Hate snow...family in IL...what to do? (Chicago, Geneva: house, pros and cons)

[gypsystar]

Originally Posted by cubssoxfan

Would moving improve the state of your marriage?


Do you have a group of close personal friends you would leave behind and miss in FLA? Some individuals do OK by themselves, others need the support of friends or family nearby.

I do not htink you're a wimp. My sister-in-law was born in Quebec and live there until 8. Family moved to TX and she lives in Tampa. She's not used to the cold and hates it. I think her blood thinned out. It can be more pronounced the older you are. It does take a certain mind-set to embrace a Chicago/WI winter. You are asking a very legitimate question.

Do you/will you need to travel to LA for meetings, for your job? It is usually cheaper to travel over a weekend, so you might be able to leverage this to get to LA in the winter. Example: Company needs you in LA for a week. They fly you out Sun eve or early Mon AM and back the following Fri. May be Cheaper for company to Fly you out Sat and return Sat. Be careful about cost of living in Chi. Not as high as LA but still more than many areas. $30K a year is tight.
AND-DO NOT DO A TIME SHARE as previous poster suggested. Consumer Reports and similar publications have proven they cost more than they are typically worth.
And Chicago from May through October is wonderful. You may miss the ocean, but the inland sea known as Lake Michigan is quite nice.

Thank you for your thoughtful responses! No, moving wouldn't help the marriage- it has been a very tumultuous 8 years, and I am tired of him constantly threatening divorce when he isn't "happy." This time he can have it! I know it will be hard at first, but will definitely be for the best in the long run.

Since I am a writer, I don't need to go into the office to work ever. I can do everything from home. I do have to attend an event early next year, but they will fly me out for that. I am lucky in that I can live anywhere and do my job.

No, I don't have a network of friends in FL at all. We had been living in LA for the past few years, so I don't know anyone at all here, actually. I would be very lonely. In the Chicago area, I have my brother, sister and parents nearby, and my best friend lives in Milwaukee. I would certainly have more of a social life there. If I ever felt like leaving my apt. and venturing out into the snow and brutal cold, that is!

[chicken.or.the.nugget]

I would say live in Chicago, because what are you going to remember on you're death bed? Spending warm winters in florida or spending your time with your parents in the last few years of their lives. And while winters in chicago are brutal, they are much better than green bays or wherever in northern wisconsin you were from.
And for your SAD i suggest just trying to have fun in winter. Try to forget about it....go for walks in parks, skating in millenium park, go to museums etc

[Venom]

I love snow and short days that are cloudy and dark.

I much prefer it over summer.
Everything is so nice and calm and beautiful.

[sharkylittleton]

Originally Posted by Venom

I love snow and short days that are cloudy and dark.

I much prefer it over summer.
Everything is so nice and calm and beautiful.

If by you mean a crisp 30-35 deg with flakes coming down and a light breeze yeah I totally agree with you. There is an electricity in the air. I might beg to differ when temps go below 30deg.

[Venom]

Originally Posted by sharkylittleton

If by you mean a crisp 30-35 deg with flakes coming down and a light breeze yeah I totally agree with you. There is an electricity in the air. I might beg to differ when temps go below 30deg.

Waking up to -4 with -30 winchills.... I can deal with it.

Just like I deal with 95+ high humidity temps.

[cubssoxfan]

Here's an idea. Since you can work remotely from anywhere, live with one of your relatives (If do-able) during the nice months and find somewhere warm to live during the winter months. My parents (in their 70's) live in Chi area because of family. But they have found a nice rental outside Tucson where they go every winter from Jan through March. Maybe your parents would like the idea of getting somewhere warm during the 3 coldest months also. Just a little "outside the box" thinking that puts you close to family and friends but gets you out of the worst winter months.

[cobolt]

I know where you're coming from. I'm the only one from my family who left Chicago or Illinois for that matter. I joined the military out of high school and everywhere I was stationed was warm: Florida, California, Guam, Texas, Hawaii, Arizona, Mississippi. So...my blood has thinned out bigtime, and whenever I would visit, especially during the holidays, man I thought "how the hell did I ever grow up here?" But....if you dress properly, it really isnt' that bad. Like someone else said, it's the lack of sunlight, and there are special lights and airplane rides to FL for that.

So....I think you really have several options, as most people have stated. You can tough it in Chicago and if or when you need breaks, go south. You can split your time between Chicago and your sun destination, or....you might consider if you simply want to be closer to your family rather than being there everyday, moving to an area that is within a day's drive to Chicago, say Tennessee. Winters they have, yes, but they are milder, and if you move, say to Knoxville, it's about an 8 hour drive to Chicago. Louisville, KY is a 5 hour drive. Cincinatti about the same. Winters yes....milder, yes. Just a thought.

Also, consider that winter patterns have changed over the past 30 or so years. Gone are the winters of our childhood, or at least my childhood, where snow was on the ground by Thanksgiving and you didn't see the pavement until March, sometimes April thaw. Now there are just a few snowstorms a year, although the cold weather is still around. The wind thing hasn't changed either. Ups and downs to everything.

I wish you the best in your decision. But whatever you do, you'll be closer geographically to your parents than you are now, and have the emotional support of your family. Those are important things. Sometimes worth a bit of sucking up the cold, if you can find creative ways to deal with it.

[chicagocubs]

Well, here's a thought...how about 1/2 way?

Charlotte, NC is a nice place which is approximately 1/2 way between Chicago & FL. We have all 4 seasons, it does get cold, but, warms up quickly. Our entire "hard winter" is about a month. Other than that, we have the see-saw effect. (warm days, bitterly cold nights). Good to kill those bugs that are everywhere in always-warm climates.

Also, it is only a 13 hour drive from the city, perfect for frequent visits. (either the family coming here or you going there). Just a thought....

[cobolt]

chicagocubs offers another good option. You might want to get on Jetblue's or Southwest's website and see what warm areas have direct service on these airlines to Chicago. Southwest still does that 49-79 dollar thingy one way to certain cities. That way, if you don't feel like driving, you can always catch a plane as a backup and it won't be a $500 dollar round trip.

[NYrules]

Originally Posted by Venom

I love snow and short days that are cloudy and dark.

I much prefer it over summer.
Everything is so nice and calm and beautiful.

And if you mean how you get to wake up to gray skies day in and day out, then when it actually is sunny outside, it is so darned cold out, that after being outside for a matter of minutes your boogers which have now ran out of your nose and blew off to the side to your cheeks thanks to the howling winds which also causes them to freeze to the side of your face as you dig your car out of 6 inches of gray/brown slush, or if you're lucky enough you can do it on those nice sunny days where it is so cold outside that your once slush has now frozen to a solid grayish concrete type state that you now get to try to chop at with your snowshovel, while looking around at the leaf-less trees, listen to basically no birds as they have all fled south for the winter, and have your hands go numb from being so cold that they crack and finally begin to bleed, then yup you're right on, its magnificent! Gosh I can't wait.

My isn't it magnificent? Look at the fun everyone is having. I love how the van in front of the bus takes off and rear ends the car in front of him. LOL!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFS8Z...eature=related