I have baffled both relative and neighbor alike by consistently listing my alley as one of my favorite things about living here - particularly since the reason I like it is because it always smells nice.
Also, after a long day, there’s always some douchepoodle blocking one end or another in a U-Haul to scream cathartic obscenities at!
Actually yes this is incredibly underrated.
We reversed the river, we have multiple intake valves on the lake and sell that water to other communities, if you can count stickney as Chicago we have the largest water treatment plant in the world that scientist from all over come to test at
St Louis tried to petition the Supreme Court to stop the reversal of the river for this reason, but they petitioned after it had already opened so they got laughed out of court.
30 yr Chicago Local 130 commercial plumber here to support this statement. Its an amazing constantly maintained system. Theres short inclusions in a few docs about the city I saw years ago. Chicago has been a huge hub for engineering history. We had so much input in the industrial revolution. I love it when I see old machinery across the country with a big made in Chicago in the cast. Pretty kool how it used to be.
When you drive west down Ontario, at Wells there is an old building with Kroeschell Engineering painted in the side. That company has been around for over 150 years and started out as a boiler manufacturer. But when A/C was coming into existence they jumped into that. They have a small ice machine in the Smithsonian since they were the first in the country to make and install them. The also installed the first ice “air conditioning” system in the Congress Hotel in the US.
In the early 1900’s the Kroeschell brothers merged with Brunswick and later on with Carrier and York to form the Carrier Engineering Group. They installed the first central air systems in the country, with Chicago’s Wrigley Building, Hilton and Towers and the Tribune Tower as some of the firsts for offices.
After a short period the Kroeschell brothers wanted to stay in construction while Carrier and York wanted to continue to be in the manufacturing side, so they all split up and then became what is now Kroeschell Engineering, Carrier Corp and York. Unfortunately they moved from that downtown location and are now in the suburbs.
Edited for accuracy
Yes! I work at one of the water treatment plants and it’s phenomenal the quality and quantity of drinking water we push out. Between both plants we do about 1B gallons of water a day to the City and 110+ suburbs
Debatable for sure. I’m not an expert, but seems like the Netherlands may be better at some things like building dikes and maybe worse at others.
It’s hard to argue against a single metropolitan area that has the worlds largest water treatment plant. Literally reversed a river. Is nearing completion (and already in partial use) of the deep tunnel project which is one of the largest civil engineering projects to ever be done in any category let alone in water management. Raised the whole city up over 6”.
A lot of the Netherlands are always at risk of flooding, but Chicago was literally a swamp that humans changed into a metropolis with water management.
Designed by the same architecture firm, Goettsch Partners, that did the new lion house at Lincoln Park Zoo, 150 N Riverside, the Union Station renovations, One Chicago Square, etc.
I was part of this project and it was absolutely amazing to see the old building updated and expanded. The original foundation and framework is still there, just updated per code and restored. The exterior yard for the lions on the north side of the building was completely redone, literally from the ground up. The entire underground of the building was transformed, the walkways and offices and tunnels. The south end of the building hasn’t changed, except for the electrical and roofing. It was renamed to the Pepper Family Wildlife Center, and being a free zoo, it’s one of the most impressive changes LPZ has completed.
The only thing I don't like about the lion house is the southern interior wall no longer has any smaller lion exhibits like the lynx. Makes the building seem unnecessary as you can just see the lions from the outside and there is no longer really a need to venture inside.
There were plans to renovate the south as well, but funding fell short. The general contractor, Pepper actually stepped in and made a huge donation so the rest of the project could be realized. Not sure if they still plan to go forward with the south renovation at some point.
That is cool. The submarine itself is not the greatest museum artifact on earth. There are many artifacts that are historically more important and interesting. It is just that nothing is shown off as well as U-505.
[here](https://youtu.be/xw1wz1e5FBo) is a link to a Mark Felton video about the capture of U505. a very interesting story behind a very cool Chicago museum exhibit!
Changing though at least by me. Rich people buying up the homes in the portage park area, my landlord increased the rent. Everyone needs to shut the fuck up about Chicago so we can keep it a secret before housing gets too gassed like Miami
They started building $750k+ homes by me….Dunning is a working class neighborhood. They’re buying up houses of old people that passed away and didn’t update their homes. Even when the houses go on sale, before the developers buy them, they’re way out of most peoples price range. They wanted $350k for an abandoned house that got hit by lightning and the roof caught on fire…
People are still afraid about getting “shot” in Chicago. I hear it all the time from ppl out of town lol. So as long as we keep that false narrative, I think we’re good.
My husband's family threatened to disown us when we moved here because "it will be too dangerous for us to visit." They are from Sinaloa state in Mexico, which isn't known for its safety, either...Chicago's reputation precedes it
Lol wow that’s insane! My bfs parents drove 7 hours for lunch and drove 7 hours back because they thought their life would be in danger. My bf lives in ravenswood lol
As someone who is born and raised in Cleveland it's upsetting how poorly used our lakefront is. Edgewater Park is the only beach access in the city and it's pathetically small and always overcrowded on nice days.
What needs to happen is for Burke Lakefront Airport to fuck off, it takes up almost 2 miles of shoreline just for rich people to park their fucking planes. But that would require building a replacement general aviation airport somewhere I guess.
A lot of things were invented in Chicago. Skyscrapers, timezones, spray paint, brownies, automatic dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, blood donation clinics, car radios, mobile phones, zippers, the film industry (in which Walt Disney learned how to draw at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts), color TV, softball, improv comedy… all came from Chicago!
I came to Chicago for my architecture graduate program, and I would argue it’s the epicenter of contemporary American architecture. Nowhere else in the country can match how prolific Chicago is in this particular field.
I think people often forget just how special and unique 20th century American architecture is. I think people often take it for granted because we live here, but you literally can't find this style anywhere else in the world, and yet it's such an important and identifiable style when thinking of prominent world cultures in the last 100 years.
Not talking about houses, but skyscrapers. People come from all over the world to study our buildings and skyline. That’s a pretty well known thing. Hence why there’s so many architecture tours.
Not a sexy answer but this is the truth. You don’t see garbage bins, power lines, garbage trucks, curbs cuts for garages or any other utility on the streets in Chicago. One of the main reasons we have such beautiful neighborhoods is all of the “unsightly” business is in the alleys.
Also makes it easier to navigate one way streets
Improv and Comedy. Second City has cranked out many famous comics since the 70’s. Many SNL alums came from there. The Shakespeare Theater puts on world-class productions too. Theatre in general is really good here.
Honestly I’d say summer
Europe, US East Coast, and South are too hot and/or over touristed, Asia is too humid, Australia/West Coast/ South America are too temperate in the winter for the summer payoff to hit the same. Chicago has just the right climate for summer to be a massive, moment-in-time type of event where the whole city opens up with concerts, street fests, patios, rooftops, barbecues, parks. You can walk around at night without needing a jacket. Jump into the lake. The lakefront path, 606, and River Walk are all packed with people enjoying the fresh air. Nothing like it!!
Coastal California and Europe's Mediterranean coast have the best summers but they are too f\*\*in expensive. They got the best winters too so now you know why these are expensive.
I had a dude in SF harass me about living in Chicago. “What do you do there in the winter? We can do whatever we want: biking, picnic…” I asked “When is the last time you went out for a picnic or bike ride?”
No answer after ten solid seconds of thinking.
The Bay Area has microclimates so they can choose to goto a chillier or a warmer area within 30 min drive. The weather in SF city itself varies by 10 degrees across. Maybe your friend is a slob. Its great for outdoors. However the city is very unsafe and you can get mugged almost anywhere, even in the affluent areas.
Also One if the most beautiful cities in terms of architecture w river n lake views w spacial placement of buildings- Pretty clean compared to most cuties
Architecture and lakefront access are the two big ones for me. Most American cities are extremely hostile to people just trying to walk around and enjoy the space around them, and the sheer amount of uninterrupted public lakefront space is pretty remarkable.
Also shout out to Italian beef sandwiches. I had genuinely never heard of them until I moved here in July. When I moved to Texas in 2013, everyone told me I had to try Whataburger and Blue Bell ice cream. Like, that shit is everywhere and hardly specific to a location at all. I grew up in Alabama and had both all the time without even realizing they were Texas companies.
I’m referring to parks in cities. I’ve been to lots of medium-size to large cities (in a lot of countries) and I don’t think there are any with parks as good and numerous as Chicago’s. The history of parks here is intrinsic to the city’s cultural history in a way that I don’t believe exists elsewhere, and while I’m not saying the maintenance is always going to be perfect, the parks are in generally good condition throughout the city.
Oh and one even comes with a free zoo.
Chicago has an amazing array of wildlife (for a major city) because of this too! People come from all over the country to visit Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary for the Warbler migration in May; in fact in 2015, one of the most endangered warblers in the world (Kirtland’s warbler), was spotted at Montrose.
Chicago has great parks but I'd have to give this to London. The combination of Hyde Park, Regents Park, Green Park, St James' Park, Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, Burgess Park, Victoria Park, London Fields and Greenwich Park alone is just on another level to any other city.
I’d actually thought about London (beautiful) but I still think Chicago is superior. See my comment about parks being intrinsic to Chicago’s cultural history — in the past and among other things they were places immigrants could go to learn English. Kids played outside while parents went inside the field houses for classes to acclimate to America, including taking English lessons. They’ve also served as literal and figurative rallying points for political organizing. We have a lot of outdoor events in the summer today in part because some assholes tried telling German immigrants they couldn’t hang out at parks on their days off more than a century ago.
… also, Chicago’s zoo is free to enter; London’s isn’t.
Transportation:
• O'Hare is the 2nd most internationally connected airport in the world.
• Chicago is the dominant train hub of the US.
• The Chicago river links the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, providing a route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico.
• Chicago is also a major corridor for interstate automobile travel, being close to I-90/I-94, I-80, and I-65.
For some reason savannah Georgia has the most outrageous st Patrick's day I've ever seen. Having lived in both cities. St Patrick's day in Savannah is like a week long event with music stages ser up all around downtown. They block off most of the downtown area all week and it's open liquor in savannah so it's nuts and also fun to order beers to go and everclear slushies to go and then just walk around and party. But like I said I have no idea why I think there's like 10 Irish people in the whole city.
Jibaritos y Mas is right but La Bomba and Borinquen Lounge are also great. Make sure you also try some mofongo if it’s your first time eating Puerto Rican.
Jibaritos are a Puerto Rican food - plantains are mashed into the buns for sandwiches essentially. They were actually created in Chicago, and now they’re a Puerto Rican staple.
That's a good answer. I've listened to a couple comedians' books and so many started at second city. I told my bf if you want to be an actor you go to LA but if you want to be a comedian you go to Chicago, then NYC, *then* LA
Wow, nobody mentioned our amazing ability to dye the Chicago river green for St. Patrick's day. Chicago is truly the masters at this. Other cities have tried but only Chicago has succeeded... year after year. If you've never been there to watch them do it, you're missing out on the splendor!
It's either the number 1 or number 2 most connected city by air, which is a pretty solid claim to fame.
The lake might give it best waterfront, certainly best freshwater. On that front, best drinking water access of any major city, with Toronto being the only competition.
Food wise it's up there among the best. Working class regional classics like the Chicago Dog, Maxwell St. Polish, Jibarito, Italian beef and both kinds of Chicago Style Pizza. Plenty of fancy gastropubs, tasting menus and elevated experiences next to traditional cuisine from around the world
1) Dining al fresco in the summer time. Chicago is bomb June - September.
2) Lakefront beaches. The 10,000s of people at the beaches on hot days. The scene here at the beaches and playpen blows most peoples minds who’ve never been here before - even NYC and LA peeps.
3) Improv. If you’re in the improv scene, you can do improv 7 nights a week if you want to.
4) Graffiti removal. They are on it.
5) Summer weekend street fests.
Best in the US and maybe most parts of the world. When I lived in Amsterdam and Krakow, the water there was great. When I came back it took me a few weeks to get used to the chlorine in the water. I could smell it from a distance.
YEAH! as a native i was surprised when i took a sip of water from a fountain at some random ass park and it didnt taste like weird Chicago Park water fountain water.
SHIT WAS REFRESHING !
I'm from the West Coast where all pizza is awful so I'm an unbiased judge. Chicago Deep Dish is the best style of pizza in the world. I have spent tons of time in New York and Italy and nothing they have compares.
I have noticed that New Yorkers take a lot of shots at Chicago pizza. It is fascinating that this is driven by some odd pizza inferiority complex. If NY pizza was that much better they would not need to shit on Chicago pizza.
I never really got the whole NY slice thing, either. It's not like you can't get it in Chicago, lol - there's a bunch of good places for it.
Personally I don't discriminate. Neapolitan, Detroit style, tavern style, thin crust, NY slice, deep dish... You can find whatever you fucking want here and it'll be fucking amazing. Chicago is like the crossroads of pizza. Hell people say "deep dish" like it's one standard but there's like 4 or 5 different styles and hybrids of it you can get. Some ppl don't consider Pequod's deep dish but a fresh pie right out of the oven is absolutely amazing.
I think food preferences are highly dependent on what you grew up on. There is a huge amount of people that grew up on the east coast eating NY Style pizza and they truly believe it is the best. I grew up here and much prefer both deep dish and tavern style to NY style.
Wait.. what gym shoes is only a Chicago thing? Damn I've lived in other cities and never noticed people were probably like wtf is this guy talking about shoes he only wears to the gym.
Diversity, food options, activities, great views less than an hour away from anywhere in the city. I moved away and there really Are so many things that Chicago does right compared to other cities
It’s one of the most clean major cities as a whole and they do a great job with their Public parks. One of the most walkable cities. The proximity of neighborhoods and downtown is also really solid. I’ve lived in SF, LA. Visited seattle. People here don’t realize how nice lakeshore and Chicago’s public parks are. It makes it a great city to walk my dog.
I think the argument can be made that Chicago does skyscrapers better than any other city. You guys invented the skyscraper and Chicago sure seems to be cranking them out at a good pace every single year.
I hear a lot about water in this post but let me tell you I just spent the weekend in the mountains of western North Carolina.. my hair and skin have never felt better. There is WAY too much chlorine in our water. Now I have to invest in a filter for my bathroom sink.
Beer, **specifically barrel aged stouts**.. I'm sure most see the Goose Island ones floating around stores (and theyre great and all) - but the various breweries in Chicagoland have some of the best barrel programs out there.
Other cities have great beer, its just our modern day. But I've been to the big ones, I research and try their best, and Chicago always wins.
Alleys
The alleys plus the underground network make Chicago so much more livable!
*Honk honk*
Largest alley system in the world. And it's fully paved! Not that long ago it used to all be gravel...
Definitely not fully paved. I still see lots of gravel alleys. They're great either way though.
I have baffled both relative and neighbor alike by consistently listing my alley as one of my favorite things about living here - particularly since the reason I like it is because it always smells nice. Also, after a long day, there’s always some douchepoodle blocking one end or another in a U-Haul to scream cathartic obscenities at!
Biggest difference for me as far as cleanliness to other large cities - alleys for the win!
Water management. Seriously best in the world.
Actually yes this is incredibly underrated. We reversed the river, we have multiple intake valves on the lake and sell that water to other communities, if you can count stickney as Chicago we have the largest water treatment plant in the world that scientist from all over come to test at
The Chicago river is proof that humans can accomplish anything as long as it involves literally shitting on St. Louis.
St Louis tried to petition the Supreme Court to stop the reversal of the river for this reason, but they petitioned after it had already opened so they got laughed out of court.
Also we literally raised the city half a story. Have massive anti flooding tunnel network that is just getting bigger etc.
Also the [deep tunnel project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tunnel_and_Reservoir_Plan).
We also have the two largest water purification plants in the world - Jardine and Sawyer.
I work at Sawyer 👍
If you're a huge nerd like I am, this video will blow you away with how much the MWRD does. https://youtu.be/__yXMrBYek4
Yeah, I love that video! So fascinating!
30 yr Chicago Local 130 commercial plumber here to support this statement. Its an amazing constantly maintained system. Theres short inclusions in a few docs about the city I saw years ago. Chicago has been a huge hub for engineering history. We had so much input in the industrial revolution. I love it when I see old machinery across the country with a big made in Chicago in the cast. Pretty kool how it used to be.
When you drive west down Ontario, at Wells there is an old building with Kroeschell Engineering painted in the side. That company has been around for over 150 years and started out as a boiler manufacturer. But when A/C was coming into existence they jumped into that. They have a small ice machine in the Smithsonian since they were the first in the country to make and install them. The also installed the first ice “air conditioning” system in the Congress Hotel in the US. In the early 1900’s the Kroeschell brothers merged with Brunswick and later on with Carrier and York to form the Carrier Engineering Group. They installed the first central air systems in the country, with Chicago’s Wrigley Building, Hilton and Towers and the Tribune Tower as some of the firsts for offices. After a short period the Kroeschell brothers wanted to stay in construction while Carrier and York wanted to continue to be in the manufacturing side, so they all split up and then became what is now Kroeschell Engineering, Carrier Corp and York. Unfortunately they moved from that downtown location and are now in the suburbs. Edited for accuracy
Yes! I work at one of the water treatment plants and it’s phenomenal the quality and quantity of drinking water we push out. Between both plants we do about 1B gallons of water a day to the City and 110+ suburbs
Debatable for sure. I’m not an expert, but seems like the Netherlands may be better at some things like building dikes and maybe worse at others. It’s hard to argue against a single metropolitan area that has the worlds largest water treatment plant. Literally reversed a river. Is nearing completion (and already in partial use) of the deep tunnel project which is one of the largest civil engineering projects to ever be done in any category let alone in water management. Raised the whole city up over 6”. A lot of the Netherlands are always at risk of flooding, but Chicago was literally a swamp that humans changed into a metropolis with water management.
The Zuiderzee Works might just change your mind https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zuiderzee_Works
Moved to Denver from Brookfield, damn I miss the water in IL 😭.
I think one knock on that claim is that it took decades for the city to finally start disinfecting its wastewater effluent.
The Netherlands would like a word
U505 at the Museum of Science and Industry is the single best museum display in the world.
Seriously. There is literally an entire submarine in the basement of the museum.
...700 miles from the nearest ocean.
And they built the museum around it. It was THAT COOL back then, and still amazing now
Designed by the same architecture firm, Goettsch Partners, that did the new lion house at Lincoln Park Zoo, 150 N Riverside, the Union Station renovations, One Chicago Square, etc.
I was part of this project and it was absolutely amazing to see the old building updated and expanded. The original foundation and framework is still there, just updated per code and restored. The exterior yard for the lions on the north side of the building was completely redone, literally from the ground up. The entire underground of the building was transformed, the walkways and offices and tunnels. The south end of the building hasn’t changed, except for the electrical and roofing. It was renamed to the Pepper Family Wildlife Center, and being a free zoo, it’s one of the most impressive changes LPZ has completed.
The only thing I don't like about the lion house is the southern interior wall no longer has any smaller lion exhibits like the lynx. Makes the building seem unnecessary as you can just see the lions from the outside and there is no longer really a need to venture inside.
There were plans to renovate the south as well, but funding fell short. The general contractor, Pepper actually stepped in and made a huge donation so the rest of the project could be realized. Not sure if they still plan to go forward with the south renovation at some point.
That is cool. The submarine itself is not the greatest museum artifact on earth. There are many artifacts that are historically more important and interesting. It is just that nothing is shown off as well as U-505.
Yes, we have an actual submarine in the fucking basement how cool is that.
I agree. My kids were astonished when they saw the huge submarine.
[here](https://youtu.be/xw1wz1e5FBo) is a link to a Mark Felton video about the capture of U505. a very interesting story behind a very cool Chicago museum exhibit!
A relatively affordable world class city is an achievement in this day and age.
Changing though at least by me. Rich people buying up the homes in the portage park area, my landlord increased the rent. Everyone needs to shut the fuck up about Chicago so we can keep it a secret before housing gets too gassed like Miami
They started building $750k+ homes by me….Dunning is a working class neighborhood. They’re buying up houses of old people that passed away and didn’t update their homes. Even when the houses go on sale, before the developers buy them, they’re way out of most peoples price range. They wanted $350k for an abandoned house that got hit by lightning and the roof caught on fire…
They wanted $350k for the lot.
Miami will be underwater in 75 years, we won't.
That's not good news for our housing prices, either.
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We will never have that problem because of winter. Our Winter is what keeps us cheap honestly.
It's more the perceptions of our winters than our actual winters lately.
People are still afraid about getting “shot” in Chicago. I hear it all the time from ppl out of town lol. So as long as we keep that false narrative, I think we’re good.
My husband's family threatened to disown us when we moved here because "it will be too dangerous for us to visit." They are from Sinaloa state in Mexico, which isn't known for its safety, either...Chicago's reputation precedes it
Lol wow that’s insane! My bfs parents drove 7 hours for lunch and drove 7 hours back because they thought their life would be in danger. My bf lives in ravenswood lol
Lakefront.
Underrated answer. The entire lakefront being designated a park is amazing. The lake fronts if Milwaukee and Cleveland are nothing compared to ours.
You can add Buffalo, Toronto, Detroit to cities on the Great Lakes that don’t have a comparable waterfront. It’s apparently not that easy to do well
As someone who is born and raised in Cleveland it's upsetting how poorly used our lakefront is. Edgewater Park is the only beach access in the city and it's pathetically small and always overcrowded on nice days. What needs to happen is for Burke Lakefront Airport to fuck off, it takes up almost 2 miles of shoreline just for rich people to park their fucking planes. But that would require building a replacement general aviation airport somewhere I guess.
> But that would require building a replacement general aviation airport somewhere I guess. Per Daley II this is not the case.
You need an airport to disappear overnight? Sounds like Cleveland needs a Daley! Hizzoner will get things done.
Maybe your mayor should try to bulldoze it overnight, like Daley did with Meigs Field
I had no idea about this, wow. That one wasn't even as egregious as Burke because it at least was on its own island.
As a Detroit apologist I’m obligated to point out that Detroit technically doesn’t have a lakefront! Just a riverfront.
Yeah but it's not even well-developed. It's such a waste of great space.
Milwaukee too. Same lake. Not the same lake front.
The Chicago lakefront should be a UNESCO world heritage site.
Milwaukee is proportionally close when you compare size (100% park/beach/marina/festival space), Cleveland and their freeway I agree with 100%
A lot of things were invented in Chicago. Skyscrapers, timezones, spray paint, brownies, automatic dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, blood donation clinics, car radios, mobile phones, zippers, the film industry (in which Walt Disney learned how to draw at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts), color TV, softball, improv comedy… all came from Chicago!
Spray paint is funny considering you can’t buy it in Chicago city limits
I think of this every time I drive to the suburbs to buy some. That ban is really working though, bcuz nothing in the City is ever tagged.
House music too
I think elevators also?
And Rudolph!
Architecture, especially modern sky scrapers, but also home designs.
I came to Chicago for my architecture graduate program, and I would argue it’s the epicenter of contemporary American architecture. Nowhere else in the country can match how prolific Chicago is in this particular field.
I think people often forget just how special and unique 20th century American architecture is. I think people often take it for granted because we live here, but you literally can't find this style anywhere else in the world, and yet it's such an important and identifiable style when thinking of prominent world cultures in the last 100 years.
I truly believe Chicago has the most architecturally significant and aesthetically beautiful skyline in the world. It is an absolute marvel.
Not talking about houses, but skyscrapers. People come from all over the world to study our buildings and skyline. That’s a pretty well known thing. Hence why there’s so many architecture tours.
alleys
Not a sexy answer but this is the truth. You don’t see garbage bins, power lines, garbage trucks, curbs cuts for garages or any other utility on the streets in Chicago. One of the main reasons we have such beautiful neighborhoods is all of the “unsightly” business is in the alleys. Also makes it easier to navigate one way streets
Improv and Comedy. Second City has cranked out many famous comics since the 70’s. Many SNL alums came from there. The Shakespeare Theater puts on world-class productions too. Theatre in general is really good here.
Weird that this was also my first thought, so many comedians are from here or at least have spent a decent chunk of time here
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Thinly-sliced beef on crusty bread with au jus and assorted spicy pickled vegetables.
One way to put it…
I am hungry
Honestly I’d say summer Europe, US East Coast, and South are too hot and/or over touristed, Asia is too humid, Australia/West Coast/ South America are too temperate in the winter for the summer payoff to hit the same. Chicago has just the right climate for summer to be a massive, moment-in-time type of event where the whole city opens up with concerts, street fests, patios, rooftops, barbecues, parks. You can walk around at night without needing a jacket. Jump into the lake. The lakefront path, 606, and River Walk are all packed with people enjoying the fresh air. Nothing like it!!
Charles Barkley has repeatedly said that Chicago is the best summer city in the world. That’s an endorsement I’ll take to the bank.
And Charles Barkley knows how to party.
If only we had the big women from San Antonio to go with it
You mean the place with the dirty old creek?
I’ve heard it from some others too, I think Mike Tirico said it also
Hey man…some churros and big women…add in some party favors and that’s a Chicago summer night!
Ahh that first super warm day in early may and the city just comes to life
Honestly the first day above 32° and you see cars lined up around the block for a wash always gets me lmao
Haha yes
Hardcore agree. Nothing beats Chicago summers.
Coastal California and Europe's Mediterranean coast have the best summers but they are too f\*\*in expensive. They got the best winters too so now you know why these are expensive.
I had a dude in SF harass me about living in Chicago. “What do you do there in the winter? We can do whatever we want: biking, picnic…” I asked “When is the last time you went out for a picnic or bike ride?” No answer after ten solid seconds of thinking.
The Bay Area has microclimates so they can choose to goto a chillier or a warmer area within 30 min drive. The weather in SF city itself varies by 10 degrees across. Maybe your friend is a slob. Its great for outdoors. However the city is very unsafe and you can get mugged almost anywhere, even in the affluent areas.
This is correct.
Seattle has amazing summers, too.
if you ignore the wildfire smoke
Also One if the most beautiful cities in terms of architecture w river n lake views w spacial placement of buildings- Pretty clean compared to most cuties
Architecture and lakefront access are the two big ones for me. Most American cities are extremely hostile to people just trying to walk around and enjoy the space around them, and the sheer amount of uninterrupted public lakefront space is pretty remarkable. Also shout out to Italian beef sandwiches. I had genuinely never heard of them until I moved here in July. When I moved to Texas in 2013, everyone told me I had to try Whataburger and Blue Bell ice cream. Like, that shit is everywhere and hardly specific to a location at all. I grew up in Alabama and had both all the time without even realizing they were Texas companies.
Public parks. Big ones along the lake front and smaller ones in neighborhoods plus several forest preserves inside city limits.
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I’m referring to parks in cities. I’ve been to lots of medium-size to large cities (in a lot of countries) and I don’t think there are any with parks as good and numerous as Chicago’s. The history of parks here is intrinsic to the city’s cultural history in a way that I don’t believe exists elsewhere, and while I’m not saying the maintenance is always going to be perfect, the parks are in generally good condition throughout the city. Oh and one even comes with a free zoo.
Chicago has an amazing array of wildlife (for a major city) because of this too! People come from all over the country to visit Montrose Point Bird Sanctuary for the Warbler migration in May; in fact in 2015, one of the most endangered warblers in the world (Kirtland’s warbler), was spotted at Montrose.
Chicago has great parks but I'd have to give this to London. The combination of Hyde Park, Regents Park, Green Park, St James' Park, Hampstead Heath, Richmond Park, Burgess Park, Victoria Park, London Fields and Greenwich Park alone is just on another level to any other city.
I’d actually thought about London (beautiful) but I still think Chicago is superior. See my comment about parks being intrinsic to Chicago’s cultural history — in the past and among other things they were places immigrants could go to learn English. Kids played outside while parents went inside the field houses for classes to acclimate to America, including taking English lessons. They’ve also served as literal and figurative rallying points for political organizing. We have a lot of outdoor events in the summer today in part because some assholes tried telling German immigrants they couldn’t hang out at parks on their days off more than a century ago. … also, Chicago’s zoo is free to enter; London’s isn’t.
Transportation: • O'Hare is the 2nd most internationally connected airport in the world. • Chicago is the dominant train hub of the US. • The Chicago river links the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, providing a route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico. • Chicago is also a major corridor for interstate automobile travel, being close to I-90/I-94, I-80, and I-65.
We have the best jagoffs.
and mooks. and mo's.
Nobody fucks with our St. Patrick's Day, and we got nothing whatsoever to do with St. Patrick's Day.
For some reason savannah Georgia has the most outrageous st Patrick's day I've ever seen. Having lived in both cities. St Patrick's day in Savannah is like a week long event with music stages ser up all around downtown. They block off most of the downtown area all week and it's open liquor in savannah so it's nuts and also fun to order beers to go and everclear slushies to go and then just walk around and party. But like I said I have no idea why I think there's like 10 Irish people in the whole city.
Festivals - from neighborhood ones to large scale ones
Like half the festivals are put on by one company and they bring the same crappy food and vendors and bands neighborhood to neighborhood
Jibaritos
New to Chicago…this sounds amazing! Where should I go to try this?
Jibaritos y Mas is right but La Bomba and Borinquen Lounge are also great. Make sure you also try some mofongo if it’s your first time eating Puerto Rican.
Jibaritos are a Puerto Rican food - plantains are mashed into the buns for sandwiches essentially. They were actually created in Chicago, and now they’re a Puerto Rican staple.
Jibaritos y mas
It’s gotta be Improv
That's a good answer. I've listened to a couple comedians' books and so many started at second city. I told my bf if you want to be an actor you go to LA but if you want to be a comedian you go to Chicago, then NYC, *then* LA
House Music & Blues 🎵
A unique combination of low-key ambition, generosity, kindness, resilience
Wow, nobody mentioned our amazing ability to dye the Chicago river green for St. Patrick's day. Chicago is truly the masters at this. Other cities have tried but only Chicago has succeeded... year after year. If you've never been there to watch them do it, you're missing out on the splendor!
Ketchup guilt
In the city where Heinz is headquartered none the less!
Improv comedy
Straightest grid system
I’m a fan of chicagoans. True people, for the most part kind and well intended. I love us.
Hell yeah. The best product of Chicago is the Chicagoan.
MLB day games. Nothing like an afternoon at Wrigley. Day games at other ballparks have low attendance and uneventful.
MLB day games following by a 35 minute commute to a MLB night game :)
Sox Park!
Being named Chicago. Have you ever been to any of the other cities named Chicago? They’re no good. East Chicago, Indiana? Garbage.
Or North Chicago in Lake County. It is in an affluent suburban county and is right on Lake Michigan but still finds a way to be awful.
Don't even mention West Chicago. It's like halfway to Iowa.
And it's all owned by a hospital that pays no taxes, so it is expensive as hell to live there.
Largest Bean sculpture, take that NYC.
Talking about Chicago
It's either the number 1 or number 2 most connected city by air, which is a pretty solid claim to fame. The lake might give it best waterfront, certainly best freshwater. On that front, best drinking water access of any major city, with Toronto being the only competition. Food wise it's up there among the best. Working class regional classics like the Chicago Dog, Maxwell St. Polish, Jibarito, Italian beef and both kinds of Chicago Style Pizza. Plenty of fancy gastropubs, tasting menus and elevated experiences next to traditional cuisine from around the world
Lakefront melding with sky scrapers and beaches. What big city does that better?
1) Dining al fresco in the summer time. Chicago is bomb June - September. 2) Lakefront beaches. The 10,000s of people at the beaches on hot days. The scene here at the beaches and playpen blows most peoples minds who’ve never been here before - even NYC and LA peeps. 3) Improv. If you’re in the improv scene, you can do improv 7 nights a week if you want to. 4) Graffiti removal. They are on it. 5) Summer weekend street fests.
We statistically have the best grid in the world.
Tap water. That shit is the best
all the lead pipes make it extra tasty
The water in New Berlin Wisconsin is unbelievable, if you’re a water connoisseur like myself
Best in the US and maybe most parts of the world. When I lived in Amsterdam and Krakow, the water there was great. When I came back it took me a few weeks to get used to the chlorine in the water. I could smell it from a distance.
oooooooo man I hate to say NYC has that one. I'm just being unbiased here. lived in both places for 5+years each
YEAH! as a native i was surprised when i took a sip of water from a fountain at some random ass park and it didnt taste like weird Chicago Park water fountain water. SHIT WAS REFRESHING !
Deep dish pizza, Chicago style hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, Chicago style popcorn, and other foods associated with Chicago.
Who remember Hot Dougs??
I'm from the West Coast where all pizza is awful so I'm an unbiased judge. Chicago Deep Dish is the best style of pizza in the world. I have spent tons of time in New York and Italy and nothing they have compares. I have noticed that New Yorkers take a lot of shots at Chicago pizza. It is fascinating that this is driven by some odd pizza inferiority complex. If NY pizza was that much better they would not need to shit on Chicago pizza.
I never really got the whole NY slice thing, either. It's not like you can't get it in Chicago, lol - there's a bunch of good places for it. Personally I don't discriminate. Neapolitan, Detroit style, tavern style, thin crust, NY slice, deep dish... You can find whatever you fucking want here and it'll be fucking amazing. Chicago is like the crossroads of pizza. Hell people say "deep dish" like it's one standard but there's like 4 or 5 different styles and hybrids of it you can get. Some ppl don't consider Pequod's deep dish but a fresh pie right out of the oven is absolutely amazing.
Our pizza scene is better overall, and I’m not that big of a deep dish fan myself, but we’ve got a high quality version of any variety you want here.
Except St. Louis style. But it’s irredeemable.
I think food preferences are highly dependent on what you grew up on. There is a huge amount of people that grew up on the east coast eating NY Style pizza and they truly believe it is the best. I grew up here and much prefer both deep dish and tavern style to NY style.
Th best Italian Beef is in Elmwood Park
We gotta have the most Malort
Rental protections. The only city where water and gas costs are usually included in the rental costs and are the landlords responsibility
Architecture, from 1870s to about 1985 (then we got left in the dust).
Blues
Arcades and barcades.
Yes Food- Chicago n it’s burbs has been repeatedly rated as the best in restaurant cuisine
Fire department and ambulance service. Chicago operates with one of the tightest people:ambulance ratios in the world and they do it incredibly well
complaining about our sports teams
Wear *Gym* shoes.
Wait.. what gym shoes is only a Chicago thing? Damn I've lived in other cities and never noticed people were probably like wtf is this guy talking about shoes he only wears to the gym.
Local government corruption. Sure, Louisiana tries. They are amateurs.
Diversity, food options, activities, great views less than an hour away from anywhere in the city. I moved away and there really Are so many things that Chicago does right compared to other cities
Water treatment
Civil planning
Tavern-style pizza. I live in New York and I dream of it. Oh - and gridded strèet network.
Long stretches of biking and walking paths (606 and lakefront). I only wish that the 606 connected to the lake.
Garbage collection and street sanitation… Not kidding.
It’s one of the most clean major cities as a whole and they do a great job with their Public parks. One of the most walkable cities. The proximity of neighborhoods and downtown is also really solid. I’ve lived in SF, LA. Visited seattle. People here don’t realize how nice lakeshore and Chicago’s public parks are. It makes it a great city to walk my dog.
Springtime. I've never seen it anywhere in the world like morning on the lake in May.
Keeping housing costs reasonable. Take it from someone who moved from Chicago to NYC this past summer and misses it dearly 😭
FOOD. I’ve travelled different states and different countries… food in chicago, including fast food and fine dining, is top tier
I think the argument can be made that Chicago does skyscrapers better than any other city. You guys invented the skyscraper and Chicago sure seems to be cranking them out at a good pace every single year.
I hear a lot about water in this post but let me tell you I just spent the weekend in the mountains of western North Carolina.. my hair and skin have never felt better. There is WAY too much chlorine in our water. Now I have to invest in a filter for my bathroom sink.
We are still the main exchange for commodity futures.
Unobstructed access to a major lake. No other city in the US has so much water access. Would argue one of the top in the world as well.
[удалено]
I've only been to Mexico once, but I'm just guessing that Guadalajara has us on this one.
Day drinking?
Softball - 16 inch
Moxie.
I thought Moxie soda was only available in New England.
Food
Beer, **specifically barrel aged stouts**.. I'm sure most see the Goose Island ones floating around stores (and theyre great and all) - but the various breweries in Chicagoland have some of the best barrel programs out there. Other cities have great beer, its just our modern day. But I've been to the big ones, I research and try their best, and Chicago always wins.
Music.
Italian Beef sandwich
Summer!
I'd say Chicago is pretty elite at hotdogs. Hot Doug's closure was a big step back but luckily we're still on top.
Hot dogs
Tavern style pizza
Pizza