horseflies and such - odd questions about relocating to chicago

[sydlee]

Originally Posted by marothisu

No problem. Yeah, half of my family lives in LA and I have friends in San Diego and the bay area too. My friends in San Francisco have been telling me everyday how they've been sitting on their deck in short sleeves, grilling, etc. My friends have also been worried about a drought in SF after they get done saying how great the weather has been. It was around 80 around Christmas in San Diego, which is above average. On the flip side, most of the country has had weird times below average. My friend is a meteorologist in Virginia and two days ago had a Facebook status how it was only 7 degrees for a low where he is. Dallas is supposed to be in the low 40s on Tuesday with a low not even reaching 20. I have another friend who's a grad student at Texas A&M who had a status the other day about things being cancelled due to snow.

So yeah, while Chicago can get cold and it will be cold for you if you end up moving here, this is pretty abnormal. The average January high near O'Hare airport, 1980-2010 is 31.5 degrees. The wind is what can get you here (note: Chicago is not necessarily called Windy City for the fact that it can be kind of windy sometimes). I guess the positive thing for you is this - there's people from all over the world living in Chicago from areas just as hot as the Valley. Many are used to it - it may take a little bit of time, but they get used to it eventually. And remember - there are much worse places even in the country than Chicago for winter

Yeah, I have to keep my Midwesterner significant other from rubbing it in to his family back home every time he calls them in the winter. Out of everyone I know, he is the one most likely to say stuff like that! Aiy....

I have a feeling some people are genetically predisposed to handle different temperature extremes. I've lived in the Silicon Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and Los Angeles. I actually have a hard time dealing with the heat. In 40 degree weather up in the mountains here (admittedly without the wind you guys are known for), I was hot and had to undo my jacket and scarf. My Midwesterner sig other, on the other hand, was cold. Up in Mendocino on a cold and foggy day (cold for here), I'm down to a Tshirt and loving it, while he's freezing in a Tshirt, button down, and sweatshirt with the hood over his head. LOL Well, if we move to Chicago, the good thing is he can go back to enjoying Midwestern summers and lake fishing.

Thanks again! Can't wait to visit later this year.

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by sydlee

I have a feeling some people are genetically predisposed to handle different temperature extremes. I've lived in the Silicon Valley, San Joaquin Valley, and Los Angeles. I actually have a hard time dealing with the heat. In 40 degree weather up in the mountains here (admittedly without the wind you guys are known for), I was hot and had to undo my jacket and scarf. My Midwesterner sig other, on the other hand, was cold. Up in Mendocino on a cold and foggy day (cold for here), I'm down to a Tshirt and loving it, while he's freezing in a Tshirt, button down, and sweatshirt with the hood over his head. LOL Well, if we move to Chicago, the good thing is he can go back to enjoying Midwestern summers and lake fishing.

Thanks again! Can't wait to visit later this year.

It's possible, but part of it is also what you're used to and also blood circulation. Poor blood circulation is why some people are always cold no matter what. If you have good blood circulation, you won't have it as bad. My dad grew up in LA and has lived in Minnesota since the late 1970s (which is a lot colder than Chicago in the winter - the average high where I grew up is the same as the average low in Chicago. The average low was barely above 0, which doesn't happen THAT often in Chicago). He actually loves it which is weird because he was a beach bum growing up and in college.

Summers here are great - in the city and with the right lakes (especially in Wisconsin or Minnesota, not too familiar with the ones in Northern Illinois) can be good too.

[Vlajos]

I have never encountered a horsefly in Chicago. There are very few mosquitoes in the city.

[knitgirl]

Just to confirm, you won't see horseflies when you're out and about the city. I used to ride and the only place I've ever seen horseflies is around horses. Even out in the suburbs, I haven't seen them. They do have a NASTY bite, so I can see why you'd want to avoid them.

[sydlee]

marothisu, maybe it is a blood circulation issue. i must have really awesome circulation! i no longer think it has anything to do with what you're used to, though; i grew up in extremely hot weather (80s to 100+F in the summer), and anything higher than mid-70s and my head starts to hurt. take me to a place in the 40s to 60s, and i'm one happy camper. my siblings are the same way. my brother loves biking in shorts and a Tshirt even on the coldest days in SF -- and he feels hot, too. even the silicon valley sometimes felt hot to me. we hold onto our internal heat really well, i guess.

Vlajos and knitgirl, thanks for the info re: horseflies and mosquitoes. yes, horseflies are crazy. i've always heard bugs are plentiful in the Midwest, but perhaps only some places in Chicago and Chicagoland apply. the bugs and the schools (another question for another day) are the main things that concern me. i lived on a rural, tropical island with biting ants, horseflies, tiger mosquitoes, flying roaches, flying earwigs, wasps, flying/biting/pinching you-name-it. i am hoping that Chicago will not be like that. guess i'll find out when i visit later this year.

thanks again!

[linicx]

Flies, horseflies/deer flies tend to be around livestock where animal body waste accumulates. It is one of the reasons horse owners muck stalls and spread fresh straw every day. You are more likely to see a rat than a horsefly in cities the size of Chicago.

Woods are known for ticks, mosquitos, chiggers, ground wasps, bees, yellow jackets, and flies, and are especially thick in the summer. They are all blood suckers. It you have allergic reactions to one (welt) you will react the same to others. I stepped on a nest of chiggers and had hives from the bottom of my feet to my scalp for seven months. I now carry an Epipen, and don't venture out much in the summer. Mosquitos and bats are very active at night where wasps are night sleepers. Bat is natural enemy to mosquito and other flyers. In cities wasp nest in corners such as on a porch, garage, etc.. I can't remember the last time I didn't have a porch or a wasp nest. These bugs cannot exist in live water such as a lake or fountain. They inhabit areas of stagnant ground water, and like wood stacked outside a house. The ground dauber is a wasp that lives in the ground in wooded areas and is most active during grass mowing season. This pest builds mud tunnels in protected areas around house foundations or under house eaves. This has been my experience of living in rural areas for nearly 70 years. The SW and SE have a different set of critters. Lack of these bugs is one of the reasons I like SoCal.

I like to visit Chicago in the early fall. Warm days, few bugs, and warm nights when Buckingham Fountain has regular water shows and evening color-light shows, you can still catch the water taxi to Chinatown, or take a cruise along the Chicago skyline. There are many things to do in Chicago that are free or low cost. A must do is dine one time on the 95th floor of the Hancock building. I think it is more interesting at night.

[snoylekim]

Early fall is Yellowjacket and Ladybug season .. the YJs will be around until the first hard freeze .. Their appearance is a personal harbinger of Autumn's coming .. Lots of other critters are mellowing out by then . We don't have the variety of insects the tropics have ( e.g. flying roaches, tarantulas ) , but we have enough ( millipedes, earwigs, wasps, hornets, bumble and honey bees, and the ubiquitous balcony spiders) .

[zoobadger]

Unless you're literally riding a horse out in the suburban forest preserves you're unlikely to encounter a horsefly in Chicago.

Traffic should not be underestimated. There are exciting things to do and places to see that you'll rarely explore, because even though they're only 15 or 20 miles away, they might as well be in California unless you're driving there in the middle of the night.

Winter sucks because it seems to go on endlessly. As others have noted, the current extreme cold, while not unprecedented, is not typical. Usually, cold spells only last a few days and some winters have only a few hours of subzero temps. Days with sub-zero highs are rare. But seven to ten consecutive days in mid-winter without the mercury going above freezing is quite ordinary.

In January, daytime highs in the low and mid twenties and night-time temps in the low and mid teens are quite commonplace. But you'll usually get a few days above freezing, and we have relatively mild winters sometimes when it's probably more like a New York winter. But New York would never have a winter like this.

One notable drawback to Chicago is the lack of really exciting and convenient getaways. By car, you can escape to Wisconsin or the beaches of Western Michigan, but to get anyplace really exciting or dramatic, you'll need to fly.

Chicago, on the other hand, is a worthwhile destination in its own right. Museums, restaurants, nightlife, professional sports, the arts, etc. Anything exciting a big city has to offer is abundant and accessible in Chicago.

[sydlee]

Thanks everyone for this helpful input! I have too many memories of stepping on millipedes inside the house and finding flying earwigs clinging to my neck on the island, so that part of Chicago I will not like. Ugh. Makes sense about the horseflies, since I lived right next to farm animals. Happy to know they are not a serious problem in the city itself. As for the traffic, it can't be that bad, right? I mean, it's pretty bad in urban areas of California; I used to drive to work at 5 am in the morning, then get back at 9 pm at night -- all to avoid traffic. As for the cold, I'm definitely getting the message: I'm going to be in over my head. LOL I've experienced low 30s F before in CA and only had on sandals, flimsy pants, a summer top, and a thin jacket. It was cold for me -- and I know Chicago gets much colder. But I understand the concept of layering, wicking, insulation, and whatnot; I'll be better prepared this time around.