What you love about Chicago

[TheSunshineKid]

Originally Posted by williepotatoes

The food and the beautiful women.

I've noticed on this forum that chicago women don't get enough credit. in general I don't find them fat or disgusting like some do.

[loveblossom]

The Architecture,the free festivals,the beauty,The Lakefront,the food,Michigan Ave,the shopping,and my friends.

[Tex?Il?]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

Sorry, but any city is what you make of it. There are overpriced apartments everywhere (and plenty in Chicago), and if you choose to live in one for four years and waste your money, that's your fault. It's hard to make friends in any big city where people are busy minding their own business, but once again, it's what you make of it. If money isn't a problem, one can live any desired lifestyle here except rural.

The main unavoidable lifestyle problems here are winter and getting around (driving sucks, public transit takes time). Personally, I ride my bike everywhere and make the most of every day of nice weather, which takes care of that. The trouble with driving comes because of the density of the city, which most people regard as a positive asset.

My favorite thing about Chicago is the endless sea of historic neighborhoods. This is something you cannot find in most American cities.

If you don't mind a long commute, you can. Not super-rural, but exurban-rural.

[rickh1954]

I'm a semi-regular visitor to Chicago.

I used to travel past Chicago on my way to other cities where I had business commitments. I was never off the freeways and toll roads. I thought that except for the skyline, Chicago was an awful place. One day I decided to take the time to drive into the city and spend some time. Chicago is now one of my favourite places in the world.

Things I love:

• The food
  • Great ethnic resaurants
  • Fun cheap diners
  • World class 5 star restaurants
• The El
  • Go to any neighborhood in the city
  • Hop on at either major airport
  • Sit and watch the city change around you
  • Experience some seriously weird people
  • Save a ton of money on cab fare, or parking.
• The people
  • Helpful
  • Friendly
  • Real
• The arts scene
  • Jazz clubs
  • Symphony orchestra
  • The Joffrey Ballet
    • I love the Auditorium Theater where they dance
  • Outdoor festivals
  • Touring stars
  • etc, etc, etc
• The parks
  • I always try to take a stroll along the shore
  • I usually seek out a new park for each visit
• The architecture
• The hotels
  • Lots of great hotels at a reasonable price for a big city
  • Many heritage hotels with a lot of history
• The general vibe of the place

There are many more, but I'm not trying to write a novel.

[A2DAC1985]

Originally Posted by rickh1954

I'm a semi-regular visitor to Chicago.

I used to travel past Chicago on my way to other cities where I had business commitments. I was never off the freeways and toll roads. I thought that except for the skyline, Chicago was an awful place. One day I decided to take the time to drive into the city and spend some time. Chicago is now one of my favourite places in the world.

Things I love:

• The food
  • Great ethnic resaurants
  • Fun cheap diners
  • World class 5 star restaurants
• The El
  • Go to any neighborhood in the city
  • Hop on at either major airport
  • Sit and watch the city change around you
  • Experience some seriously weird people
  • Save a ton of money on cab fare, or parking.
• The people
  • Helpful
  • Friendly
  • Real
• The arts scene
  • Jazz clubs
  • Symphony orchestra
  • The Joffrey Ballet
    • I love the Auditorium Theater where they dance
  • Outdoor festivals
  • Touring stars
  • etc, etc, etc
• The parks
  • I always try to take a stroll along the shore
  • I usually seek out a new park for each visit
• The architecture
• The hotels
  • Lots of great hotels at a reasonable price for a big city
  • Many heritage hotels with a lot of history
• The general vibe of the place

There are many more, but I'm not trying to write a novel.

I helped a friend move to Minnesota. We avoided Chicago on our way up there, but decided to go through the city (90/94) on the way back to shave some time off. Shaving time off didn't happen. The traffic lights were out at a certain intersection which made our time shaving route a time consuming affair.

My friend said he would never, NEVER come back to Chicago. And with that experience in memory, I wouldn't blame him.

But I moved to Chicago and my friend, begrudgingly, came up to visit us.

And he liked it. He liked it a lot. If anyone bases their opinion of this city on the traffic, I can very well see why they would not want to come here. But after seeing my neighborhood, and various neighborhoods, my friend will be back up in the summer. This city is not the Circle. This city is not solely defined as the Loop, no matter what the media chooses to portray.

As a tourist/visitor I would have thought all Chicago offers is downtown and tight spaces in Lakeview (Cubs masochists, represent!). But that is not the case.

The city is an island. Not literally, of course, but a metaphorical island nonetheless.

This city has had dictator..... I'm sorry, "Mayors", that have taken what was expected of a Midwest city and completely turned it on it's head. Whether or not a person agrees with the politics of the city, they can't dispute the results.

Chicago matters because it wants to matter.

That's why I love this city.

There is absolutely no reason for the city to have some of the tallest buildings in the world. NONE. It is not limited by geographical boundaries, like Manhattan. It doesn't have a connection to the past like Philadelphia or Boston does, because the city burnt down. It started from scratch... again. Why? Because it could.

Other cities in the Midwest are happy with where they are. Take Indianapolis for example (my hometown). After the Super Bowl the city thinks it's doing everything right. It isn't. It is content with saying, "I'm great! Look at what I did!" But doing something great doesn't relieve a place from continuing to do great things. And this is where Chicago breaks the mold. Chicago does more things because it can, and more importantly, it wants to. And because people see this, and are able to take advantage of the things that Chicago continues to offer, the city will only go up the hill from here.

With gas prices rising, and no foreseeable end in sight, I count my blessings everyday that I live in a place that affords me to move about where ever I want, almost whenever I want for half the price of a gallon of gasoline. The rest of the Midwest will shrink while fuel costs rise, and Chicago will chug along, flaws and all. Why? Because long ago Chicago decided it wanted to do what it wants.

I love Chicago because I can do things. I love Chicago because people come here to do things. The glory is not heaped upon this city like it is on the coasts. People come here, and live here, because they do things. Not because they have to, but because they want to.

There is not a place within 700 miles that does anything even remotely similar to what Chicago does.

Chicago is the proverbial diamond in the rough that is known as the "Midwest".

That's why I never, ever, ever, plan on leaving this city to call another "home".

I love this city.

[urbanpln]

Originally Posted by A2DAC1985

The city is an island. Not literally, of course, but a metaphorical island nonetheless.

Chicago matters because it wants to matter.

That's why I love this city.

Other cities in the Midwest are happy with where they are. Take Indianapolis for example (my hometown). After the Super Bowl the city thinks it's doing everything right. It isn't. It is content with saying, "I'm great! Look at what I did!" But doing something great doesn't relieve a place from continuing to do great things. And this is where Chicago breaks the mold. Chicago does more things because it can, and more importantly, it wants to. And because people see this, and are able to take advantage of the things that Chicago continues to offer, the city will only go up the hill from here.

I love Chicago because I can do things. I love Chicago because people come here to do things. The glory is not heaped upon this city like it is on the coasts. People come here, and live here, because they do things. Not because they have to, but because they want to.

There is not a place within 700 miles that does anything even remotely similar to what Chicago does.

Chicago is the proverbial diamond in the rough that is known as the "Midwest".

That's why I never, ever, ever, plan on leaving this city to call another "home".

I love this city.

I totally agree with most of what you said, except for one thing. Toronto, Ontario, although it's not in the U.S.A., is a dynamic, cosmopolitan, somewhat messy (architecturally) city. But it rocks on the surface. It is not perfect but, it's young, hip, creative, growing like crazy and, hungry to be among the top cities in the world. It's under 500 miles from Chicago.

[moore820]

I am moving back to Chicago this summer. I have been living in Minneapolis for the past 9 years. I am not too fond of the people or the city in MN. I seem to value Chicago alot more since I have been away. I know our crime rate is high and we still have alot of work that needs to done in our low-income nieghbroohoods but this city has its own electrical feel to it. Winter is my least favorite season but we put on really good display during this time.

[A2DAC1985]

Originally Posted by urbanpln

I totally agree with most of what you said, except for one thing. Toronto, Ontario, although it's not in the U.S.A., is a dynamic, cosmopolitan, somewhat messy (architecturally) city. But it rocks on the surface. It is not perfect but, it's young, hip, creative, growing like crazy and, hungry to be among the top cities in the world. It's under 500 miles from Chicago.

Fair enough, I forgot about Toronto (time I went there, I loved it). But then again I wasn't thinking about any place outside the U.S. either with my initial "700 miles" statement.