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Yes, there's plenty to do and see, and you can have a high quality of life there if you don't mind driving a lot.
You actually don't need a car in the city. Almost anywhere you live you have easy access to downtown. So people who work jobs downtown really don't need a car. If you live/work in the suburbs, then a car might be necessary... though there are trains that run from the suburbs to downtown.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dennis Brown
That to me is one of the biggest differences between the Chi and NY. Its much easier to avoid a crime-ridden area in NY than it is in the Windy City
It's actually very easy to avoid a crime-ridden area. Just stick to good neighborhoods.
But maybe you mean that you have to "pass by" bad neighborhoods whenever you're going anywhere. Though this isn't true either. If you're commuting from the north side to downtown you don't pass through any bad neighborhoods. If you're commuting from Hyde Park to the north side you take Lake Shore Drive and it's all beautiful along that stretch.
Only time you "pass by" bad neighborhoods is taking the Red Line through the south side, or driving into the south suburbs.
I'm from NYC and was in Chicago this past year for a long weekend. I really enjoyed my time there. The city seemed beautiful and clean. I'd love to go back but only in the summer. I think the cold is too much for even this cold-jaded New Yorker. It struck me as a mid-west big city. I stayed near the waterfront and it was clean with lots of cool restaurants to choose from. The kind of place I'd visit but probably wouldn't live in mostly due to the cold. But...the architecture is really something to see. Go visit for that alone.
You actually don't need a car in the city. Almost anywhere you live you have easy access to downtown. So people who work jobs downtown really don't need a car. If you live/work in the suburbs, then a car might be necessary... though there are trains that run from the suburbs to downtown.
It's actually very easy to avoid a crime-ridden area. Just stick to good neighborhoods.
But maybe you mean that you have to "pass by" bad neighborhoods whenever you're going anywhere. Though this isn't true either. If you're commuting from the north side to downtown you don't pass through any bad neighborhoods. If you're commuting from Hyde Park to the north side you take Lake Shore Drive and it's all beautiful along that stretch.
Only time you "pass by" bad neighborhoods is taking the Red Line through the south side, or driving into the south suburbs.
Ah ok I gotcha, I been to the city a few times but only in downtown and in the hood (West Side) so my perception was skewed
You actually don't need a car in the city. Almost anywhere you live you have easy access to downtown. So people who work jobs downtown really don't need a car. If you live/work in the suburbs, then a car might be necessary... though there are trains that run from the suburbs to downtown.
You don't NEED one, but it sure isn't as easy to do without as it is here. Of course that's true of basically every other city in the country.
Yes crime is a much bigger concern in Chicago than NY...
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