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The comments sections following this article really highlight a few things -- One bourbon, one scotch, and 20 new hipster bars | Food & Drink Feature | Chicago Reader. One can open all the fancy mixologist cocktail bars that people spending down their parent's retirement horde can get their hands on but if there are no grocery stores within a walkable distance the only folks that will be attracted to the area are the goofs that are more into Disney-fied entertainment than they are into living a normal life. Normal bartenders have the time to hold a conversation about sports, politics, life, love, etc -- these mixologists are cranking out fancy little creations like a robot cocktail shaker. I doubt any of 'em would even know how to run a sports book on the side.
The sad fact is that the folks that you'd think would have the most to put into improving things, like a 35 yr old single guy, seem the most eager to defend these "marketing genuises" that are doing nothing other than lining their own pockets. The guys running the rowdier bars similarly seen to be more than happy to provide a "side show" of patrons stabbing one another in front of their place almost like a bad driver on the side of the Kennedy being proud of providing a spectacle for the slack jawed motorists to gawk at...
There is a false belief among some that increased density will create more "livable" communities. The law of normal distributions instead tells us with increased population comes as well an increase of people with intelligence disproportionately skewed to the average (and less than average...) range, evidence of how easily such dupes are separated from whatever meager earnings they have is boundless...
The commenters whining about groceries are displaying their own prejudices. They just refuse to accept that places like Tony's and the grocery right by the Logan theater are actually places that buy food. These types will B&M until there is a Trader Joe's and Marianos on every block.
I am a Da Joolz kinda guy, as I prefer places that pay a living wage. I do miss Cub, though.
To address the OP question, it doesn't bother me what people think about Chicago. I think it's fun city but I'm not attached to Chicago where I would get offended by someone opinion of the place.
What I do hate is when people try to be political with our issues and start making up things like we are the murder capitol when there are other cities that have a higher murder rate.
When people say Chicago is corrupt, racist, midwestern and provincial, I agree. It is not a perfect city and I would never promote it as such.
I do think it is normal for people to bash cities they couldn't make it in or have never been to.
The commenters whining about groceries are displaying their own prejudices. They just refuse to accept that places like Tony's and the grocery right by the Logan theater are actually places that buy food. These types will B&M until there is a Trader Joe's and Marianos on every block.
I am a Da Joolz kinda guy, as I prefer places that pay a living wage. I do miss Cub, though.
you're kidding right? Sunrise on Milwaukee is terrible. absolute garbage of a grocery store unless you like stale bread, over ripped produce, and plenty of high-fructose corn syrup. You obviously havent shopped there. It's a 7-11 with cilantro.
Tony's is, well, fine and all but a bit of hike for those that are car-less.
I'd love a good grocery store that sells quality and wide variety of foods. Ideally, I'd love a Stanley's over here in Logan or something similar, but I'll take a TJ or a Marianos anyday over Sunrise. LOL.
You really shouldn't be attacking the intelligence of others when you regularly make arguments that even an idiot would know are nonsense, like the idea that people who choose the city over the suburbs have some kind of false idea of their own desires, or that it is impossible for someone to contribute to society while also partying after work.
I thought Chet was making an interesting point, if I understood correctly, that a lot of people take who live in the city take advantage of its amenities and conveniences without contributing to their communities. Working in an office downtown isn't necessarily doing anything for your neighborhood.
From what I've seen, people tend to commit to the long-term good of a community and involve themselves in things like churches and local civic organizations when they have children. We expect singles in their 20s to "work hard, pay hard" and not to be ready to put down roots. When they do decide to settle down, they tend to decamp for suburbia, so that's where they invest their efforts in maintaining community.
In my experience, people who raise families in the city usually grew up in Chicago themselves, and for the most part, they seem to end up in the bungalow belt or outer ring neighborhoods. I'm not sure if those who stay in more urban neighborhoods into their late 30s and beyond are mostly people who still insist on living like rootless 20-somethings, but there is something sad about people who get stuck in that phase.
I thought Chet was making an interesting point, if I understood correctly, that a lot of people take who live in the city take advantage of its amenities and conveniences without contributing to their communities. Working in an office downtown isn't necessarily doing anything for your neighborhood.
From what I've seen, people tend to commit to the long-term good of a community and involve themselves in things like churches and local civic organizations when they have children. We expect singles in their 20s to "work hard, pay hard" and not to be ready to put down roots. When they do decide to settle down, they tend to decamp for suburbia, so that's where they invest their efforts in maintaining community.
In my experience, people who raiser families in the city usually grew up in Chicago themselves, and for the most part, they seem to end up in the bungalow belt or outer ring neighborhoods. I'm not sure if those who stay in more urban neighborhoods into their late 30s and beyond are mostly people who still insist on living like rootless 20-somethings, but there is something sad about people who get stuck in that phase.
Perhaps I'm the exception but I'm single mid 40s living in the city and I do regular volunteer work in the community. As did my ex wife and many of my friends in the city. Suburbanites don't have a monopoly on civic involvement!
you're kidding right? Sunrise on Milwaukee is terrible. absolute garbage of a grocery store unless you like stale bread, over ripped produce, and plenty of high-fructose corn syrup. You obviously havent shopped there. It's a 7-11 with cilantro.
Tony's is, well, fine and all but a bit of hike for those that are car-less.
I'd love a good grocery store that sells quality and wide variety of foods. Ideally, I'd love a Stanley's over here in Logan or something similar, but I'll take a TJ or a Marianos anyday over Sunrise. LOL.
I suspect that Stanley's would expand if there was evidence that the rapidly rising rents in some hotspots were not driven exclusively by folks that are more likely to spend money on beer and resturant food.
I thought Chet was making an interesting point, if I understood correctly, that a lot of people take who live in the city take advantage of its amenities and conveniences without contributing to their communities. Working in an office downtown isn't necessarily doing anything for your neighborhood.
From what I've seen, people tend to commit to the long-term good of a community and involve themselves in things like churches and local civic organizations when they have children. We expect singles in their 20s to "work hard, pay hard" and not to be ready to put down roots. When they do decide to settle down, they tend to decamp for suburbia, so that's where they invest their efforts in maintaining community.
In my experience, people who raise families in the city usually grew up in Chicago themselves, and for the most part, they seem to end up in the bungalow belt or outer ring neighborhoods. I'm not sure if those who stay in more urban neighborhoods into their late 30s and beyond are mostly people who still insist on living like rootless 20-somethings, but there is something sad about people who get stuck in that phase.
A complete false generalization that single people who live in the city don't volunteer in their communities. Some don't, but many do. Just like many people with families in the suburbs don't volunteer and many do. Maybe the latter group has a higher rate of volunteering than the former, I don't know if that's true and nobody has provided any hard evidence about it, but even if it is true, why does that matter? Is it a competition to see who can volunteer more?
Also it's not just about contributing to your neighborhood. The (completely false) point was that young people who like to party in the city aren't doing anything to better the greater society and world around them. But working for and helping run businesses that provide goods and services that people want to buy and give people jobs absolutely has value and in many cases makes the world a better place. To act as if there is NO value coming out of people who hold down jobs but don't have kids and like to party is so unrealistic to the point that it shows the person making that argument has some kind of bitter agenda against people who have different lifestyle choices than him.
I have quite a lot of friends that are single or couples (gay and straight) that don't have kids. Those that do live in Chicago are quite different than the posters most active on these threads -- rather than mindlessly making excuses for the political shenanigans of this City & the state of Illinois they are largely highly aware of the liklihood of big changes rapidly making it untenable to live here; many have already laid plans to move to areas that are less corrupt.
It is not so much that they are not working for change as the realize that folks like Rahm seem to have more than enough sources of support to stay in office indefinitely as the anaethesized masses ignore the real problems that he is unwilling g to deal with.
Quote:
Originally Posted by stateofnature
A complete false generalization that single people who live in the city don't volunteer in their communities. Some don't, but many do. Just like many people with families in the suburbs don't volunteer and many do. Maybe the latter group has a higher rate of volunteering than the former, I don't know if that's true and nobody has provided any hard evidence about it, but even if it is true, why does that matter? Is it a competition to see who can volunteer more?
Also it's not just about contributing to your neighborhood. The (completely false) point was that young people who like to party in the city aren't doing anything to better the greater society and world around them. But working for and helping run businesses that provide goods and services that people want to buy and give people jobs absolutely has value and in many cases makes the world a better place. To act as if there is NO value coming out of people who hold down jobs but don't have kids and like to party is so unrealistic to the point that it shows the person making that argument has some kind of bitter agenda against people who have different lifestyle choices than him.
Location: Schaumburg, please don't hate me for it.
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As I have said before, I am far more surprised about some Chicagoans acute sensitivity to Chicago bashing. This has been going on for a hundred plus years, so get used to it. If you like your life here, screw the detractors. Most of them don't live here anyway, so their yapping is nothing but second hand opinion, that is often politically or racially motivated anyway.
Face it, you live in a very imperfect city, with lots of very imperfect people. Welcome to a microcosm of the world in general.
Remember that you always have the option of leaving the city and becoming a part of the "more perfect America", where happiness is defined by things like Buffalo Wild Wings, monster trucks and lame fireworks shows.
Remember that you always have the option of leaving the city and becoming a part of the "more perfect America", where happiness is defined by things like Buffalo Wild Wings, monster trucks and lame fireworks shows.
I enjoyed those three things within the confines of Chicago
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Good points!
