Here Today... Gone To Hell!

Hey,

Recently, my girl and I have been having some serious relocation discussions.  One of the places we're looking at is Chicago, IL.  It seems like a really cool city, lots to do, an actual change of seasons for once in my life (I've lived in Florida since I was born.. trust me, we don't get much of anything like that down here).. and, one of the most important things to me.. a days drive from ALOT of prime vacation destinations in the U.S.

I'd love to hear from anyone that lives there / has lived there who can offer me an opinion on the city.  I'm not worried about work.. trust me, I can work anywhere.  I'm more interested in neighborhood information, interesting tidbits, reasons I should NOT look into Chicago as a relocation point, etc.

Thanks!

-darknemus

Everybody I know loves Chicago it is supposed to be an amazing city. Brutal winters however.

What's the matter? You getting sick of Floriduh already?

(http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/5653/welcometoflorida3uh0bi.jpg) (http://imageshack.us)

Chicago is just like any major city, but it has a bit of midwest to it! Theres you good and bad neighborhoods..

The Herbert Hoover Birth place is just a day drive away 247 miles i think!!  :rofl: :rofl:

:) - I've been sick of Floriduh for about the last 15 years or so.. its just I've never had a decent opportunity to escape this hellhole.  Now that we, as a couple, have seriously discussed relocation, its a different situation.

Like I said, I know I can work anywhere .. and Chicago strikes me as a good place to cultivate 'side business' as well.  I believe the late great Owen Hart said it best.. "Enough is enough.. and its time for a change!"

-darknemus

I hear it's a great town, but only from friends who have traveled there for weekend Phils/Cubs games, so that's not much help.

Not trying to divert people away to another site, but you may want to try posting on Craigslist.org, in Chicago's board. Try Rant's & Rave's, although a word of caution, most people there tend to be pretty negative due to the anonymity of that site.  :yes:

I visited Chicago one time for a 4 day stay (3 nights). ?I stayed downtown in the Lennox Hotel and got to see my Red Sox play at Wrigley Field for the first time since 1913 (or something like that). ?I was there as a guest of a consultant and my wife was invited to come. ?All expenses paid (flight, hotel, tickets, drinks, food). ?We ate at 3 of the most amazing restaurants I've ever eaten at in downtown Chicago. ?There is so much to do downtown. ?It was a great experience. ?I know nothing of the suburbs though. ?

Bottom line, from my very little experience there in the city itself, I loved the place almost as much as Boston (I'd say those are my two favorite US cities that I've visited so far).

Very cool.  I plan on living downtown in the city, though - if we go.  I'm kind of tired of the whole suburban thing.

-darknemus

what about south beach? i liked south beach.  i wouldnt live in miami, but it's a fun place for vacation. isnt it ?

South Beach is great if you're into the beach scene.  I prefer my locales dark and foreboding, myself :)

Only time you'll catch me at  the beach is at about 2 AM in the morning stargazing or watching sea turtles come to shore to lay their eggs and stuff.

-darknemus

oh man, well i guess turtles are fun too :)

i really wouldnt live in a sea/ocean city

paris / new york is as much water i can deal with in a city

chicago seems cool, what about boston ? the "intellectual" capital of the united states uh uh ?

Are winters really that bad there?  I've heard varying reports.  Keep in mind, I'm a Florida boy.. although I LOVE cold weather, I've never lived it for an extended period of time.  In addition, I've never actually 'dealt' with snow.  I've seen it fall, I've seen it on the ground, but I've never dealt with it as an actual 'it snowed' kind of thing.

-darknemus

Snow is great.. However driving in it can be difficult. You know how a hockeypuck simply slides across the ice, YES, that can be your car. However you just drive very slow and it's fine. Plus they usually plow the roads as soon as they can. The snow is great when it first falls.. Especially on weekends when I have nothing to do, although it's also nice to get a day off of work (And it always shocks me how people from the south laugh when work & schools close due to snow, they think it's like closing due to too much rain or something) but it's worst when it sticks around for a long time, as it won't melt until it's above freezing. And really it needs to be above 40F to do any significant melting. So instead of bright white pretty snow there is this car exhaust, black tinted, crusty assed chopped up ice cube style snow, messing up your shoes & lower legs of your pants, tracing water & footprints into your place & carpets etc.

As for the cold, it can be a drag, especially coming from FL. Here in Philly it is what I call cold from Thanksgiving until about mid-March. But I enjoy the change, I couldn't stand every day to be above 70. It really makes me appreciate spring & summer that much more. In the winter months you'll probably will stay inside alot more, as when it's 35 outside people normally don't make as many plans as when it's 80. It might depend on your interests, if you ok with computers, music, movies, DVD's TV & watching sports, you'll be ok. If you like outdoor activities like rollerblading, biking, hitting the beach or more outside oriented things cold winters may not be for you.

They can be bad. We have some periods in Dec and jan with below zero winchills. I hate driving in snow but they do a great job of clearing the main streets as quickly as possible. But the winters are alot less scarey then hurricanes and gators! You get used to the winters, it's just that wearing a coat , hat and scarf in April gets annoying! Cicago is exciting! I lived in Florida for 7 months 8 years ago and i was surprised how much I missed Chicago! :beer: I would only consider relocating to LA or NYC or Key west after living here!

I can tell you 2 things about Chicago:

1) The White Sox are now more popoular than the cubs.

2) That Chicago is very windy and very cold.

Thanks for the info, everyone.  I really appreciate it. A few quick things.

A. I like to walk, swim, bike ride, but that's about the extent of my outdoor activity.  I do lift weights on occasion when I get that 'vibe' going..but I do that indoors, anyway.

B. Like I said, I love cold weather.. it could just be because I'm a big guy - but I've been in 0 degree weather on top of a mountain before (In Vegas, of all places) and was fine with little more than Jeans, a long sleeved sweatshirt, & a leather jacket. 

C. How's the club scene in Chicago?  Specifically, Rock clubs, Alternative, 'Goth' type hangouts, anything a bit outside the ordinary?  Where am I apt to find bands like NIN, Genitorturers, & Rob Zombie playing?  In addition, where am I going to find stuff like Guns?

D. What are the areas to specifically avoid when looking for a place to live?  Any areas that are just, well, bad areas?  Hard to know that about a place unless you've actually lived there, you know?

-darknemus

i admire people like you. really :)

I never lived there, but I was in Tech School in Rantoul, IL. A kid in my class was from Chicago so we went up on the weekends alot. It was from October 90 thru January 91. Yes it gets frigging cold and the wind is a blowin'. I'm from NYC and like the cold as well, I just dont like cold + wind and thats what Chicago has alot of. If you are staying in the city, you can hop the train alot.

I work in the same area as you live now, and if I had the chance to get up to Chicago I would start running now.


Chicago does have a pretty good music scene, I remember more Blues oriented places where I went.

If you ever want to feel ugly, or have your ego deflated, go to south beach.

It's good for a while, but you can only live that type of lifestyle before you need a blood transfusion. It's great to visit.

And if you get lost on the way there, you better know the phrase:

Donde esta "South Beach"?

Avoid living on west side. There are alot of problems with gangs. The Wrigleyville and West Lakeview areas are nice as well as Bucktown. Lincoln Park is nice but very expensive!The North part of the city is best to live!GNR usually play at hte Allstate Arena in Rosemont! Rogers park is nice too but gangs are around in pockets there.

Probably more than half the country is in a gang.

I remember going into a place to eat with my wife, and nobody spoke English. Of course they did not believe my wife when she said that she did not speak it either. The waitress gave her the worst look.......... :hihi:

Yeah, if you're in Miami (any part of Miami) and you don't speak Spanish - they look at you like you're fucking crazy.. its whacked.

-darknemus

She's almost as demented as you are, she probably threw it right back at the waitress :hihi:


Oh, and back on the Chicago thing, they have the best pizza in Chicago. Between Unos and Lou Malnattis you dont need anything else

Half of what country, the U.S.?  I doubt it.  Outside of the particularly urban areas, there's not really much gang activity.  That's usually relegated to big cities.    Now, a bunch of wanna be kids wandering a mall trying to act all tough is a bit different  -but that's not quite being 'in a gang'.

-darknemus

I'd say its probably somewhere in the middle. I live up on the Treasure Coast and there are no big cities there. Yet over the last holiday weekend there was a drive by shooting at a park near the beach because some gang members were hanging out at the beach.

If you're into city life and just city life i hear chicago is a great town.  but from what i've heard, there is NOTHING around it at all.  If you are going for city life, why not try NY??

What's chicago like?

Windy. or so i've heard.

A. My girl prob just isn't ready for NYC - as much as I'd love to.  Chicago is one of those things where I could take her for a year or two and get her 'acclimated' to that type of environment.. THEN try the NYC migration.

B. I'm not real worried about the nothing around it thing.  Since my girl won't fly, we drive for all of our vacations.  There's alot more stuff within a days drive of Chicago than there is a day's drive of Fort Lauderdale, FL - that's for sure.

C. She has friends who just moved to Chicago and are pushing her on the city.. that also helps with the whole 'hey lets go there!' thing.  Me pushing NYC would be tougher as its never easy for her to go somewhere unknown that she doesn't know people in.  (Me, I couldn't care less - I can live anywhere and have no issues with just up and moving every year or two.. but.. you know.. opposites attract and all that)

-darknemus

My uncle lives in chicago and i absolutely love it. I'd move there in a minute

I lived in Chicago for a while, and I grew up in Milwaukee, which isn't too far so I've spent most of my life there. It's great... not quite New York City (where I've been living the last couple years - greatest city in the world!) but Chi-town's easily my second-favorite place to be.  As someone else said, the north-side is the place to be. It's more friendly and safer - and while it might cost more, you can't put a price on safety - especially in a city you're not familiar with yet.
It's a fun town- lots to do, nice museums, great theatre, the lake is awesome, pretty cool music-scene, etc. I would highly recommend it  : ok:

Ive only stopped over in Chicago while I was travelling from Boston to Louisville (dont ask) and it seemed like a cool place. I like the Mid West a lot though, seemed laid back and nice.

Really modern buildings. Good music scene Ive heard. Though like the midWest the restaurant scene is the similar everywhere - its just more expensive in the bigger cities.

Check out Springfield, IL (the capital) just two hours south - the nicest town in the US imo.

I guarantee you wont do that in chicago come winter time!!!

I've been in some damn cold weather before.  Although, you're right, I'm betting I'd need a bit more protection from the elements in a place like Chicago - but, to be honest, is it as cold as Toronto is?  I mean, I was in Toronto in temps in the teens and I just wasn't really bothered by it.  Heck I actually put the window down on the rental for a little bit just to experience some of the brisk cold air.  Now I'm not saying I was in shorts and a tanktop - but I certainly wasn't bundled up like Nanook of the North, either.

-darknemus

It's probably about the same, it just gets tiresome that it's still cold in April! The summers are so much fun! Alot of festivals and art fairs and stuff! And we have our own production of WICKED that is just as good as Broadway! :peace:

I can see where that would suck.  However, it also sucks here to have it still be 85+ degrees hot in FREAKING DECEMBER.  We have basically two seasons here.  Nine months of "Freaking hot" and Three months of "not quite so Freaking hot".  If the temp drops below 60 here, its a rare event.  Below 50, people freak.  Below FORTY?  Its like you're in the arctic circle, judging by the way people dress. 

I hear Wicked is a great play - I really want to check it out.  We're gonna be in Chicago from Nov. 16 - Nov. 23 to check out the area.  Its looking more and more like it will be our eventual residence.. just the more I read, the more I like :)

-darknemus

Snow sucks.  Take it from someone in the "snowbelt" of CT.  I think we get you Floridians share and then some..

And if you're not acclimated to it (and I would guess you're not) DRIVING in the snow sucks....

If you're gonna live in the city, proper, you're likely not going to have to deal with it much.  If you buy a condo, you'll likely have indoor (garage) parking.  If you live in an apt, you'll probably have to find off street parking in the event of a major blow (parking bans will be in effect on the streets).  If it's only a few inches, the worst you'll have to do is clean off, and dig out, your car.  Not TOO bad.

It's also cold.  Colder than Toronto?  No.  But close. 

I've heard the layout of the city is not quite as convenient as NYC, but better than LA's.  I've been to Chi town exactly twice and didn't have much of a problem getting around.  Oh....O'Hare sucks donkey balls...though less so as a final destination.  "Running the spokes" should be considered as an Olympic Event....

Have you thought about any other cities? Do they have to be larger or no?

I've considered a few different places.  But Chicago has some definite advantages over them for me.

A. Location - as I stated before.. my girl won't fly.. so we're stuck driving when it comes to vacations we take together.  Chicago's within a day's drive of alot of destinatons I'd like to go to.

B. Size of city - big city = lots to do.

C. Politics of city - The city is a major Liberal base.. I like that, as it equates to alot more of the things that I believe in.  (Please don't let this get political - its simply MY OPINION of the place)

D. Proximity to Canada (kind of falls into location) - I love Canada.. alot.  And I love the thought of driving there in a few hours.

E. Potential for income - In addition to the pays being generally higher than South Florida there, it'd be a good place to expand my consulting business - as there's a large pool of people to draw from.. in addition, the public transportation makes it relatively easy to get to those places.

F. The music scene - Chicago's music scene and the diversity thereof appeals to me.

-darknemus

I live in chicago its one of the best citys hands down,lots of fun cool towns,music,culture,the summer time is full of music fests and celebrations,everyone is out partying,in the winter it can get very cold but thats only for a few months and it can be an enjoyable break were you can enjoy winter sports and activities and hang out by the fireplace with hot chocoalate,theres always something to see and do,its as alive as new york but less crowded and more laid back,not everyone is crazy to tear your head off driving

Very cool - thanks for the info!

I'm looking forward to my first snowfall wherever we wind up.  My guess is by the 20th I probably won't be, though :)

-darknemus

There are alot of things you can find to do in smaller citys.. Alot of times smaller citys things are closer and easier to get too.. too bad your girl wont drive, hawaii is nice...

A girl I worked with moved to Chicago last year, and she absolutely LOVES the city.   :yes:

Agreed - if my girl would fly, life would be so much easier.  But, short of doping her up and dragging her on a plane unconscious (which would make security raise an eyebrow or two in my direction), its not happening.  I guess that's where the  'for better or for worse' part kicks in.. stupid vows...

:)

-darknemus

Hmm... well my boyfriend is having second thoughts about flying with me to LA this summer.? I'd be willing to give it a try, and letcha know how it goes...?  ;D

Let me be the first to say... lucky boyfriend?

(Yeah, I'm different, sue me :P  )

-darknemus

Just wait for the 120th! :hihi:

So, to expand on this a bit.. As a person visiting the city for the first time in November, anyone have recommendations of 'must-see' destinations?

-darknemus

Wrigley Field, that's reason enough right there

the entire wrigley field area has lots of music and comedy hangouts and cool stores and restauraunts,coffe shops to hang out and meet people,it actually has a lot to offer a guns fan,I bought a lot of cool guns shirts and posters and merchandise around there at rock stores,but definately do a little of everything over there just if you cross over to Halsted hold your girls hand as soon as you go over that way your in boys town and you may be hit on by men its nothing to worry about but just if your wondering but thats if you go over that far which is actually a good area in itself to,check out the Lincoln Park area it has lots of cool places like wrigley ville but maybe better even and lake shore drive is awesome and check out Navy Pier it has a lot of stuff going onthere even a feris wheel and all kinds of shit especially in the summer time,also downtown is nice like State street for shopping and eating,Michigan Avenue also a must to stop by downtown you can find some of the most insane stores at those places downtown,on Lincoln avenue by Oz Park in Lincoln Park there are lots of bars and night places where you can club or hang and shoot pool if your into that lifestyle,and of course check out the sears tower and John Hancock,the only areas you have to be careful are,are the west side and south side but in the areas i said and most of the city is safe i never felt in danger but like they say if you see trouble stay away,u should definately check these areas out before online so you can now what youll want to do in the area cause they have so much to offer that you may miss a lot of good shit,also you should check out Improv Olympic a lot of people from Saturday Night Live started there such as Chris Farley

awww darknemus.

i guess i'm the stronger of the two of us south floridians. ;)

anyway i agree with u it sucks down here im getting out as soon as i can!  :D

anyway.. how far away do u live from bank atlantic center.

my uncle's house (basically my second home) is 2 minutes from there. its pretty cool that we live within a few minutes of eachother

I live about 5 miles or so away from the BAC.  I'm essentially at the corner of Sunrise & University.  (The stalking shall commence....now)

I dunno if you're the stronger of us :P - Remember, I have been here since i was born, after all.  Except for a quick 5 months in Atlanta (when I was 18 / 19) I've never lived anywhere else - and that was for a job.  (I built a company's network.  Novell 3.11 at the time, I believe)

Its just time for a change, is all :)

-darknemus

Dude, check this out:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago

Yep, I've been pouring over the Wiki entry.  In addition, picked up a couple books on the area.  We're currently researching different neighborhoods and the like.

-darknemus

Fuddruckers : ok: :drool:

I work down by Stirling and 95, but I know your area as well. I have Panthers Season tix.

lol - that Fuddruckers just closed, too.  I'm basically behind where Motorola is.

-darknemus

Damn, I'm going to have to find someplace else to go after the Hockey games now. Theres a pretty good pizza place over at the far west end of Jacaranda plaza. Poppys is the name I think. One of the better places I've found down here. Not as good as in Chicago but still good.

Poppy's is good.  We like Stromboli's, too.. (Fountain Plaza) - and CJ's on Broward Blvd.  There's nowhere to get good Chicago style pizza around here, though.  Closest place is Giordanos - and that's in Orlando.

-darknemus

I'll have to check that one out. There is a place on 441 somewhere around Hallandale Beach Blvd that advertises Chicago style but its the thin and it sucks. There is a very good Chicago thin by me in Stuart, but the closest to get the thick is probably Uno's in Melbourne.

The Uno's in Miami International and Fort Lauderdale International suck, avoid at all costs. Since this has diverted from the original topic, like most threads around here do, have you tried Buca De Beppo on University north of Griffin? Really good food and family style portions. The only "Franchise" italian place thats really worth a damn.

Yeah, we went there a couple of weeks ago, actually. In fact, I think the night I got back from NYC.  Honstly, the food was good but the service SUCKED.  What should have been an hour and a half or so dinner turned into a 3 1/2 hour or so nightmare.

Getting back to Chicago, in general - and this question goes to the Chicago folks :)

I'm looking at Lincoln Park, South Loop, Lincoln Square, Wicker Park, Lakeview, & Roscoe Village so far as posible areas to live.  Can anyone tell me anything specific about them?  Or recommend other areas? 

My goal is to live somewhere downtown or nearby downtown - close to public transportation.  In addition, I don't really want to live in a crappy area, obviously :)  I'm really digging the "loft style" places that are available in your city - anything I should be concerned about when considering those as an option to live in?  (We're looking at getting a 2BR to start.. rent for a year or so, then buy something once we're sure where we want to be)

-darknemus

South loop  is great for Lofts and very close to downtown! t's pricey but worth it! :smoking:

lincoln park and wicker park are nice areas with a lot of culture and a lot happening so those would be good choices to live

yeah, a bit pricey, but honestly not bad at all compared to here in South Florida.  I like the loft look - it just strikes me as really industrial, and I dig that.

-darknemus

I love  the lofts too. I work in Lincoln Park and it's too crowded for me as is Wicker park. South Loop is really becoming the hot place to be! : ok:

I was reading some post on a message board that South Loop is really desolate / creepy at night.  Of course, thats just one person's opinion - but wonder how true that is?

-darknemus

There are parts like that. The cool part is the Prairie Distrrict of the South Loop. It is really up and coming and alot of people are leaving Lincoln Park to go there! I f I could afford to buy a place I would go there, property values are only going to continue to rise! It's quiet and nice there and a 5 minute ride to downtown!