Chicago vs. Atlanta (Evanston, Oak Park, Lincoln: gated, travel, crime)

[dragoro]

DC? I guess if ya like elitest snobs. San Fran I guess if ya like people with morals of dogs.

[aragx6]

Dogs have great morals. They're loyal and loving.

I agree about San Fran being too cold Lookout!

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by tedhogan

Oh, and I still HATE the weather. I ride a motorcycle, so it's not real comfortable at 28 degrees on the expressway. Now, to the person who said 9 months of winter... your off your rocker man. These are the months of suck: DEC, JAN, FEB, MAR. That's it. Heck, even December isn't usually that bad. 9 months... what... did you just move here from Hawaii or Key West?

Ted

I agree. But unless you live in SoCal, youre gonna have 4 months of suck no matter where in the USA you move. Whether its winter or summer in places, the weather will either be too deadly cold to ride or too deadly hot to ride at certain points of the year.

[BecomeYourself]

via the Metra ending at:Ogalvie I have no idea where that is, in relation to " bus tours", Sears Tower....

We like things that are culturally diverse specific to Chicago, and low cost.

The budget is our "guide". I would appreciate any ideas.

Thanks,
BecomeYourself

[BecomeYourself]

Originally Posted by dragoro

DC? I guess if ya like elitest snobs. San Fran I guess if ya like people with morals of dogs.

If I never met you and you said that quote, I would agree.

No hate here, just the boundries God gave us.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by BecomeYourself

via the Metra ending at:Ogalvie I have no idea where that is, in relation to " bus tours", Sears Tower....

We like things that are culturally diverse specific to Chicago, and low cost.

The budget is our "guide". I would appreciate any ideas.

Thanks,
BecomeYourself

Do a mapquest search. The Sears Tower is really close to the train. Search the sticky thread and do a search on here,we have covered this before.

[adm1985]

I moved from Atlanta to Chicago in 2005- I lived in Atlanta all my life. I absolutely love it here- I think one of my favorite things is not having a car, it saves a lot of money and stress. Also, I can walk to tons of cool shops/restaurants here- I lived in Midtown Atlanta and Buckhead before moving here and the places there weren't very good at all compared to my neighborhood here. So far, I've lived in River North, Gold Coast, and Lakeview neighborhoods. The first two were more expensive but more "downtown"- while Lakeview (my current neighborhood) is a short bus ride into downtown. I love that there is actually a change of seasons here- not like Atlanta where even in the Winter it is 50+ degrees. Also, the lake is awesome- lots of trails to ride bikes, run, etc. You'll love it here- so drop Atlanta and come on up!

[tassmith]

I have lived in Atlanta (originally from Ohio) for almost 7 years and I still don't like it. To be honest the longer I stay the more I grow frustrated. I have been making plans on relocating to Chicago some time soon. I am trying to get all my ducks in a row so that I won't experience the same frustration that I have faced in Atlanta. I bought into the hype that Atlanta is the place for thriving African Americans an although that may be true for some African Americans, it's not for the vast majority. Everybody can't be an entreprenuer, a rapper and so on. The city is conjested and whoever is in charge of the city planning needs to be shot. It makes no sense! Atlanta has a dead spirit. Unlike Chicago which has this unbelieveable energy. I have been visiting the Chicago area for awhile now and it's amazing how lively this city is. I want to live in a city that doesn't suck the life out of me like Atlanta does. My only concern with moving is what to expect as far as employement and what neighborhoods to live in. The news make Chicago seem like such a crime infested city but I don't want to believe the hype. The crime is horrible here in Atlanta too. If I'm not mistaking, it's worse. Hands down, Chicago is an awesome city with so much diversity and oppurtunity. I'm looking forward to joining the family.

[Tex?Il?]

As far as car-free living (and therefore less impact to the environment), walkability and historical charm and character, yes Chicago wins hands down. I would imagine it would same for music venues too.

As far as beauty, pictures I've seen of Atlanta . . . the hills and trees make Atlanta look beautiful. And the surrounding areas too. The large "carbon footprint" and the shortage of historic charm/old neighborhood establishments are the only things that could possibly turn me off about a place like Atlanta.

The things I don't "like" about Chicago are really the things I simply don't feel for the way other people do.

The winter: I could tolerate Chicagos winters, but I don't understand why people would rave about "4 seasons.

Extreme obsession over professional sports (I like Wrigley Field and if the opportunity to go to a game presents me, sure I'll go) but the whole campiness/cult following seems like a joke (maybe it is).

Diversity: yes I like it, I'm a person open to other cultures TO AN EXTENT. I've heard Atlanta has people from all over the world, they're just not concentrated in neighborhoods. To me that sounds better. Not having an "ethnic neighborhood" might put a little pressure on immigrants to integrate into better. I don't believe American culture is any better, but it would nice if the immigrants around were less clannish, so I can be better friends/acquaintances. As it is, there is a total lack of free-spiritedness, and a certain brand of male dominant/machismo to many ethnic cultures that really is totally at odds with the values of native born Americans. So having these " ehtnic neighborhoods" in Chicago to me is nothing special compared to people just being spread around.

Having said that: places like Oak Park, Evanston, Lincoln Square, and Hyde Park are true gems in Chicagoland

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by tassmith

I have lived in Atlanta (originally from Ohio) for almost 7 years and I still don't like it. To be honest the longer I stay the more I grow frustrated. I have been making plans on relocating to Chicago some time soon. I am trying to get all my ducks in a row so that I won't experience the same frustration that I have faced in Atlanta. I bought into the hype that Atlanta is the place for thriving African Americans an although that may be true for some African Americans, it's not for the vast majority. Everybody can't be an entreprenuer, a rapper and so on. The city is conjested and whoever is in charge of the city planning needs to be shot. It makes no sense! Atlanta has a dead spirit. Unlike Chicago which has this unbelieveable energy. I have been visiting the Chicago area for awhile now and it's amazing how lively this city is. I want to live in a city that doesn't suck the life out of me like Atlanta does. My only concern with moving is what to expect as far as employement and what neighborhoods to live in. The news make Chicago seem like such a crime infested city but I don't want to believe the hype. The crime is horrible here in Atlanta too. If I'm not mistaking, it's worse. Hands down, Chicago is an awesome city with so much diversity and oppurtunity. I'm looking forward to joining the family.

Well, best of luck to you. There are MANY successful African-Americans in the city, hopefully you can be one of them. The city largely remains very segregated, sadly. And the crime lately has actually been decreasing, despite the horrible stuff thats happened lately. If you love Chicago and your heart yearns for it, Im sure youll be very happy here, its a great city (that I wish I could afford to live in lol) despite all the warts.