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I don't live in the US but of the American cities I hear most about Chicago rates about 7th on the list. I hear about Boston, Philly, San Fran, Houston, Atlanta more. As the third largest city in the US I am kind of surprised that I don't hear about it more. Every time I do hear about it, everything I hear about it, doesn't really seem interesting to me. I think the architecture is neat, but I am not familiar with any artistic vibe in Chicago that rivals other cities. I'm also not familiar with whether or not Chicago has great food culture like other American cities. It seems aesthetically pleasing, but I don't get any other impression by it. When I hear "Chicago" i think "city in the midwest" and not much else.
Chicago is a very vibrant and delightful place. The music scene is fantastic, and it has some of the best theater in the country. The restaurants are fantastic as well. Chicago has a world class art museum (several, actually) and a world-class symphony. It has tons more culture than Atlanta, Houston, or Philadelphia. And the people are extremely friendly. You should visit some day.
Yeah I agree with you actually. It is indeed the consultant crowd that is back & forth between Chicago & NYC the most. I have a consultant friend based out of NYC that had an assignment at one time in Chicago, and he would frequently be in Chicago during that several month time-span.
But for the every day Chicagoan, whether native, suburbanite or transplant Big 10 grad Joe living in Lincoln Park, they're probably not having a need to travel frequently to NYC. Most of what they need is right here in Chicago.
I think the folks that are the most insecure of Chicago's "Second City" designation are those people that have barely visited NYC enough to appreciate each of our cities' respective differences and unique qualities. Both are great hub cities that serve different needs for different people.
Yeah. I'm a consultant with a long time project in NYC - I'm basically in Chicago a max of two days a week now.
I agree with you about the average joe who's not the consultant but honestly, you could say that about any city. The average person in LA is not visiting other cities (even SF) every other week usually. I can never get over people thinking that Chicago is greater than NYC, but to each their own right?
Regardless of that, Chicago is not boring even when compared to NYC.
It's called the Second City because it is really the second largest city. Yes LA technically has more people, but it doesn't feel like a big city like Chicago or NY, and most people who live there will tell you that.
LA definitely has more cool/celeb/global cachet, and NYC is, well, NYC. San Francisco is probably more sophisticated, especially with all the tech.
But SF and Boston are relatively puny, not to mention nonstarters like Atlanta and Houston.
I don't really know why some people like to insinuate that Chicago is basically a Cleveland or Indianapolis on steroids, but that opinion is basically moronic.
Well it's not really a 1:1 comparison, but I prefer Williamsburg and Greenpoint to Wicker Park, Bucktown, and Logan Square. Bushwick to Pilsen, Prospect Park and Brooklyn Heights to Lincoln Park, etc.
Also I don't know what in Chicago could be considered equivalents of places like Ditmas Park, Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Red Hook, CroHo, Kensington, etc...
OK, I think I follow. There might be some resemblance between Wicker Park and Greenpoint, I guess. But I've never visited any Chicago neighbourhoods and thought "this is something like X", where X is in NYC. I think anyone from NY looking for something of their city in Chicago are setting themselves up for frustration. To do Chicago justice you need to consider it tabula rasa.
Personally, I much prefer spending time in Wicker Park to anywhere in Brooklyn. Different strokes etc.
Spent the last 4 1/2 years in New York. Chicago is a close second as it pertains to entertainment options.
Visited Chicago in September. Absolutely amazing city. Doesn't have the bustle of NYC but still a fantastic place to be. Prices for downtown rentals are more affordable than NYC.
Will be heading to dallas in January for new work. Planning to do a couple of years to build resume. The hoping to do a stint in Chicago. Looking forward to visiting the city again.
Two amazing cities with lots to offer.
Last edited by usamathman; 12-25-2014 at 01:04 PM..
Is Chicago boring compared to New York? Not boring, but different enough that its missing the edge that makes NYC so amazingly great. Then again, there are very few cities in the planet (none in the US) that do have the same edge.
Compared to LA? Certainly not! There are as much things to do day and night in both cities (I give my edge to Chicago on this one, living in both cities).
Compared to the rest you mentioned (Philly, DC, Atlanta, Houston).... What are you smoking??
The Midwest is 13 States. California, Texas, the Wild West, and the East Coast is moot as NONE are in the Midwest. The Midwest states feed the world. IL and IA are the top two grain and bean producers and exporters in America.
Alpha Chicago is a World City, but Unlike LA and NY it has no peers. It is located in the state of Illinois - an agriculture state. Outside of Cook County there are 38,000 miles of county, city, township, and state roads. OTOH just Outside of Chicago are at least 3 Interstate routes.
Between Chicago and St. Louis there are only four pockets of small communities. None are larger than 150,000 residents. Peoria has the largest MSA at nearly 500000 from 7 counties. The rest of the state is livestock, forest, rivers, streams, city and state parks, the largest inland wetlands refuge in America, high cliffs, rolling hills, etc.. Some of this you can experience in WI up around Green Bay and Door County. Minnesota is at the land of 10,000 lakes and forested areas too, as is Michigan and Iowa. I suspect the other nine states are also green and in crop and livestock.
It should be no surprise that farms are owned by families or corporations. In any case it is never wise to trespass as most have guns and dogs. Yes, the state does have public fishing and hunting land for bow and arrow, rifle and shotguns, trapping(?) duck blinds, deer stands, etc.. There is a rattlesnake roundup, and an arena for competition shooting, too.
What Chicago does not have is space to develop 500 acre parks. Peoria has three; it's wonderful. The parks offer most everything a family looks for, and most of it is 100% free. OTOH Chicago panders to the international and business visitor dollars. It does not care much about families or things for children to see and do. It never did. If every visitor spent $3 the income would be $150,000.000 annually.
What or if Chicago is actually lacking (which is questionable) is directly related to Chicago politics, the Machine, and the Legislature. There is surely a section or two of undeveloped land that can be used to develop a 500-600 acre park for families that is free to drive thru, park and play, stop to eat at a table. What I think is a waste of time and money. Your gangs of young thugs will tear it up before it is built.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tex?Il?
What are you comparing the midwest to?? Most of the non urban land in the midwest is corn and soybean fields, private farms that you would be trespassing if you were to just go wander around without permission. I've explained this before, that Chicago feels lacking in outdoor pursuits not because of Chicago itself, but because of what is (or isn't outside) Chicago.
Compare that to the west, even the state of California, even with Los Angeles County which is mostly federal public wilderness land of deserts and mountains that belongs to all of us, which it National Parks, Monuments, National forests in the mountains, Bureau of Land management in the deserts, even Indian reservations if you get a permit, etc.
Agriculture is not nature, nor is it a place to recreate and experience solitude.
The Midwest is 13 States. California, Texas, the Wild West, and the East Coast is moot as NONE are in the Midwest. The Midwest states feed the world. IL and IA are the top two grain and bean producers and exporters in America.
Alpha Chicago is a World City, but Unlike LA and NY it has no peers. It is located in the state of Illinois - an agriculture state. Outside of Cook County there are 38,000 miles of county, city, township, and state roads. OTOH just Outside of Chicago are at least 3 Interstate routes.
Between Chicago and St. Louis there are only four pockets of small communities. None are larger than 150,000 residents. Peoria has the largest MSA at nearly 500000 from 7 counties. The rest of the state is livestock, forest, rivers, streams, city and state parks, the largest inland wetlands refuge in America, high cliffs, rolling hills, etc.. Some of this you can experience in WI up around Green Bay and Door County. Minnesota is at the land of 10,000 lakes and forested areas too, as is Michigan and Iowa. I suspect the other nine states are also green and in crop and livestock.
It should be no surprise that farms are owned by families or corporations. In any case it is never wise to trespass as most have guns and dogs. Yes, the state does have public fishing and hunting land for bow and arrow, rifle and shotguns, trapping(?) duck blinds, deer stands, etc.. There is a rattlesnake roundup, and an arena for competition shooting, too.
What Chicago does not have is space to develop 500 acre parks. Peoria has three; it's wonderful. The parks offer most everything a family looks for, and most of it is 100% free. OTOH Chicago panders to the international and business visitor dollars. It does not care much about families or things for children to see and do. It never did. If every visitor spent $3 the income would be $150,000.000 annually.
What or if Chicago is actually lacking (which is questionable) is directly related to Chicago politics, the Machine, and the Legislature. There is surely a section or two of undeveloped land that can be used to develop a 500-600 acre park for families that is free to drive thru, park and play, stop to eat at a table. What I think is a waste of time and money. Your gangs of young thugs will tear it up before it is built.
Your reply is a little odd to me. You first lay out some facts that anyone can find out on their own. I've been around the entire midwest through Wisconsin, Michigan, and the other states to a lesser extent. etc. I was just pointing out that the midwest is not the only region that has lots of open space for recreation, and that in fact other regions have even far greater outdoor recreation opportunities, land that belongs to each and every taxpayer.
You do know that there is like 50,000 acres or more of county forest preserve land of forests, prairies, lakes, and wetlands in EACH of the counties that make up the metro area? Some of this, is even in the Chicago city limits.
What are you talking about "your gangs of young thugs?"??? Why are they my gangs and thugs?? Strange. No offense, but this "us vs. them" suspicion of outsiders is just about really the main and only reason why I DON'T live in a most smaller towns. In real life, you would be sizing me up as a newcomer to where you live. I've experienced that before, and I don't care for it. And that I get lectures on the natural resources that are found in the rural parts of the states as if I've never been there before. Its as offensive and condescending as assuming someone from downstate has never eaten anywhere besides Denny's or has never been to some theater performance of some kind, etc.
Chicago has good architecture, good scenic features "lake shore, Riverwalk, museums, layout, really good steak and deep dish pizza, theatre
It is not as big as New York but because of this, Chicago is able to offer more concentration in certain key features of a grandiose city at an arguably better quality and more affordably. Also, some may say Chicago is more livable than other large more expensive cities, which translates to more local charm and more of a real vibe from within.
Where as NYC is a magnet for tourism drowning out the local vibe, Chicago may be more authentically a hometown city.
The real hometown cities to me though are Austin, Minneapolis, Portland, Seattle, Boston. But Chicago is a good hybrid between this and New York City.
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Your reply is a little odd to me. You first lay out some facts that anyone can find out on their own. I've been around the entire midwest through Wisconsin, Michigan, and the other states to a lesser extent. etc. I was just pointing out that the midwest is not the only region that has lots of open space for recreation, and that in fact other regions have even far greater outdoor recreation opportunities, land that belongs to each and every taxpayer. 
