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Old 06-03-2013, 03:03 PM
 
5,951 posts, read 13,040,566 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by trancedout View Post
Chicago, like all of the midwest, simply feels culturally conservative. There's nothing wrong with the status quo wearing North Face jackets (even on Michigan Ave), but it definitely can give somewhere a provincial vibe, even if that city is very internationally diverse and large.

There's a specific paradox that occurs in the midwest as well, I've written about it as well, and only a few have commented or understood. Past 25, it's actually more acceptable to dress like a complete hipster, than be very into "metro fashion". It's still seen as something only gay men do, or that you do in your early 20s when you're going to clubs. Hipster, having a gay following as well, isn't seen as exclusively gay, so it's more understood. The average straight male still dresses the same as he did in middle-school, and this is somehow rewarded as a good thing by midwest society.

These stupid limitations thankfully do not exist in LA.
Its true, before moving to California to continue my teaching career, after five years of teaching community college in the Chi-suburbs, I started adopting some of the styles that I saw common in some of my male students, (I about age 30, them in their early 20s) and I had a few acquaintances, primarily those who grew up south of I-55, seriously thought I was coming out of the closet.
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Old 06-03-2013, 03:35 PM
 
896 posts, read 1,392,481 times
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Sorry for all the errors and misspellings. I tend to think and type really fast. I am always in a hurry. I am sure people are probably thinking. This girl is an idiot! lol
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Old 06-03-2013, 04:06 PM
 
3 posts, read 4,930 times
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Chicago is an amazing city. I lived there 15 years ago (downtown) and visit at least once a year. The development along the beach is beautiful. Parks, fountains, museums, harbors, art, etc. The greatest thing about Chicago is that it is what I call a "living city." People pay more (like in NYC) to live in the city. Unlike LA where it is pricier in the burbs. Chicago has amazing restaurants, football, hockey, basketball and two baseball teams, so if you want to be in a sports town - Chicago is the place. Living in the city is truly the best. You can walk to the grocery, gym, bank, dinner, theatre, etc. You don't have to worry about drinking and driving - it's ALL right there, by foot or by cab. Shopping abounds. Nightlife is great, tons of clubs, blues and jazz bars, sports bars, anything you could want at your fingertips.

In Grant Park, you can listen to the symphony outside for free on Wed. and Sunday nights. Every weekend is a different festival: Taste of Chicago, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival, etc. There is a huge beer festival every summer (not at the park tho.) There is Rivinia, where people in anything from jeans to tuxes and candelabra's lay out a blanket, drink wine, snack on cheese, apples, nuts, etc. and listen to amazing music.

The views from high rises at night are stunning. It is truly an amazing city and after being gone for 15 years, I have happy to say I just invested in a condo that puts me in the heart of everything. My retirement will hopefully be most of the time here and summers and fall in Chicago. Weather and wind are issues, no doubt about it. But, if you love a real "living" city like NYC, but more manageable, less people, NO garbage on the streets (it is unbelievably clean for a city), great restaurants EVERYWHERE, culture, art, and sports, you will LOVE Chicago.

p.s. When you go to visit yourself, take the Architectural tour on the river. GORGEOUS.
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Old 06-03-2013, 04:24 PM
 
810 posts, read 1,336,902 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il? View Post
Its true, before moving to California to continue my teaching career, after five years of teaching community college in the Chi-suburbs, I started adopting some of the styles that I saw common in some of my male students, (I about age 30, them in their early 20s) and I had a few acquaintances, primarily those who grew up south of I-55, seriously thought I was coming out of the closet.
All of the larger midwestern cities are generally very gay-friendly (some more than others) - to those who are actually gay. If you aren't, but they want to categorize you, this can end up being somewhat controversial. There is a very narrow view as to how a typical straight guy should dress and look. Hipsters are somewhat exempt from this, because it's an identifiable subculture.

Part of the reason so many in the midwest dislike LA, it's just confusing to them. The straight guys oftentimes have flashier styles than gay guys, or equally fashionable. Any comments towards watching your diet in the midwest as a male might get you instantly laughed at as well. For some reason it's acceptable to call a man "gay" or use it as insult when he tells you he isn't, but it's not acceptable to tell that to someone who is actually gay (to point out the difference). Not many are aware of this yet, but probably will be in the next few years.

In the midwest if you don't fit the narrow definition, you can easily become controversial for being yourself. The interesting part about it, most people never even think about it. Ironically, it can actually be easier for those who are gay, than a straight guy perceived as gay, having to constantly defend himself (which can be seen as insecurity) and explain. A gay guy into fashion & fitness...well, it just makes sense, that's what they are supposed to like.

Last edited by moonsparkle; 06-03-2013 at 04:46 PM..
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Old 06-03-2013, 05:23 PM
 
Location: Pasadena, CA
10,084 posts, read 15,771,765 times
Reputation: 4049
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoChi1 View Post
Chicago is an amazing city. I lived there 15 years ago (downtown) and visit at least once a year. The development along the beach is beautiful. Parks, fountains, museums, harbors, art, etc. The greatest thing about Chicago is that it is what I call a "living city." People pay more (like in NYC) to live in the city. Unlike LA where it is pricier in the burbs. Chicago has amazing restaurants, football, hockey, basketball and two baseball teams, so if you want to be in a sports town - Chicago is the place. Living in the city is truly the best. You can walk to the grocery, gym, bank, dinner, theatre, etc. You don't have to worry about drinking and driving - it's ALL right there, by foot or by cab. Shopping abounds. Nightlife is great, tons of clubs, blues and jazz bars, sports bars, anything you could want at your fingertips.
This isn't necessarily true in Los Angeles. While there are relatively inexpensive neighborhoods in the core and a lot of upscale suburbs, there are also a large amount of low-brow (for lack of a better term) suburbs and many very upscale inner-city neighborhoods.

For example, one of the cheapest parts of Los Angeles to live is the fairly-suburban north San Fernando Valley. One of the most expensive is the very urban DTLA. On the other hand urban Pico-Union is very inexpensive while suburban South Pasadena is very expensive.

Like everything, there really is no "one-size-fits-all" for Los Angeles when it comes to what neighborhoods cost in relation to where they are in the metro. Other than beach-side neighborhoods, which are always pricey.
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Old 06-03-2013, 05:29 PM
 
5,951 posts, read 13,040,566 times
Reputation: 4808
Quote:
Originally Posted by SoChi1 View Post
Chicago is an amazing city. I lived there 15 years ago (downtown) and visit at least once a year. The development along the beach is beautiful. Parks, fountains, museums, harbors, art, etc. The greatest thing about Chicago is that it is what I call a "living city." People pay more (like in NYC) to live in the city. Unlike LA where it is pricier in the burbs. Chicago has amazing restaurants, football, hockey, basketball and two baseball teams, so if you want to be in a sports town - Chicago is the place. Living in the city is truly the best. You can walk to the grocery, gym, bank, dinner, theatre, etc. You don't have to worry about drinking and driving - it's ALL right there, by foot or by cab. Shopping abounds. Nightlife is great, tons of clubs, blues and jazz bars, sports bars, anything you could want at your fingertips.

In Grant Park, you can listen to the symphony outside for free on Wed. and Sunday nights. Every weekend is a different festival: Taste of Chicago, Blues Festival, Jazz Festival, etc. There is a huge beer festival every summer (not at the park tho.) There is Rivinia, where people in anything from jeans to tuxes and candelabra's lay out a blanket, drink wine, snack on cheese, apples, nuts, etc. and listen to amazing music.

The views from high rises at night are stunning. It is truly an amazing city and after being gone for 15 years, I have happy to say I just invested in a condo that puts me in the heart of everything. My retirement will hopefully be most of the time here and summers and fall in Chicago. Weather and wind are issues, no doubt about it. But, if you love a real "living" city like NYC, but more manageable, less people, NO garbage on the streets (it is unbelievably clean for a city), great restaurants EVERYWHERE, culture, art, and sports, you will LOVE Chicago.

p.s. When you go to visit yourself, take the Architectural tour on the river. GORGEOUS.
I'm from the Chicago suburbs and I live in LA now.

I can walk to the grocery, gym, bank, dinner and even to my local bar only a block away. There are countless areas in LA where you can do this. This is in NO way unique to "real cities".

No one in is denying in any way that Chicago has countless fun things to do, and a beautiful skyline and lakefront. No one is denying that its a great city.

The issue that is being discussed is not the city itself and all it has to offer, it is about fitting and finding your niche.
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Old 06-03-2013, 06:10 PM
 
Location: So Ca
26,592 posts, read 26,478,904 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il? View Post
It wouldn't be so bad if more people saw through Chicago, and acknowledged it as basically a larger, more vibrant version of Detroit, Cleveland, or St. Louis....
Chicago has far more to offer than any of those three cities. Don't even put it in the same category as Detroit or Cleveland!
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Old 06-03-2013, 06:13 PM
 
215 posts, read 471,761 times
Reputation: 221
Quote:
Originally Posted by trancedout View Post
In the midwest if you don't fit the narrow definition, you can easily become controversial for being yourself........... The interesting part about it, most people never even think about it. Ironically, it can actually be easier for those who are gay, than a straight guy perceived as gay, having to constantly defend himself (which can be seen as insecurity) and explain. A gay guy into fashion & fitness...well, it just makes sense, that's what they are supposed to like.

I'm a native Angeleno and lived in Chicago for 6 months a number of years ago. In the beginning there seems to some type of novelty about me since I was from California. After a while I don't think I was well liked by a lot of my colleagues since my views were quite different from theirs. I wasn't like I'm controversial (far from it) but I didn't fit their definition of anyone in the office. They would joke a little about me eating Turkey Sandwiches, and call me a California Health Nut. At the time I was still fairly young and didn't even exersise, or watch my diet since I was naturally thin at 5'10 and 145 lbs. I actually lost 10 lbs from all of the walking I did in Chicago. I also spoke up about a lot of lies (they mislead the employees) and was also labeled a trouble maker by many of the superiors white southerners in charge of the operations of this Texas company (EDS Ross Prot once own them) gaining a contract with the city of Chicago to manage their parking ticket bureau. But I know my colleagues love the fact I spoke up in the meeting and called them out on their misleading their employees to do certain things and not get the rewards we were promised. Each time I was the lone outspoken one, but in secret the others would come to me and praise my standing up to the management team and they all reap the rewards from it.

The other thing they took notice on was how I dressed a bit different I guess. It was required we wear a slacks, jacket and tie at work. But I suppose my ties were a bit less conservative (although not flashy at all) and many comments were made. Some of the women would also call me Mr. G.Q, which was weird since I wasn't all that fancy, but to them I suppose it was sightly different than the other guys in the office who were native Chicagoans and the management staff were all from Texas, and or Alabama. Hell I even cut my own hair so I know I didn't have some fancy foo foo hair cut from a hair salon. So I wonder if they thought I was gay (which I'm not). No one ever accused me of this, but I wonder if the Mr G.Q. comments all of the time was their way of insinuating this. Although I've never been a slob, well when I was a kid I hated combing my long wild curly hair, and taking a bath everyday lol. But my wife would tell you when she met me I definitely needed some work on my style, and grooming of my hair. I normally didn't follow trends but I would buy clothes I liked and didn't really think about what others were wearing. Although at times colleagues in LA and mostly mature women complemented me on some of my clothes I wear to work which was in a professional office environment in more conservative Orange County. So who knows perhaps I had more style than I realize.

BTW when I visit NYC I have been told I don't look like a Angeleno and more so like a local. I suspect it's because most people can't figure out what my racial make-up/background is, I'm part African American and Mexican American. I've been told I look Puerto Rican, Italian, Jewish, Armenian, or some where else in the middle east.
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Old 06-03-2013, 06:48 PM
 
5,951 posts, read 13,040,566 times
Reputation: 4808
Quote:
Originally Posted by CA4Now View Post
Chicago has far more to offer than any of those three cities. Don't even put it in the same category as Detroit or Cleveland!
Obviously, same way Dallas-Fort Worth has far more to offer than Oklahoma City, or Atlanta having way more to offer than Charlotte, or Kansas City having more to offer than Des Moines, or Denver more than Colorado Springs. Doesn't mean that on a neighborhood basis, you will find a lot in common with the aesthetics and culture of its people.


I'm not arguing that Chicago has way more to do than those cities. Thats obvious.

The things Chicago has in common with those cities included segregation, race relations, sports passion, eastern european/white working class catholic hertiage, Big Ten university connections, rustbelt industrial zones in some parts. Thats what I'm getting at.
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Old 06-03-2013, 11:23 PM
 
Location: Santa Monica, CA
1,626 posts, read 3,995,669 times
Reputation: 741
Quote:
Originally Posted by trancedout View Post
Chicago, like all of the midwest, simply feels culturally conservative. There's nothing wrong with the status quo wearing North Face jackets (even on Michigan Ave), but it definitely can give somewhere a provincial vibe, even if that city is very internationally diverse and large.
I honestly think you guys are just making stuff up or projecting your own insecurities onto others. Politically Chicago is a very liberal city. I encountered none of the stuff you guys are speaking of growing up in the Chicago suburbs or working downtown right out of college.
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