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Back to expats from overseas. Chicago isn't on the list because it shouldn't be. The four cities that are on the list are the only ones that should be, maybe you can add 1-2 more but Chicago shouldn't be one of those two either.
I agree and this list isn't a "which is the best city in the US" list. It's basically which has the most recognition and I think the list makes sense no matter what we as experienced (I hope) American travelers might know to be the truth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Red John
I'm just a realist and see it for what it is. I don't think it is anywhere close to as nice, fun, great, or anything like that as what people on here want it to be like.
Like any city in the world, it is what you make of it. You can either make it into one amazing city or be bored. It's really up to you and I'm 100% convinced of that. I've had some of the most amazing times of my life here and some "eh" times of my life. When I first moved here, I literally knew nobody and while I had fun, I was too much of a person who wanted to be around others at the time to break out and whatever. So I was mixed about Chicago for about a year - liked it but wasn't sure if it was what I wanted 100%. Then the next summer I became friends with some guys and had the most ****ing memorable, amazing summer (and fall) and time of my life. I mean indescribable and immense amounts of fun. I was lounging outside, meeting people, going to events every single night, eating amazing food, etc. I don't know how to explain it but it was a magical summer. It completely changed my viewpoint of the city from that point on and it exposed me to just how much fun you can have or how much you can do.
I have a friend who moved to Chicago from LA (and he is from another country). Who pretty much hated Chicago for the first few years. However, he was a PhD student and literally did nothing but go to school, study, come home and study and sleep. He never went out and did anything, but complained all the time about it. He'd only go out within 2 blocks of his neighborhood, and his viewpoint of the city was really wrong (I mean anybody who knows the city would know the crap he was spouting out was nowhere near true. Example? He tried telling me that nowhere in the city really has valet parking which is just so blatantly false). He finally started doing more and actually hanging out with people, getting involved and his opinion now is rapidly changing of the city. The guy, needless to say, is having a lot of fun and seeing what others (including those from his own country) have been talking to him about.
Quote:
So it's cheaper than New York? I guess there is that. Anything else?
I've been living about 75% of the time in Manhattan for the last 8 months. NYC can be quite awesome, but after essentially living there for 8 months, I find it slightly overrated. That's not to say it's still not awesome, but IMO people have this vision about it that I think is kind of outdated. Maybe what it was in the 90s and before, but the city has changed.
My thoughts are this:
* NYC of course has greater diversity in its people and that's a no brainer (though Manhattan residents as a foreign born % isn't that much higher than Chicago as a whole, but that's because a large chunk of foreign born population actually lives in areas like Queens which is really high in that category overall).
* Public transit is more far reaching in NYC, which again is a no brainer. However, what I have a problem with is the scheduling. I can't tell you how many times I've waited 10-15 minutes for a train on a weekday night for a popular train line at 7pm. I actually find the waiting for a train thing in Chicago much more bearable. People get on Chicago for not having great East-West train transit, but in Manhattan is actually pretty similar. If I'm on the UES and want to get to the UWS, I have to pretty much ride a train south to go west and north again.
* Chicago is much cleaner than NYC, especially Manhattan.
* Although Long Beach in NYC is great for waterfront, I prefer Chicago's waterfront anyday of the year to most of what NYC has. What Lake Michigan has and with beaches, the trail, etc definitely beats what Manhattan has.
* Food - NYC and Chicago are two of the greatest food cities in the US. I'll say this - I've had awesome food in NYC and I've had utterly **** food there too. I find the food to be more hit and miss in NYC than Chicago and feel that in Chicago you're more likely to pick a place and have it be good than NYC. I think NYC does most (but not all - Mexican food is still better in Chicago) cheap ethnic food better than Chicago, but the other stuff I actually find that Chicago does better on average.
* "City that Never Sleeps" - EH. Can't tell you how many times I've gone out in some areas only to find that literally every restaurant is closed by 11pm. I remember my visits in the 90s and I feel that the city has tamed down a bit compared to then.
NYC is a great place, but IMO it's not what it used to be. Still an awesome city of course, but I think the vision in peoples' heads of what it is, is kind of outdated and romanticized based on something from awhile ago. They're two different cities though - I prefer the people of NYC to those of Chicago on average (some great, awesome people in Chicago though much the same as NYC), but Chicago in its own right is a great, great city and IMO it's what you make of it just like any other city in the world. Definitely two of the greatest cities with a few others in America hands down - I agree with you on that.
And I agree with your sentiment about US versus World. I think for US standards, places like Chicago, LA, and NYC have some great architecture. However, compared to especially places in Europe, it's not as good on average IMO. I think people who have traveled around know what we're talking about. However, I think all these cities still have some awesome architecture in their own right and nothing to talk down about any of them.
Last edited by marothisu; 04-18-2015 at 05:37 PM..
I agree and this list isn't a "which is the best city in the US" list. It's basically which has the most recognition and I think the list makes sense no matter what we as experienced (I hope) American travelers might know to be the truth.
Like any city in the world, it is what you make of it. You can either make it into one amazing city or be bored. It's really up to you and I'm 100% convinced of that. I've had some of the most amazing times of my life here and some "eh" times of my life. When I first moved here, I literally knew nobody and while I had fun, I was too much of a person who wanted to be around others at the time.
I have a friend who moved to Chicago from LA (and he is from another country). Who pretty much hated Chicago for the first few years. However, he was a PhD student and literally did nothing but go to school, study, come home and study and sleep. He never went out and did anything, but complained all the time about it. He finally started doing more and actually hanging out with people, getting involved and his opinion now is rapidly changing of the city. The guy, needless to say, is having a lot of fun and seeing what others (including those from his own country) have been talking to him about.
I've been living about 75% of the time in Manhattan for the last 8 months. NYC can be quite awesome, but after essentially living there for 8 months, I find it slightly overrated. That's not to say it's still not awesome, but IMO people have this vision about it that I think is kind of outdated. Maybe what it was in the 90s and before, but the city has changed.
My thoughts are this:
* NYC of course has greater diversity in its people and that's a no brainer (though Manhattan residents as a foreign born % isn't that much higher than Chicago as a whole, but that's because a large chunk of foreign born population actually lives in areas like Queens which is really high in that category overall).
* Public transit is more far reaching in NYC, which again is a no brainer. However, what I have a problem with is the scheduling. I can't tell you how many times I've waited 10-15 minutes for a train on a weekday night for a popular train line at 7pm. I actually find the waiting for a train thing in Chicago much more bearable.
* Chicago is much cleaner than NYC, especially Manhattan.
* Although Long Beach in NYC is great for waterfront, I prefer Chicago's waterfront anyday of the year to most of what NYC has. What Lake Michigan has and with beaches, the trail, etc definitely beats what Manhattan has.
* Food - NYC and Chicago are two of the greatest food cities in the US. I'll say this - I've had awesome food in NYC and I've had utterly **** food there too. I find the food to be more hit and miss in NYC than Chicago and feel that in Chicago you're more likely to pick a place and have it be good than NYC.
* "City that Never Sleeps" - EH. Can't tell you how many times I've gone out in some areas only to find that literally every restaurant is closed by 11pm.
NYC is a great place, but IMO it's not what it used to be. I think the vision in peoples' heads of what it is, is kind of outdated and romanticized. They're two different cities though - I prefer the people of NYC to those of Chicago, but Chicago in its own right is a great, great city and IMO it's what you make of it just like any other city in the world.
And I agree with your sentiment about US versus World. I think for US standards, places like Chicago, LA, and NYC have some great architecture. However, compared to especially places in Europe, it's not as good on average IMO. I think people who have traveled around know what we're talking about. However, I think all these cities still have some awesome architecture in their own right and nothing to talk down about any of them.
This post is classic. It meets all the necessary conditions for severe case of C-D inferiority complexes. It should almost be taught in universities under "how to not make your city look like it's desperately trying to be something it's not".
1. Even though it has nothing to do with the thread, trying to link Chicago to NYC in every sort of nonsense way possible
2. Even though it's based on nothing, using irrelevant anecdotes to boost Chicago and belittle other cities
3. Ignoring actual data in favor of subjective non-sequiturs
4. Making up silly ridiculous claims about "I just happen to live in City X under discussion for the last six months"
5. Essentially not addressing anything whatsoever relevent to the thread.
This post is classic. It meets all the necessary conditions for severe case of C-D inferiority complexes. It should almost be taught in universities under "how to not make your city look like it's desperately trying to be something it's not".
1. Even though it has nothing to do with the thread, trying to link Chicago to NYC in every sort of nonsense way possible
2. Even though it's based on nothing, using irrelevant anecdotes to boost Chicago and belittle other cities
3. Ignoring actual data in favor of subjective non-sequiturs
4. Making up silly ridiculous claims about "I just happen to live in City X under discussion for the last six months"
5. Essentially not addressing anything whatsoever relevent to the thread.
You're a piece of work. I was responding to what a poster was saying and sharing my experiences. If you have a problem with me:
1) Sharing my experiences in a city and the ups and the downs I've experienced, directly responding to what someone was saying
--and-
2) Responding to a poster and sharing my experiences living in another city.
Then you can go and **** yourself. You try and tell me what you do above, but anytime someone says anything negative about anything you like, you try and call them out about it. My post wasn't meant to be anything more than my own personal experiences. Apparently you seem to think that nobody can have those and statistics are the only thing that determine whether someone is going to have a good or bad time in a city.
And inferiority complex? No, I love NYC even though I think it's overrated for what it is today. But apparently nobody can think it's overrated huh? Even my die hard NYC friends think it's overrated compared to some other world cities. Yet, I still reference the great food there (better ethnic food for sure on average), the better public transit, how I like the people better, and the better diversity yet somehow that means "inferiority complex?" Give me a ****ing break. Frankly, I also find it funny how anytime anything has to do with NYC, you seem to boost it up to epic proportions even for something it's not, yet when someone says one thing negative about it you're the first person to basically go on the attack at them. Now, you tell me who has a problem with having their feelings hurt.
And it's obvious you didn't read the very first thing I said, which basically agreed that the information in the original article, I believe, is 100% correct and agree with the cities in the list. Apparently you aren't very good at reading, but that's pretty obvious to everyone.
Quote:
Originally Posted by marothisu
I agree and this list isn't a "which is the best city in the US" list. It's basically which has the most recognition and I think the list makes sense no matter what we as experienced (I hope) American travelers might know to be the truth.
Yep, that's not in any way relevant to what the post is about.
Last edited by marothisu; 04-18-2015 at 05:51 PM..
I agree and this list isn't a "which is the best city in the US" list. It's basically which has the most recognition and I think the list makes sense no matter what we as experienced (I hope) American travelers might know to be the truth.
Like any city in the world, it is what you make of it. You can either make it into one amazing city or be bored. It's really up to you and I'm 100% convinced of that. I've had some of the most amazing times of my life here and some "eh" times of my life. When I first moved here, I literally knew nobody and while I had fun, I was too much of a person who wanted to be around others at the time to break out and whatever. So I was mixed about Chicago for about a year - liked it but wasn't sure if it was what I wanted 100%. Then the next summer I became friends with some guys and had the most ****ing memorable, amazing summer (and fall) and time of my life. I mean indescribable and immense amounts of fun. I was lounging outside, meeting people, going to events every single night, eating amazing food, etc. I don't know how to explain it but it was a magical summer. It completely changed my viewpoint of the city from that point on and it exposed me to just how much fun you can have or how much you can do.
I have a friend who moved to Chicago from LA (and he is from another country). Who pretty much hated Chicago for the first few years. However, he was a PhD student and literally did nothing but go to school, study, come home and study and sleep. He never went out and did anything, but complained all the time about it. He'd only go out within 2 blocks of his neighborhood, and his viewpoint of the city was really wrong (I mean anybody who knows the city would know the crap he was spouting out was nowhere near true. Example? He tried telling me that nowhere in the city really has valet parking which is just so blatantly false). He finally started doing more and actually hanging out with people, getting involved and his opinion now is rapidly changing of the city. The guy, needless to say, is having a lot of fun and seeing what others (including those from his own country) have been talking to him about.
I've been living about 75% of the time in Manhattan for the last 8 months. NYC can be quite awesome, but after essentially living there for 8 months, I find it slightly overrated. That's not to say it's still not awesome, but IMO people have this vision about it that I think is kind of outdated. Maybe what it was in the 90s and before, but the city has changed.
My thoughts are this:
* NYC of course has greater diversity in its people and that's a no brainer (though Manhattan residents as a foreign born % isn't that much higher than Chicago as a whole, but that's because a large chunk of foreign born population actually lives in areas like Queens which is really high in that category overall).
* Public transit is more far reaching in NYC, which again is a no brainer. However, what I have a problem with is the scheduling. I can't tell you how many times I've waited 10-15 minutes for a train on a weekday night for a popular train line at 7pm. I actually find the waiting for a train thing in Chicago much more bearable. People get on Chicago for not having great East-West train transit, but in Manhattan is actually pretty similar. If I'm on the UES and want to get to the UWS, I have to pretty much ride a train south to go west and north again.
* Chicago is much cleaner than NYC, especially Manhattan.
* Although Long Beach in NYC is great for waterfront, I prefer Chicago's waterfront anyday of the year to most of what NYC has. What Lake Michigan has and with beaches, the trail, etc definitely beats what Manhattan has.
* Food - NYC and Chicago are two of the greatest food cities in the US. I'll say this - I've had awesome food in NYC and I've had utterly **** food there too. I find the food to be more hit and miss in NYC than Chicago and feel that in Chicago you're more likely to pick a place and have it be good than NYC. I think NYC does most (but not all - Mexican food is still better in Chicago) cheap ethnic food better than Chicago, but the other stuff I actually find that Chicago does better on average.
* "City that Never Sleeps" - EH. Can't tell you how many times I've gone out in some areas only to find that literally every restaurant is closed by 11pm. I remember my visits in the 90s and I feel that the city has tamed down a bit compared to then.
NYC is a great place, but IMO it's not what it used to be. Still an awesome city of course, but I think the vision in peoples' heads of what it is, is kind of outdated and romanticized based on something from awhile ago. They're two different cities though - I prefer the people of NYC to those of Chicago on average (some great, awesome people in Chicago though much the same as NYC), but Chicago in its own right is a great, great city and IMO it's what you make of it just like any other city in the world. Definitely two of the greatest cities with a few others in America hands down - I agree with you on
And I agree with your sentiment about US versus World. I think for US standards, places like Chicago, LA, and NYC have some great architecture. However, compared to especially places in Europe, it's not as good on average IMO. I think people who have traveled around know what we're talking about. However, I think all these cities still have some awesome architecture in their own right and nothing to talk down about any of them.
LOL.
Chicago isn't on NYC's level at all. New York is the more sophisticated, more exciting city and is far more vibrant on street level. Your Chicago vs New York bulletpoints were rather biased.
You can get anything on this planet delivered to you in New York, unlike Chicago. I remember having items delivered to my hotel at 2 in the morning. And I don't have a 90s vision of New York because I was just there last week and compare to other American cities, it's certainly the city that never sleeps. The only comparable cities are foreign ones.
Chicago is also in the Midwest and New York has access to amazing beaches. Lakes just don't compare, as much as Chicago homers would like you to believe. Chicago is also crime-filled. It's a blast roaming Manhattan at midnight but I wouldn't dream of doing that in Chicago.
Chicago will always be firmly in NYC's shadows. They're not comparable at all.
Chicago isn't on NYC's level at all. New York is the more sophisticated, more exciting city and is far more vibrant on street level. Your Chicago vs New York bulletpoints were rather biased.
Chicago is also in the Midwest and New York has access to amazing beaches. Lakes just don't compare, as much as Chicago homers would like you to believe.
Let's see, I reference that:
1) NYC has better public transit (even though waiting for 10+ minutes for a train at 7pm in parts of Manhattan is utter BS)
2) NYC has better overall diversity
3) NYC has better ethnic food (though I find the non-ethnic food in NYC more hit and miss, but quality at the similar levels between the two cities).
4) NYC has better people (i.e. interesting people) at least aligned to what my own personal interests are (though if I had one negative thing to say, there's an inherent lack of true knowledge about the rest of the US outside of the region with some people).
Forgot to mention that NYC has better cultural things going on, but that's again another obvious point like the diversity and public transit points are.
But then I say that I don't find the "city that never sleeps" thing is as big as people think, I find Chicago cleaner on average, and I find the waterfront much better than what Manhattan has (though again, what areas of Brooklyn have are pretty great).
And somehow, you think I'm saying that Chicago is on the same level as NYC?!?! Excuse me while I laugh but...HAHAHAHA. No. I wasn't saying that at all, actually. But it's also obvious you probably have never actually been to Chicago at the same time, but no. Thanks for the good laugh. I never said Chicago was at the same level as NYC. I still think it's the greatest city in America, but it's also not perfect in every single way like some people like to think it is (no city in the world is perfect). I just find it funny that anytime anybody has something negative to say about something, they jump all over that person but then talk about how secure they are in their opinions about cities when it's obvious they aren't.
My opinion is still the same as it has been for years. NYC, while today I think it's overrated compared to what it was back a few decades ago, is still the greatest city in America for sure. Tying together with the original list - it makes 100% perfect sense that NYC is #1 in that regard.
Last edited by marothisu; 04-18-2015 at 06:09 PM..
1) NYC has better public transit (even though waiting for 10+ minutes for a train at 7pm in parts of Manhattan is utter BS)
2) NYC has better overall diversity
3) NYC has better ethnic food (though I find the non-ethnic food in NYC more hit and miss, but quality at the similar levels between the two cities).
4) NYC has better people (i.e. interesting people) at least aligned to what my own personal interests are (though if I had one negative thing to say, there's an inherent lack of true knowledge about the rest of the US outside of the region with some people).
Forgot to mention that NYC has better cultural things going on, but that's again another obvious point like the diversity and public transit points are.
But then I say that I don't find the "city that never sleeps" thing is as big as people think, I find Chicago cleaner on average, and I find the waterfront much better than what Manhattan has (though again, what areas of Brooklyn have are pretty great).
And somehow, you think I'm saying that Chicago is on the same level as NYC?!?! Excuse me while I laugh but...HAHAHAHA. No. I wasn't saying that at all, actually. But it's also obvious you probably have never actually been to Chicago at the same time, but no. Thanks for the good laugh. I never said Chicago was at the same level as NYC. I still think it's the greatest city in America, but it's also not perfect in every single way like some people like to think it is (no city in the world is perfect). I just find it funny that anytime anybody has something negative to say about something, they jump all over that person but then talk about how secure they are in their opinions about cities when it's obvious they aren't.
My opinion is still the same as it has been for years. NYC, while today I think it's overrated compared to what it was back a few decades ago, is still the greatest city in America for sure. Tying together what the
NYC's location is also much better. Much nicer, beautiful places outside of the city vs Chicago. Flat never ending farmland and Indiana vs the gorgeous foothills and lakes of the Hudson Valley. And the beaches of the Hamptons.
Chicago has a very flyover feeling and whenever I'm in NYC the feeling of importance and being in the center of the world is palpable.
It's no wonder these people chose New York and Chicago is nowhere to be seen.
NYC's location is also much better. Much nicer, beautiful places outside of the city vs Chicago. Flat never ending farmland and Indiana vs the gorgeous foothills and lakes of the Hudson Valley. And the beaches of the Hamptons.
I completely agree with this. Just because I find the lakefront around Chicago better than the waterfront around the Brooklyn Bridge doesn't mean I find Indiana or Michigan better than Vermont, upstate New York or something. Not even close. The nature that the NE has hands down beats what the midwest has on average (though northern Minnesota near Canada is actually pretty nice and some of the natural beaches that Michigan has are kind of surprising).
Outside of Chicago, the midwest is a rather banal and boring place. Much better places for nature, in the rest of the US for sure.
Foreigners aren't moving to NYC for its surrounding area though. They're moving there for NYC - most foreigners don't even know about cities like Boston and even Philadelphia. They know about DC but most don't give a **** (the words of some of my foreign friends, not mine). The finger lakes? They have no idea. Only after they moved there might they say "okay that's cool." My girlfriend who's from China and lives in NYC didn't even know about the Hudson Valley until a few weeks ago and that was after having lived in NYC for over a year.
NYC has a romanticized quality about it that people know about - I mean that part is extremely obvious. It's just like LA in that regard where people think if you move there, you'll be partying non stop with movie stars. It doesn't mean it's right or wrong for someone. I mean, I think Honolulu is a pretty overrated city but it's still a city that a lot of people know about in the world for various reasons (most of them semi outdated).
Location: East Central Pennsylvania/ Chicago for 6yrs.
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What is with some people??? Someone gives a couple complements to Chicago.... and NYC people promoters can't stand it? As the whole thread was? You complement and mention Chicago and THEY SEE YOU AS &%$&1%$&%# .
I completely agree with this. Just because I find the lakefront around Chicago better than the waterfront around the Brooklyn Bridge doesn't mean I find Indiana or Michigan better than Vermont, upstate New York or something.
Agreed, and i agree that nyc itself doesnt have a beach front as nice as what you find in chicago or miami.
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What is with some people??? Someone gives a couple complements to Chicago.... and NYC people promoters can't stand it? As the whole thread was? You complement and mention Chicago and THEY SEE YOU AS &%$&1%$&%# 
.
