What other cities you Chicagoan have lived at and how did it compare? (Bloomington: low crime, home)

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by linicx

Chivaco is the undisputed queen city of the midwest. Its a contradiction in terms. It is a city of 1000 faces. [You] hate it; you like it; you love it, and then you hate it again. Chicago is full of life. Its gritty; it's elegant; it's crass; people are packed like sardines in a can, yet is philanthropic. You can compare parts and things about Chicago to other cities in the world, but you cannot compare the whole to another, as there is no other to compare to Chicago. .

Very aptly put! You described my feelings about Chicago exactly.

[linicx]

Surprise, Whinnie lives in Wisconsin! I spent considerable time in the desert Southwest. I love Palm Springs. LA is uninspiring, and the traffic is gawd awful. I like Oceanside but not San Diego. I'll take Las Cruces over Phoenix any day. I like Dallas; I think I-35 is evil. There is no City between the Indiana border and the Pacific Ocean that is like Chicago.

[coldwine]

I'd return to San Diego in a heartbeat

I think people love to hate LA because it is such a difficult place to understand. It's a city for people who work there; it's not like any other place, where you could stroll in and see the sites. Los Angeles is very much an insider's city.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by coldwine

I'd return to San Diego in a heartbeat

I think people love to hate LA because it is such a difficult place to understand. It's a city for people who work there; it's not like any other place, where you could stroll in and see the sites. Los Angeles is very much an insider's city.

I do not doubt this one bit.

It looked to me like the only places real people strolled was in grocery stores and on the beach. Everyone else was in a hurry to go any where else. I liked SD County, but not what I saw of the city - which was mostly traffic. I also think SD County is cleaner, had more nice parks, and I thought the average joe was nicer. I met some terrific people in this County.

[GdHubby]

Originally from Chicago but have lived in:

Munster, IN - nice, but it was a long time ago.

Hendersonville, TN - learned all about country music in a short time since most of the singers live near or around there. Lovely place and wouldn't mind going back.

Medford, New Jersey - one of the finest small towns in the US. Very cute, very friendly and would move back in a heart beat if it wasn't for the taxes.

Currently Central Pennsylvania - near Harrisburg. The most bizarre place we have ever lived. People are by far not friendly. They are very inclusive and skeptical of anyone who is not born and bred here. Can't wait to leave!!!

[Basekamp]

Have lived in Chicago on and off for past 7 years, also:
Cincinnati
Portland, OR
Nashville, TN
India

Have also stayed for over 2 weeks at a time in each:
Switzerland
France
Italy
New York City
San Fransisco
Denver
Dallas
San Antonio

Chicago is my favorite city ever. It is America's city.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by MozartSt

Do you think the United States is turning into another Brazil?

What does that even mean?

[MozartSt]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

What does that even mean?

coldwine said she's lived in Sao Paolo.

[lincolnparker]

I define "lived in" as in longer than six months. So I have lived in the following cities in my life:

New York City (manhattan only): anything you can find in the world you can find in the big apple, capital of the world. Except for very few pockets (LES, Harlem, Wash Hghts), unlike any other city,the city is uniformly expensive. Very tolerant of different races, views, and it's a city where you can be accepted no matter where you came from or what you do or who you are. investment bankers and celebrities eat hot dogs or take subway next to homeless people. If you can live in NYC, you can live anywhere else. New yorkers have seen everything and anything. Its the city that never sleeps, the city where you can go shopping at midnight. It's where "anything is possible." It's where singles go find love and fall in love with the city. It's where rent control is strictly enforced. It's an entertainment, fashion, cultural center of the world.

Washington DC: has the highest percentage fake blondes anywhere in the world. Has the highest number of lawyers anywhere in the world. Has the largest bureaucracy in the world.
Is the lala land of the east coast. Is where you need to have a dog if you want a true friend. Is where you learn to use and get used by other people. Is where power hungry sharks congregate and feed. Is where Milton Freeman thinks is "the most disgusting city in the US." Is where 17th st made famous or infamous by interest group politics. Is the most transiet city in america.

San Francisco: probably the most overrated city in America. The tech industry has made SF on the top 10 list of number of billionaires. It's where both billionaires and bohemians have notebooks, iphones, and tweeters. It's where Milton Freeman fell in love. It's got the highest number of gay households in america. It's the only city where Chinese flag gets on the city hall. It's where the largest asian population in the US lives.

Baltimore: The charm city. It’s home of Michael Phelps, Drew Stevyns, and Johns Hopkins Hospital, the world’s most famous medical facility. It’s where urban homes got sold for $1. It’s where Hope VI got its start. With more population, yet living in the shadow of a slightly smaller town called Washington DC.

Tokyo: Probably the most efficient city in the entire world. Everything and everyone functions on time. Has the highest price in Asia along with Hong Kong. It’s the most intolerant city in the world. Even other Asians cannot fit in the main stream, even half Japanese half Korean people don’t fit in.

Hong Kong: Has the highest housing price. New developments start at $9500 per sf even in Kowloon. Has the highest number of exotic cars. Has every world’s major bank represented here. Financial center of east asia. People tend to be more pompous and very driven by brand names and money.

London: Financial center of the world. Sorry NYC, you have seen your better days. A city of pomposity and slovenliness

Shanghai: rated the world’s most cosmopolitan city in the start of the 20th century. It carries itself well in the 21st century. Anything you can find in N America, you can find it here. Financial center of mainland China, where houses cost $3,000 per sf, yet average salary is only $11000 per year. Huge wealth gap. Very ambitious city and strives to surpass Hong Kong. People tend to be very proud of themselves. Not too many humble people found here.

Frankfurt: a smaller version of Chicago filled with mostly Germans and Turks. Kinda boring. Have to say no to live there.

Chicago: great city in the Midwest. Not as friendly as some people think, but friendly still, compared to NYC and DC. Not as cheap as some pp think, but still cheaper compared to NYC and DC. Great entertainment, restaurants, bars. Lovely city in the summer time. World class architecture. Politics just blows here.

I love all the cities for different reasons. Chicago is a great city except for winter time. I have been here for years, and last 2-3 winters have been hellish for sure.

And yes. I'd move back to Manhattan if I made three times the money.

[GrandP]

lincolnparker: enjoyed your post.

I'd add though: SF is not home to hi-tech, that's Silicon Valley, an hour's drive away from the Castro (gay mecca) and world's apart culturally and intellectually. Marin County is also vastly overrated.

NY'ers are not tolerant of all views, they hate Republicans, conservatives, or pro-American types, nationalists, etc. (that is unless they are Jewish nationalists/Israel, they make an exception for that, that's A-OK ).