What I LOVE About Chicago (living, moving to, area)

[jdiddy]

Originally Posted by OrangeAndBlue

I love many of the things that have generally already been said. In my view, it's one of only a very small number of US cities that offer a true urban experience (size, density, public transit, walkability, diversity, nightlife, culture, etc.) but at a much lower cost of living, so I can actually afford to live in a decent home in a nice part of town. I also love the lakefront location with its parks and beaches and being centrally located in the country means that it's fairly easy to get just about anywhere relatively easily for a getaway. I like that we have four seasons, and while winter can be brutal at times, I think it is because of the long winters that the warmer seasons are so much more enjoyable, because everyone takes full advantage of these times of the year and the city offers a lot to do then.

Food: I love the food here, but I belong to the camp that isn't a huge fan of the typical types of food that most people consider Chicago food (deep dish, hot dogs, italian beef, generally cheesy and greasy heavy stuff). That is only one type of food available here, and fantastic stuff can be found all over the city - from the the very upscale to the very cheap. Many of the best places just don't usually find their way onto a tourist map and are generally not in the vicinity of North Michigan Avenue.

What you said, except I love chicago-style hot dogs and italian beefs.

This is a beautiful city with so many cultural offerings, while still being affordable enough that you can enjoy them without being a hedge fund manager.

[MannheimMadman]

To further expand on the issue of food, I think that beyond the traditional "hot dog, beef, burger" sort of thing, Chicago also has a lot of amazing ethnic food. I am so thankful to be able to walk to a Persian, Lebanese, or any type of middle eastern eatery.

If that is what someone means by great Chicago food, I definitely agree. No joke, I think some of the best Dim Sum I've ever had has been in our Chinatown.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by verobeach

Yeah, I hate hotdogs, go figure. And award-winning if you're from Nebraska and you're tired of the nightly dish of meat, potatoes and peas.

Chicago's restaurants are very highly acclaimed, even laying claim to having the the "best restaurant in the country".

[Drover]

Originally Posted by verobeach

Yeah, I hate hotdogs, go figure. And award-winning if you're from Nebraska and you're tired of the nightly dish of meat, potatoes and peas. All I know is there were times when I couldn't find my food under the blanket of cheese and famous, raved about seafood houses like Shaws would put 4 rubbery shrimp atop some pasta and call it scampi. Love Chicago but the food... not so much.

So you based your opinion of Chicago cuisine on Shaw's? There's your problem right there. Might as well declare New York cuisine sucks based on Tavern on the Green. Or maybe Sbarro.

[MoItaly]

Maybe there was a misunderstanding...when I talked about Chicago food I really did not even think about pizza (I am Italian, lived there most of my life so with all due respect I am equally unimpressed by both CHI and NY pizza) or hot dog.
I had great Italian food (real Italian, not frigging Chicken Piccata or Veal Marsala stuff who are not Italian) in Chicago, accompanied by wine ranging from good to very good at prices that would be considered "recession offers" in South Florida where I live.

Even not so celebrated (and very loud on week-ends) places like Quartino offer Italian dishes that you just don't find in most of Italian restaurant in SoFla, not even if you fork 150 bucks for a dinner for two in Palm Beach.

Pub food is also more varied and cheaper than in SoFla (beer prices are similar, but the crowd in Chicago during a sport game is worthy to watch...a show on its own..).

I don't know...maybe I just got lucky and had wonderful experiences in Chicago. I know that if I had to move for work, Chicago would be on the top of my list for many reasons.

[zoelookintomove]

Hi there!

I am contemplating moving to Chicago after being in NYC for 15 years. I am nervous. What I love about NYC is the convenience; you never need a car and the subways run all the time 24 hours. I dont understand some of the posts when people are saying how the EL "runs through the ghetto". In NYC the subway runs through all kinds of "ghetto" neighborhoods, but everyone of every type of person ride the subway so it doesnt make it more or less dangerous. Can someone explain? I would love a better quality of life and I think and hope Chicago could have that.

[jenniferashley99]

I love the theatre and used-bookstores
I love the record stores
I love the fact of not owning a car
I love the energy in the city
I love China-town
I love the thrift stores
I love the parks
I love all the cute eye candy guys
I love the library downtown
I love the museums
I love how if you're single, there's all these clubs to join to meet people
I love Chicago!!

[UICJohn]

I love...

Volleyball at North Avenue Beach
Bike rides along Lake Michigan
Fireworks at Navy Pier every Wednesday and Saturday
Chicago Style deep dish pizza
A Portillo's Itailian Beef with hot peppers
Concerts at Northerly Island
Outdoor beer gardens
Crusing down Lakeshore Drive
Sightseeing
The Chicago Architectural Tour
The Chicago Historical Society
Summer Street Festivals
Zoolights at Lincoln Park Zoo in the winter
Ice Skating at Millenium Park
Chicago Bears, Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks
Hot Dogs - with peppers, onions, mustard, neon green relish, a pickle spear, celery salt, and tomato
Hot Dog stands that won't serve you for asking for ketchup on your dog
Oak Street Beach
Four Seasons
Greektown, Little Italy, Chinatown, etc.
Winter (yes, make fun of me)

[Chi-town Native]

on the food thing, I finally got around to checking out grubhub.com.

and holy moses - I cannot believe all the places that deliver to me, I never would have guessed.

while I"m not likely to use grubhub all the time (to save delivery & tip I will usually just pick it up myself via bike or car), the diversity of offergins was amazing, just amazing...

[MannheimMadman]

Man, I forgot how much of a trainwreck this thread was.

I love enough about Chicago that :

-being burglarized

- having my car broken into twice

- roaches (although, no longer)

- having to park 2 blocks away from my apartment

have not made me even remotely consider leaving. The food, the vibe and so many other things make me love it so much.