Reflection of a Two Year Transplant (For Outsiders) (Chicago, Lincoln: nightlife, park)

[Irishtom29]

People find sex and get hammered all over the city, not just in trendy youth ghettos. Yes, it's true, really. And here some of you thought you were on to something new.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by Chicagoist123

I will admit that you don't see that many people from other parts of the country like the Northeast, South or out west.

I've found this to be true, as well, and like the OP I was a bit surprised by it. Cities in the south and west, even some that aren't as big like Austin, Denver, Portland, etc. have people from all over (because their growth has come in recent years, as opposed to Chicago which is basically the same size it was a few generations ago). So did the small college towns I lived in and even the small industrial town I grew up in. I expected there to be "townies" and people who were forced by poverty to stay in one place, but I didn't expect to find so many college-educated middle class people who had never left and had no desire to leave. It's hard for me to relate to that, but it's a pretty great city on the whole, so I can see why many want to stay.

Then again, as I think about it, most (not all, but most) of the people I hang out with in Chicago are from other places. That hasn't been intentional on my part, but they're probably just the people I end up having the most in common with in terms of personality and outlook on life. We're not the majority, but we have a way of finding each other.

[ChiNaan]

Originally Posted by IEnjoyBeer

Im seeing a lot of this Big 10 bar stuff.

Is it really that prevalent in all nightlife areas? or just Wrigleyville?

Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and Near North, in my experience. Less so on the West Side.

[PA Born]

Originally Posted by IEnjoyBeer

Upstate NY gets really ****ing cloudy, and I think Cleveland and Detroit and good comparables. Chicago is clearer than them?

A lot of people say its constantly gloomy and dark.

Chicago has very similar weather and cloudiness compared to Upstate NY. It's also pretty similar culturally.

That whole Great Lakes region isn't that different, both in terms of culture and weather. Upstate NY, at least the Western half (say Utica westwards) generally feels Midwest.

[ChiNaan]

Upstate NY is a little cloudier than Chicago due to lake effect. The south and especially east sides of all the Great Lakes get more clouds, rain, and snow than the west sides of the lakes. (Wisconsin tends to be sunnier than Western Michigan, for example.)

Average number of sunny days per year:

Chicago: 84

Albany: 69
Syracuse: 63
Rochester: 61
Buffalo: 54
Binghamton: 52

Weather Today - Weather Forecasts, Radar, Maps for 1000s of US and World Cities

Sure, they're similar compared to Vegas or Phoenix, but there is a noticeable difference.

Culturally, I agree that Western NY (and Western PA, for that matter) are culturally more similar to the Midwest than they are to the East Coast. Good luck getting the people who live there to admit that, though.

[Heyooooo]

Originally Posted by PA Born

Chicago has very similar weather and cloudiness compared to Upstate NY. It's also pretty similar culturally.

That whole Great Lakes region isn't that different, both in terms of culture and weather. Upstate NY, at least the Western half (say Utica westwards) generally feels Midwest.

I am from Utica, and no. It has the same damn longitude as Philadelphia.

Utica, east through the Mohawk Valley to Albany, is a New England feel.

Syracuse to Buffalo and west, I would agree, slightly.

Do you just look at a map and point and set arbitrary boundaries or do you actually spend time in these places youre talking about?

[IEnjoyBeer]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Upstate NY is a little cloudier than Chicago due to lake effect. The south and especially east sides of all the Great Lakes get more clouds, rain, and snow than the west sides of the lakes. (Wisconsin tends to be sunnier than Western Michigan, for example.)

Average number of sunny days per year:

Chicago: 84

Albany: 69
Syracuse: 63
Rochester: 61
Buffalo: 54
Binghamton: 52

Weather Today - Weather Forecasts, Radar, Maps for 1000s of US and World Cities

Sure, they're similar compared to Vegas or Phoenix, but there is a noticeable difference.

Culturally, I agree that Western NY (and Western PA, for that matter) are culturally more similar to the Midwest than they are to the East Coast. Good luck getting the people who live there to admit that, though.

I have noticed that in looking at Chicago climate stats, the months of June, July and August are pretty ****ing sunny. All months are almost 70% possible sunshine.

Climate of Chicago - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sunnier than anywhere in the Northeast (Boston, NYC, Philly, DC).

Even September and May are at the low 60s.

What really brings the numbers down are November and December.

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by Michael Bolton

If you don't mind me asking, where did you go to school or what part of the country (or world) are you from?

I went to UIC, I'm from a suburb, and I live in West Town. I don't even think I know a Big 10 graduate. I can see how being surrounded by that stuff would be frustrating, and I don't like the thought of people moving to this wonderful interesting place to continue the college life, but I do a good job of avoiding it. I don't mean to sound like a snob, I just hate American drinking culture.

[Chicagoist123]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

I've found this to be true, as well, and like the OP I was a bit surprised by it. Cities in the south and west, even some that aren't as big like Austin, Denver, Portland, etc. have people from all over (because their growth has come in recent years, as opposed to Chicago which is basically the same size it was a few generations ago). So did the small college towns I lived in and even the small industrial town I grew up in. I expected there to be "townies" and people who were forced by poverty to stay in one place, but I didn't expect to find so many college-educated middle class people who had never left and had no desire to leave. It's hard for me to relate to that, but it's a pretty great city on the whole, so I can see why many want to stay.

Then again, as I think about it, most (not all, but most) of the people I hang out with in Chicago are from other places. That hasn't been intentional on my part, but they're probably just the people I end up having the most in common with in terms of personality and outlook on life. We're not the majority, but we have a way of finding each other.

I think it's just the norm though in older larger established cities. You see the exact same thing in Boston and Philly.

That's not to say you don't run into them in Chicago, just not as often as you would find them in LA, NYC or SF.

[Chicagoist123]

Originally Posted by ChiNaan

Lakeview, Lincoln Park, and Near North, in my experience. Less so on the West Side.

Wicker Park, Bucktown, River North really are the main nightlife spots that don't have a B1G vibe.

I would say Lakeview is where it is completely and totally dominant. Lincoln Park and Near North have it but on a much smaller scale than Lakeview.