Pros and Cons about living in Chicago

[aragx6]

Originally Posted by sharkylittleton

Aragx6,

Fridays and Saturdays my neighborhood fills up with wannabe suburbanite hipsters in their huge azz SUV's and take up so much darn space.

yes, we were those people all year - just not in an SUV thank God! Just an itty bitty eclipse. If it makes you feel any better, I always felt bad about probably taking an actual resident's spot.

Actually, sent the SO to the alderman's office today to get some visitor passes and they were out. Apparently they get some everyday and almost always run out by the end of the day... guess lots of people need them (though why they can't just print more is beyond me - paper shortage )

[sharkylittleton]

Originally Posted by aragx6

yes, we were those people all year - just not in an SUV thank God! Just an itty bitty eclipse. If it makes you feel any better, I always felt bad about probably taking an actual resident's spot.

Actually, sent the SO to the alderman's office today to get some visitor passes and they were out. Apparently they get some everyday and almost always run out by the end of the day... guess lots of people need them (though why they can't just print more is beyond me - paper shortage )

I bet that eclipse came in handy to park in tiny spaces left over from 2 SUV's! I know my accord does!

I've walked down the streets that require residential permits and i rarely see those guest passes. The city probably ran out of paper so they could print the freshest batch of citations.

There are a few underlying battles in Chicago. Bikers vs motorists, Cubs vs Sox and parking.

[supernerdgirl]

Originally Posted by long101

haha Yea if I could sell it I would. I bought it right before I new I was going to move which was about 7 months ago and if I sell it now I wont get jack.

ahh, makes sense.
my car was literally dying before I moved. in fact I had to bring my mom's car up here when I came to get an apartment. so no big loss for me - i just gave it to my dad.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by sharkylittleton

Aragx6,

My street is not permitted, but there are a mix of streets that are and are not. But the majority of them are not permitted. To make matters worse, Fridays and Saturdays my neighborhood fills up with wannabe suburbanite hipsters in their huge azz SUV's and take up so much darn space. It almost makes parking nearly impossible.

Parking in many parts of Lake View has gotten a whole lot better since the zone came into effect today in most areas. In fact, I could notice a difference a few days ago before it went into effect. Perhaps lobby your Alderman to get a blanket zone permit for all of Wicker Park?

[chicagocubs]

Jason, what most people did not mention would be the culture shock. As a Chicago native that has lived down south for a number of years, (since 1988) I can attest that the culture shock will be significant. Firstly, everyone moves extremely fast and they expect you to, too. People there (in Chicago) are very direct, they do not sugar coat stuff (you might have recognized that already) but, you always know where you stand. They are big on their baseball rivalries, since you will be moving in you need to find out what area you are in to determine what team you will support. (wouldn't recommend sticking with the Braves) Working very hard is required, you will have more labor laws protecting you, but, if you don't do 110%, they will have your replacement ready. Public transportation is abundant and you really won't need a car if you live in the city. Everything is much more compact, expect to be VERY, VERY close to your neighbours. Talking to people (or "speaking" in southern talk) is unheard of and could get you mugged. Your southern accent will be a novelty and will draw attention to you, so, be careful with that, too, as the perception will be that you don't know anything. There will be literally mulitudes of accents around you, some of which are very thick and many people don't speak English at all.

When I go home now, I am considered "too nice" and "too polite". I have to toughen myself up if I hang out in the city...otherwise, I can be a target to be mugged. My friends joke with me that I have "gone soft" since living in the south, but, you HAVE to be down here!

This is not to scare you, but, a realistic view of what you will face. Chicago is a great place, lots to offer and a fantastic place to explore all sorts of cultures without ever leaving the country!

The rest...winters...YUK...traffic...YUK...I'll let you read elsewhere.

[Chicagoland60426]

Chicago is very urban compare to Atlanta, you can live without a car in the city. If you going to live in the suburbs and don't need a car, your best bet is to live in Evanston, Oak Park, and other near by suburbs in Cook County. I f you live in the in the outer suburbs, you really need to use your car to get around. On the good side the majority of the suburbs in Chicago have a metra train station, and it can take you to the city.