You Know You're From Illinois When: (Chicago, Carbondale: budget, work, home)

[Drover]

Originally Posted by arpschneider

That all would be true for the "burbs", but certainly NOT for Central or Southern IL, except in the larger communities.

Faithfully,

G.A.

Not exactly true for the burbs either.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

Well, it used to be ILL. lol and TN was TENN. I remember that dont you? Maybe the poster is far older than us and refuses to adopt the new abbreviation!

I don't know how old any of you are. I have used them interchangeably. I know the PO's abbreviation is IL. Sometimes I just hit the "L" key once extra.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by j33

You can decipher a WMAQ traffic report, but your out of town passenger thinks it's just gibberish.(I was asked once incredulously, 'you understand that?'

Oh my god! Aint that the truth.

I haven't heard a traffic report in weeks, but basically I can hear it right now in my head.

Within 10 seconds some person SOMEHOW manages to sqeeze this outta their mouth:

"Kennedy hour and ten in from the airport, save 10 in the express lanes, 40 minutes downtown to the split, an hour to O'hare, edens 35 minutes out, 45 to the split, dan ryan is 40 minutes to the circle, 30 on the reverse, stevenson is 60 in from 355 due to an early crash at Ashland that's now off to the side, the drive is 25 in from Marquette and the same from Hollywood. All the tollways are seeing backups in their usual spots"

My parents were visiting when that came on the TV one morning, and my dad just looked at me in confusement and said "What the HELL was that!?". I said "it was the traffic report, I-55 is seeing higher than normal travel times". He responded "I assume you're just making that up..."

Nope.

[j33]

I know ... it is great, I listen to public radio every morning as I get ready for work and they break into the news every 15-20 minutes for about 15 seconds of what I only imagine sounds like a combination of gibberish/jargon/random numbers/and references to places that no longer exist (e.g."the old post-office') to people who haven't quite learned how to translate "Chicago traffic reportese" to English yet.

I imagine it is the same for any large city. I've heard nyc traffic reports and didn't have the slightest clue what the hell they were talking about.

[Chicago60614]

Originally Posted by j33

I know ... it is great, I listen to public radio every morning as I get ready for work and they break into the news every 15-20 minutes for about 15 seconds of what I only imagine sounds like a combination of gibberish/jargon/random numbers/and references to places that no longer exist (e.g."the old post-office') to people who haven't quite learned how to translate "Chicago traffic reportese" to English yet.

I imagine it is the same for any large city. I've heard nyc traffic reports and didn't have the slightest clue what the hell they were talking about.

Ha, yeah, now I'm thinking of all the randomn phrases and places they name

the old post office
the split
the circle
the junction
the merge
the feeder ramps
the hillside strangler (out of town guests loved that one)
reversables
"on the reverse"
Lakeshore when they say "25 minutes in to the lights" AKA, the traffic lights downtown

[Chicago60614]

I also like how 3 million people live in "Chicago" and the other 7 million live in a place specifically called "The Burbs".

For instance when I am talking to someone and they're going to a party, I ask where. They respond "The Burbs". I then know exactly where the party is, it's in that massive unknown sprawling area that exists "out there"....on the OTHER side of the city limits.

Scary!

Even when you're driving on the tollway/expressway, I love the signs that list the destination as "West Suburbs" "Northwest Suburbs" "South Suburbs".........or just "Iowa" "Indiana" "Wisconsin"

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Even when you're driving on the tollway/expressway, I love the signs that list the destination as "West Suburbs" "Northwest Suburbs" "South Suburbs".........or just "Iowa" "Indiana" "Wisconsin"

Gotta love it!

You know youre from Illinois when you can experience a 50 degree temperature plunge in a matter of 3 hours, like we had yesterday.

[Katiana]

Originally Posted by j33

I know ... it is great, I listen to public radio every morning as I get ready for work and they break into the news every 15-20 minutes for about 15 seconds of what I only imagine sounds like a combination of gibberish/jargon/random numbers/and references to places that no longer exist (e.g."the old post-office') to people who haven't quite learned how to translate "Chicago traffic reportese" to English yet.

I imagine it is the same for any large city. I've heard nyc traffic reports and didn't have the slightest clue what the hell they were talking about.

Yes, that's true. Anyone from Chicago familiar with "The Mousetrap" (sometimes referred to just as "the trap") in Denver? How about the "Valley Highway" (or just "The Valley")? The "Turnpike?" (or "Boulder Turnpike").

Originally Posted by Steve-o

Gotta love it!

You know youre from Illinois when you can experience a 50 degree temperature plunge in a matter of 3 hours, like we had yesterday.

The above happens in Colorado, too.

[shugie]

doll lady..... I can so totally relate to all of these... having lived in southern illinois most of my life I can attest to everything you have written... it is ALL true!

[Aethernet]

Originally Posted by Chicago60614

Ha, yeah, now I'm thinking of all the randomn phrases and places they name

the old post office
the split
the circle
the junction
the merge
the feeder ramps
the hillside strangler (out of town guests loved that one)
reversables
"on the reverse"
Lakeshore when they say "25 minutes in to the lights" AKA, the traffic lights downtown

Gotta love it when our "illustrious" but now jailed governor Ryan spends over $2 million dollars to fix the "Hillside Strangler" to become.......the Hillside Strangler. He belongs in jail just for that, and I'm hoping he's warming up a seat in the next cell for Blagojevich.

Does anyone ever use those extra two lanes they put over there, wherever they are?

How come our corrupt governors always get caught, when our crooked mayors never do? OK, they got Betty Loren-Mall-Tease-Falcon in Cicero, but anybody with clown makeup & hairdo like that blatantly spending $100,000 of city money on weekend Vegas jaunts was just asking for it....