Tired of NYC - Move to Chicago? (Washington, Manhattan: live, airports)

[grapico]

Originally Posted by CarolinaBredChicagoan

Yeppers. And the "seriously world traveled" person who resurrected it has trouble with homonyms. Let's master "fare" vs "fair" and "click" vs "clique", then get to work on that migration commentary.

Yeah I don't find any of their statements true. Possibly if they are in the suburbs it is like that but not in the city. That kind of stuff can be said of any suburb though...

[rosebud17]

In the next year or so i am getting ready to move to chicago i was there last spring and it caught my eye having lived on the east coast my whole life if pathetic virginia that it is one of americas most beutiful citys. Not saying other citys are not aswell but it has cheap as hell realstate and i felt out of many places i have been to i never had the sudden streak of relaxsation like i got when i
was there. I would never live in new york if you paid me the city its self even with all of the media does not do much for me chicago on the other hand is a city i can get more used to quicker than any other place without all of the confusion and hostility of a city like new york. I am really looking forward to moving there in it is not just chicago i think all of the midwest is beutiful and very under rated when it does not have to be.

[chicago103]

Originally Posted by NYC2Chicago

I'm afraid I've been brainwashed by all the New Yorkers though to think Chicago is "uncultured" and there is nothing to do there and everyone is a crazy conservative but I think I need to get out of Manhattan......

I absolutely love the "crazy conservative" part considering that Obama is from Chicago (I assume these people know that?!) and that NYC produced Rudy Guiliani. That in the past three election cycles Chicago has voted more for Democratic Presidential candidates than NYC, with Democrats winning all 50 wards in Chicago all three times (2000, 2004, 2008) whereas in NYC an entire borough, Staten Island went for Bush in 2004 and McCain in 2008, as much as people in Manhattan don't consider SI to be true NYC it is undeniably within city limits.

True there are a lot of people in the bungalow belt on the far northwest, southeast and southwest sides of the city that have a lot of conservative views even if they are majority democrat but the same can be said of cops and firemen with thick NYC accents that live in outer Queens or Staten Island. Not all 8 million plus people in NYC are like those in the upper income bubbles of Manhattan.

[Larry Siegel]

I don't know if you and your partner will be able to make the same amount of money in Chicago that you can in New York. However, if you can make $500,000 a year, you can live *extremely* well - that is about double the median income in my neighborhood (east Wilmette, which is about the tenth highest income suburb). You will find Chicago to be surprisingly affordable.

As far as I know, gay people live everywhere on the north side of the city east of Western, plus downtown, the near South and near West Sides, Evanston, and Oak Park. I might avoid some of the most conservative working-class areas, but you're not going to be living there anyway (any more than you are going to be living on Staten Island). If you have to live in a "gay village" then Boystown (overcrowded, especially if you have a car) and Andersonville (lovely but small) are the top choices.

I do find it necessary to visit NYC once in a while, and you will do. It's just different, and frankly, if you're a party animal or simply have to go out every night, there's more in NYC to do. Good luck.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by DC's Finest

What downfall? I hate it when people say Manhattan or SF is not affordable. By whose standards? I hear the same argument about Chicago from Midwestern hicks. Don't knock it, if you can't afford it. BTW, everyone in Manhattan is not rich. People have been making it in Manhattan without the $100,000 salaries.

Well, maybe north of 96th Street they are - or maybe they have lots of roommates. When I applied for my *studio* apartment in southern Manhattan, I needed to demonstrate an income of $132,000 or more in order to get it.

[Larry Siegel]

Originally Posted by Libertine

The way I see Chicago (vs. New York) is that the average (maybe more middle class) Chicagoan will go grab breakfast at a smaller but friendly Midwestern breakfast shop or cafe, then take a walk through the park and into the zoo or Conservatory, go to the beach (or the Cubs game) and have a beer or two, relax and take in the sun and stare at the beautiful architecture that surrounds you, then grab some deep dish pizza, hop on the train to downtown and catch a free concern in Millennium Park, stroll down State Street to the Theater District, catch a show, and head on over to a piano and cigar lounge in River North.

That's a long day :-)

[Haley Wood]

Originally Posted by Larry Siegel

That's a long day :-)

And the writer forgot the rainbows overhead, blue skies, and singing birds, too

[nJohn]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

The CSO, Lyric Opera, and Joffrey Ballet are world-class institutions, and only a very well-trained student of music or ballet could notice a drop in the talent level from what you would expect in NYC.

There isn't much of a drop, if any, between the respective symphonies and operas, but ABT and NYBC are 'better' in terms of technicality and repertoire. Since the company's move from NYC to Chicago, Joffrey has done well and is nothing to be ashamed of.

[chitownperson]

Being as I am active in both the Chicago and NYC art scene I'll give my 2cent on the different. Chicago does have an active art scene, but it's much smaller compared to NY's scene... there really is no comparison. There are a small number on institutions in Chi that deal with significant contemporary art, the MCA, the Ren., etc... but they attract a very small amount of significant international shows and artists compared to NYC. Another difference is institutions like the MCA etc... champion the same handful of local artists, making it very hard of the huge number of artists coming out of the local art programs to gain any significant amount of critical attention. The plus side to this is that Chicago has developed a lot of alternative artist run spaces to compensate for the lack of good exhibition opportunities. The major down side is, Chicago's international reputation as a producer of serious art is hugely deminished because nobody from out side of Chicago or the US gets to see what goes on here... which means else people (curators, collectors, artists) are attracted to this place for art compared to NY. NY has much more opportunity for artists to be seen, and to be seen from out side of the US, but the only advantage Chi has over NY is that it's much more affordable to live, have a studio and have time to make work for the average artist. All in all, Chicago is number 3 in the US, being 3rd to LA (2) and NY being number 1. The gaps in scale between the 3 cities art scene is very large. Art Chicago (art fair) and the Next fair (the 2 main art fairs here) were very weak this year, and have been for the previous few years... it could be a sign of the economy. Good art can been found here but it is not really considered a large international art city by international standards.

But you can find a mean rack of ribs here.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by NYC2Chicago

I've lived in NYC for three years now and love it but it is crazy expensive here. My partner and I made about 500k this year but believe me it doesn't seem like that much in Manhattan - we live in a run down 1bd 5th floor walkup - a new apt building down the street is selling for $1800/sq foot.....I don't want to work my whole life just to be able to buy a 2 bedroom apartment on the UES and am not in finance and don't want to compete with the bankers anymore for the limited housing here.

Has anyone made the transition from NYC to Chicago? I worry that being gay could be a much bigger deal in Chicago, but COL seems sooo much better and people seem friendly. Our salaries would be about the same there but I assume could buy so much more? I'm afraid I've been brainwashed by all the New Yorkers though to think Chicago is "uncultured" and there is nothing to do there and everyone is a crazy conservative but I think I need to get out of Manhattan......

wow you could live great on 500k in Chicago
your friends probably have never even been to chicago
but to call it conservative is really not true
they must be thinking of the stereo type of the midwest
espicially indiana (very conservative)