Talk Me Out Of It (Chicago, Rockford: apartment, how much, homes)

[Michael Di Meo]

Look, I get homesick for Illinois sometimes...
I was born in Peoria, lived in Chicago, I have family there, also in Milwaukee, Madison, and Rockford

But here I am in Miami, been here a little over a year.
I like it - I have a pretty good life, etc., good professional job (kind of), nice apartment, walkable neighborhood, seem to be in MUCH better health, lots of sun, girlfriend, near perfect winter weather...

But you know it's not a CITY like Chicago, I miss the urban amenities and services, Miami is not as multi-dimensional, although here I can actually get involved to help effectuate change more easily (since community involvement is quite low, LOL).

Anyways, is the grass greener in Chicago? Really, I don't want to move - but I'd like for Chicago residents to really talk me out of my homesickness!

Illinois is where my roots are, and taking a few vacations/year isn't enough.

Thanks...

[gypsystar]

I hear you on some of this. All of my family lives in the Chicago area, where I grew up, but I have been living in L.A. and various parts of FL for the past 10 years. Sometimes I think it would be nice to move to Chicago to be near family, whom I miss dearly, but I know I just wouldn't be happy there again. All I wanted to do was escape the Midwest when I was a kid, and I never regretted getting out. Everytime I try to imagine moving there, I think of how much I would miss the greenery, the birds, the white sand beaches, the ocean, the farmers markets, the sunshine, being able to take walks during those long, dark, cold winter months. The visual is enough to keep me here.

For me, taking trips home helps a lot. Try going home in the dead of winter and then going back to Miami...see how you feel then. Then you can weigh out all of the positives and negatives. Also, I lived in Miami for 4 years and was not impressed, either, although I love FL in general. Would you consider other parts of the state? Just my two cents...

[Lookout Kid]

If you are a city person, Miami is just no place for you. All of the great American cities are in colder climates, with the exceptions of San Francisco and Washington D.C.--which are moderate. New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, and even Seattle all have weather issues--though Chicago and Boston are clearly the worst in this regard. Portland is a nice place, but not really a large city.

[jwaiter]

Originally Posted by Gioobag

But if you’re looking for a comprehensive, general-interest bookstore within city boundaries any other time of the year, buena suerte. There is none.

Maybe it's because they are heavy library patrons?

[surlycue]

Originally Posted by Gioobag

You read that right: Miami, a major city of more than 360,000 people, has not a single such bookstore anywhere. Not downtown. Not in Coconut Grove. Not in the Upper East Side. There is no Borders, no Barnes & Noble, no multilingual independent beyond a smattering of niche stores.

I stopped reading here. That isn't true. I have been to two Barnes and Nobles, a Borders and my favorite independent book store in the Coral Gables area Books and Books.

The UofM bookstore is also excellent for reference books. This article is almost as ignorant as the majority of your statements.

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by surlycue

I stopped reading here.

I stopped reading all Gioobag posts a while ago. He clearly has strange issues with blacks, jews, and immigrants. And he capitalizes the word "White" in every sentence, which is creepy white supremacist stuff.

He's been banned from this site before under different user names. His arguments about diversity and Japan are identical to what he posted before.

[Durian Beach]

If you have a job in this day of age consider yourself lucky. I wouldn't consider moving unless you a: get unemployed, b: have another job already lined up in Illinois, or c: the job market improves drastically.(Which I seriously doubt with this "cap and trade" global warming nonsense about to further cripple an already aenemic economy.)

[Michael Di Meo]

Look, I have read Gioobag's postings, and I really don't want to get into it with anyone on here.
Is Gioobag right that Miami is full of dimwits? You know, I've been around, and it seems that there are as many dimwits here as anywhere else, LOL. Seriously, besides myself, I would call none of my friends dimwits.

Regarding bookstores, yeah I was used to having a Barnes & Noble on State St. in the Gold Coast/NNS that I could walk to. The article doesn't mention that there's actually a pretty cool bookstore downtown Miami, on Flagler close to Biscayne. I was just there after work. For those of us who live in Central Miami, one can easily take the Metrorail to South Miami and go to the Barnes & Noble there, and it's really not so far to the Barnes & Noble in Coral Gables, although it's a pain to go there by bus - easier to drive, takes me 15-20 minutes by car max. The best places for books are the UM and FIU libraries. And like the article says, the bookfair is pretty cool.