Trying to Adapt: New York Transplant (Chicago, Lincoln: job market, schools, college)

[RingWalk]

What neighborhood did you grow up in?

[nowincal11]

NW burbs is where I grew up. Friends were mostly NW burbs and W burbs.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by nowincal11

You really have to search for that type of person in Chicago. I know I will be generalizing here, but I grew up there.

Chicagoans on the whole are more concerned with...Chicago. Out East, people are more closely tied to the financial markets, what's going on in the world, national politics. NYC being close to Boston, Philly, and especially DC.

Chicagoans are very self absorbed. Consider the fact I live in LA now and I still say that Chicagoans are more self absorbed than anyone in LA.

Chicago is also a heavily blue collar city which leads into that. Even many of the white collar workers have blue collar backgrounds, blue collar family. I am not suggesting that blue collar workers are not as wordly, but I know from my own experiences they are more concerned with Chicago politics than anything national.

Many young professionals in Chicago are more concerned with the restaurant and bar they are going to in River North or Lincoln Park than world events. Nothing wrong with that at all. But those are the priorities.

I think you just need to seek out the right people. Try Meetup.com, join networking things.

Not sure what you do for a living, but they have plenty of networking groups for finance industry folks. The Merc is in Chicago and it's the 2nd largest exchange in the country.

On a whole, Chicagoans are actually not very political. People go to the polls and vote in huge numbers, generally for Democrats. People don't really pay attention to what's going on elsewhere. Chicago politics are simply that. Chicago politics. Chicagoans who are from closely tied neighborhoods and suburbs put their trust into people from their neighborhood or suburb to do what is best for their neighborhood or suburb. That is how the city has always functioned and that's how we all were raised.

One other thing, Chicagoans are obsessed with crime. Those have been the headlines since the 1920s. Hasn't changed. Chicagoans are very in tune with the criminal justice system. It is like the Hollywood of Chicago.

That's just my experience, so it's a bit harder to seek out the type of people you are looking for.

This is so true: Chicagoans think Chicago is the center of the universe.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by TheGreatMigration

This thread has taken a different turn but I just wanted to check back in regarding some of the perceptions of the original post...
I am not looking for exciting/trendy/cool/hip. Some of the posts seem to think that is what I am looking for in Chicago, but that is not really it at all. As a matter of fact I think I see a lot of hip and cool here. What I am still having a hard time finding, is a critical mass of folks who are liberal intellectuals. For instance, I have yet to hear of anyone carefully following the wonkery of the debt crisis this week anywhere that I have traveled in the city. My friends on the East coast are shooting emails back and forth by the minute, here, its like dead air. I haven't once heard anyone here talking about a piece in the nytimes. Again, out East (not just in New York) a day did not go by without someone starting a sentence with "did you read..." or "Im sure you saw" referring to something in the Times. Here, I see the Wall Street Journal on the train. Here, I have heard dozens of people talking about the Carey Anthony trial in detail, when I had barely heard of it in New York.
These are the types of things I am finding frustrating in terms of community.

Boy was it awkward reading the New York Times when I worked in an office in the Loop. Many comments were made etc...very insecure. People in Chicago do not like New York and its newspapers. Chicagoans are stuck with the lame Tribune, which is a joke. I prefer the Sun-Times if there's one left over at Starbucks etc. Otherwise, very few people here are discussing a Times article. If you mention the Times here, people assume you're referring to the Sun-Times.

[linicx]

Before we get to far afield, while you are trying to adapt take some time to learn. I think you will find this interesting and informative. Literary Chicago Presented by the Chicago Bar Project

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by thePR

The New York Times may be a large newspaper, but people here don't use it as their source of information. What's wrong with discussing the Casey Anthony trial? I feel that you are complaining because people aren't exactly like what you are used to.

This is Chicago, people aren't going to do anything to fit in with you, that's your job. If someone went to New York from Chicago it would be the same thing for them.



That's a far stretch.



And here, your comments are unfounded. You're making petty attacks on the newspapers which makes it hard to take you seriously. Even if you didn't do that, the theme of your posts still makes it difficult. Also, why would one assume otherwise if Chicago has it's own newspaper with the word "times" in it?

Last, every post you have pertaining to Chicago is bashing it. You clearly just joined to attack Chicago.

Umm, I was responding to the posts about Chicago being provincial...which it is. Response about newspapers was response to post about newspapers!

[sydbarrett]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Umm, I was responding to the posts about Chicago being provincial...which it is.

NYC is the epitome of American pomposity but yet inhabited by a bunch of cretin jerks.

[ToriaT]

Frankly, having a bunch of friends in and from NY, I believe they think NY is the center of the universe. Everything is bigger and better there, and how could Chicago have anything remotely comparable. I don't find that to be the case with Chicagoans. They know that NY is bigger and has more stuff, but they are happy with what we have here. The ones that aren't go to NY.

[TheGreatMigration]

Originally Posted by nowincal11

You really have to search for that type of person in Chicago. I know I will be generalizing here, but I grew up there.

Chicagoans on the whole are more concerned with...Chicago. Out East, people are more closely tied to the financial markets, what's going on in the world, national politics. NYC being close to Boston, Philly, and especially DC.

Chicagoans are very self absorbed. Consider the fact I live in LA now and I still say that Chicagoans are more self absorbed than anyone in LA.

Chicago is also a heavily blue collar city which leads into that. Even many of the white collar workers have blue collar backgrounds, blue collar family. I am not suggesting that blue collar workers are not as wordly, but I know from my own experiences they are more concerned with Chicago politics than anything national.

Many young professionals in Chicago are more concerned with the restaurant and bar they are going to in River North or Lincoln Park than world events. Nothing wrong with that at all. But those are the priorities.

I think you just need to seek out the right people. Try Meetup.com, join networking things.

Not sure what you do for a living, but they have plenty of networking groups for finance industry folks. The Merc is in Chicago and it's the 2nd largest exchange in the country.

On a whole, Chicagoans are actually not very political. People go to the polls and vote in huge numbers, generally for Democrats. People don't really pay attention to what's going on elsewhere. Chicago politics are simply that. Chicago politics. Chicagoans who are from closely tied neighborhoods and suburbs put their trust into people from their neighborhood or suburb to do what is best for their neighborhood or suburb. That is how the city has always functioned and that's how we all were raised.

One other thing, Chicagoans are obsessed with crime. Those have been the headlines since the 1920s. Hasn't changed. Chicagoans are very in tune with the criminal justice system. It is like the Hollywood of Chicago.

That's just my experience, so it's a bit harder to seek out the type of people you are looking for.

This post was really insightful, thank you. In terms of my work, I am in research and evaluation. I don't want to be too specific but we work with non profits and I am in Chicago to develop the work of a regional shop.

Regarding some other posts, I am not here to debate politics. I brought up the Times issue as an example of where I am feeling disconnected socially/culturally. I am not opposed to talking with other people who don't read it, many people in my life don't, its just a discussion I miss having with people around town.

I don't expect Chicago nor want it to turn into New York. I am just looking for some commonality, that's all. Maybe I won't find it. In any case, I have decided to give it 6 months-1 year.

[ERS-One]

Originally Posted by nowincal11

Chicagoans are very self absorbed. Consider the fact I live in LA now and I still say that Chicagoans are more self absorbed than anyone in LA.

Wow, my experience is the complete opposite. Maybe it's a burbs thing?