Any NYers regret moving to Chicago? (Normal, DeKalb: suburban, winters, live)

[amy_cate]

Originally Posted by husky95

I’m from Brooklyn orginally. I left in 2003. Currently I’m in Florida but I’m thinking about moving to Chicago myself. And from NYer to another, Its nice huh? We Brooklyn girls fit in? I agree about NY becoming too expensive and I have two choices moving back to NY or to Chicago. I too miss our brooklyn pizza though. It worse for me though I have to tolerate Florida pizza, yuck! Chicago has got to beat that. I’ve heard that have the best deep-dish pizza. I’ve gotten a lot of great advice from others about Chicago, and am looking forward to the move. I was just looking through the posts to what native NYers thought.

i'm not a fan of deep-dish. i'm trying to sample several pizzas, but i miss brooklyn pizza badly. what part of brooklyn are you from? i lived in williamsburg for years and loved tony's pizza on graham ave. loved going in there, watching a bit of a yankees game, eating a nice greasy sicilian slice. i also like a few places down in bensonhurst/dyker - krispy pizza on 14 ave - grandma slices are amazing. so much so that my husband and i stopped there in between wedding/reception of his cousin's wedding in sept.

my husband and i are happy overall. the things i miss about nyc, especially about bklyn, i'm getting used to. the cons had really started to outweigh the pros of nyc and i hated that. i didn't want to leave there with a bitter taste in my mouth. i look forward to visiting, but no, i don't want to live there again. that said, it's funny the things that you miss. i caught mike and the mad dog podcast and found myself (a yankees fan) so missing ny sports! i still read daily news for sports info.

brooklyn girls fit in. i think midwest accents are funny myself. and i still say caw-fee.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by Steve-o

SKI ILLINOIS!

[OnThaGrind]

Originally Posted by coldwine

It isn't terribly brutal here. No more so than anywhere else, especially not NY State. NYC gets just as cold, just as fast, for nearly as long-- the only difference between that Chicago can see winter through April, and often does. We don't actually have spring or autumn (this is the first real autumn I can remember in Chicago for... oh... twenty years?).

I don't see where anyone could draw a real distinction, to tell you the truth. How often do you feel comfortable wandering around outside in the winter in NYC? Not very often, not at all.

The only piece of winter misery Chicago has in spades is the grayness. Everything here is so gray, and for so long. Even in summer, which is supposed to be sunny, we get a ton of rain. It's almost always gray here.

Yea, NYC does have cold winters too.. when i was younger there was alot more snow, but nowadays, it isnt as much i guess due to greenhouse effect. I love the cold, and the heat, as long as it alternates. I dont mind wandering around NY in the winter, i love wearing a big coat and skully, timberlands, gloves.. just feels good to me. And as for the rain, cant be much worse than here in south florida... especially now during hurricane season. Thank god its almost over.. as a matter of fact right now we have tropical storm noel approaching us, and it has been very windy all day, sheets of rain coming sideways, trees blowing down, and all of a sudden.. it just got sunny and it stopped raining. Looks like nothing ever happened, that is a creepy halloween.

[rgb123]

anyway, back to the original point

Here are some stats....from another source....on average temperature (not average high) ...check out the difference between chicago and new york city -- it is sizeable!

Moderator cut: links removed

[Attrill]

Originally Posted by rgb123

I dont' have to post my link too do I?

If you want people to believe you, then yes - you do.

Winter is cold in Chicago, but not brutal (except for one or two short bursts of nasty cold weather that don't last for more than a couple days). The typical day Dec-Feb is waking up to 20-25 degrees and hitting a high of 35-40 in the afternoon. There are days that are 70 degrees, there are days that are -10. I didn't notice any difference moving from Boston to Chicago (except less snow).

[amy_cate]

Originally Posted by OnThaGrind

Im from Brooklyn too, i just moved to south florida about 2 months ago. I am also thinking about going back to NY, but i heard chicago is a cheaper alternative and more livable. NY is just too much money.. i love that place will be in my heart forever, but it is plain out ridiculous for the money it costs to even barely survive out there. I have already accepted the fact that there is no place like NY pizza... especially here in FLA. UUGGGHHH Im a 26 yr old man with a fiance and 4 yr old son.. it was just too hard to continue on to struggle hard core in NY.. and only to realize the grass isnt much greener in south FLA. it is extremely overpriced and the salaries just dont cut it. Not to mention hurricanes and no change of seasons. So, with this being said.... is chicago a good place to raise a family? and how bad are the winters there?? my fiance has been there and she said it is BRUTAL in the winter. I dont know, i miss my change of seasons. Thanks for any advice in advance..

i know what you mean. i couldn't take ny for mainly that reason. cost of living is a sick joke and salaries do not rise accordingly. i have a huge place here for a few hundred less than i paid in nyc and the quality of life is much nicer. i would miss the change of seasons most in FL, and me, personally, i hate the heat. i could never survive in that climate. i need fall colors and i need winter. i spent lots of time in syracuse and albany (ny) and i love the cold. i'd suggest come visit in the winter and see for yourself! i love ny and always will. fortunately it's a short plane ride away!

[deegers]

Originally Posted by PAKennedy

In Indianapolis we had plenty of them. When you're young, you might be to the point of hypothermia where you can't feel anything, but you still don't want to go inside. We had a big yard and when it was cold enough, the snow froze hard enough to walk on it several inches higher than the grass, without it caving in. The best part was, whenever I decided to go in I could just throw the sled in our garage and sit by the fireplace and drink hot chocolate. That to me is childhood.

There's something about being cold and then hot chocolate by the fire. YOu'd be suprised just how many people don't experience that growing up. Sad childhodd if you ask me...

NYer, you will love it! Far better than FL.

[rgb123]

Originally Posted by Attrill

If you want people to believe you, then yes - you do.

Winter is cold in Chicago, but not brutal (except for one or two short bursts of nasty cold weather that don't last for more than a couple days). The typical day Dec-Feb is waking up to 20-25 degrees and hitting a high of 35-40 in the afternoon. There are days that are 70 degrees, there are days that are -10. I didn't notice any difference moving from Boston to Chicago (except less snow).

I find your assesment highly subjective, and I dont believe it, given my experience and ability to look up stats on my own.

True we have highly variable weather, but is it really common to see a 70 degree day in December? Absolutley not!! -10? much more likely -- typical day in dec - feb getting to 40 in the afternoon? no -- more often than it gets to 70 degrees, but I could not be ice skating on our natural lakes if it was typically above freezing each day in the afternoon. Its not unheard of but it is usually below freezing in Jan and Feb.

[j33]

amy_cate - glad to hear you are adjusting, pizza and sports woes aside.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by rgb123

I am sure I don't have to point out to you that I did my own search and found other sources, and that weather averages and sources are recorded by different organizations, I am sure we are all intelligent enough to understand this right? I dont' have to post my link too do I? Thanks.

Actually I would be interested, considering this data comes from the National Weather Service, where all readings are based off of to begin with.
National Weather Service Climate

Pull up the daily/monthly normals for max temps at any of the 3 Chicago reading locations...sure looks like plenty of days over 32 to me

NOWData - NOAA Online Weather Data

CHICAGO MIDWAY AP (111577)
Monthly Totals/Averages
Maximum Temperature (degrees F)
Years: 1980-2000

Jan-31.9
Feb-37.3
March-47.7
April-59.3
May-71.5
June-80.9
July-85.0
Aug-82.8
Sept-75.6
Oct-63.5
Nov-48.3
Dec-35.8
Annual Average-60.0

but i guess we'd rather all go on perception. also, sure if you talk daily averages you're going to get low numbers since thats taking into account nightime temps..but if you're trying to say it dosent warm up during the day thats flat out wrong