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It's annoying seeing Chicago so obsessed with imitating other "world class" cities instead of just being itself... Its own world class city. I think this is and will lead to the demise of Chicago. Here is a great read on Chicago's sad attempts at changing its image to fit a "world class" city (whatever that means): The Streetlights of Chicago
A changing economy killed the Chicago the author of that article misses, not the city deciding to update a basic street light that was used everywhere, and that was neither symbolic of nor original to Chicago.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
2,535 posts, read 3,277,684 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AtlasTraveler
What I'm trying to say in the above^^ is own your identity. No city (or person) gets anywhere by pretending to be something/someone else. It reeks of desperation and is quite frankly absurdly boring ...but.... but... Chicago is more like New York!!!!!! No, no - it's more like Toronto! Totally not Midwestern!!!! It feels more East coast!!!!!!! Chicago is Chicago.
It's annoying seeing Chicago so obsessed with imitating other "world class" cities instead of just being itself... Its own world class city. I think this is and will lead to the demise of Chicago. Here is a great read on Chicago's sad attempts at changing its image to fit a "world class" city (whatever that means): The Streetlights of Chicago
Does anyone see San Francisco pretending not to be the epicenter of hippies, gay rights, counter-culture, gold rush? Does Hollywood bashfully try to wipe away its image of excess, glitz? Does Silicone Valley pretend to be anything but a ruthless playground for tech ventures and innovation? Is DC not full of politicos? Does New York try to be Tokyo or London? Does Dallas proclaim it's not part of Texas (or for that matter, the Southwest...).
Enough.
You can have your opinion on ALL CHICAGO DID TO UPGRADE AND ADD TO THE AESTHETICS OF THEIR CITY..... IS ABOUT TRYING TO BE SOMETHING ELSE OTHER THEN CHICAGO.....
I JUST TOTALLY DISAGREE. Most of what Chicago did..... WAS TO GAIN VISITORS AND TOURIST TO THE CITY. THAT ADDS MILLIONS TO ITS ECONOMY, HOTELS, SHOPPING AND RESTAURANTS.
The Mayor present and past BOTH ON CITY SIGHTS NOTED THE AIMS.... WITH GREAT SUCESS.
I LOVE THE REPRODUCTION STREET LIGHTS. IN THE LOOP. THEY ADD GREATLY TO GRANDURE AND CLASS.
Navy Pier was one of the first Redo's that SUCESSFULLY BECAME THE TOP TOURIST/VISITOR ATTRACTION TO THE CITY.
Planting Flowers LL over Downtown. From Street Medians to hanging Baskets from Lamp Post and Planters and TOURIST NOTICE ALL THE TRIMMINGS AND HOW...... CLEAN IT ALL IS.
SEEMS TO LESSEN ALL THE IMPROVEMENTS IS TO MAKE CHICAGO SOMETHING IT ISN'T..... A RESOUNDING NO .... BUT MAKING CHICAGO'S DOWNTOWN INTO ALL IT CAN BE... A RESOUNDING YES AND STILL GETTING BETTER.....
WHAT THE HECK DO YOU THINK CHICAGO IS TRYING TO BE???? A CLEANER GREENER NYC? OR SF WITHOUT THE HILLS?? YOU TELL US?
Spare me the it ain't NYC and never will be please... I would never say it is.
Chicago is in the Midwest. It's high German passive aggressive population is indicative of that
But Chicago is in a separate corner of the Midwest known as the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes region has a true Northern identity of immigrants, nasal accents, and fast paced living.
Unlike other posters I don't liken Chicago to the NE, but more to the actual region it's in, the Great Lakes. It has more in common historically with Cleveland, Detroit, Grand Rapids, and Milwaukee than it does with Cincy, Indy, or KC.
Our identity links us across the large swath of land stretching from Western New England to the Eastern Dakotas. The Erie Canal connected us to the East and our Great Lakes transport connected us to the Upper Midwest.
Our language, culture, food, attitude, and architecture links us to other Great Lakes cities.
Truly the Great Lakes should be considered their own region. I posit we forget the term Northeast as it isn't as in favor as "East Coast", name the Great Lakes region simply "The North", and then at least the map will make a bit more sense at least by designation.
Chicago is a larger scale version of Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee. Chicago is cut from the same cloth as those cities and has the same dialect and immigration patterns.
The more German influenced cities of "downstate" Illinois and Hoosier land and Missouri retain the true Middle American "Midwest" feel. Up here, it's common for people to be very much in touch with the old country as it is down there. Up here, being Polish, Irish, or Italian is more en vogue than being "American". We own our immigrant character more in the Great Lakes.
Oh, and as far as the cities of NYC, Philly, and Boston? Let them keep their own unique history. We can't replicate them and shouldn't try. But we must make note that YES there is a difference between the Great Lakes and the Lower Midwest.
By the way...Chicagoans for the most part never aspire to New York. Ask a Chicagoan if they'd ever go to New York and most likely the answer is "why?". Unlike lame East-Coast-inferiority-complex-having people who live in smaller, less famous cities along the Bos-Wash corridor, Chicagoans don't live in the shadow of their more famois, distant relative. We ARE the hub of our region unlike those wannabes who live south of New York and Philly.
Last edited by EddieOlSkool; 10-28-2015 at 06:01 PM..
A major difference Chicago likes to point out about itself is its low taxes compared to the ''east coast''. Well, with the taxing machine known as Chicago City Council has really begun its crusade to close that gap. All of it premised on the years of corruption, giveaways and get it while you can mentality that the you- know-who mayor created. This includes TIF financing the city was forced to use for new construction homes in 'hood areas that have gone to foreclosure with all that tax money lost. Tons of state $$ given to homeowners to reinstate defaulted mortgages.
Hitting property taxes is just the wrong thing right now for a city like Chicago. Real estate market remains soft, job and population growth is anemic.
The real estate market is soft. The spring into to mid-summer ''boom'' is over; hopefully it picks up again as Chicago was ranked somewhere just over 45 out of 50 ''hot'' U.S. housing markets. Tons of homes still underwater. Higher tax bills translates to lower values so borrowers can qualify to purchase real estate.
Chicago has the trappings of a big international city (NY, LA, Paris, London, Tokyo) in terms of shopping, fine dining, direct air travel, but it's very culturally midwestern to the point it's irreversible. North face jackets everywhere, sports fanaticism to the point it's basically religion, pub culture over lounge, and the yuppie parts of Chicago are extended Big 10 universities. The "hipster" parts are still stuck in this prototypical Urban Outfitters 2007 hipster.
So, in short, yes, it feels midwestern compared to those cities, while not feeling midwestern compared to other midwestern cities, but still not that different. Chicago & Des Moines (a much smaller city) are far more culturally similar than Chicago is to Los Angeles. Someone visiting from a smaller city in the midwest isn't going to experience much culture shock in Chicago other than seeing a cluster of very tall buildings. The same is not true with LA or NY (NY on a lesser scale than LA).
In terms of international recognition, Vegas & Miami are probably a step above Chicago in terms of places people "want to visit" (whether from USA or not) in the US or say they've been to.
I'm sure a certain member here will disagree and bring up his "friends" in Tokyo/Moscow/Rio De Janeiro disagree and are much enamored with Chicago than NYC LA or Miami.
Chicago has the trappings of a big international city (NY, LA, Paris, London, Tokyo) in terms of shopping, fine dining, direct air travel, but it's very culturally midwestern to the point it's irreversible. North face jackets everywhere, sports fanaticism to the point it's basically religion, pub culture over lounge, and the yuppie parts of Chicago are extended Big 10 universities. The "hipster" parts are still stuck in this prototypical Urban Outfitters 2007 hipster.
So, in short, yes, it feels midwestern compared to those cities, while not feeling midwestern compared to other midwestern cities, but still not that different. Chicago & Des Moines (a much smaller city) are far more culturally similar than Chicago is to Los Angeles. Someone visiting from a smaller city in the midwest isn't going to experience much culture shock in Chicago other than seeing a cluster of very tall buildings. The same is not true with LA or NY (NY on a lesser scale than LA).
In terms of international recognition, Vegas & Miami are probably a step above Chicago in terms of places people "want to visit" (whether from USA or not) in the US or say they've been to.
I'm sure a certain member here will disagree and bring up his "friends" in Tokyo/Moscow/Rio De Janeiro disagree and are much enamored with Chicago than NYC LA or Miami.
North Face Jackets everywhere? Really? Obviously you haven't stepped outside of Lincoln Park and Lakeview, cause yeah maybe in those neighborhoods North Face wearing yuppies are the majority, but if you think people in Avondale, Logan Square, Albany Park, Ukranian Village, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Hyde Park, Mayfair, Roger's Park, Edgewater, Portage Park, etc, are the what you described above you are totally wrong. I would say the MAJORITY of the neighborhoods are where the North Face, white yuppie, Big Ten types don't dominate. Chicago is 32% Black and 28% Latino, which is about 60% of the city's population, and you are going to tell me those are the Ugg wearing, North Face, Big Ten yuppie Midwestern types? Or that the 60% is the Hipster type? Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.
Also, pub culture isn't as big once you get outside of Lakeview and Lincoln Park, which is only 2 neighborhoods out of the official 52 neighborhoods. Maybe there is more of a pub culture than say LA, but it really only exists in specific areas of the city.
Sports fanaticism, uh that's just not a Midwestern thing. In Boston, Philly and NYC they are definitely fanatics there too. When it comes to college football in the south those are even bigger fanatics than in the Midwest. And maybe someone from Indianapolis might not experience culture shock if they step foot inside Lincoln Park or Lakeview, but they sure as hell will once they step inside Albany Park, Pilsen, Roger's Park, Avondale, Uptown, Englewood, Humboldt Park or Austin. And those are just to name a few.
I hate when people misrepresent Chicago as basically being just Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Near North Side and the Loop. That is only a fraction of a city and does not represent the city as whole AT ALL. In fact those neighborhoods do a poor **** job of representing Chicago.
Basically what Ronnie is saying is the ignorant stereotypes people create for places like LA, saying everyone is an actor or aspiring singer who lives there or that everyone in Miami is a materialistic millionaire wannabe or that in San Diego everyone is laid back beach bum surfer type. These are cities that have millions of people. Sure you might find more actors and singers in LA than in Chicago that's a given, but overgeneralize like that is just plain ignorant and wrong. Yeah, cause the 2.7 million people that live in Chicago are all North Face, Big Ten yuppie Midwestern types. What a stupid assumption.
Last edited by UrbanCheetah; 10-28-2015 at 08:00 PM..
North Face Jackets everywhere? Really? Obviously you haven't stepped outside of Lincoln Park and Lakeview
I'm not entirely convinced he's actually stepped foot outside of Des Moines. He has a shockingly vapid and shallow idea of what constitutes Chicago or the Midwest, and coastal cities for that matter.
North Face Jackets everywhere? Really? Obviously you haven't stepped outside of Lincoln Park and Lakeview, cause yeah maybe in those neighborhoods North Face wearing yuppies are the majority, but if you think people in Avondale, Logan Square, Albany Park, Ukranian Village, Humboldt Park, Pilsen, Hyde Park, Mayfair, Roger's Park, Edgewater, Portage Park, etc, are the what you described above you are totally wrong. I would say the MAJORITY of the neighborhoods are where the North Face, white yuppie, Big Ten types don't dominate. Chicago is 32% Black and 28% Latino, which is about 60% of the city's population, and you are going to tell me those are the Ugg wearing, North Face, Big Ten yuppie Midwestern types? Or that the 60% is the Hipster type? Obviously you don't know what you are talking about.
Also, pub culture isn't as big once you get outside of Lakeview and Lincoln Park, which is only 2 neighborhoods out of the official 52 neighborhoods. Maybe there is more of a pub culture than say LA, but it really only exists in specific areas of the city.
Sports fanaticism, uh that's just not a Midwestern thing. In Boston, Philly and NYC they are definitely fanatics there too. When it comes to college football in the south those are even bigger fanatics than in the Midwest. And maybe someone from Indianapolis might not experience culture shock if they step foot inside Lincoln Park or Lakeview, but they sure as hell will once they step inside Albany Park, Pilsen, Roger's Park, Avondale, Uptown, Englewood, Humboldt Park or Austin. And those are just to name a few.
I hate when people misrepresent Chicago as basically being just Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Near North Side and the Loop. That is only a fraction of a city and does not represent the city as whole AT ALL. In fact those neighborhoods do a poor **** job of representing Chicago.
Basically what Ronnie is saying is the ignorant stereotypes people create for places like LA, saying everyone is an actor or aspiring singer who lives there or that everyone in Miami is a materialistic millionaire wannabe or that in San Diego everyone is laid back beach bum surfer type. These are cities that have millions of people. Sure you might find more actors and singers in LA than in Chicago that's a given, but overgeneralize like that is just plain ignorant and wrong. Yeah, cause the 2.7 million people that live in Chicago are all North Face, Big Ten yuppie Midwestern types. What a stupid assumption.
It's not my fault you're about to go into a chant. What I said is completely true, and I stand by it.
You're making a very popular argument with Chicago boosters....intentionally exclude the gentrified neighborhoods. Then pretend gentrifying neighborhoods like Avondale, Pilsen, Logan Square or Albany Park are somehow the "real Chicago" that everyone should aspire to see. Yeah, Pilsen is probably a lot more interesting than River North because they have more varieties of authentic tacos to choose from (authentic tacos are nothing more than cubic meat, lots of cilantro/onion, with corn tortilla only, and usually some weird green salsa lol).
Maybe visitors should take a stroll through Lawndale instead. Anyone from Indianapolis has probably seen an old boring neighborhood, considering that's what their entire town basically is.
When people goto LA, they generally want to see West LA, Hollywood, Santa Monica. No one is visiting to see Van Nuys for example. Miami, they want to see South Beach, Wynwood, or Brickell. Again, no one is visiting to check out Liberty City. Only Chicago makes that argument.
It lets you know how boring Chicago is when you have to exclude what are widely regarded as your city's best neighborhoods to prove any excitement.
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
2,535 posts, read 3,277,684 times
Reputation: 1483
Quote:
Originally Posted by RonnieJonez
Chicago has the trappings of a big international city (NY, LA, Paris, London, Tokyo) in terms of shopping, fine dining, direct air travel, but it's very culturally midwestern to the point it's irreversible. North face jackets everywhere, sports fanaticism to the point it's basically religion, pub culture over lounge, and the yuppie parts of Chicago are extended Big 10 universities. The "hipster" parts are still stuck in this prototypical Urban Outfitters 2007 hipster.
So, in short, yes, it feels midwestern compared to those cities, while not feeling midwestern compared to other midwestern cities, but still not that different. Chicago & Des Moines (a much smaller city) are far more culturally similar than Chicago is to Los Angeles. Someone visiting from a smaller city in the midwest isn't going to experience much culture shock in Chicago other than seeing a cluster of very tall buildings. The same is not true with LA or NY (NY on a lesser scale than LA).
In terms of international recognition, Vegas & Miami are probably a step above Chicago in terms of places people "want to visit" (whether from USA or not) in the US or say they've been to.
I'm sure a certain member here will disagree and bring up his "friends" in Tokyo/Moscow/Rio De Janeiro disagree and are much enamored with Chicago than NYC LA or Miami.
Chicago has become more a VISTOR/CITY every Year. Some have called SF a Boutique City... Some cities are purely geared to their main or one min industry.... Tourism. Orlando. Las Vegas, New Orleans to name a few. Many Larger cities have FAR LESS TOURISM then these small primarily Tourist cities.
Chicago under this and last Mayor did seek to increase Visitation/Tourism to Chicago. Millions Spent are very Lucrative to a city. Keeping its Hotels, Retail to Restaurants busy and they LOVE DOWNTOWN CHICAGO. Chicago hit 50 million Visitors. More Domestic then NYC. But NYC had the International visitation to place it at 62 million. Orlando his that too as Disneyworld.
Millennium Park FULL OF TOURIST and Navy Pier and all over Downtown.
I use to think Manhattan would become a Disneyesque Borough. But it can't seem to keep areas clean.... It leaves its Retail establishments have UGLEY STEEL GATES WHEN CLOSE OR THE ROW-DOWN ONES..... TERRIBLE TO SEE. You think your in the wrong side of town..... You can still walk off Times Square and some days see piles of Garbage and some seemingly underused buildings. Sure you can find CHEAP shops around... not sophisticated is it.... then on 5th Ave. Sure the min blocks are great. But the rest of electronic shops.... close and ALL THOSE STEEL GATES GO UP.... TERRIBLE TO SEE.
Downtown Chicago has NONE I SEE. The city plants flowers in the Medians, planters public buildings and hanging baskets in Lamppost. IT LOOKS GREAT. TOURIST NOTE IT.
DOWNTOWN CHICAGO IS BECOMING DISNEYESQUE...... IN A GOOD WAY... Heck even a Mind on State St near Wacker Dr. Tables and Tropical flowers.
You want Sterile clean .... You have Downtown Houston. You want Vibrant Clean.... You have Downtown Chicago.
BUT WHAT THE HECK IS RATING A CITY ON SOME NAME BRANDS .... THAT IS WHAT IS VERY .......
Sure Vegas and Miami pull International visitors. LOOK UP WHT % OF TOURIST TODAY COME FROM LATIN AMERICA .... Not a Resort for Americans anymore....
Chicago still gets a good bit more tourist then SF. Just SF's has a higher % international.... but still not close to 50 million.
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.... BUT MAKING CHICAGO'S DOWNTOWN INTO ALL IT CAN BE... 
A RESOUNDING YES AND STILL GETTING BETTER.....
