.."

thats fine, i dont **** with lame azz lounges anyway
only strip clubs and black clubs for me lol

[Ilovehockey85]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Yep, there's a lot of food here for sure. Tons of cuisines are represented here, although not all of course (I can name a few, but no big deal). My one thing is that I wish there were more 24 hour places in certain areas here. Like all the 24 hour indian/middle eastern places are too far away from me.

Mexican/Indian food in Chicago > NY/NJ.

[Ilovehockey85]

I do know Chicago has a big Eastern European population in general.

Im Upstate in Utica right now, and we probably have the highest population of Bosnians outside Chicago in the country, but Chicago has a ton of Serbs and Bosnians. We have a ton of Russians and Ukrainians, Belarussians, etc. too, as Chicago does.

Chicago may be more Eastern Euro than NY/NJ % wise, but im not sure.

Just read this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Chicago


The girls may be easier for you out there too. Broads on the coasts are more stuck up in my experiences.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by OleSchoolFool

thats fine, i dont **** with lame azz lounges anyway
only strip clubs and black clubs for me lol

LOL. Depends on your perspective of that ****. Take a lot of women to one and then get back to me what happens next. But yeah. strip clubs, lol...well yeah I guess. You'll find no shortage of women walking around here who are fake if you know what I mean, but you know, like anywhere else it's many times a $$$ game.

[Ilovehockey85]

I hate to cite this but..

America's Favorite Cities 2011 - City Comparison - New York City vs Chicago | Travel + Leisure