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I hear these negative comments about Chicago from time to time, and it just perplexes me. People here are, on the whole, so much nicer than where I'm from (CA), the traffic is a snap, the winter is, seriously, really not that bad (this is coming from someone who used to bust out the heavy coat once it dropped below 60) and one of the most wonderful things about this place is the food IMHO. You can get fancy, top-shelf stuff, or you can eat marvellously, things you never even knew existed, for very little at small ethnic restaurants.
Chicago is a wonderful city, if you can afford a 1/2 million or more to buy a place downtown. If you're in the suburbs, as most of us are, it's still a great city, arguably the best in the country, if you can get there. However, most Chicagoland residents are busy with their homes and families, as most people are. On the occasions when they have time to enjoy the city, the hassles involved are significant. It just simply takes so long to even get downtown, let alone up to the north side, especially from some parts of Chicagoland. I live in a town bordering the southwest side of the city, and don't venture downtown too often because it's such a hassle even trying to drive to the train station. Getting up to the north side is an epic trek. So, we don't actually get to spend much time enjoying the city.
On the other hand, home prices are very high for the Midwest. A bargain compared to the coasts, but still, average prices are aproaching $300,000. Property taxes are quite high. Traffic is horrendous. Roads are nearly gridlocked most of the time. Government is horribly corrupt, and a substantial portion of our tax dollars are wasted by corruption. The weather really isn't too bad, though. It's not unusual for temps to hit 60 degrees in December in recent years. January and February can still be pretty brutal, but it's only two months out of the year.
So, most Chicagoland residents endure signifcant drawbacks to live in the shadow of this wonderful city, and it requires quite an effort to actually enjoy it. I think that's one reason some of us are a bit cranky. It would be nice if I could go see an art film without a two hour trip to the north side.
I've lived here most of my life, born and raised, spent a few years elsewhere as an adult. That may be partly why I dont think chicago is that great....
But anyway, even though I was born and raised here, I find it terribly hard to make and keep friends.
I have a lot of aquaintences and love the people I work with. But, I am 30 and by now...people seem very situated in their life. If its not convieninent for the other person, you wont hear from them very often.
I find it is just hard to meet new people....people are attached to their own familiies and circle's of friends. And as you grow older those circles get smaller and smaller.
This has been my experience anyway. I find chicago a bit cold and depressing....both literally and figuartivley.
The city is so exciting if you have never been here before....but you need a good job or plenty of money to really enjoy living in chicago.
Its not fun if you dont feel safe or cant afford to pay your bills.
Theres a lot of good things to say about chicago AND illinois. I for one, now that I am older prefer rural and suburban places better than the city. I love central illinois and the fox river area.
But....I have also noticed that people on these boards tend to attack people that are not completley happy here.
This is my home and it always will be but I will more than likely relocate to a warmer, friendlier, newer place...soon. I may end up here but I have been enough places to see that people are happier elsewhere.
This is a good place if you are set with family or for raising kids. I would raise my kids in the chicago suburbs or in rural areas of illinois.
I guess chicago is also good if your not interested in raising family but you have or know someone to enjoy the city with and you claim to like the culture here and that kind of thing but I think its a lonley place if your alone and over a certain age where meeting other people with similiar interests becomes more difficult.
Need I remind everyone, this thread was started by a person who is willing to move here without even visiting which for any part of the country is a huge mistake. I will say again, this is my opinion and I can't change my perception but there are issues here that transcend opinion and I must speak out on them.
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Originally Posted by unexplained bacon
I hear these negative comments about Chicago from time to time, and it just perplexes me. People here are, on the whole, so much nicer than where I'm from (CA), the traffic is a snap, the winter is, seriously, really not that bad (this is coming from someone who used to bust out the heavy coat once it dropped below 60) and one of the most wonderful things about this place is the food IMHO. You can get fancy, top-shelf stuff, or you can eat marvellously, things you never even knew existed, for very little at small ethnic restaurants.
If you're from LA you should be ashamed of yourself. You must be living in the Chicago that exists in an alternate reality, with traffic that's a breeze, great food and wonderful people! I visit LA whenever I can, what a great place to visit with so much to do, great food for cheap, and highways go literally anywhere you need to go. As opposed to Chicago: Food has sucked since approximately 1995, I don't know of one CHEAP ethnic restaurant anywhere (that isn't rat infested), traffic is horrendous and there's only one major highway going in each direction out of town, among other things. And if you believe anything under 60 is cold like I do, how do you survive? I felt sick most of the year and I just left last fall after three more years of misery.
As for the woman, of course being a woman has everything to do with loving that city. Men have utterly no taste there and constantly hit on you. As a result, unattractive and unkempt women there act like Barbie dolls and automatically assume you're in love with them if you ask them the time or something. I know this, again, because of those awful traits called discernment and experience. It's a city where Oprah is literally worshipped, and she controls the jetset social scene. Yes I do have "deep seated issues" after 29 years of life there, being rejected for hating sports, not hating cats, being middle class and living in the goddam north shore, you name it I've been judged for having it or lacking it. It causes psychological damage that anyone else other than a p0l@ck or gr33k who dominate that city's culture would understand. Yes it is a racial thing, it always comes down to it there. The only nice people I meet on a consistent basis from Chicago are blacks, well the ones who are classy enough to get out of there that is.
I'm going to declare truth, I really don't care about your personal insults or getting banned from this board, truth is the most important issue here and so far I've seen very little of it. More distortions of reality and the "it can't suck here" attitude creeping in. I know this because Phoenix is filled with midwest morons who of all people LEFT THE AREA and still think it is great!!! LOL THEN WHY DID YOU LEAVE IT?!? It's so frustrating it can drive you nuts talking to these inbreds.
I can actually understand some of your thought process here.
but the women thing? way out there, and way off.
This is a man's city (if we have to generalize). This is the worst place for dating -- I'm a woman. I'll take the west or even LA any day over the dating environment in chicago.
A couple years back (havnt looked latley) cosmo did a survey and chicago came up as the worst for women and dating....I HAD to agree. Not that cosmo is up there in my trusted statistical refererences.
But I dont want to get into an argument about that. Everyone's experience is different and its such a huge city that there is potential for great and awful things to happen....everyone will see and experience different things that you cant generalize.
but anyway, I do understand some of your generalizations. I dont care about sports either and often feel left out of that whole thing....
the women thing though.....way, way off and makes your argument lack any kind of credibility.
I don't know of one CHEAP ethnic restaurant anywhere (that isn't rat infested),
Granted, everyone has their own personal experience of Chicago, and it seems like yours has been a hellhole, but some of your statements are so wacky, as to border on delusional.
As a poor starving graduate student in Hyde Park, I used to dine out exclusively at cheap, ethnic restaurants. Hyde Park, Chinatown, all over the northside, I found plenty that were good and non budget busting.
And what's up with wishing "nothing but the worst for anyone who proclaims the virtues of Chicago"? That's just plain mean.
Wow, I'm really surprised to hear so many negative comments about Chicago. I relocated here around a year ago from Denver, and I have to say I like it sooo much better here. Granted I don't live right in the city, but I didn't live right in the city when I lived in Denver either.
Personally, the traffic is better for me here. Much better than it was in Denver. I live in the northern suburbs so it doesn't take me long at all to get to the city, but I have the feeling of almost living in the country since I live in the burbs. It's much easier to live here than Denver and other areas of Colorado (for me), because even though housing is a little more expensive the jobs pay MUCH better. I can't tell you how crappy the majority of jobs pay in most of Colorado.
I don't know about the singles scene since I've been in a relationship since before I moved here, but I can't imagine that it'd be any worse than other places.
Also, Chicago seems to have so much more culture and a real distinctive, cohesive feel to it that most places out west seem to lack. I have no problems finding nice, affordable restaurants to eat at here as well. In much of Colorado you'll mostly find chain restaurants and the food isn't nearly as good as it is here (with the exception of Mexican food which is hands-down twice as good in Colorado).
I've also found the people here to be at least as nice as those in Denver, and there's a lot more diversity here.
Btw to the OP, I moved to Chicago after visiting it only once. The lure of great pay and the nice area was enough to get (and keep) me here. Good luck to you.
I can actually understand some of your thought process here.
but the women thing? way out there, and way off.
This is a man's city (if we have to generalize). This is the worst place for dating -- I'm a woman. I'll take the west or even LA any day over the dating environment in chicago.
A couple years back (havnt looked latley) cosmo did a survey and chicago came up as the worst for women and dating....I HAD to agree. ...
the women thing though.....way, way off and makes your argument lack any kind of credibility.
My argument is simply this, that Chicago is so overrated that anyone says it's good as a blanket way of describing it is the one who's being delusional.. It's funny that word was used to describe me because based upon what I've read it's most of the replies that are fantastical. And for Mr. U of Chicago grad, from what I see the entire Chinatown area is rat infested (in the Chicago version anyway) and I wouldn't go near Hyde Park unless I wanted to get brow beaten by a student, just like I did whenever I visited Evanston, or if I want to get shot or car jacked!
I digress because I want to re-emphasize who I am and why I said women have it made here. I am middle class, remain so since I chose computer support as a profession (we not are rich, not since early 2001), and I lived in the northern suburbs. Cosmo is not exactly the type of magazine that women who'd be remotely interested in me would peruse. If they rate this city low, then it follows logically since its readership is looking for a wholly different tier of man and I'm proud to say I won't be appearing on a CW show or Bachelor series anytime soon! I'm not building any skyscrapers on any former newspaper locations either. Then again I'm far from ugly and most of my friends aren't into computers nor in the IT field, so I do have the ability to talk, dress and groom myself.
It seems like all parts of the country are getting this way, but like everything bad I've experienced elsewhere, it gets greatly exaggerated in that town and I don't know why. Trust me, for a man's man I'm not jeopardizing any credibility by stating the facts, what you may find helpful is to notice which guys in Chicago metro are with women and which are not. You'll soon see that a certain profile of man dates while many others don't, not that I look at guys but the dating ones are tall and thin, built like Arnold used to be, or just plain older than dirt and dress like a mannequin that stepped out of Neiman Marcus.
Frankly I'm considering an eventual move to Australia or South Africa, somewhere warm and not teaming with guilt and this country's absurd pressure to get married and make babies.
Wow, I'm really surprised to hear so many negative comments about Chicago. I relocated here around a year ago from Denver, and I have to say I like it sooo much better here. majority of jobs pay in most of Colorado.
When it comes to Chicago some posters here have a crazy form of tourrettes or something.
I moved here about 12 years ago and I think your asessment is pretty much the same as mine.
Just outside Chicago, there is a place called Illinois. That old saying says it all.
Some forget , that there is life outside the loop. nice place to visit , but the subs are what its all about these days, and , has been for a long time now.
The Chicago area is the best place for a young person to try and " make it" hands down ! " If you can't make it in Chicago , you can't make it anywhere" that old saying says it best..still. I made it there, long ago, and still get most of my income from the area, even tho I am retired and live in Mi....Go to the Big Windy, make your fortune , and retire where ever you want, you can do it !!
My argument is simply this, that Chicago is so overrated that anyone says it's good as a blanket way of describing it is the one who's being delusional..
You could be right. Maybe your impression of Chicago is correct, and all the rest of us are all delusional...or maybe we're all liars. Be that as it may, I'm content to continue my delusional existence here, as I'm sure many of the others who post here are as well.
Clearly Chicago isn't for everyone, and I'm happy for you that you were able to leave. I wish you all the best, and I'll assume that you won't wish to reciprocate.
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Chicago moving there
