Chicago, IL
LIVEABLE, ATTAINABLE, TOUGH
Chicago is one of those cities that is pretty famously awesome. It has been immortalized by larger than life musicians like Kanye and Chance the Rapper. Everyone and their mother knows at least one song from the famous musical by the same name, and comedy fans know that Second City is a pretty reliable step to SNL. If you catch a show you have a good chance of seeing a comedy star in the making.
Chicago has deep-dish pizza, the bean, and a fantastic art museum – not to mention a world-class marathon, which is where I fell in love with distance running (Holla! Marathon finisher 2015).
But I would argue that those are not the things that make Chicago great. What makes Chicago great is that is probably the most livable large city I have ever encountered. The people are nice, the rent is reasonable, and the amenities are numerous. Chicago is an unusual mix of fast-paced and chill. If you want to, you can mingle around the power suits in the financial district, and then hop a train and head to the much quieter Roscoe Village. You can hang out with hipsters in Wicker Park and Pilsen, and then head up to Gold Coast for some high-end shopping.
The more time I spend in Chicago, the less surprised I am that it has churned out level-headed, intensely reasonable people like the Obamas and Oprah Winfrey.
Here are the three words that I would use to describe Chicago, IL.
LIVEABLE:
I touched on this in my intro, but it bears repeating. Chicago is just comfortable. I have spent a lot of time in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles, and in my opinion, Chicago has them all beat. It is less frantic than New York, friendlier than Boston, calmer than Philadelphia and less show-y than Los Angeles. Cost of living is reasonable considering that it is the third-largest city in the United States, and it is a great place to raise a family. Everyone I have met who is from Chicago is a wonderful blend of worldly and down-to-earth, which makes sense when you consider that they grew up in a large and diverse urban area but probably still had a backyard.
ATTAINABLE:
New York and Los Angeles are both famously exclusionary. After all, Sinatra himself once said of NY that “if you can make it there, you’ll make it anywhere,” and considering that most of the people in LA are shooting their shot at working in entertainment, and that only a handful will actually get to, it isn’t a stretch to say that Los Angeles is a tricky beast as well.
In contrast, everything seems more possible in Chicago. If you try for the better job and work hard, you will probably get it. If you save up enough money, you can likely buy that house. If you love doing improv, you can probably join a great troupe. If you want to have a great meal, the foodie scene is ready and waiting for you. Nothing there comes easy, but it all still feels doable. Chicago runs on the energy of its citizens, and its citizens are mid-westerners who generally want to live happy, productive lives - it is a loop of positive reinforcement. Even the most famous art-piece in Chicago is just a reflection of what was already great about the city.
Seriously, having a car is reasonable but not necessary, dining out doesn’t break the bank, and the school system is pretty fantastic. So why doesn’t everyone want to live her? Oh, yeah…the winters.
TOUGH:
Chicago winters are a thing to behold. They are intensely cold, windy as all hell, and sometimes dump feet of snow on to the city. Last year they hit a record low of negative 23 degrees Fahrenheit! In case you are not active on social media that is cold enough for water to immediately vaporize upon contact with the air. If you want to live in Chicago, you had better stock up on wool socks and grow some thick skin. Chicagoans all know that their winters are intense, but it doesn’t stop them from living their lives. Remember that world-class marathon I mentioned above? That takes place in October, but the city also hosts an annual winter half marathon (the F^3 Lake Half in January) that people regularly run in full snowsuits.
If you are feeling cold in Chicago, don’t bother complaining about it. Use that energy to toughen up because not only have residents heard it all before but they ultimately just don’t care.
Overall, Chicago is a quintessential American City with a wealth of neighborhoods, features, and personalities to explore – don’t miss it.
