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I think you have a far better handle on me than Hiruko has. Not that this surprises me. Yes, I am long winded. And, no, I would not be insulted id he stayed away from the threads I start because I am so.
Of course, I say that about him with all respect
You don't seem to understand that I was simply offering some friendly advice. You clearly like to write, so why not write a blog or something (even cross-post here) that you can sign your name to and earn some compensation? Writing this long-form stuff on here, a community board, seems a little strange. Are you seeking validation or something?
I took several courses in journalism in both high school and college. I had a habit of writing restaurant reviews, car reviews, and commentaries on current events and posting them on ****book, to my 400 or so friends. Eventually, I started sending some of the pieces to newspapers and websites, getting a handful published. I realized that Facebook was a limited audience, and nobody was going to pay me, no employers or admissions officials were going to appreciate something I put on ****book. Just like writing on that social media website, this is like writing to nobody, and I don't know why I was responded to in particular when others tried to drop a hint more than a page before me.
You don't seem to understand that I was simply offering some friendly advice. You clearly like to write, so why not write a blog or something (even cross-post here) that you can sign your name to and earn some compensation? Writing this long-form stuff on here, a community board, seems a little strange. Are you seeking validation or something?
I took several courses in journalism in both high school and college. I had a habit of writing restaurant reviews, car reviews, and commentaries on current events and posting them on ****book, to my 400 or so friends. Eventually, I started sending some of the pieces to newspapers and websites, getting a handful published. I realized that Facebook was a limited audience, and nobody was going to pay me, no employers or admissions officials were going to appreciate something I put on ****book. Just like writing on that social media website, this is like writing to nobody, and I don't know why I was responded to in particular when others tried to drop a hint more than a page before me.
As I said...I answered with full respect. As for hints dropped by others, I don’t give a rat’s ass. I know I can be long winded, always have been. That is just me. But that hurts nobody on an internet forum where people don’t have to read what I said. Of course I write what I write with other’s in mind, but what I write is paramontly about the satisfaction it gives me.
If my words are trees and they are chopped down in a forest and nobody is there to hear it, they may not make a sound to others, but they still make a sound to me.
I think OP has some good points and I'm intrigued by Chicago, it's a true big city but the weather, taxes, and crime keep the cost of housing down to a lower point than most cities and you have a really nice place to live along Lake Michigan.
I'm just gonna say it. Boston and San Francisco are not world class. They both have lots of draws, but they're not New York, Chicago or LA. Of those three, Chicago is by far the best deal to be had.
Frankly, it's got the best range too. You can shop till you drop on Michigan, and when you do check into the Ritz, tune into Shameless and understand the entire range of worlds in between.
Where do people get the idea that Chicago is cheaper than other major metros? I don't get it.
Property taxes are sky high, parking is sky high, half the highways are tolled, downtown restaurants have 10.75% sales tax, museums are like $30-40, and there are all kinds of weird fees.
Let's say you take a family of four to the Shedd Aquarium on a Saturday. That's $35 for parking, $150 for admission, the cheapest lunch will be like $70. How is that affordable to working class types?
Chicago only has cheaper housing prices than places like NYC and Bay Area. Everything else is just as expensive. And, property appreciation in Chicagoland is the worst among major metros, so there's a reason housing is cheap(er).
Also, a big reason housing is cheap(er) is because Chicagoland has huge areas where property is almost worthless. Property values in places like Dolton, Harvey, Riverdale are extremely low. The Bay Area doesn't have places like this. If you want a nice, safe community with good schools and services, Chicagoland doesn't have low prices, especially when you figure in taxes.
Tourist find ways to save. A suburbanite should too.
- Parking apps.
- Free museum days (though lines for sure).
- Illinois residents o believe get discounts? Maybe additional free times?
You pick one museum at a time and can spend half the day or more. The rest you do free stuff.
- the lakefront and Parks
- Maggie Daley Park for children (even all ages)
- the Bean seems to draw repeat visitors and you see people from all over the world. To just do people watching.
- Lincoln Park Zoo is FREE.
- Navy Pier is FREE to walk along and inside. Take a sandwich along for everyone.
- a lakefront alone boat ride ..... is not bad in price IMO. Kids love the speedboat and tall-mask ship that is geared to kids.
- the beaches ARE FREE.
You can find fast-food restaurants, food trucks, Chicago-dog places on the cheaper food choices too.
But the thread is basically on LIVING in the city ..... especially the core outward where professionals find it still cheaper then the Coast cities. Even Philly surprised me in cost of living in prime areas core outward. To other gentrifying areas for row-housing.
Chicago offers all the BIG URBAN CITY AMENITIES despite not cheap. But again, family trips you CAN DO CHEAPER if you do not try to do it all one day.
You can
- park and ride on the L .... especially if in the north and Northwest burbs.
- might get lucky parking FREE in the neighborhood. Just may not be cheaper for a family than Parking prudently downtown.
No one says cheaper for tourist in general then other Midwest cities and if you WANT FREE MUSEUMS? YOU GO TO DC and our National Museums. Of course, you have cost to travel, flights, or Amtrak.
Taxes for the day are not hugely different ...as other major cities add their own too. Doing them in Sunbelt cities can mean driving to each in different areas outside the core. But they may offer a parking lot.
I never saw Dallas as an iconic alpha city. Toronto was never an issue....Toronto has earned its cred's. Toronto is not in the US.
If you want to ignore cities in North America that are outside the U.S. but don't support your premise (Toronto and MC), then so be it.
I'm personally not a big fan of Texas cities, but there's no denying that Dallas-Ft.Worth (~2.2 million combined) with a modestly smaller population than Chicago anchoring a modestly smaller metro area in population (~7.5 million), are still hugely important players on the national level and (emerging more and more) on the international level (last time I checked Dallas was listed as the highest-level beta city). Dallas (and Texas, for that matter) absolutely conjure an iconic image of cowboy Americana around the world.
I love Chicago and think it's a great city, but I think it's clear your argument about Chicago being a special metropolis inland and away from the coasts (which isn't exactly true given it's connection via the Great Lakes) making it unique isn't true in North America (see e.g., TO and MC). Given the massive growth in Dallas, and the likelihood that it will reach the same stature as Chicago on the metro level in the near decades, will also make your argument untrue within the U.S.
I just wonder whether these overly ebullient posts aren't really doing Chicago a disservice, as they paint a picture of "everything is peachy keen; nothing is wrong in the Windy City; we are a unique metropolis unto ourselves while maintaining affordability and keeping parity among our peers (which isn't really true)."
I don't know...maybe I'm being to harsh on Chicago or on you...but I just rarely see a post by you that truly acknowledges Chicago has issues and that continuing the status quo won't continue Chicago's dominance over middle America nor will it sustain Chicago's greatness further into the 21st century.
Where do people get the idea that Chicago is cheaper than other major metros? I don't get it.
Property taxes are sky high, parking is sky high, half the highways are tolled, downtown restaurants have 10.75% sales tax, museums are like $30-40, and there are all kinds of weird fees.
Let's say you take a family of four to the Shedd Aquarium on a Saturday. That's $35 for parking, $150 for admission, the cheapest lunch will be like $70. How is that affordable to working class types?
Chicago only has cheaper housing prices than places like NYC and Bay Area. Everything else is just as expensive. And, property appreciation in Chicagoland is the worst among major metros, so there's a reason housing is cheap(er).
Also, a big reason housing is cheap(er) is because Chicagoland has huge areas where property is almost worthless. Property values in places like Dolton, Harvey, Riverdale are extremely low. The Bay Area doesn't have places like this. If you want a nice, safe community with good schools and services, Chicagoland doesn't have low prices, especially when you figure in taxes.
You are cherry picking. Any noteworthy COL calculator/article (Forbes, etc.) has Chicago toward the top because of the barrier to entry to owning a home is lower here. That is the primary reason. Home appreciation does not have to factor in for such comparisons. If you are even remotely familiar with COL/housing/jobs in the Bay area or Boston, we should not be having this discussion.
Keep in mind that a visit to the Shedd is now often defrayed by many local public libraries/educational institutions offering free passes. And you can park on the street for a lot less by the planetarium. Bring along a lunch.
The only parking by the Shedd is city-owned parking, and there are no app discounts. You have to pay whatever the city charges (and if there's an event at Soldier Field, it could be $50). A family with little ones isn't gonna walk two miles through the rain or snow with toddlers to save $10 on parking. And don't say "take the train!", putting aside the fact I'm not on a train line, there are no stops right by Shedd.
Free museum days are like once a month and on weekdays. Useless for working people. Shedd costs $40 for general admission!
There are no discounts for Illinois residents.
None of these places are free. Again, you need parking, which will be at least $25. You have to pay tolls, fight congestion, find parking, and then you have your "free" park. You do realize that parks are free all throughout the world, right? They don't charge for Central Park or Hyde Park either.
No. In museums, there are no "fast food restaurants". You have to eat in the facility, which means overpriced food. You aren't gonna take hungry toddlers outside to hunt for a random food truck.
But the vast majority of people who live in Chicago aren't in the city. 10 million in metro, only 2.7 million in city. My experiences are typical. Chicago isn't cheaper than other places. And living downtown isn't "cheaper" than the coastal cities when you have sky high sales taxes and fees on everything.
Yes, Chicago has great big city amenities. My point is it isn't cheaper than other metros. You aren't "saving money". It isn't some "great deal". Yes, the housing prices are lower, but that's a bad thing if you're a homeowner. It means less family wealth accumulation.
There's no L to 99% of the suburbs, no L by Shedd, and you need a city permit for the vast majority of on-street parking, so not an option.
Wow.... you walk in the city for fast-food restaurants. Tourist WALK ALL THE TIME.
- Apps give parking thru the core. You might get a fringe area near or in the South Loop. But that is close to the Museum Campus. You WALK or CTA bus.
- again most involves walking. Navy Pier IS FREE TO GET IN AND ...... WALK. I do not think they confiscate a sandwich taken in. There is a Children museum. Not sure of cost.
- downtown Arks are free.
Lincoln Park is free. CTA from downtown like Clarks St bus takes you there. You can get to the beach.
- end or start of N' Michigan Ave is Oak St Beach and Bu Navy Pier Ohio St beach.
- The Museum of Science and Industry has a parking lot. Not sure of cost .... but has one.
- you go on line for IDEAS.
- EVEN YOUTUBE VIDEOS LIKE BLOGS GIVE IDEAS FOR MORE CHEAP.
You want SUPER CONVIENIENCE with everything right there at each museum. Still most tourist walk a lot, strollers bad all.
I've read of Illinois museum discounts, days or pied discounts. You can do the research.
But here is a link how The state General Assembly mandates 52-free days for Illinois residents.
you get what you pay for in Chicago... yes you can live there affordably but if you're raising a family, you pretty much are limited to certain very expensive parts of town, unless you have an absolute crapload of money to pay for private schools.
Same with the "real city experience" yeah you can live cheaply in Bridgeport or some other far flung area near one EL line but if you want the NYC or SF style city experience you need to live in one of like 4 neighborhoods and then you're paying a crapload. Yes property prices are cheaper but thats because we have some of the highest property taxes in the entire nation, nearing 2% of your AV every year is practically criminal! I know its even higher in the suburbs...
I have to LOL at the guy who says you can go shopping on michigan ave till you drop... LOL seriously who does that that is a local... yay 11% sales tax! I can shop naked in my own home if I feel like it, I don't have to get hassled by panhandlers, get stuck behind stupid tourists, and I sure as hell don't have to bother with that ridiculous sales tax
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