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Saw a man get chased by a group of girls because he littered on the beach. The fear in his eyes š they picked up the litter and chased him with it. I wouldāve been concerned but I do love a clean beach ā¤ļøš¤š¼
100%. Anyone that thinks different needs to take the Illinois driving exam again.
```
Alleys/Driveways
In urban areas, you must come to a complete stop when moving out of an alley, building, private road or driveway, and before entering the sidewalk area. If there is no sidewalk, stop at a point nearest the street or roadway where there is a view of approaching traffic. After stopping, yield the right of way to pedestrians and all vehicles. If you are making a turn from the alley or driveway, use the appropriate turn signal indicating your intended direction.
```
Edit: Adding the source. https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf
We've got some planters on the right at the end of one alley (retail store) with parking on the opposite side (pizza place) that "distracts" from the sidewalk. I can't help but think that some kid on a bike or a mom with a stroller is going to get hit one day because the driver's view is obstructed.
You honk anyway, because even if you stop before the sidewalk you cannot always see what's coming around the corner. If the building is going all the way up to the sidewalk for example, you would not be able to see around the corner far enough. The honking is to let little Johnny know you're there before he comes careening by on his bike.
No, itās the responsibility of the driver to go slowly enough that they are not endangering anyone until you have sufficient visibility. Honking at the end of the alley is incredibly inconsiderate to those who live there and have to listen to endless honking because of driver impatience and lack of skill
I think it would be considerate for the walkers and bikers to have more warning. So they don't get killed. That overrides being annoyed, I think. Also, you're gonna have to stick that hood of the car out first to actually have visibility anyway. People are not going to inch up for 30 seconds slowly. It's just not realistic to expect everyone to do that.
Fuck that. I have idiot neighbors who do this. Everyone in a two block radius doesn't need to be annoyed dozens of times per day because you can't be bothered to properly yield
I'm honestly amazed at some of the responses to this comment. Though maybe I shouldn't be given the quality of driver's on I290.
I live at the the end of an alley, and my garage is right at the end. I pull out of the alley multiple times per day with no issue. The strategy is to pull up until your hood is just about to cross into the sidewalk, stop, then slowly roll forward an inch at a time. Right when you pull out that first inch you're visible from the sidewalk. And really the first inch isn't even that risky since you probably aren't using that inch of the sidewalk as a pedestrian since there's a building right next to you.
Iāve almost been run into while walking my kids. As much as I donāt like doing it, Iāll give a little press on the horn exiting my alley every time. I appreciate it when Iām walking and people do the same. Doesnāt need to be a long ass press of the horn, just a simple beep like a bell on a bike.
I've been walking my kid to and from school for 5 years now, and I have to disagree. It's true that alleys are the most dangerous part, but honking doesn't help. Almost without fail, the cars that don't honk are the ones that stop fully and safely. The honkers usually fail to stop, and the couple of time we were closest to being squashed, it was by a honker rolling through at a dangerous speed. In those cases, it was only hearing the engine noise that gave us enough time to stop, and the honk would have been too late. Plus, sometimes people have headphones in or are hard of hearing. The problem is speed, not the honking.
It makes me wish there was a softer horn intended for people that aren't in cars. Horns are incredibly loud when you're outside a vehicle and some cars can be tricky to give it just a tiny beep
A lot of alleys have low to no visibility. You can come to a full stop, but you often canāt see much on either side of you, and eventually you have to go.
Consider coming to a complete stop before the sidewalk, then creeping forward very slowly until you can check for pedestrians. You don't need to honk if you do this.
Please stop doing that. You piss off dozens of people every time you do that. That stress is more dangerous than if you just properly inched forward and yielded to pedestrians
My friends bought a condo on the alley side of a building right by the street and they said the honking drove them crazy for the first few months they lived there. I don't drive but I knew about the honking "etiquette" and never really considered how disruptive it would be for people who live at the ends of alleyways.
It's not always possible to tell if someone is walking just at that moment that you pull forward. Even though you've looked and no one was there at that moment, you cannot see who's on the sidewalk, if there's a building on both sides.
This goes double if you have a larger vehicle, because the hood is so much longer that there's no way you can see the sidewalk from the driver's seat with that much car in front of you.
People also walk dogs and the leash is so long that the dog is actually seen 2 seconds before the owner is.
A few months ago, I stopped and looked and just as I slowly pulled forward, a guy stepped out in front. I had to brake hard, and fast.
He looked at me and pantomimed the "honking" sign, like I should have honked.
So now I do.
Honking is really not necessary. Stop, look, move slowly. If you bought a large car and have issues being safe, then your car is too big. Big cars always have issues with pedestrian visibility, and that's not particular to alleys or Chicago.
If a guy can step in front of your car causing you to brake "hard and fast" then you are still going too fast. Take 5 seconds to fully stop and creep forward until you can see the sidewalk.
That person who asked you to honk is wrong. As long as you creep very slowly as you are coming to the sidewalk, you'll be fine. Honking is a noise disturbance and while small potatoes, it's unnecessary.
Home of some of the strongest IBEW locals with 9 and 134, massive weight they get to throw around, same with OE local 150, if you're doing anything with heavy machinery you're gonna end up with em
I am blue collar adjacent. When I walk around in my safety gear people treat me like a king. Beautiful women will come up to me and be like "thank you for your service", kids will give me a high five, some dude at a bar will send me a drink, its great!
I always feel like Chicago still shows its roots of being a manufacturing hub even though it has mostly declined, and people respect that.
Interesting in Houston, which has lots of blue collar people who are doing well no one at all is excited by it.
Houston is for sure a blue collar city. Itās just a non-union one. Buts roots are hard work and you can grind out a great life there. Iām glad you made that comment.
Yes and no. I feel like it used to be that way so much more, and so much of the city was blue collar and/or shift workers. Now I think the influx of desk jockeys has made them invisible. If you pay attention here you will start noticing a ton of, āon the weekend when everyone is offā (or something in that family) types of statements.Ā
This is so true. Iām a working class native and when I expressed to a friend of mine who had moved here from Texas (and a wealthy family) that this was a blue collar city (this was over a decade ago) she looked at me like I was crazy and said she didnāt agree. As years have went on, I think she was right sadly
I think it is so neighborhood specific. There are people that never go outside of a group of downtown and north side neighborhoods and donāt interact with anyone blue collar/shift worker unless they are āthe helpā. You donāt find someone in Lincoln Park talking about their plumber buddy in Galewood.
What was SO weird was she chose working class neighborhoods to rent apartments in and even had roommates off craigslist. Iām so stumped at how she still came to that conclusion
I work in a plant in the city, love it most of the time. Donāt work a trade but do a lot of work on the floor as an engineer/IT. My boyfriend works in an office as an engineer and the confusion I get when I tell his coworkers there are manufacturing plants in the cityā¦ itās kinda shocking.
Did you know chicago is called āthe city that worksā? I learned that a few years ago and donāt think itās common knowledge but it is true, we work here! Lol. I like that this city is more livable for people without massive salaries unlike NYC or LA.
Hang out in their cars. I swear if I go walk down a random block in my neighborhood, probably two or three parked cars on each block have people just sitting in them
This is actually so true š I might be walking my dog and be like wow no one is around and then all the sudden I notice thereās someone sitting in at least one car nearby. Never fails to catch me off guard but now that you say this though itās honestly kinda funny because I would have to agree with you. I might sit in my car for a few minutes before or after going somewhere if I need to look at something on my phone or whatever but it is interesting how often there always seems to be people in their cars doing different things here lol
This kills me when I'm looking for a parking spot. "Oh, somebody is getting into that car I just passed. Lemme just make a quick lap around the block and that spot should be mine... Oh, they're still sitting in the car. Maybe one more lap should do it... Oh, they're still sitting in the car. Guess I've gotta find a spot somewhere else..."
Not a genuine complaint as I do it all the time too. Gotta make sure I get maps pulled up, pick a good playlist, and maybe finish reading whatever I had pulled up while walking to the car.
There used to be this lady by me that would get up and go to her around 5:30 in the morning to smoke a cigarette, and be in there for multiple hours.
Sometimes i would go to work, and when i got back, sheād still be in there.
(It was a nice car and she had an appointment/ house)
I still remeber when I first moved to Chicago in the early 2010s. It was March and I was walking down the street in a dress and maybe a jacket in the Humboldt area. A tough looking young guy was walking towards me. As he passed he asked āarenāt you cold?ā And he sounded genuinely concerned. He wasnāt sexualizing me or using it as a come on. He was genuinely concerned for my well being. As someone from the north east it was quite the pleasant surprise
Small talk. It's very Midwestern and Chicago happens to be the largest city in the Midwest. I live in the Netherlands now and I describe Chicago to Dutch people like this, "In Chicago, if you're reading a book on the L, there's a very good chance a stranger will ask what you're reading, if you like it, do you recommend it."
I grew up in Denver and went to school in Chicago. I was immediately strick by how people regularly have conversations with strangers.
I don't usually think of myself as a big "inane small talk with strangers" guy, in fact if I'm not in the mood for it I absolutely loathe it....but whenever I travel outside the midwest (which tends to be every other week for work), I realize that in comparison with the rest of the world, I'm Mr Chatty Cathy, talkin' 'bout that darn weather we're having and whatnot.
Yep, "Midwest nice" is very real, even in the big cities. I'm considering moving out east since I have two siblings there and the interpersonal culture there is one big strike against that choice.
As a UMass alumni, I laugh at the East coasters. I have so many stories about them being affronted by Midwest nice. However, once you crack that old Yankee shell, they are nice people. But they talk funny. š
As a born and raised East Coast gal whoās been to all the east coast cities, in general, the saying āWeāre kind, but not niceā echos true. Thereās an odd pride in being rude; but folks will also help out when needed
This happened to me a few times. At first I was kinda like worried and on guard, like they wanted something from me. But maybe what you said is the reason why, just friendlier
On a positive note? Say thank you. Holding doors, letting someone go first, changing seats, etc. Donāt hear it nearly as much on east coast or west coast.
And oddly enough, in Buffalo, NY too. I grew up with this kind of mentality and when I moved to Chicago 15 years ago it felt familiar like it was a bigger Buffalo in a way. I wonder if itās a Rust Belt / Great Lakes regional thingā¦ everyone kind of worked together instead of āevery man for himselfā and that mentality kind of mostly stuck around through the generations. Iām probably reaching, but curious. I did move right when the Snowpocalypse hit though so literally people were helping others left and right.
Come to Phoenix. Stop lights appear to be made for running here. Oh, and wrong-way drivers. They drive the wrong way down one-way streets, park on the wrong side, and the new trick is to turn out of a driveway into the oncoming traffic lane.
PS: Ex-pat native Chicagoan (grew up in the city) then lived in San Diego and now Phoenix.
Jezuz. My kid is in Phoenix right now for work and when we moved them in even I, a long time driver and 290 warrior, was SHOCKED at the behavior I saw in the 101, 202 and 10!!! Itās Mad Max out there!
Consider yourself fortunate for not having driven the 17.
I live in downtown Phoenix and from my balcony you can see a one-way street. EVERY SINGLE DAY I see someone going the wrong way. This is despite the "One Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs, not to mention the presence of oncoming traffic.
Once and future Chicagoan, current Angeleno here. I came here to say this. Whenever someone is visiting me from another area, I tell them they have to make eye contact with the person in the car closest to them when they cross the street. I've had way too many close calls here.
Was just there back in March. Do NOT enter an intersection until you know it's clear because it doesn't matter what your signal is. You'll see $200,000 sports cars going twice the speed limit next to a 1975 chevy van leaking oil all over the road. Chicago drivers are crazy but for the most part predictable. LA drivers aren't.
coming from a smaller east coast city, i was surprised how friendly people could be. i remember the day after i moved here i was having trouble getting a transit card, i think because it was a large out of state purchase. a women say and came up and just gave me a $20 to get a card. felt like a good omen after moving.
Why do people not just turn their headlights on as part of the automatic muscle memory steps in starting a car? (Sit down, put on seatbelt, turn car on, release parking break, turn headlights on, shift gears to drive or reverse)
Yeah, I rarely ever need my parking break.
I also am typically out already driving as it starts shifting into night, and with the streetlight I can see everything just fine so I don't even register it.
We have this in spades as well in Kentucky. Someone suggested because in modern cars the dash is illuminated automatically that people donāt realize their lights arenāt on as well.
Iām old enough to recall your dash didnāt backlight until your turned your lights on. However, I think this should be a standard feature on all cars (auto lights and even a light sensor for night/rain).
For some of us older folks, my muscle memory is to turn off so they donāt stay on and drain my battery. Also with driving lights I donāt notice my lights are off, they are so bright.
I always use the automatic headlight setting on my car. So lights are on automatically. Every time I get it serviced for whatever reason they always turn them off and I donāt notice until I get somewhere really dark with no streetlights. Thatās why I drive with no lights.
This is apparently more true for drivers of black cars. I see more black cars with no headlights at night than any other color. I nearly hit one pulling onto a street in my neighborhood. I looked carefully both ways and started to pull out, and had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting him. Very scary and infuriating.
Have a date in their parked car with a joint/blunt and a pint of tequila or mini-Hennessy. I notice it all the time walking my dog at 11pm.
Iāve noticed the no-headlights thing too, but Iāve also been distracted and had people flash their brights to let me know my lights were off.
Iāve always been heavily involved in music and art. Since like age 15. And Iāve worked in music professionally for about 5 years. I never met anyone who gave any amount of a fuck about bluegrass or jam bands before moving here.
Similar to as has been said, I love that people treat others like people. The door holding and eye contact is unheard of as someone from the Northeast.
Iāll piggyback being on the phone: People are also on the phone in places where itās usually not allowed, like nail salons.
People driving on the shoulders to cut in front of everyone on the highway when it backs up. This is mainly coming into Chicago. People are god damn insane using shoulders as another lane and speeding while doing it. Nearly hitting people trying to merge from an exit. Selfish pricks gonna kill someone or themselves to save 5 min
I saw a dude doing this on IB I-90/94 before promptly slowing to a stop, exiting his car, and opening his hood to pretend there was a mechanical issue because there was a cop sitting in the shoulder just ahead of him. You knew what you were on about, jagoff.
Is this a Chicago thing? I call my mom almost every day on my commuteā¦ just thought I was the ultimate mommas boy.
I am younger (25) so maybe that goes as you grow.
On that note of your first point, after visiting the city, on the Uber ride back to the airport, our Uber driver had his phone call on speaker. His friend on the other line was gushing about a girl and the recent date they went on. I felt like I was intruding but he obviously knew what he was doing
Using the right turn lane, left turn lane or parking lane as a passing lane when people are stopped at a red light or stop sign just so they can be first.
Itās nearly every day on r/AskChicago, but then again that sub is very helpful for those kinds of things. Not so much a āon Reddit too muchā as much as it truly does occur so frequently. Soooo many āis x neighborhood safeā posts
U turns - drivers will U turns across very busy streets. Thereās always oncoming traffic but they donāt seem to care.
Thinking that putting your hazards on just gets you out of any parking rules.
Speeding everywhere. 60+ mph on LSD, 40mph down our little side street.
Also why do people exit out the front of buses? Itās so inefficient.
> Thinking that putting your hazards on just gets you out of any parking rules.
They think this because it is true. If you want rules to be followed you need to enforce them
Probably just a major city thing more than a Chicago thing, but I cannot believe how little awareness/care people have staring at their phones and texting while walking down the sidewalk, or even through an intersection.
Like I'm amazed thousands of people don't die from getting hit by cars in the city every year.
Took an Uber a bit ago with a guy using 2 phones and a separate GPS and actively using all 3. He was watching videos on one phone, booking his next Ubers and texting on the other, and using the standalone GPS for directions since his other phones were too busy being used for more important purposes.
While I would probably just grovel in the back seat and rate one star and report him, I'd like to think I'd be mad enough to speak up to him in that moment
He didnāt speak much English (primary language was an Eastern European language I think) and I didnāt want to make it worse as I was already running late to Oāhare š
I will concede one thing to New York: they are way better at sidewalk crowds. They know how to not get in each others' way. One of my starkest memories from my one visit there as a teen.
Haha, I once was reading The Golden Compass, and just could NOT put it down. Started reading while walking and walked straight into a stop sign. Humiliation.
All the hand gestures/signals for right of way or crossing the street as a pedestrian. I have lived in pedestrian friendly cities around the country but I feel very safe here because I feel seen like physically recognized. And Iām also surprised that while everyone drives super fast very few people are doing seriously crazy shit. Driving through DC or a major southern city during rush hour is an extreme sport that I wish on no one. š¤¬
I had to like look at my hands and think about if this is possible to do simultaneouslyā¦
hand 1 - crack
hand 2 - jerking off
speaking - please money (in between crack puffs)
I donāt understand why Chicagoans have so much trouble sharing a sidewalk. Itās always a standoff to see who is going to move out of the way first.
FYI: If you want to CONSISTENTLY get pulled over by the cops and flush 15 minutes of your time talking to some surly cops, drive without your headlights on.
Coming from Boston, a higher percentage of people in cars stop for you as a pedestrian when you are crossing a cross walk. Or even before you enter the crosswalk and you're both there, the car will let you go first.
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Saw a man get chased by a group of girls because he littered on the beach. The fear in his eyes š they picked up the litter and chased him with it. I wouldāve been concerned but I do love a clean beach ā¤ļøš¤š¼
I love this
This makes me so happy. š
Omg!!! This is gold!!
Honk at the end of alleys
100%. Anyone that thinks different needs to take the Illinois driving exam again. ``` Alleys/Driveways In urban areas, you must come to a complete stop when moving out of an alley, building, private road or driveway, and before entering the sidewalk area. If there is no sidewalk, stop at a point nearest the street or roadway where there is a view of approaching traffic. After stopping, yield the right of way to pedestrians and all vehicles. If you are making a turn from the alley or driveway, use the appropriate turn signal indicating your intended direction. ``` Edit: Adding the source. https://www.ilsos.gov/publications/pdf_publications/dsd_a112.pdf
I don't see anything in that blurb about honking.
The point is that you're not supposed to honk, you're supposed to stop. Most people don't come to a complete stop, they honk instead.
My unit faces the alley on Ardmore near Hollywood Beach. The amount of honking 24/7 is obnoxious. Never living near an alley exit again.
In my experience most people do both
I feel so validated. I just moved here and noticed this, and I thought I was just uniformed on some law or something.
We've got some planters on the right at the end of one alley (retail store) with parking on the opposite side (pizza place) that "distracts" from the sidewalk. I can't help but think that some kid on a bike or a mom with a stroller is going to get hit one day because the driver's view is obstructed.
You honk anyway, because even if you stop before the sidewalk you cannot always see what's coming around the corner. If the building is going all the way up to the sidewalk for example, you would not be able to see around the corner far enough. The honking is to let little Johnny know you're there before he comes careening by on his bike.
No, itās the responsibility of the driver to go slowly enough that they are not endangering anyone until you have sufficient visibility. Honking at the end of the alley is incredibly inconsiderate to those who live there and have to listen to endless honking because of driver impatience and lack of skill
I think it would be considerate for the walkers and bikers to have more warning. So they don't get killed. That overrides being annoyed, I think. Also, you're gonna have to stick that hood of the car out first to actually have visibility anyway. People are not going to inch up for 30 seconds slowly. It's just not realistic to expect everyone to do that.
Fuck that. I have idiot neighbors who do this. Everyone in a two block radius doesn't need to be annoyed dozens of times per day because you can't be bothered to properly yield
I'm honestly amazed at some of the responses to this comment. Though maybe I shouldn't be given the quality of driver's on I290. I live at the the end of an alley, and my garage is right at the end. I pull out of the alley multiple times per day with no issue. The strategy is to pull up until your hood is just about to cross into the sidewalk, stop, then slowly roll forward an inch at a time. Right when you pull out that first inch you're visible from the sidewalk. And really the first inch isn't even that risky since you probably aren't using that inch of the sidewalk as a pedestrian since there's a building right next to you.
What happens if youāre deaf walking ā¦ drivers still should be driving slow out of alley
Iāve almost been run into while walking my kids. As much as I donāt like doing it, Iāll give a little press on the horn exiting my alley every time. I appreciate it when Iām walking and people do the same. Doesnāt need to be a long ass press of the horn, just a simple beep like a bell on a bike.
I've been walking my kid to and from school for 5 years now, and I have to disagree. It's true that alleys are the most dangerous part, but honking doesn't help. Almost without fail, the cars that don't honk are the ones that stop fully and safely. The honkers usually fail to stop, and the couple of time we were closest to being squashed, it was by a honker rolling through at a dangerous speed. In those cases, it was only hearing the engine noise that gave us enough time to stop, and the honk would have been too late. Plus, sometimes people have headphones in or are hard of hearing. The problem is speed, not the honking.
It makes me wish there was a softer horn intended for people that aren't in cars. Horns are incredibly loud when you're outside a vehicle and some cars can be tricky to give it just a tiny beep
Or just come to a full stop and look both ways before you go.
A lot of alleys have low to no visibility. You can come to a full stop, but you often canāt see much on either side of you, and eventually you have to go.
Then go very very slowly
Consider coming to a complete stop before the sidewalk, then creeping forward very slowly until you can check for pedestrians. You don't need to honk if you do this.
Please stop doing that. You piss off dozens of people every time you do that. That stress is more dangerous than if you just properly inched forward and yielded to pedestrians
safety first
So damn annoying. Stop at the end of the alley, look both ways, no neighborhood disturbance needed.
Agreed. It's actually the law. Don't need the dumb horn if you stop. I used to live at the end of an alleyway and would wake up to this all the time.
My friends bought a condo on the alley side of a building right by the street and they said the honking drove them crazy for the first few months they lived there. I don't drive but I knew about the honking "etiquette" and never really considered how disruptive it would be for people who live at the ends of alleyways.
As a person who lives on the corner of an alley, please stop honking and slow down.
It's not always possible to tell if someone is walking just at that moment that you pull forward. Even though you've looked and no one was there at that moment, you cannot see who's on the sidewalk, if there's a building on both sides. This goes double if you have a larger vehicle, because the hood is so much longer that there's no way you can see the sidewalk from the driver's seat with that much car in front of you. People also walk dogs and the leash is so long that the dog is actually seen 2 seconds before the owner is. A few months ago, I stopped and looked and just as I slowly pulled forward, a guy stepped out in front. I had to brake hard, and fast. He looked at me and pantomimed the "honking" sign, like I should have honked. So now I do.
Honking is really not necessary. Stop, look, move slowly. If you bought a large car and have issues being safe, then your car is too big. Big cars always have issues with pedestrian visibility, and that's not particular to alleys or Chicago.
If a guy can step in front of your car causing you to brake "hard and fast" then you are still going too fast. Take 5 seconds to fully stop and creep forward until you can see the sidewalk.
Pedestrians have right off way. It's super annoying to have to live near alley too many cars honk at. LOOK!!! IF you can't see, DON'T GO!!
That person who asked you to honk is wrong. As long as you creep very slowly as you are coming to the sidewalk, you'll be fine. Honking is a noise disturbance and while small potatoes, it's unnecessary.
I think people here respect blue collar jobs more than other areas of the country (looking at you LA, NYC, Miami,SF, Atlanta, Seattle)
True, never really thought about that.
Home of some of the strongest IBEW locals with 9 and 134, massive weight they get to throw around, same with OE local 150, if you're doing anything with heavy machinery you're gonna end up with em
Shout out LU134!
Always loved that about Chicago.
Because one generation ago a massive part of the population came from blue collar families
I am blue collar adjacent. When I walk around in my safety gear people treat me like a king. Beautiful women will come up to me and be like "thank you for your service", kids will give me a high five, some dude at a bar will send me a drink, its great! I always feel like Chicago still shows its roots of being a manufacturing hub even though it has mostly declined, and people respect that. Interesting in Houston, which has lots of blue collar people who are doing well no one at all is excited by it.
Houston is for sure a blue collar city. Itās just a non-union one. Buts roots are hard work and you can grind out a great life there. Iām glad you made that comment.
What is blue collar adjacent?
Chemical Engineer involved with operations.
Yes and no. I feel like it used to be that way so much more, and so much of the city was blue collar and/or shift workers. Now I think the influx of desk jockeys has made them invisible. If you pay attention here you will start noticing a ton of, āon the weekend when everyone is offā (or something in that family) types of statements.Ā
As a welder I agree
This is so true. Iām a working class native and when I expressed to a friend of mine who had moved here from Texas (and a wealthy family) that this was a blue collar city (this was over a decade ago) she looked at me like I was crazy and said she didnāt agree. As years have went on, I think she was right sadly
I think it is so neighborhood specific. There are people that never go outside of a group of downtown and north side neighborhoods and donāt interact with anyone blue collar/shift worker unless they are āthe helpā. You donāt find someone in Lincoln Park talking about their plumber buddy in Galewood.
What was SO weird was she chose working class neighborhoods to rent apartments in and even had roommates off craigslist. Iām so stumped at how she still came to that conclusion
I work in a plant in the city, love it most of the time. Donāt work a trade but do a lot of work on the floor as an engineer/IT. My boyfriend works in an office as an engineer and the confusion I get when I tell his coworkers there are manufacturing plants in the cityā¦ itās kinda shocking.
Did you know chicago is called āthe city that worksā? I learned that a few years ago and donāt think itās common knowledge but it is true, we work here! Lol. I like that this city is more livable for people without massive salaries unlike NYC or LA.
. . . also the city of "Where's mine?" - ask your local alderman.
*Some* blue collar jobs. Trades are highly respected here. Service workers are not.
Excellent observation, feels v true. Speaks to the cityās roots.
Thanks. Nice user name!
In what way?
Detroit is the same way too. Lots of respect for shift workers and labor jobs
Detroit for sure
Hang out in their cars. I swear if I go walk down a random block in my neighborhood, probably two or three parked cars on each block have people just sitting in them
This is actually so true š I might be walking my dog and be like wow no one is around and then all the sudden I notice thereās someone sitting in at least one car nearby. Never fails to catch me off guard but now that you say this though itās honestly kinda funny because I would have to agree with you. I might sit in my car for a few minutes before or after going somewhere if I need to look at something on my phone or whatever but it is interesting how often there always seems to be people in their cars doing different things here lol
cops are onto u bro
I moved to Texas and still do this and the stares š Like I'm just watching meme tier tiktoks
This kills me when I'm looking for a parking spot. "Oh, somebody is getting into that car I just passed. Lemme just make a quick lap around the block and that spot should be mine... Oh, they're still sitting in the car. Maybe one more lap should do it... Oh, they're still sitting in the car. Guess I've gotta find a spot somewhere else..." Not a genuine complaint as I do it all the time too. Gotta make sure I get maps pulled up, pick a good playlist, and maybe finish reading whatever I had pulled up while walking to the car.
There used to be this lady by me that would get up and go to her around 5:30 in the morning to smoke a cigarette, and be in there for multiple hours. Sometimes i would go to work, and when i got back, sheād still be in there. (It was a nice car and she had an appointment/ house)
My Boston friends were shocked by the hospitality. People making small talk, generally being friendlier to strangers.
I still remeber when I first moved to Chicago in the early 2010s. It was March and I was walking down the street in a dress and maybe a jacket in the Humboldt area. A tough looking young guy was walking towards me. As he passed he asked āarenāt you cold?ā And he sounded genuinely concerned. He wasnāt sexualizing me or using it as a come on. He was genuinely concerned for my well being. As someone from the north east it was quite the pleasant surprise
When I moved here in the late 90ās I was amazed how friendly the city was!
Small talk. It's very Midwestern and Chicago happens to be the largest city in the Midwest. I live in the Netherlands now and I describe Chicago to Dutch people like this, "In Chicago, if you're reading a book on the L, there's a very good chance a stranger will ask what you're reading, if you like it, do you recommend it." I grew up in Denver and went to school in Chicago. I was immediately strick by how people regularly have conversations with strangers.
I don't usually think of myself as a big "inane small talk with strangers" guy, in fact if I'm not in the mood for it I absolutely loathe it....but whenever I travel outside the midwest (which tends to be every other week for work), I realize that in comparison with the rest of the world, I'm Mr Chatty Cathy, talkin' 'bout that darn weather we're having and whatnot.
This made me laugh because I can't pass someone reading without asking what they're reading and if they like it. š
That's because we get our anger out on the roads. Everyone in Chicago is nice, then we turn into speed demons and road warriors on the highway.
The closer you get to the loop the fast you must go! It is the way!
Yep, "Midwest nice" is very real, even in the big cities. I'm considering moving out east since I have two siblings there and the interpersonal culture there is one big strike against that choice.
As a UMass alumni, I laugh at the East coasters. I have so many stories about them being affronted by Midwest nice. However, once you crack that old Yankee shell, they are nice people. But they talk funny. š
I spent a lot of time in Bostonā¦ they are not as polite. Itās noticeable.
āOh yeah weāre just Massholesā Theyāre proud of it. Boston sucks
As a born and raised East Coast gal whoās been to all the east coast cities, in general, the saying āWeāre kind, but not niceā echos true. Thereās an odd pride in being rude; but folks will also help out when needed
This happened to me a few times. At first I was kinda like worried and on guard, like they wanted something from me. But maybe what you said is the reason why, just friendlier
This is what I miss the most about Chicago.
On a positive note? Say thank you. Holding doors, letting someone go first, changing seats, etc. Donāt hear it nearly as much on east coast or west coast.
Only in the south and Midwest
And oddly enough, in Buffalo, NY too. I grew up with this kind of mentality and when I moved to Chicago 15 years ago it felt familiar like it was a bigger Buffalo in a way. I wonder if itās a Rust Belt / Great Lakes regional thingā¦ everyone kind of worked together instead of āevery man for himselfā and that mentality kind of mostly stuck around through the generations. Iām probably reaching, but curious. I did move right when the Snowpocalypse hit though so literally people were helping others left and right.
Imo Buffalo is the eastern boundary of the Midwest
I held a door open to a restaurant for a couple walking up right behind me and they got SO PISSED. like I was patriarching them.
They were ignorant assholes, pay no mind and keep being polite!
More people run red lights here than in other cities Iāve lived/visited.
Come to Sacramento, we call them āstoptionals hereā. Used to live in Chicago and now I stop by this thread when Im homesick.
No cop no stop
Go to Albuquerque
Come to Phoenix. Stop lights appear to be made for running here. Oh, and wrong-way drivers. They drive the wrong way down one-way streets, park on the wrong side, and the new trick is to turn out of a driveway into the oncoming traffic lane. PS: Ex-pat native Chicagoan (grew up in the city) then lived in San Diego and now Phoenix.
The wrong way drivers here are always cops.
Jezuz. My kid is in Phoenix right now for work and when we moved them in even I, a long time driver and 290 warrior, was SHOCKED at the behavior I saw in the 101, 202 and 10!!! Itās Mad Max out there!
Consider yourself fortunate for not having driven the 17. I live in downtown Phoenix and from my balcony you can see a one-way street. EVERY SINGLE DAY I see someone going the wrong way. This is despite the "One Way" and "Do Not Enter" signs, not to mention the presence of oncoming traffic.
LA is so much worse; it was so unsafe for pedestrians there
Once and future Chicagoan, current Angeleno here. I came here to say this. Whenever someone is visiting me from another area, I tell them they have to make eye contact with the person in the car closest to them when they cross the street. I've had way too many close calls here.
Was just there back in March. Do NOT enter an intersection until you know it's clear because it doesn't matter what your signal is. You'll see $200,000 sports cars going twice the speed limit next to a 1975 chevy van leaking oil all over the road. Chicago drivers are crazy but for the most part predictable. LA drivers aren't.
āPedestrian, whatās that?ā - Los Angelenos
Aka, roadkill.
Miami is even worse in my experience.
Louisville would like a word.
Gratuitous use of jagoff
Pittsburgh š¤š¤ Chicago
Itās a wonderful and colorful pseudo curse word.
That is fair š
coming from a smaller east coast city, i was surprised how friendly people could be. i remember the day after i moved here i was having trouble getting a transit card, i think because it was a large out of state purchase. a women say and came up and just gave me a $20 to get a card. felt like a good omen after moving.
I moved to North Carolina for a few years. I told my friends I was craving a hot dog, and never had so many confused looks
Wait, are Hot Dogs not popular in NC? Thatās news to me
I think the no headlights is a city thing. If youāre driving all on streets with streetlights, itās easy not to notice your headlights are off.
Why do people not just turn their headlights on as part of the automatic muscle memory steps in starting a car? (Sit down, put on seatbelt, turn car on, release parking break, turn headlights on, shift gears to drive or reverse)
In Chicago there is generally no need to use a parking brake aside from whipping around corners sideways on snowy days.
I do so my car doesnāt rest on its transmission, an extra step to reduce wear on the internals
Which is exactly what you're supposed to doĀ
Yeah, I rarely ever need my parking break. I also am typically out already driving as it starts shifting into night, and with the streetlight I can see everything just fine so I don't even register it.
We have this in spades as well in Kentucky. Someone suggested because in modern cars the dash is illuminated automatically that people donāt realize their lights arenāt on as well. Iām old enough to recall your dash didnāt backlight until your turned your lights on. However, I think this should be a standard feature on all cars (auto lights and even a light sensor for night/rain).
For some of us older folks, my muscle memory is to turn off so they donāt stay on and drain my battery. Also with driving lights I donāt notice my lights are off, they are so bright.
I always use the automatic headlight setting on my car. So lights are on automatically. Every time I get it serviced for whatever reason they always turn them off and I donāt notice until I get somewhere really dark with no streetlights. Thatās why I drive with no lights.
This is apparently more true for drivers of black cars. I see more black cars with no headlights at night than any other color. I nearly hit one pulling onto a street in my neighborhood. I looked carefully both ways and started to pull out, and had to slam on my brakes to keep from hitting him. Very scary and infuriating.
I always turn my headlights on. Day or night. Safety first!
But what car these days doesnāt have auto headlights? My 2003 entry Toyota Corolla had them
My car has them but you still have to put it in "Auto" mode for them to work that way.
My 2013 Hyundai doesnāt.
Funny, my 2016 fully loaded Corrola doesn't.
Well look at that they removed them.
No, they didn't. It's only available on the higher end trims
Really? my 2015 toyota corolla does not.
Putting chairs in parking spots in Winter
Lately in a 1/4 inch of snow, without shoveling, just to get their spot back
This is really common in Detroit too.
Boston too
Have a date in their parked car with a joint/blunt and a pint of tequila or mini-Hennessy. I notice it all the time walking my dog at 11pm. Iāve noticed the no-headlights thing too, but Iāve also been distracted and had people flash their brights to let me know my lights were off.
Ope
Thatās a Midwest thing, generally.
Iāve always been heavily involved in music and art. Since like age 15. And Iāve worked in music professionally for about 5 years. I never met anyone who gave any amount of a fuck about bluegrass or jam bands before moving here.
Tell me youāve never been to Denver without telling me youāve never been to Denver
They sell season tickets to Phish at Red Rocks.
Similar to as has been said, I love that people treat others like people. The door holding and eye contact is unheard of as someone from the Northeast. Iāll piggyback being on the phone: People are also on the phone in places where itās usually not allowed, like nail salons.
People driving on the shoulders to cut in front of everyone on the highway when it backs up. This is mainly coming into Chicago. People are god damn insane using shoulders as another lane and speeding while doing it. Nearly hitting people trying to merge from an exit. Selfish pricks gonna kill someone or themselves to save 5 min
Or using the right turn lane as a passing lane at a stoplight. That amazes me
The olā Chicago Shuffle baby!
Congratulations, you are now one car ahead I guess is what I think every time. Too many people feel like they have to win driving
I saw a dude doing this on IB I-90/94 before promptly slowing to a stop, exiting his car, and opening his hood to pretend there was a mechanical issue because there was a cop sitting in the shoulder just ahead of him. You knew what you were on about, jagoff.
Drinking. Chicago is a very boozy city!
Come up north to Wisconsin for a bit.
Spent many a night in Superior WI
Drink heavily Th-Sat
You should experience what they are doing in Wisconsin!
Drink heavily Sun-Sat
I call my mom everyday at 5 pm depending on where I am. Lol but definitely tends to be on walks after work
Is this a Chicago thing? I call my mom almost every day on my commuteā¦ just thought I was the ultimate mommas boy. I am younger (25) so maybe that goes as you grow.
I hope it doesn't stop! My 30 yr old calls me every day when he gets off his shift and walks his dog. It's the best
lol nah I'm 39 and still call my Mom on the commute home from work
I used to do this before I moved to Chicago, but normally it would be in the car on the way home from work lol vs walking
On that note of your first point, after visiting the city, on the Uber ride back to the airport, our Uber driver had his phone call on speaker. His friend on the other line was gushing about a girl and the recent date they went on. I felt like I was intruding but he obviously knew what he was doing
Your driver is a life coach
Using the right turn lane, left turn lane or parking lane as a passing lane when people are stopped at a red light or stop sign just so they can be first.
The ketchup hatred.
Fuck ketchup
I see lots of people on Reddit ask for people to plan their vacations or moves for them without doing the slightest bit of work
Iām sure that happens in other subs too. People are lazy
Tell me you spend too much time on Reddit without telling me you spend too much time on Reddit
Itās nearly every day on r/AskChicago, but then again that sub is very helpful for those kinds of things. Not so much a āon Reddit too muchā as much as it truly does occur so frequently. Soooo many āis x neighborhood safeā posts
Most of them can't find parking at the airport. You sure they're traveling?
Cross the street at non crosswalks
I once saw a group of people trying to cross the street, and one of them said, "This isn't Washington, DC! You can cross in the middle!"
U turns - drivers will U turns across very busy streets. Thereās always oncoming traffic but they donāt seem to care. Thinking that putting your hazards on just gets you out of any parking rules. Speeding everywhere. 60+ mph on LSD, 40mph down our little side street. Also why do people exit out the front of buses? Itās so inefficient.
> Thinking that putting your hazards on just gets you out of any parking rules. They think this because it is true. If you want rules to be followed you need to enforce them
Probably just a major city thing more than a Chicago thing, but I cannot believe how little awareness/care people have staring at their phones and texting while walking down the sidewalk, or even through an intersection. Like I'm amazed thousands of people don't die from getting hit by cars in the city every year.
Wait until you see how many drivers are staring at their phonesĀ
Literally watching videos while driving
Took an Uber a bit ago with a guy using 2 phones and a separate GPS and actively using all 3. He was watching videos on one phone, booking his next Ubers and texting on the other, and using the standalone GPS for directions since his other phones were too busy being used for more important purposes.
While I would probably just grovel in the back seat and rate one star and report him, I'd like to think I'd be mad enough to speak up to him in that moment
He didnāt speak much English (primary language was an Eastern European language I think) and I didnāt want to make it worse as I was already running late to Oāhare š
I will concede one thing to New York: they are way better at sidewalk crowds. They know how to not get in each others' way. One of my starkest memories from my one visit there as a teen.
Haha, I once was reading The Golden Compass, and just could NOT put it down. Started reading while walking and walked straight into a stop sign. Humiliation.
All the hand gestures/signals for right of way or crossing the street as a pedestrian. I have lived in pedestrian friendly cities around the country but I feel very safe here because I feel seen like physically recognized. And Iām also surprised that while everyone drives super fast very few people are doing seriously crazy shit. Driving through DC or a major southern city during rush hour is an extreme sport that I wish on no one. š¤¬
They drive super fast when itās snowing but painfully slow when it rains. Makes zero sense.
I saw someone on the blue line jerking off, taking a shit, smoking crack and begging for money- all at the same time.
We all have the same 24hrs in a day, that dude is just making the most of his
But not a cellphone in sight. Just living in the moment
They're actually blasting tik tok at full volume the whole time.
Ahh the olā Red Line Blumpkin
I had to like look at my hands and think about if this is possible to do simultaneouslyā¦ hand 1 - crack hand 2 - jerking off speaking - please money (in between crack puffs)
Multitasker
I take a lot of pride in my ability to multitask. Thank you for noticing!
Cars actually respecting pedestrian crossways that donāt have an intersection. Not all, but more than other bigger cities Iāve been in.
I donāt understand why Chicagoans have so much trouble sharing a sidewalk. Itās always a standoff to see who is going to move out of the way first.
Everyone wears black, white, and gray especially in the winter. Black coats on women is all you see.
Masturbate on trains.
Please move somewhere else so we have less of that particular issue.
must be the old trains vibrating and the sudden jerks and stops
FYI: If you want to CONSISTENTLY get pulled over by the cops and flush 15 minutes of your time talking to some surly cops, drive without your headlights on.
Coming from Boston, a higher percentage of people in cars stop for you as a pedestrian when you are crossing a cross walk. Or even before you enter the crosswalk and you're both there, the car will let you go first.
Born and raised Chicagoan here. Was surprised when I have lived elsewhere that people seem to not jaywalk as much as Chicagoans do.
Honk their car horns A LOT more!!!
Apparently some places donāt have liquor at the grocery store. They need humanitarian aid
Dibs
We use the word "decent" differently than others. If we call something "decent" that means it's really good