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Chicago shopping is compatible to New York shopping. Perhaps anyone who thinks not did not get a chance to visit the down town area which has stores compatible and Orland Park or other suburban stores. There is no shortage of anything nice in Chicago. It is unfortunate that the projects which more or less had contained crime were torn down for the property and the people were encouraged to move to the suburbs, but set up house keeping in the working class Black neighborhoods. Hence working people are victimized more and the city now owns the Crime capital title.
It's not really about pace, it's about the mood and demeanor and vibe of the city. Yeah, Chicago is faster paced than other Midwest cities (a byproduct of its sheer size), but it's still distinctly Midwest, and the people to ME are more similar to their counterparts in St. Louis, Cleveland, Detroit, etc than they are to people in NYC and Boston and Philly. Period. This is my opinion. I'm not really sure why some find it offensive to say Chicago feels like the Midwest. It is the Midwest. "If you plop Chicago on the East Coast it wouldn't be out of place" is irrelevant, since A) that will never happen; and B) the same could be said for several other Midwestern cities certain ways. Yes, Chicago is bigger than Philly. Yes, it has a vibrant urban core and lots of cool stuff happening. Philly feels more East Coast because it is more East Coast, and it has that edge that Chicago doesn't. I can't explain it, it's just a feeling. I echo what cpomp said-- there is not a single city in the USA that compares favorably to New York City with regard to urban experience, abundance and overall energy, and that is because New York City is so much bigger than any other US city. Period.
Exactly what I meant to say with Chicago being a "big small town". The people in Chicago just aren't very hip. They don't know about style etc. Only NYC, LA and SF (maybe Boston) can be said to be (somewhat) sophisticated cities. While they aren't London, they're at least closer to it than Chicago ever could be.
P.S. I was a bit disappointed when I first visited Chicago. I thought it would be like NYC, just a tad smaller. But as has been mentioned already, it's a decent city in its own right. I would rank it ahead of anything except NYC, LA, SF and Toronto in North America.
Chicago shopping is compatible to New York shopping. Perhaps anyone who thinks not did not get a chance to visit the down town area which has stores compatible and Orland Park or other suburban stores. There is no shortage of anything nice in Chicago. It is unfortunate that the projects which more or less had contained crime were torn down for the property and the people were encouraged to move to the suburbs, but set up house keeping in the working class Black neighborhoods. Hence working people are victimized more and the city now owns the Crime capital title.
Not the same.... Chicago is comparable** to all the other major shopping areas in the country, DC, San Fran, KoP, Houston, etc. New York City is on a different level when it comes to fashion. It is clear that you are and another poster are not reading what I am typing. There is an element of fashion (and yes retailers) that only exists in NYC, London, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, and a few others. Chicago is not on that list. I never said shopping in Chicago was bad, but its not NYC. I could name dozens of designers, (many you have probably never heard of) and brands that are headquartered or have North American offices in NYC, that doesn't exist in any other American city, get over it.
Exactly what I meant to say with Chicago being a "big small town". The people in Chicago just aren't very hip. They don't know about style etc. Only NYC, LA and SF (maybe Boston) can be said to be (somewhat) sophisticated cities. While they aren't London, they're at least closer to it than Chicago ever could be.
P.S. I was a bit disappointed when I first visited Chicago. I thought it would be like NYC, just a tad smaller. But as has been mentioned already, it's a decent city in its own right. I would rank it ahead of anything except NYC, LA, SF and Toronto in North America.
You're trying too hard...your insecurity is showing. You can't brand an entire city of people, much as you're wanting to.
Chicago shopping is compatible to New York shopping. Perhaps anyone who thinks not did not get a chance to visit the down town area which has stores compatible and Orland Park or other suburban stores. There is no shortage of anything nice in Chicago. It is unfortunate that the projects which more or less had contained crime were torn down for the property and the people were encouraged to move to the suburbs, but set up house keeping in the working class Black neighborhoods. Hence working people are victimized more and the city now owns the Crime capital title.
Chicago gets the attention for its crime lately but there are many cities that are worse so it's not quite crime capital as popular belief leads us to think
Can't beat Chicago in the summer. Fewer days with painful heat + humiidty, great restaurants, bars, comedy clubs, bikinis on the beaches, Wrigley Field, all within walking/short Uber ride distance.
Chicago gets the attention for its crime lately but there are many cities that are worse so it's not quite crime capital as popular belief leads us to think
Very true. Detroit, St. Louis, Miami, Baltimore, New Orleans, Memphis, Milwaukee, DC, and Cleveland are by far more dangerous.
There isn't anything in the Midwest, that is like the East Coast. And there should not be. What I mean by this, is that people need to come to terms with the reality of what the Midwest truly is. There are aspects of it that is fast paced, like the East Coast. But it will never be the East Coast. And there are aspects of it that are more like the West Coast, but it will never be the West Coast. And if you go to the Southern part of it, St. Louis, Kentucky, Kansas, etc there are Southern aspects to it, but it isn't Southern either.
The Midwest is a little bit of everything. That is not to say that it is without an identity. But it is to say that you can't adapt the identity of something else and apply it to the Midwest. Take the Midwest out of the box. Stop marginalizing, and oversimplifying, the Midwest. If it is not for you, then so be it. But take it for what it is.
You have fashion obsessed, art and culture obsessed, fast talking, shifty, shady, etc in the Midwest, some even a greater extent than you would find on the Coasts that definitely do not fit the Midwestern stereotype. But that honestly says nothing about the area. Just like you'll find academics, liberal, etc something for everyone. I'm really not sure why these stereotypes about the Midwest persist when the area is as varied as it is. It could be that people are ignorant to the institutions there.
There isn't anything in the Midwest, that is like the East Coast. And there should not be. What I mean by this, is that people need to come to terms with the reality of what the Midwest truly is. There are aspects of it that is fast paced, like the East Coast. But it will never be the East Coast. And there are aspects of it that are more like the West Coast, but it will never be the West Coast. And if you go to the Southern part of it, St. Louis, Kentucky, Kansas, etc there are Southern aspects to it, but it isn't Southern either.
The Midwest is a little bit of everything. That is not to say that it is without an identity. But it is to say that you can't adapt the identity of something else and apply it to the Midwest. Take the Midwest out of the box. Stop marginalizing, and oversimplifying, the Midwest. If it is not for you, then so be it. But take it for what it is.
You have fashion obsessed, art and culture obsessed, fast talking, shifty, shady, etc in the Midwest, some even a greater extent than you would find on the Coasts that definitely do not fit the Midwestern stereotype. But that honestly says nothing about the area. Just like you'll find academics, liberal, etc something for everyone. I'm really not sure why these stereotypes about the Midwest persist when the area is as varied as it is. It could be that people are ignorant to the institutions there.
Well said. I've lived in 9 countries and always will return home to the Midwest. I was once on a beach in Thailand with a bunch of East Coast people and they were astounded I'd plan to return to the Midwest. None of them had been west of Pittsburgh. I find it quite amusing.
The Midwest is vast, complicated and very diverse from one state/city to the next. Chicago is the de facto capital of the region and fully reflects the varied and diverse nature of the Midwest. Anyone trying to pigeonhole either the city or region is an utter fool.
Can't beat Chicago in the summer. Fewer days with painful heat + humiidty, great restaurants, bars, comedy clubs, bikinis on the beaches, Wrigley Field, all within walking/short Uber ride distance.
New York has all of that, and the summer weather is very comfortable once it's night time
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