What is Chicago like?

Question

I am from Australia and I have been to LA, so I have an idea what it is like and what the people are like. I have heard loads of stories about New York (plus seen SITC) so this gives me an idea about that city. But I don't know anything about Chicago. What are the people like there? What is the climate and city like? I know it was a gangster city in the 30's. Is it still like that? I also see that there are many films made there and Ellen DeGeneres had a show there and they went wild. Also, is Opras show from there? Tell me, tell me.

Answer 1

It is so beautiful that I just want to get back & french-kiss the ground for hours & hours.

Answer 2

It is a corrupt dirty city run by a bunch of liberals. That bum Obama is the product of that maggot infested town.

Chicago is still the land of the dollar bill. Cops still take bribes. Dead people still vote. If you want your trash picked up and water for your home you had better do what the alderman says.

Crime is high. I keep a knife in my pocket at all times.

I would go to Milwaukee instead.

Answer 3

People in Chicago are pretty friendly and laid back... have pretty down-to-earth values and opinions.  Compared to NYC, for instance, people are much more relaxed and much less confrontational.

The weather runs the gamut from very hot and humid in the summertime to very cold in the winter.  This year it's been in the high 90s and last winter it was in the 10s for weeks.

The city has a lot of geographical diversity - every part of the city has a unique neighborhood character.  When I leave my residential neighborhood on the north side, with its tree lined streets and rowhomes, it feels like I'm going to a completely different place when I head downtown, where there are barely any trees, skyscrapers, and the rumbling of elevated trains.

Organized crime isn't really a big issue in Chicago these days..

Oprah's show is indeed filmed here in Chicago, she started out as a local news anchor and has now become the most powerful woman in show business.

Chicago is really a great place, there's a huge amount of things to do and you can get almost everywhere you'd like by walking or taking public transit.  It's got a beautiful lakefront, world-class dining, and friendly people.  It's my favorite city in the States and I'm glad to be living here!

Answer 4

Chicago is a great city, but nothing like LA and not at all like the city portrayed in the 1930's gangster films.  I lived there for 8 years and found it to be a blue collar big city where most people ride the train to work and everywhere is a a block away from a great corner tavern or burger joint..  Most people do not drive downtown because of traffic and expensive parking, they take the El train in the city and the Metra train if they are in the subburbs. The public transportation is great there and even the really wealthy and really poor use it.  The downtown area is large with lots of skyscrapers and character. Many people work in the commodities and bonds markets at the Board of Trade and Merchantile exchange and you can see a lot of them walking around in goofy trading jackets from the floor of the excanges.  A river runs strait through the middle of downtown and the east side is  surrounded by parks and lake Michigan.  It is really beautiful to drive down lakeshore drive with the lake to the east and the city to the west.  It's a sports city with many of the blue collar south siders (many Irish and Polish) liking the White Sox and the Yuppie north siders liking the Cubs. and everyone liking Da Bulls and Da Bears.  The Field museum, the art museum, shed aquarium, Soldier field (the football stadium), navy pier, and lake michigan are all within walking distance of each other.  It is a very clean city and people there make fun of the fact that the mayor spends tons on money on beatifying the city by planting huge flower beds everywhere, even in the middle of the road.  The city has great ethnic food and a cool China town. It is also known for deep dish pizza, vienna beef hot dogs, italian beef sandwiches, Gyros, steak houses and burritos at 4am. Great blue collar food as well as fancy high end restaurants. There are also many Hispanic, Ukranian, Polish, Irish, Korean, Vietnamese,German, Greek, and even Italian neighborhoods  spread through the city.  The young cool people live in Bucktown and Wicker Park.  The Fratenity guys live in Wrigleyville near cubs field.  The wealthy older yuppies live in Old town and Lincoln Park. The blue collar section of town is know as the south side and used to be primarily Irish and polish.  It used to be known for stockyard that processed livestock not so much anymore.  I loved it there and found the people there to be very friendly and fun.  They are also very direct and can be blunt which can be a turnoff for some people but I love.  They don't spend much time trying to BS,  they'll tell you what's on there mind and won't worry too much about being politcally correct. Go there you'll love it. Oprah is taped there as is Jerry Springer.  It is really cold there in the winter and hot in the summer.  It doesn't really warm up there until april or may.  It also really is windy.

Answer 5

Chicago is a really nice place....especially when u went at night in  downtown...u will b really amaze trust me is like NY in there..hehe....and there is alot of places u can go..and have fun..and well..i live in chicago but i dont think there is gang in here..well..maybe in a few in south..i think.....