# Give me your thoughts on chicago?



## Us3 (Aug 14, 2005)

i love chicago, its the mother of the skyscrapers and i think alot of times its over shadow by ny , i think alot of cities are overshadow by ny. chicago is a big city, fun, the skyline is very beautiful i think the chicago has the best skyline, the art and theather is fantastic, everything in that city is amazing.


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## Azn_chi_boi (Mar 11, 2005)

I will give you my opinion about chicago.

2,900,000 call this city home, Even though each year, the census claims that Chicago is losing people in a steady pace, the skyscrapers are still booming. Chicago is full of many world class museums. With a beautiful Lakefront and the Chicago River, Chicago is beautiful. Chicago is like a working class city. Chicago is usually ignored in international terms as chicago is usually overshadow by NYC and LA. Out side of the Lakefront and Downtown, chicago is not a skyscraper city. Chicago has many parks. Chicago has 2 international airport within its city limits with rapid transportation from the loop(downtown). 

As for me, I live near chinatown, about a mile away. Sure, the chinatown can't compare with SF, LA, NYC, and other chinatowns, but its alright.

there is a lot more about CHicago, that I havent said. 

Chicago will always be one of the world greatest city, even though the popultion is dropping.

P.S. Chicago's current Mayor, Daley is our king, lol... :lol:


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## A42251 (Sep 13, 2004)

Its the nation's second greatest city and one of the most amazing places in the world. I can't wait to visit in a few days!


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## pottebaum (Sep 11, 2004)

Isn't that whole census report heavily disputed, anyway? Chicago's growing rapidly--I was there just two weeks ago. There's construction on every corner. It's just the changing demographics giving the city trouble. There are fewer families and more childless couples--and the families that do live in the city are having fewer children. 

Anyway--my thoughts on Chicago? Coolest...city....ever.


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## Effer (Jun 9, 2005)

Has the second BEST skyline in the world!


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## polako (Apr 7, 2005)

^ Sorry. It has the third best skyline in the world after HK and NYC.


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## United-States-of-America (Jul 19, 2005)

It's an awesome city. One of NYC's greatest allies.


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## Siopao (Jun 22, 2005)

Chicago has the two ugliest skyscraper..


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## United-States-of-America (Jul 19, 2005)

Hey. Stop being so rude^^


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## GENIUS LOCI (Nov 18, 2004)

Chicago?

 W*i*nderful!!!   


......Jokin' 
I love Chicago skyline, scrapers, position, _el_... it's one of my favourite cities in US


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

Blues, shopping, museums, architecture - maybe the third best city in the states after NY and Boston, that I just love 

Maybe I should visit it once a bit more intensive...


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## wjfox (Nov 1, 2002)

One of the top 10 world cities for sure.


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## Storeman (Jun 24, 2005)

I don't like musicals


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## Accura4Matalan (Jan 7, 2004)

My second favourite USA city after Minneapolis.


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## edsg25 (Jul 30, 2004)

Chicago and its superlatives?

From a Chicago perspective, I have to say this: *HOLD ON TO YOUR HATS, FOLKS! You ain't seen nothing yet. You think Chicago is great today, come back in five or ten years and I promise you: you won't recongize it. *

An utterly magical city that is transforming itself into something even far more magical. Again, from a Chicago perspective: the place is f-ing blowing our minds as to what it is becoming; we sit in awe.

No, this isn't hyperbole. It's Chicago. And it's for real.


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## ReddAlert (Nov 4, 2004)

Chicago: Second Greatest City in the Americas.


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## Butcher (Dec 13, 2004)

I really like Chicago. The skyline is unique and one of the top 3 in the world. as a city, it certainly ranks in the top 10 in the world. Cool city.


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## streetscapeer (Apr 30, 2004)

I wanna hop on a plane right now!!


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## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

One of my favorite cities in the world. Unbeatable. America's best kept secret.


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## Travis007 (Jul 19, 2004)

IMO has a better skyline than NYC and only second to HKG.

Booming city with many great restaurants, parks, waterfront, architecture, museums but is always over shadowed by NYC and/or LA. Chicago is truly America's second city.


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## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

I'm a bit perplexed by Chicago. It seems a bit strange that there are so many highrises in the loop and lakeshore, and so few elsewhere in the city. In most of the rest of the world (including Canada) there are actually as many (if not more) highrises outside the CBD. Chicago seems very neatly organised and well manicured. I'm not sure whether or not I like that. I guess I'd have to live there to find out. I think I would like Chicago, but how much I don't know. I get the [impression] that it has a somewhat cold and sterile personality. I have no idea whether or not there is any truth to that, so I'd be interested in having a resident describe its personality and ambiance to me. I'm quite familiar with [Chicago's] architecture and physical properties, but can't get much sense of its personality like I can with NY, SF, LA, Bos, etc.

Also, unlike the Lakeshore and Loop, the other neighbourhoods are somewhat of a mystery to me. What is it like in the rest of Chicago (urban/suburban, busy/quiet, wealthy/poor, modern/historic, concrete/green, etc)?


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## addisonwesley (Jun 19, 2005)

I would like to visit sometime soon.


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## edsg25 (Jul 30, 2004)

Nouvellecosse said:


> Also, unlike the Lakeshore and Loop, the other neighbourhoods are somewhat of a mystery to me. What is it like in the rest of Chicago (urban/suburban, busy/quiet, wealthy/poor, modern/historic, concrete/green, etc)?


Nouvell, the neighborhoods are delightful. The side streets in so many prime parts of the city are loaded with beautiful town and row houses, single family homes, low rise condos. Trees abound. And the commercial streets are a pleasure with lots of character and unique stores. El service covers much of the area and add to the charm. Neighborhood bars are a fixture and lots of restaurants offer outdoor dining in season. Neighborhoods like Lin Pk, Lakeview, etc., close to the lakefront parks and beaches have a special joy to them.


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## Blackbelt Jones (Apr 22, 2004)

Nouvellecosse said:


> I get the [impression] that it has a somewhat cold and sterile personality. I have no idea whether or not there is any truth to that, so I'd be interested in having a resident describe its personality and ambiance to me.


Long before I came to live here, I heard Chicago described as many things, but this is the first time I have _ever_ heard it called "cold and sterile".  Home of the electric blues, the born-again Industrial Wax Trax! records, and House Music; home of the Second City (which in turn is the home of Bill Murray, John Belishi, et al) and Steppenwolf (driven by, among others, everyone's's favorite weirdo John Malkovich); home of Del Close, Ken Nordine, Saul Bellow, and Ed Paschke (for the hipsters among you)... cold and sterile just doesn't produce that kind of constant _quality_ artistic output.

I mean, any city that can produce guys like those based on the Bill Swerski Superfans..










AND Bishop Juan Magic Don...










...is a groovy place indeed, and a reason why I think so many artists (of all kinds) set up shop here... because Chicago has a personality and ambiance that is _condusive_ to creativity, expression and flavor.


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## Nouvellecosse (Jun 4, 2005)

edsg25 said:


> Nouvell, the neighborhoods are delightful. The side streets in so many prime parts of the city are loaded with beautiful town and row houses, single family homes, low rise condos. Trees abound. And the commercial streets are a pleasure with lots of character and unique stores. El service covers much of the area and add to the charm. Neighborhood bars are a fixture and lots of restaurants offer outdoor dining in season. Neighborhoods like Lin Pk, Lakeview, etc., close to the lakefront parks and beaches have a special joy to them.


That actually sounds like a really nice place to live. Now that I come to think of it, the reason that Chicago gave me the impression it did is probably just because its skyline is so enormous that it overshadows (pardon the pun) other aspects of the city, and makes people think of it as being very business like.



Blackbelt Jones said:


> Long before I came to live here, I heard Chicago described as many things, but this is the first time I have ever heard it called "cold and sterile". Home of the electric blues, the born-again Industrial Wax Trax! records, and House Music; home of the Second City (which in turn is the home of Bill Murray, John Belishi, et al) and Steppenwolf (driven by, among others, everyone's's favorite weirdo John Malkovich); home of Del Close, Ken Nordine, Saul Bellow, and Ed Paschke (for the hipsters among you)... cold and sterile just doesn't produce that kind of constant quality artistic output.
> 
> I mean, any city that can produce guys like those based on the Bill Swerski Superfans...
> 
> ...


Wow, thanks for all your interesting links. I hope I didn't offend you, I was really just interested.

I had heard tell of the Chicago Blues, and the Second City, but I didn't know much about them. In fact I actually thought Second City was from TO, probably because that's where the TV show is from. The rest of the info I hadn't heard of at all, so I've definetly learned a few things. 

For some reason, most people in my area (including myself) know very little about chicago beyond Oprah and tall buildings. I'm not sure why its profile isn't higher - perhaps because of the business like (mis)perception I mentioned.

However there is one thing you didn't mention that Chicago is very famous for: The Chicago Manual of Style. Who hasn't heard of it?

Hmm, it seems like this is a very compex that city I havn't even begun to understand. I'm more curious about it now than before I entered this thread and that definitely a good thing, isn't it?


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## pss (Aug 20, 2005)

I love this town. The nightlife....second only to new york. When I moved here the hardest thing for me was also the lack of highrises west of Halsted Ave or south of Roosevelt. It would be great to have highrises everywhere but it would kill the communities quite literally.


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## TalB (Jun 8, 2005)

I always wondered how much the el actually covers of Chicago.


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## pss (Aug 20, 2005)

The coverage is very good.
HQ Picture: http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/maps/2003map.jpg









The Southwest side and the northwest side are poor. Wish the Brown line extended west past Kimball. The near west neighberhoods (Ukranian village, East Village) have poor coverage.


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## Mike19 (Feb 5, 2005)

when i went to visit northwestern i didnt like it. i thought it was way to dirty. but thats jsut my opinion. i didnt spend much time there either, only 2 days. i would like to go back and really check it out, although it doesnt seem to be my schtick. to each his own.


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## spyguy (Apr 16, 2005)

Northwestern was dirty or Chicago? If you're referring to the latter, most people will say that it is much cleaner than other major American cities.


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## pss (Aug 20, 2005)

I never been up to Evanston but heard that it's very nice....I heard wrong?

Chicago is much cleaner than other cities but also its population is under 3m. Then again it depends on what 'hood you are in. Wicker Park isn't maintained as well as it should be. It seems like to me all the money is thrown toward Lincoln Park and Lakeview.


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## Blackbelt Jones (Apr 22, 2004)

TalB said:


> I always wondered how much the el actually covers of Chicago.


My wife and I don't own a car, and rely on the CTA exclusivly - so far, it seems to get us everywhere we want to go. In addition to the El and Buses, the Metra Rail is awesome.

A Metra rail map (note that it too covers the city proper quite well... I have friends that use it as opposed to the El):









An El map that highlights the lines themselves (though the other El map *kajolishot* posted does a better job of showing how the lines relate to the city streets):


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## Blackbelt Jones (Apr 22, 2004)

kajolishot said:


> I never been up to Evanston but heard that it's very nice....I heard wrong?


No, you heard right... Evanston is one of the nicest "urban" suburbs anywhere. It is certainly worth a visit. 



Mike19 said:


> when i went to visit northwestern i didnt like it. i thought it was way to dirty.


Northwestern proper is not in the city of Chicago... but it's too bad you thought it was dirty. I heard that NW had a pretty nice campus actually, but I have never spent much time there.


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## Blackbelt Jones (Apr 22, 2004)

A42251 said:


> Is it really cleaner? Maybe downtown and the northside, but what about the south & west sides? Those areas take up the majority of Chicago's land area.


Chicago is easily one of the best maintained and cleanest cities in the country, and that includes the neighborhoods on the South and West Sides. Clearly, the $$$ areas are going to get more attention. But speaking for the rest of the city... well, outside of the gritty industrial areas (and Midway!), most of the rest of the SW and W are simple, basic neighborhoods... nothing fancy, but well maintained for the most part. There are certainly some _very_ rough areas in all parts of the city (areas that look like a bomb hit them), but, over all, Chicago really does a great job.

I have seen enough places in the 'States to know that, as a whole, the Windy City really has it's shit together keeping the parks and the major areas spiffed up... in fact, having just done a nearly 6 year stint in DC, I can tell you that it's really quite remarkable just how good Chicagoans have it.


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## Blackbelt Jones (Apr 22, 2004)

Nouvellecosse said:


> Wow, thanks for all your interesting links. I hope I didn't offend you, I was really just interested.


Cool, I'm glad you liked 'em.  An NO offence taken... :cheers:


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