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That is pretty debatable, I find them to be pretty similar. In terms of pace of life, I have not noticed a difference between the two, and I am very familiar with both. outside of of NYC, I have not noticed a difference in pace between Chicago and the other Northeast Cities and DC.
I just visited Chicago for the first time last month while living within an hour of DC all my life. I'll have to say that Chicago feels more complete than DC does. As much as I like the Smithsonian, Chicago's museums are just as good, if not better than DC in terms of public viewing, even without the free admission. The Science Museum and Planetatrium I enjoyed more than the Air & Space museum; the zoo has the Lincoln Park location, Chicago's Institute of Art is just as good as the National Gallery of Art, and the Symphony Orchestra/Theater offerings are better in quality. And even though many think of Chicago as mostly a bungalow city, if you're within about four miles of the Loop (up to eight if you're near the Lake), it feels just as urban as Ward 1/Georgetown does in terms of housing, street life, and I enjoyed the variety of housing, from the many small apartment buildings, the occasional high-rise, duplexes, and even some row houses. DC's architecture is good in spots, especially in NW away from the CBD, and has some nice diverse neighborhoods such as Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Capitol Hill, but Chicago has triple the number of "cool" neighborhoods.
Transportation is a draw, though I'd give the edge to Chicago since I felt the CTA covers more ground, plus its easier to navigate around with the grid and State/Madison origin system.
Sports: Chicago has much more passionate fans. I saw many "Go Blackhawks" signs/banners when I was there during the Stanley Cup Finals, and even when the Cubs are in last place, Wrigley Field remains lively more so than if a Florida team was in first place and the Nationals currently in second place. Even as I kid I thought of the Bullets (now Wizards) as a joke compared to the Bulls. The closest draw may be in the NFL, with both the Bears and Redskins having above-average fandom in the league.
DC's best asset is location, being a day's drive from many important cities and destinations, including Chicago. Where else can you get to in 12 hours or less to Boston, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Charleston SC, Savannah, Nashville, Charlotte, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara/Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus? Not to mention the beaches and mountains just a couple hours away?
Dining is a toss-up. DC has better seafood and southern/soul food, while Chicago has better pizza, BBQ, Beef/Steak, and certain ethnic foods. For shopping, DC's suburbs are better than Chicago, which has the better city shopping.
I like both cities about equally, but give the slight edge to Chicago. I'd take their cold winters (and more frequent White Christmases) over DC's muggy summers.
I just visited Chicago for the first time last month while living within an hour of DC all my life. I'll have to say that Chicago feels more complete than DC does. As much as I like the Smithsonian, Chicago's museums are just as good, if not better than DC in terms of public viewing, even without the free admission. The Science Museum and Planetatrium I enjoyed more than the Air & Space museum; the zoo has the Lincoln Park location, Chicago's Institute of Art is just as good as the National Gallery of Art, and the Symphony Orchestra/Theater offerings are better in quality. And even though many think of Chicago as mostly a bungalow city, if you're within about four miles of the Loop (up to eight if you're near the Lake), it feels just as urban as Ward 1/Georgetown does in terms of housing, street life, and I enjoyed the variety of housing, from the many small apartment buildings, the occasional high-rise, duplexes, and even some row houses. DC's architecture is good in spots, especially in NW away from the CBD, and has some nice diverse neighborhoods such as Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Capitol Hill, but Chicago has triple the number of "cool" neighborhoods.
Transportation is a draw, though I'd give the edge to Chicago since I felt the CTA covers more ground, plus its easier to navigate around with the grid and State/Madison origin system.
Sports: Chicago has much more passionate fans. I saw many "Go Blackhawks" signs/banners when I was there during the Stanley Cup Finals, and even when the Cubs are in last place, Wrigley Field remains lively more so than if a Florida team was in first place and the Nationals currently in second place. Even as I kid I thought of the Bullets (now Wizards) as a joke compared to the Bulls. The closest draw may be in the NFL, with both the Bears and Redskins having above-average fandom in the league.
DC's best asset is location, being a day's drive from many important cities and destinations, including Chicago. Where else can you get to in 12 hours or less to Boston, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Charleston SC, Savannah, Nashville, Charlotte, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara/Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus? Not to mention the beaches and mountains just a couple hours away?
Dining is a toss-up. DC has better seafood and southern/soul food, while Chicago has better pizza, BBQ, Beef/Steak, and certain ethnic foods. For shopping, DC's suburbs are better than Chicago, which has the better city shopping.
I like both cities about equally, but give the slight edge to Chicago. I'd take their cold winters (and more frequent White Christmases) over DC's muggy summers.
Wow...you got all that from a visit to Chicago. How long was your visit in Chicago? 6 months?
I just visited Chicago for the first time last month while living within an hour of DC all my life. I'll have to say that Chicago feels more complete than DC does. As much as I like the Smithsonian, Chicago's museums are just as good, if not better than DC in terms of public viewing, even without the free admission. The Science Museum and Planetatrium I enjoyed more than the Air & Space museum; the zoo has the Lincoln Park location, Chicago's Institute of Art is just as good as the National Gallery of Art, and the Symphony Orchestra/Theater offerings are better in quality. And even though many think of Chicago as mostly a bungalow city, if you're within about four miles of the Loop (up to eight if you're near the Lake), it feels just as urban as Ward 1/Georgetown does in terms of housing, street life, and I enjoyed the variety of housing, from the many small apartment buildings, the occasional high-rise, duplexes, and even some row houses. DC's architecture is good in spots, especially in NW away from the CBD, and has some nice diverse neighborhoods such as Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Columbia Heights, and Capitol Hill, but Chicago has triple the number of "cool" neighborhoods.
Transportation is a draw, though I'd give the edge to Chicago since I felt the CTA covers more ground, plus its easier to navigate around with the grid and State/Madison origin system.
Sports: Chicago has much more passionate fans. I saw many "Go Blackhawks" signs/banners when I was there during the Stanley Cup Finals, and even when the Cubs are in last place, Wrigley Field remains lively more so than if a Florida team was in first place and the Nationals currently in second place. Even as I kid I thought of the Bullets (now Wizards) as a joke compared to the Bulls. The closest draw may be in the NFL, with both the Bears and Redskins having above-average fandom in the league.
DC's best asset is location, being a day's drive from many important cities and destinations, including Chicago. Where else can you get to in 12 hours or less to Boston, NYC, Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Atlanta, Charleston SC, Savannah, Nashville, Charlotte, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Niagara/Buffalo, Detroit, Columbus? Not to mention the beaches and mountains just a couple hours away?
Dining is a toss-up. DC has better seafood and southern/soul food, while Chicago has better pizza, BBQ, Beef/Steak, and certain ethnic foods. For shopping, DC's suburbs are better than Chicago, which has the better city shopping.
I like both cities about equally, but give the slight edge to Chicago. I'd take their cold winters (and more frequent White Christmases) over DC's muggy summers.
Good analysis. I would disagree on dining; Chicago is top 3 in the US and has a better diverse dining options. DC has some bright spots though, especially if you move out to towards chesapeake bay.
I agree! DC does better Ethiopian and seafood but Chicago does everything else better. Me and my ex use to argue over who created mambo sauce. They have fake mambo sauce at Harold's.
Again, only in your mind. I actually don't think it's close, and I'm starting to wonder if you've ever been to Chicago.
There are like 5000 traffic studies on the Internet that prove you wrong! Click on your Google machine and take a look at cities with the worst traffic.
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