My Visit of Chicago (Lincoln, Diamond: job market, neighborhoods, theater)

[PDXNative2Houston]

This was a great city! Being from Houston it was nice to be able to take some public transit, be able to actually walk to stores/restaurants and get to a lot of places on foot.

We stayed near Millenium Park but had friends in Lincoln Park whom we visited quite a bit. Lincoln Park seemed like a very unique, "accessible" neighborhood...great for the younger crowd and very diverse. It reminded me a *lot* of downtown Portland, OR. Beautiful water front views were to be had from all near the Lake Shore. I was quite surprised at how clean the air felt and that we could actually drink the tap water (try that in Houston and you might turn green)...

Food was awesome *but* heavy. I have no doubt that I'd put on quite the belly if I had Giodarno's around every corner People wise...the city seemed really friendly. I don't know if that was just because it was the weekend or what, but people really talk to you here. It's not the fake west coast talk and it's not stern NY either.

Overall it seemed like a great place. Would love to live there if there was high-enough paying jobs that we could maintain our lifestyle that we have in Houston. We noticed when driving through the suburbs and housing prices that you don't get quite the "bang for your buck" like you would down here but hey....desirable cities tend to be more expensive.

[ServoMiff]

I seriously have an infatuation with Chicago. I spent a lot of time there when I lived in Indianapolis, met lots of great people (and yes, they are quite likely the friendliest major metro in the entire country), and it has a wonderful live music and theater scene (I prefer the comedic variety of "theater", like Second City over the stuff in SF that I've experienced, and the music is very gritty midwestern rock which I really dig - lots of great bands are from or currently reside there), fantastic food and pretty darn good public transportation, relatively speaking. I love the various ethnic restaurants (Ethiopian Diamond and Hema's Kitchen are 2 faves)

The only reason I can't live in Chicago is the winter weather. I tried job hunting a number of years back and that seemed a bit difficult, as it seems as the economy of Chicago has suffered a bit with a combo of the recession and corrupt government that has plagued the area. Question for the locals - How is the job market now relative to 2008? I live in San Francisco now, and it's kinda tough to imagine being part of the rat race forever. I have never felt that type of personality in Chicago - it's a very hard working mix of blue and white collar town, but they also play hard too - that's not the case at all in SF, it's just workworkwork for the most part.

[flamadiddle]

Glad you enjoyed your stay. Yeah, cold Lake Michigan water is some of the best water I've ever had. You have to alternate between pizza, beef sammiches, polish sausage, Ribs, Steak, Chicago hot dogs and then wash it all down with plenty of beer. Think Superfans, lol.

https://screen.yahoo.com/bill-swersk...000000191.html

[marothisu]

Originally Posted by PDXNative2Houston

This was a great city! Being from Houston it was nice to be able to take some public transit, be able to actually walk to stores/restaurants and get to a lot of places on foot.

We stayed near Millenium Park but had friends in Lincoln Park whom we visited quite a bit. Lincoln Park seemed like a very unique, "accessible" neighborhood...great for the younger crowd and very diverse. It reminded me a *lot* of downtown Portland, OR. Beautiful water front views were to be had from all near the Lake Shore. I was quite surprised at how clean the air felt and that we could actually drink the tap water (try that in Houston and you might turn green)...

Food was awesome *but* heavy. I have no doubt that I'd put on quite the belly if I had Giodarno's around every corner People wise...the city seemed really friendly. I don't know if that was just because it was the weekend or what, but people really talk to you here. It's not the fake west coast talk and it's not stern NY either.

Overall it seemed like a great place. Would love to live there if there was high-enough paying jobs that we could maintain our lifestyle that we have in Houston. We noticed when driving through the suburbs and housing prices that you don't get quite the "bang for your buck" like you would down here but hey....desirable cities tend to be more expensive.

Thanks for the write up. Just so you know, most locals don't really eat deep dish that much. The only time I ever eat it is when someone visits from out of town and really wants it. There's a thin crust Chicago style that is what normal people eat in the city (as well as more Italian style, and some NY style too). Chicago also is a diverse city - many Mexicans, Indians, Puerto Ricans, etc etc etc. Foods like Japanese, Mediterranean, Thai, etc are very popular in the trendier neighborhoods - not hot dogs and pizza and when it's pizza, it's usually not deep dish that's popular in those areas. Chicago is as diverse a food city as you'll find in the country (NYC is more diverse but not by tons). The whole "pizza! hot dogs! italian beef!" has truth to it, but it's kind of old. There's a reason why The James Beard Awards were in Chicago this year (and the next 3 years) and why Chicago is only one of 3 cities in the US with a Michelin guide (the others are NYC and San Francisco).

[chet everett]

Originally Posted by marothisu

Thanks for the write up. Just so you know, most locals don't really eat deep dish that much. The only time I ever eat it is when someone visits from out of town and really wants it. There's a thin crust Chicago style that is what normal people eat in the city (as well as more Italian style, and some NY style too). Chicago also is a diverse city - many Mexicans, Indians, Puerto Ricans, etc etc etc. Foods like Japanese, Mediterranean, Thai, etc are very popular in the trendier neighborhoods - not hot dogs and pizza and when it's pizza, it's usually not deep dish that's popular in those areas. Chicago is as diverse a food city as you'll find in the country (NYC is more diverse but not by tons). The whole "pizza! hot dogs! italian beef!" has truth to it, but it's kind of old. There's a reason why The James Beard Awards were in Chicago this year (and the next 3 years) and why Chicago is only one of 3 cities in the US with a Michelin guide (the others are NYC and San Francisco).

I enjoyed a delicious Lou Malnatti's deep dish last night during the successful Game 6 of the Stanley Cup. There must have been a couple of dozen people picking up deep dish pizzas when I was, as well as untold hundreds getting deliveries, all watching the game. It is kind of a "special occaision pizza" more than a day-in-day-out pizza, but Maro was probably "chillin" at some effected bar that refused to tune into the game.

Maro is NOT FROM AROUND THESE PARTS! If he really believes that locals aren't into deep dish. I don't disagree that thin crust far outsells deep dish on a day-to-day basis, but places like Lou Malnattis, Giordanos/Connies, Nancy's, Edwardos and dozens of less known places make a FORTUNE selling deep dish to NATIVES not "tourists!

Natives Chicagoans clearly LIKE ALL KINDS OF FOOD, from all kinds of cultures but to deny the success of deep dish pizza in Chicago is to arrogantly suggest that there some kind of ruse being perpetrated and THAT IS NOT AT ALL TRUE!

[baileyvpotter]

^^^agree. Actually I have a taste for an Italian Beef right now. Also here is a link that shows how
many Giordano's and Lou Malnati's there are throughout Chicagoland for all the non-natives.

Delivery & Dine In Pizza Places in Chicago

https://giordanos.com/our-locations/chicago/

[4122]

I've lived in Chicago all of my life and I don't like deep dish pizza. The only deep dish I can eat is from Pizzeria Uno or Pizzeria Due.

[Vlajos]

Originally Posted by PDXNative2Houston

This was a great city! Being from Houston it was nice to be able to take some public transit, be able to actually walk to stores/restaurants and get to a lot of places on foot.

We stayed near Millenium Park but had friends in Lincoln Park whom we visited quite a bit. Lincoln Park seemed like a very unique, "accessible" neighborhood...great for the younger crowd and very diverse. It reminded me a *lot* of downtown Portland, OR. Beautiful water front views were to be had from all near the Lake Shore. I was quite surprised at how clean the air felt and that we could actually drink the tap water (try that in Houston and you might turn green)...

Food was awesome *but* heavy. I have no doubt that I'd put on quite the belly if I had Giodarno's around every corner People wise...the city seemed really friendly. I don't know if that was just because it was the weekend or what, but people really talk to you here. It's not the fake west coast talk and it's not stern NY either.

Overall it seemed like a great place. Would love to live there if there was high-enough paying jobs that we could maintain our lifestyle that we have in Houston. We noticed when driving through the suburbs and housing prices that you don't get quite the "bang for your buck" like you would down here but hey....desirable cities tend to be more expensive.

Thanks for posting, glad you enjoyed your visit!

[marothisu]

Chet, I said "not that much", not "NEVER" - big difference. The stereotype is that a lot of people in Chicago eat hot dogs, italian beef, and deep dish pizza every chance you can get. My message was that, on average, not that true. People eat it, but not all the time like the stereotype is. I like deep dish (though not as much as some other styles). My favorite is Lou Malnati's and Pequod's is pretty good too.

As far as the Blackhawks go - I've been watching all season. I grew up playing tons of sports and still watch them, especially the NHL, NFL, and NBA/NCAA. However, I don't like watching around obnoxious fans and if I had the option of choosing between a really annoying Wrigleyville bar and with friends at home, I'd pick with friends at home. There's only so much you can tell about someone's real self from an internet forum.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by chet everett

Maro is NOT FROM AROUND THESE PARTS! If he really believes that locals aren't into deep dish. I don't disagree that thin crust far outsells deep dish on a day-to-day basis, but places like Lou Malnattis, Giordanos/Connies, Nancy's, Edwardos and dozens of less known places make a FORTUNE selling deep dish to NATIVES not "tourists!

Maybe not so much Edwardo's -- they're down to three locations. Too bad, they were my second-favorite favorite of the regional big hitters behind Nancy's.