# Daughter moving to Chicago. What should she know? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 14, 2010, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686 "2010-07-14T17:57:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/21 "2010-07-16T16:02:33Z")
> [@Ferret\_Herder](#): > > Since she’s a museum fan, many of the museums have free admission days one day a week. I’d advise her to check out the websites for the museums to confirm which might have this and on what day of the week. A little known secret (I think) - you can get[free passes](http://www.chipublib.org/eventsprog/programs/kids/grkids_museumpass.php) to most of the major museums through the Chicago Public Library. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/22 "2010-07-16T20:55:49Z")
> [@Trom](#): > > A little known secret (I think) - you can get[free passes](http://www.chipublib.org/eventsprog/programs/kids/grkids_museumpass.php) to most of the major museums through the Chicago Public Library. Little known except to people who’ve read this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/23 "2010-07-16T21:58:52Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > Dominick’s Grocery tends to be cheaper on the whole than Jewel (but get the fresh values/preferred card), and Whole Foods is a giant rip-off. Nitpick: It depends on your version of “rip-off.” Whole Foods will be more expensive, for sure, but they also treat their employees a hell of a lot better than Jewel. (Speaking as someone who worked for Jewel in Wisconsin and who knows people who work for Whole Foods here now.) If that’s something that’s important to her, then the price difference could be worth it. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/24 "2010-07-16T22:09:23Z")
\*Well the south side of Chicago Is the baddest part of town And if you go down there you better just beware Of a man named Leroy Brown \*– **Jim Croce** – 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Trom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Trom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trom)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/25 "2010-07-16T23:38:24Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > Little known except to people who’ve read this thread. Well, hopefully this thread makes its way to the far back pages and fades away… Crap! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/26 "2010-07-17T18:03:04Z")
Well, if last night was any indication apparently a BOATLOAD of young, pretty people hang out along N Damen. Made me feel old, I tell ya! ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/27 "2010-07-18T18:29:02Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Well, if last night was any indication apparently a BOATLOAD of young, pretty people hang out along N Damen. Made me feel old, I tell ya! I used to live right off of N Damen! (Near Damen and Montrose…I don’t live there now so I’m not worried about internet stalkers.) _flips hair around_ ---
**Author:** ![sharding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/90db22/32.png) [@sharding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sharding)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/28 "2010-07-18T18:52:06Z")
> [@buttonjockey308](#): > > plus the cost of a vehicle registration is $75 bucks. Sorry to stray off topic, but I have to ask. Is that the **total** cost of registration, or a City of Chicago surcharge? Is it the same for all cars, or based on value? I just ask because it sounds pretty darned cheap to me. Here in Washington, even my 10 year old car costs more than that to register, and our new car a lot more. And compared to California, our registration is dirt cheap. ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/29 "2010-07-19T02:40:58Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The suburbs are horrible and should be avoided at all cost. Unless you really, really need to go to IKEA, I guess. There are a few exceptions: Oak Park and Evanston are both nice (and accessible on CTA). I agree 100% with this. For a couple years I lived in Rockville, MD (a suburb of Washington DC). Rockville and many of the other DC suburbs were nice and had an urban feel to them; it was also easy to go into the city via the Metro. When I first moved to this area, I made the ghastly mistake of living in Buffalo Grove and was stuck there for a whole year because I had a 12-month lease. Buffalo Grove and most of the other suburbs around here are absolutely depressing and lacking in character. There’s nothing around but strip malls, and you can’t go anywhere without a car. Taking a train into the city on a weekend was nearly out of the question, because some Metra lines only run every couple hours and some don’t run at all. After this hellish year was over, I bought a condo in Evanston and really enjoy it here. I live a block from the El and from the Metra, and there are plenty of restaurants and stuff that I can walk or bike to. I would live in the Chicago itself, except I work way out in the boonies to the north and have a long enough commute as it is. ---
**Author:** ![BorgHunter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@BorgHunter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BorgHunter)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/30 "2010-07-19T11:16:22Z")
> [@sharding](#): > > Sorry to stray off topic, but I have to ask. Is that the **total** cost of registration, or a City of Chicago surcharge? Just the city sticker. I think Illinois registration is another $100 or so. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/31 "2010-07-19T13:48:11Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I used to live right off of N Damen! (Near Damen and Montrose…) We were at the Double Door down near North. The street scene was just very different from anything else I usually experience. Lotta people out spending a lotta money. Good to see. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/32 "2010-07-19T14:29:36Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The suburbs are horrible and should be avoided at all cost. Unless you really, really need to go to IKEA, I guess. There are a few exceptions: Oak Park and Evanston are both nice (and accessible on CTA). > [@Ponch8](#): > > I agree 100% with this. For a couple years I lived in Rockville, MD (a suburb of Washington DC). Rockville and many of the other DC suburbs were nice and had an urban feel to them; it was also easy to go into the city via the Metro. > > When I first moved to this area, I made the ghastly mistake of living in Buffalo Grove and was stuck there for a whole year because I had a 12-month lease. However comma there are some nifty (and bizarre) little ethnic restaurants out in the burbs; f’rinstance I think there are 3 Central Asian restaurants in the Chicago area (and probably within a 500 mile radius); 2 of them are in the Buffalo Grove/Wheeling area. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/33 "2010-07-19T17:58:21Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > For a couple years I lived in Rockville, MD (a suburb of Washington DC). Rockville and many of the other DC suburbs were nice and had an urban feel to them; it was also easy to go into the city via the Metro. That’s great if you want to live in an area that feels urban or want to spend all your time in the city. But if I wanted that, I’d be living in the city. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2010, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686/34 "2010-07-19T18:03:25Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > We were at the Double Door down near North. The street scene was just very different from anything else I usually experience. Lotta people out spending a lotta money. Good to see. Ahhh, Wicker Park. Too rich for me! (Unless I’m shopping for used books at Myopic, of course!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/daughter-moving-to-chicago-what-should-she-know/546686.md?page=1)