Soror RD,
Being born and raised in Chicago too, I co-sign with everything Little32 has said. It's a great place for AA professionals and tons to do if you like museums, etc. It is often said that there is no better place to be in the summer than Chicago. Now, the emphasis there is "in the summer." If you are ok with the cold, below zero temperatures and gray, dark skies from November to April, as Little32 said, you are good. It is more expensive than down south but it is a very reasonably-priced northern city. It is nowhere near the cost of living (esp. for real estate) as say a DC, a NY or an LA - yet, it is just as cosmopolitan. If you're just interested in renting for now, I could point you to areas that I lived in in Hyde Park over near the lake with one bedrooms from 675-875 per month, radiant heat so you only pay electricity and cooking gas. There are lots of professionals in this area. Also, it is a bit of a student community b/c UChicago is there also, so it can be a bit of a walking community the closer you are to the lake. I took the #2 or the #6 right past my house straight into downtown so it's convenient into downtown. If you want something out in the suburbs, the commute is longer (I think it's about 45 minutes to an hour) but there are nice places out there too. Sububs not so nice if you don't drive, however. There are also other places in the city that you may like. But trust that it is *real* inner city life. My parents live in GA so I know the Atlanta (or other souther inner cities that I have seen) are not quite like what I would consider to be inner city - buses all the time, train stops in walking distance, etc.. This is Chicago so if that's what you like, it may be cool for you.
Chicago is more fast-paced than say any other city in the midwest, if that's what you like. It is also true that you can survive w/out a car. One of our sorors has been doing it for over 5-7 years now and she sees all sorts of plays, etc. downtown regularly. The reason that I moved from Chicago was b/c I got tired of the dark, gray skies for so much of the year. It was kind of dreary and depressing to me. But during that season, the sun does manage to peek through at least once every couple of days for a little while, for a very little while, at least. I also got tired of watching the news each night from Nov to March to see if there was going to be a snowstorm and, hence, I would have to get up even earlier to shovel my car out. Then I got tired of my car getting stuck in the snow on the streets when I parked on the street or my car getting stuck in the main thoroughfare of my gated lot b/c my management was too trifling to have the snow trucks out there at a reasonable hour. It is one thing to deal with snow and bad weather when you have a parent that will go out and shovel your car out for you and warm your car up and scrape the ice off the windows for you, as a teenager, and quite another when you have to do it yourself.
But if you're cool with the cold and gray skies won't bother you, then Chicago is a great place!
SC
Let me know if you have specific questions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Little32
I am from Chicago (raised there anyway) and I think that it is a great city. Lots of cultural activity, museums, festivals, theater, music, a lot of diversity in that respect. Of course, Lake Michigan is beautiful, my family has a home a couple of blocks from the lake. Public transportation is good--you almost don't need a car--and the shopping is pretty good too.
The complaint that I have heard most often about Chicago is the weather--its cold and often gray during the winter which lasts really from November to April (so if you do not like the cold, it is probably not the place for you). Also, housing is becoming increasingly expensive, especially if you want to live anywhere near the city. There are some neighborhoods that are being revitalizing about 15 mins from downtown (on the southside which is where most of us live), but those prices are rising quickly too.
If you enjoy cold weather, and I am probably the only person on the board that prefers cold to heat, Chicago is a pretty nice city to live in.
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