I've never even been to Chicago, but I'm moving there! (Aurora: relocating, travel)

[R. J.]

Mmmm... don't know. I was responding to Marcus (above). Clearly, we've both got a bug up our butt about CTA. I must have replied out of sequence with the thread.

[redboar]

Yeah I don't know if R. J.'s post is a compliment or insult. If he means Abilene TX then it's the latter.

Everything and I mean everything is a matter or perspective. The "Chicago is great" Nazis cannot seem to handle this. And yes, EVERY city compared to its suburbs from a social sense is usually better, but cost of living in the cities' desirable neighborhoods is now 2-3 times that of the suburbs for every major city as well.

I hereby declare a truce, mainly because I lived 29 wasted years in that shiznit and I never plan to move back, ever.

[july]

Melaniefl, can you clarify what you mean by "annoying yuppie-ish people"? I'm just trying to figure out if I would be annoyed by them. Or maybe I am them. I'm not young (42), but I am a middle class urban professional who likes her Starbucks. I don't use Botox, but I don't care if other people do. I'm a live and let live kind of person. Do you mean people who are stuck up? I'm considering moving to Lincoln Park or Wicker Park; is there a big difference in attitude between those two neighborhoods?

[Sprout]

Hi!

My name is Sprout (not really), and my boyfriend was the original poster, Cro-Mag.

I sincerely appreciate the posters who have provided real information! Moderator cut: presonal insults. Ours is not a question of if, but of when and where. And since we're moving together, I believe we are exempt from experiencing the ****ty dating scene, Redboar.

Drover, I find your insight to be particularly helpful and will PM you with some further questions, if you don't mind. You sound right up our alley!

"Cro-Mag" and I are going to Chicago over Memorial Day weekend for our first scouting trip. Here's our 10-second bio: We're both 30 years old (well, I'm 29 and he's 31, so that averages 30), no kids (and none planned for the near future), good jobs (combined income of around $120,000), and we love all things artsy and cultural. I don't mind eating in tiny ethnic restaurants, even if they ARE rat-infested. In fact, I'd say that's a good sign. We want to live in the city, not the 'burbs. We love public transportation. We want an indie movie theater close by. We want to be able to walk a dog. We want to get a dog. We love cold weather and can't believe we've gone without it for so long...we live in Miami. Our parents live in Oklahoma and Missouri, respectively, which means they'd be driving distance.

We have a Chicago neighborhood map. Our weekend there will be focused on scouring the neighborhoods - their restaurants, shops, homes, streets, El, etc. We don't intend to do anything touristy as we'll do all that when we move there.

Anyway, ain't nothin' gonna break our stride. We're going full-steam ahead. Anything's better than Miami. So keep your recommendations coming!

Sprout

[j33]

Wow, I forgot about this thoroughly bizarre thread. Welcome to Chicago, I hope you enjoy yourself and find a good neighborhood in which to live.

[Manigault]

Sprout, good luck to you. It sounds like Cro-Mag is a lucky man. I'd like to advise you to find out a lot about Chicago on your own. You can make your own impressions -- you sound intelligent. All I can say is "Spend money."

[Sprout]

Thanks Manigault! I'd say he's a very lucky guy, if I do say so myself. And spending money is what we do best. That's pretty much the cornerstone of our plan for the upcoming trip. We're really looking forward to living in a vital, vibrant city where we can actually take our winter clothes out of storage.

Sprout

[Drover]

Hi Sprout:

Feel free to PM me; I will try to answer any questions you may have.

Cheers,

-Drover

[Steve-o]

Dang it, did someone say that the suburbs "suck"?

[cromag]

Well, it's been about 2 months since I've first posted this and my girlfriend told me that I needed to check up on ...Moderator cut: personal - off topic
Wow.

Drover...

Thank you. Clearly a guy who enjoys where he lives and doesn't attribute his successes or failures to his zip code. I look forward to picking your brain and I will seek out your posts in the future.

Redboar..

Moderator cut: personal - off topic

-Every city has good looking girls with fake **** who will never give you the time of day.

-Every city has sports fans whose obsessions border on pathetic and give guys like you fuel to wonder about just how miserable those pathetic sports fans' lives must be. They must be awful! If you can't fathom simple pleasures, surely no one else can.

-Every big city has ****ty rat-infested ethnic restaurants. (Well, maybe not the pristine Pakistani or Turkish delis of LA, NYC, Miami and DC that you must be describing)

-Every big city has snarling, miserable traffic with the worst drivers in THE WORLD.

-Every big city has the rudest people in THE WORLD. Moderator cut: racist
-Every big city is too f-ing hot or too f-ing cold.

Moderator cut: personal attacks