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I think the reason I was so disapointed was because we actually were looking forward to spending some time there. I have been to Chicago probably hundreds of times, but only as an overnight, airport-hotel stay and never took the time to really explore the city. We always laugh because in DC there are only three US cities that you here people talking about on any given day: DC, NYC, and some more DC! Oh, and Baltimore. But I won't be rude and repeat what I have always heard about them. Everyonce in a great while you'll here about something on the west coast or even Houston. But all throughout my years in DC I never really heard about the Windy City. In fact, I was quite shocked at how big it was! Shows how much I really care. We wanted to like Chicago, we really did, but the whole time we felt like we were in smaller and cheaper version of NYC, with more crime and less things to do. When you are in NYC you feel as if you are in the center of the world, and that everything is at your fingertips. I just didn't get that vibe in Chicago. Of course this works well for some people, and probably fits the midwestern agricultural mind-set quite well. But for us, if we want NYC, we want NYC. We don't want a substitute. That is just our views though. I know that I do not speak for everyone.
I think the reason I was so disapointed was because we actually were looking forward to spending some time there. I have been to Chicago probably hundreds of times, but only as an overnight, airport-hotel stay and never took the time to really explore the city. We always laugh because in DC there are only three US cities that you here people talking about on any given day: DC, NYC, and some more DC! Oh, and Baltimore. But I won't be rude and repeat what I have always heard about them. Everyonce in a great while you'll here about something on the west coast or even Houston. But all throughout my years in DC I never really heard about the Windy City. In fact, I was quite shocked at how big it was! Shows how much I really care. We wanted to like Chicago, we really did, but the whole time we felt like we were in smaller and cheaper version of NYC, with more crime and less things to do. When you are in NYC you feel as if you are in the center of the world, and that everything is at your fingertips. I just didn't get that vibe in Chicago. Of course this works well for some people, and probably fits the midwestern agricultural mind-set quite well. But for us, if we want NYC, we want NYC. We don't want a substitute. That is just our views though. I know that I do not speak for everyone.
Sheeeesh! More comparing NYC to Chicago. When will people ever learn????
I'd like to remind you that you yourself admitted that you barely saw the city. For example, I can't comment on what I think of Phoenix because I only saw the airport too! Go and explore the city of Chicago before you comment on it. There's infinite things to do there...... if your willing to get off your behind and find them!
Absolutely hated Memphis. We made it a point to visit there for my father, who's a huge blues freak. Dirty, run-down, never felt safe the whole time we were there. Beale St was a HUGE disappointment. Had to keep a hand on my wallet the whole time because of all the panhandlers and shifty looking derelicts. Actually on my way out of there by got grabbed and pushed around by a woman slugging a huge bottle of Scope and demanding I give her money. We wanted to visit the music museum, maybe see a game at the beautiful ballpark downtown but Beale St turned us off so much we drove straight outta there.
Memphis seemed like it had real potential to be a beautiful city and a nice place. What happened to you, Memphis?
Wow, did you just come up with that theory? It's so genius. You're brilliant, man. Good work.
As I write this post, i'm debating in my head a good comeback, or something that will make me sound intelligent or somehow make me look better than you...but I realize it's a waste of time. So, I will just say thanks and pretend I don't understand your sarcasm.
Haha, no offense taken! Its good to get those annoyances out, i do it all the time!
I know about the being a typical DC tourist, I was just trying to illustrate a point, especially how here a pet peave is people from muuuuch smaller cities (like DC) from the east coast who come to chicago and are like "surprised" to see chicago cause its in the midwest and as if the midwest isn't sophisticated enough...pllllleeeez...and look for the smalllest thing to critique it.
chicago is f'ing awesome and one hell of a city. The only other city besides nyc iMO that has the biiiig city vibe. (LA, again, is like a giant suburb). Anyway...cheers to our pet peaves!
LA is now suburb of itself??!
Yes, now that does sound like an intelligent claim.
I believe that a a few posts ago you mentioned how you were going to discredit it because the poster didn't have very broad view of Chicago. Mmmmmmm.........Have you been to LA? Just check'n because something doesn't to add up. But hey, we all come from different educational backgrounds right?
I believe that a a few posts ago you mentioned how you were going to discredit it because the poster didn't have very broad view of Chicago. Mmmmmmm.........Have you been to LA? Just check'n because something doesn't to add up. But hey, we all come from different educational backgrounds right?
Wait, remind me why you dislike the midwest and Chicago so much again, given that you were born there?
Disliked Baltimore and DC with a passion. Just too urban, too much crime, thought the people weren't the nicest. I'm biased though as I prefer something rural. Just too much of a culture shock for me I guess. I went with intentions to like it though just because I love politics and history(went with intentions to like DC for that reason should I say)- the good things about those cities IMO just weren't enough to make up for all the bad. Did I mention traffic? Oh my!
Sorry for the confusion that I seemed to have caused. Yes, I have passed through Chicago many, many times in order to rest or catch the next flight out. In the summer of '04 my family and I took a week long vacation to Chicago. It was for buisness, but my employer was able to secure us a room at a very nice hotel across the street from the American Girl Store, and tickets to a few shows. Even though I wouldn't be with the family for a few days, we figured it was worth a nice break since we had never been to Chi-town. This is the trip that I made reference to in the previous post, and thereby have since judged Chicago on since. My fault for not being more acurate. I apologize for my error. It isn't as if we hated Chicago, or even had a bad time. If nothing else the food was good, and we didn't pay "an arm and a leg" for it! I think a large portion of our dislike had to do with the heat index that just seemed to drain the life out of you everywhere we went. I thought DC had been summers. But you have to realize that from a city family from the east coast, there is a certain element in Chicago that just says, "Been there. Done that." I think for the midwest Chicago works great. This is due in large part to the fact that Chicago really has no significant rival within their region. Not to say that St. Louis or Indianapolis aren't great cities, but they just don't "pack the punch" that Chicago tends to. My wife and I have family all over the New York and Boston metros, and we have had some very memorable times and met so many amazing people in cities like NYC, Boston, Philly, DC, and Baltimore. Not to mention our two amazing adventures in London which, IMO, is the only city in the world that is comparable to NYC. There is just something about the "Big Apple", a vibe I guess, that we just didn't feel in Chicago. Maybe it was the fact that NYC never sleeps, or how it really is, again IMO, the economical, social, political, etc. center for the known universe! That is hard one to beat. Even though we live on the west coast now, we are still Easterners at heart and cities like NYC, Boston, and DC will always be home, and always be what we consider to be urban. I'm sure Chicagoans feel the same for their city. All I am trying to say is that we far prefer cities like NYC and Boston over Chicago anyday. I guess that now makes me a snob?, but take your average suburban resident of NJ and they will more than likely tell you the same thing. It's just an east coast thing folks. It is our nature to compare every othe city in the world to our own. Whether that be through SPORTS, economic, crime, etc. that is just simply how the east coast works. You can't have this many large urban cores, this close together, and not expect some rivalry. I think that is why we were so attracted to LA. I have found the LA way of life to be more laid back and slower(all relative), to that of the east coast. Out here they know LA is admired and loved by tens, maybe hundreds of millions the world over and don't relly care what people have to say about them. Again, this is all relative to own's own personal experience and taste and I'm sure Chicago works well for some people, but for us it just didn't fit. The OP asked what cities we were shocked that we disliked. We were indeed shocked with Chicago. I'm sorry if that some how offendes the Chicago residents of this post.
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and pretend I don't understand your sarcasm.
