Reasons to live in Chicago?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’m trying to compile reasons for someone to live in Chicago. The list is guerilla propoganda to try to get some friends to move here, cus I’m lonely…and stuff. Young lady-centric ones especially welcomed. So far I’ve gotten:

  1. There are no rice rockets.

  2. World’s largest public library (Harold Washington Public library-over 2 million books)

  3. World’s largest free public Zoo (Lincoln Park Zoo)

  4. World’s Largest food festival (The taste of Chicago)

  5. Chicago produced the first crackerjacks, controlled atomic reactions, zoot suits, and Mr. T

  6. No hills. This means that prey can see any approaching predators as far as the horizon…unless it’s THE Predator, in which case you won’t be able to see him anyways…until you’re dead.

  7. You will realize that you didn’t ever really know pizza before.

  8. Handguns are absolutely outlawed, so no one has 'em. We promise.

  9. Streetpeople have the best deals on the coolest stuff.

  10. Cubs fans have to be seen to be beleived.

  11. The Shedd Aquarium…yadda yadda

  12. Yuppie coffee fiends aren’t an insurmountable voting bloc.

  13. Mancow

  14. Smashing Pumpkins, Twista, Styles, Styx

Care to add more?

2

Good public transportation, and fairly safe (if you stay north of the Eisenhower, east of Racine and south of Irving Park).

Italian Beef

Shops so expensive even rich people can’t afford to shop there (Oak St.)

Greek Town

Grant Park (during daylight hours)

Crowded blues bars

Lake Michigan Beaches (July and August)

Twenty below zero on New Years Eve (oops, better leave that one out).

3

You might also want to leave Styx out. :wink:

Historical architecture: Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, and Mies van der Rohe.

The view of the skyline from the Planetarium.

I’ll second the Italian Beef.

The Italian Lemonades at Mario’s on Taylor Street.

Wrigley Field.

The Art Institute of Chicago.

The entire park system.

Free music concerts every day at, what is it, Lake and Michigan? Where the fine arts library used to be before the Washington library was built.

A lively music scene (Metro, Aragon, Vic, Schuba’s, Double Door, Empty Bottle, Beat Kitchen.)

Decent public transportation system (for an American city.)

A bar that serves deep-fried bacon.

Down-to-earth, no bullshit people.

4

On the other hand is it true about how Chicago got founded?
Was there really a bunch of New Yorkers standing around saying
“Ya know I like the crime, and I like the overcrowding. The problem is it just isn’t cold enough here.”

5

I would leave Mancow out. He’s one of the reasons I left Chicago.

Ok, not really, but my ex used to listen to him and I never got the point.

How about it’s where the poetry slam was born?

6

Mancow>Stern, that’s why I put him on the list.

Rick: HAHAHAHA!! Nice one!

7

Fat people tend to blend in.

Food is an olympic sport.

Great comedy.

Great jazz, blues, and rock.

The lake.

Lots of jobs.

Transportation is a snap.

8

The ChiDope lunch bunch?

9

You can go to Wrigley Field the prettiest little ballpark there is.

10

Oh yes, on the way there from The Loop you can go right by the building where the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre took place.

11

Oh no you can’t.
http://www.prairieghosts.com/valentine.html

12

Sorry, but according to this site:

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/lot/wxpns/chi_2002summary.html

the average temperature in Chicago in January 2002 was 31 degrees, and the average temperature in February was 32 degrees (with 8 above being the low).

That’s just too fucking cold.

Keep Wrigley Field, keep Italian beef, keep the Lake - give me reasonable temperatures.

13

I remember a faaaabulous pizza place right across the street from the St. Valentine’s day site. Mushrooms as big as doorknobs on the pizza. What was that called…

14

Field Museum
Museum of Science and Industry
O’Neills Bar and Grill (N Lincoln Ave)
Chicago hot dogs
Hot chicken sandwiches that would choke a horse [if horses ate chicken]
Great people
…and so on and so forth.

15

plnnr, how is snow supposed to stay on the ground if the temperature is higher? I mean, really, you have to think about these things. (And don’t worry about snow removal - that’s taken care of. A previous Chicago mayor lost his re-election because he’d majorly screwed up in responding to a blizzard. They’ve learned.)

Seconded on the public transportation - I live way out in the burbs and haven’t driven to my job in Chicago in 7 years.

Liz Phair. Smashing Pumpkins/Billy Corgan.

Michigan Avenue.

Ice skating rink at Millenium Park.

Friendly, fairly down-to-earth residents.

Restaurants for probably any cuisine you can think of.

16

Thirded or whatever it is now on the public transportation.

Genuine neighborhoods. If you move here, skip the Lincoln Park apartment that first-time Chicagoans usually rent and find a real neighborhood with character and diversity, and where you won’t get freshly legal frat boys puking on your stoop. If yer pal likes shopping, there are several neighborhoods with main-street style rows of shops.

An awesome local music scene with great venues; bars & clubs for any type of music/entertainment that suits you; plentiful independent movie theaters; excellent and varied restaurants.

And finally…lots of cute boys.

17

Right on that one Gundy. The neighborhoods are one of the best features of this city. Chicago offers access to a host of damn fine people…and Lets not forget there is a lot of great live theater here as well!!

18

The average temperature in January is 31? That seems like the high temperature for January when I lived there. Maybe they’re not taking into account the windchill. :eek:

Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinders, 2121 N. Clark. I would put this place on my “must visit” list. Pizza in a pot pie that they flip over when it’s served. The Mediterranean bread appetizer alone is worth the trip.

19

Kalhoun you’re thinking of the Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder. Kick ass pizza, I agree.

http://www.chicagopizzaandovengrinder.com/

Reasons to come to Chicago - erm, the lakefront, the skyline (two things I love about it), the food, the music, the shopping, the Mag Mile, State Street - plus we’re all really, really, really friendly.

20

Actually, there are only three reasons NOT to live in Chicago:

  1. The Weather
  2. The Weather
  3. The Weather

Otherwise, I cannot think of a single bad thing to say about Chicago. Seriously. Great food, great people, great theater, great park(s), great museums, the lake, night life, shopping, cost of living…the list is endless. Again, if it weren’t for those nasty three reasons listed above, I would move back there in a minute.