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From what I hear on the news and internet, Chicago is being overwhelmed with urban youth violence and gang violence, is it really an unsafe city to visit?
From what I hear on the news and internet, Chicago is being overwhelmed with urban youth violence and gang violence, is it really an unsafe city to visit?
Like many large cities today Chicago is no more or less safe than any large tourist destination in the US, however, crime does exist here, but overwhelmed, no I don't think so, but I do live here. Chicago's seventy-seven distinct neighborhoods can change quickly from one to another but crime does not occur equally among these areas. Don't be afraid to use your good judgement just as you would in your own corner of the world, stay in well populated areas, and turn around immediately if you feel the least bit uncomfortable.
I have lived in Chicago my entire life and short of having grafitti painted on my recycling bin I have not experienced anything violent or criminal. Having said that, the fact that I have been here my entire life tells you that I will know better than a tourist what areas to avoid, which streets and thoroughfares are well lit and safe and even which times of day to travel to and/or from an area to avoid traffic congestion.
And although Chicago is definitely a world class alpha city I think we can all agree that we much prefer safety first.
From what I hear on the news and internet, Chicago is being overwhelmed with urban youth violence and gang violence, is it really an unsafe city to visit?
Chicago is actually very safe. Most of the violence/major crime you hear on the news is basically 5+ miles away from most of the areas you would be visiting as a tourist to the city, and they don't spill into the tourist areas (every once in awhile something happens, but not usually...some youth "flash mobs" happened and some people got hurt, but actually most of the "flash mob" action is running into a store and taking off running with tons of merchandise. The mugging of people that's happened a few times is actually secondary to the shoplifting.).
This is no different than a lot of cities in the world though. I live in "downtown" Chicago and barely ever see any real crimes happening. Most of the crimes I see happening are public drunkiness, jay walking, every once in awhile someone peeing in an alley way near a bar, or my neighbours every once in awhile smoking pot, etc. It pretty much depends on where you live, but realistically as a tourist, it's extremely safe to visit. No more dangerous than NYC, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, etc. Actually I'd say safer than a few cities because in some cities like San Francisco it's possible to accidentally step foot into a shady neighborhood. In Chicago you'd have to walk for *quite* a ways for that to happen.
To me, NYC feels like an international city. For a city that's purely American see Chicago. NYC belongs to the world, Chicago is pure Americana.
And I someone from the Boston area, who now lives in Orlando, we do have a soul. You just have to get away from the theme parks. Central Fl is more than Disney World and Universal
Having never been to the country I wouldn't know where to start but I would (if given a choice) go to Seattle cos I think they do football the way we do there! (Sounders) :-)
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