where to move? (Chicago, Phoenix: how much, live, young professionals)

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

The flagship Whole Foods store, which is a sight to behold (imagine a Whole Foods the size of a Super Wal-Mart), is right in the heart of the city, where I'd be amazed if he had a nice new apartment for that price. All the other WF stores are out on the edges of the city, where I'd expect to find cookie-cutter style complexes with apartments for that price.

Austin definitely has hot chicks, although the ratio of single females to single males is worse in Austin than Chicago. (Worse for us, that is. Better for the ladies. Not that I've ever researched this or anything...)

Speaking of Whole Foods ... the new(ish) one in Lincoln Park is the third-largest in the world, behind only Austin and London. It has quite a scene, or so I've heard. I don't need scene, so i usually go to the smaller one in River North that's nearest me.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

I felt that way the first couple of years after I moved to the Chicago area, because there was such little sunshine compared to the other places I had lived, but I've since gotten used to it. Now when I go to sunnier places I feel like my retinas are going to melt. Portland has even much less sun than Chicago, but I tend to think I'd eventually adjust there, too.

I guess it depends on what you're used to. For me, I grew up in Minnesota, so it's not even that much of a difference in sunny days between Chicago and there.

Cleveland is actually a good deal less sunny than Chicago. Like 20 less days without sun per year. Portland also experiences even less sun per year on average than both Cleveland and Chicago.

http://www.currentresults.com/Weathe...ne-by-city.php


Obviously Texas, California, etc has much more sun (like 1.5 months more than Chicago), but Chicago compared to other northern states is not that bad with the whole sun thing..

[emathias]

I grew up in and around Portland.

In a couple years I'll have lived in Chicago longer than I lived in the Portland area. It's nice enough, but it seemed a lot cooler before I'd seen the rest of the world.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by marothisu

I guess it depends on what you're used to.

Definitely. I'm not from the Great Lakes area, obviously.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by emathias

Speaking of Whole Foods ... the new(ish) one in Lincoln Park is the third-largest in the world, behind only Austin and London. It has quite a scene, or so I've heard. I don't need scene, so i usually go to the smaller one in River North that's nearest me.

I don't want a scene with my groceries or overpriced groceries. Give me Casa or Trader Joe's. Whole Foods made sense to me back when they were the only decent place one could get a good selection of organic stuff, but that time has long passed. Now it just seems pretentious and unnecessarily expensive to me.

[emathias]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

...
Now it just seems pretentious and unnecessarily expensive to me.

They have a great cheese selection, and I like their dinner bar - I sometimes repurpose their slow-cooked meat dishes as a base for great pasta sauce.

But the real winner is that they're 5 minutes closer to me than any other grocery store, which only seems far when I'm carrying a bunch of grocery bags.

[Wdexp]

* If you dont mind the rain Portland wouldnt be a bad choice.
* Austin is a better choice employment wise.

Enjoy your move

[Heyooooo]

I actually find it hilarious that Chicago is being rated third as far as hipness goes. Sure, its Austin and Portland, but theyre all important and hip centers of the country. Chicago is way more cosmopolitan and cultured than both. Some keep saying its segregated. NYC is segregated too, so really, whats the main point?

Im from Upstate NY (Syracuse area), and my views in particular are much less jaded than some here. Its not terribly sunny here, we get lake effect, cold, and just absolutely appalling winters, very cloudy, and honestly, its relative but to me, I find Chicago to actually be an improvement weather wise. Sunnier, and more mild, less precipitation (a lot less, when you consider averaging 100 inches of snow vs. 30-40).

Portland seems cool and what not, and if youre into indie culture, its definitely a place you should 'see', like Austin, but id never consider living there (and im actually really into indie culture). Chicago is much more all-around and has everything, but seeing that cold weather is the deal breaker, go with Portland (ironically).

[Heyooooo]

I went through a sunshine list the other day and was surprised to see that all the top tier cities of the world with low sunshine (London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.). It makes NYC and Chicago look like Honolulu.


Ill take Chicago's winters any day over the Northwest. Its cold, but the air is crisp and there are more sunny days. I think it being drizzly and cloudy for any extended period of time (weeks/months) is much worse.

[urbanlife78]

Originally Posted by Heyooooo

I went through a sunshine list the other day and was surprised to see that all the top tier cities of the world with low sunshine (London, Paris, Tokyo, etc.). It makes NYC and Chicago look like Honolulu.


Ill take Chicago's winters any day over the Northwest. Its cold, but the air is crisp and there are more sunny days. I think it being drizzly and cloudy for any extended period of time (weeks/months) is much worse.

Nah, it isn't that bad. Plus the nice part about it is that you know what it is gonna be like almost everyday, overcast with a chance of light rain. I enjoyed it while I lived there, and if the weather ever got on my nerves I would just hit up a bar and enjoy a nice dark beer with some friends. Plus you gotta love a city where strip clubs are treated like neighborhood bars and you have people drinking and playing pinball late into the night at other bars.