Does anyone else appreciate Chicago?

I do not live in Chicago but I am close and after visiting NYC and Los Angeles I have a very different appreciation for this city. In NYC and Los Angeles the housing is so expensive and everything is always crowded and life is such a hassle in these two larger cities. NYC more than L.A. However, back in Chicago you get all the luxuries of NYC and L.A. such as the food, entertainment, high- end shopping, events, concerts, direct flights and all the other advantages of a big city at a significantly cheaper price. Plus, L.A. does not even resemble a city. Los Angels looks like sprawl. That leaves NYC and Chicago as true large American cities. Does anyone else feel this way?

And the museums here are took notch too!

I agree with you completely. Chicago is the most underrated city in America if not the world - it's a world class city that just doesn't get world class hype compared to the "coasts". It's by far the second most "urban" city in the US. I like to think of New York and Chicago as the Mecca and Medina of the US - you feel like you're at the centre of human civilization when you're inside those cities that you don't feel as much if you're in downtown LA or smaller cities. Chicago is also more down to earth - it's like saying that if New York was a fashion model and Los Angeles was a porn star, then Chicago is a girl that you actually want to date. If I moved to the US, Chicago will probably be at the top of my list.

I spent a week in downtown Chicago for training and thought it was great but I wouldn't want to drive there. Never been to NYC and think it would be the same. I like driving in L.A.

I lived in Bensenville (near O'Hare Airport)- man the traffic was a killer!!I thought the rent was high~ but the wages were good!!! I didn't last long~ "Too Windy" for me! Just a small town girl @ heart!! The architecture was something else--Amazing!!

omg i luv chicago the shopping is great the sights are great and every thing about it is wonderfull and i luv la to my dream is to go to UCAL all the way baby and nyc is like a girls best friend man u rock because you like thoose places

After I visited NYC with my wife last year I had a whole new appreciation for Chicago. Specifically the bellman at our NYC hotel called Chicago the "Clean New York" and I didn't know what he meant until we ventured out at night. NYC mostly has no alleys, so the garbage bags pile up on the sidewalks all day long, so the busy hotels and restaurants have garbages stacked as high as people right out front. It smelled awful, and it was only March, so I imagine it only gets worse in the summer. I also noticed that NYC doesn't do a good job with their snow either...they just sort of left it there, where Chicago plows & salts the hell out of the city.

Chicago does have all of the perks of NYC, only it's smaller and more affordable. But to be fair, Chicago isn't anywhere near as large and epic as NYC. In fact I'd love to live in NYC for a year or two and explore the city, but I'd only do it knowing that I would get to go back to Chicago.

Totally agree with you. Although the Chicago area is starting to get some of that "L.A. urban sprawl" because people like getting those large plots of land and city builders are more into open spaces, thus taking up the land. It is pricey, but nowhere near L.A. or New York.

The assessment about the garbage in front because of the alleys in New York is 100% accurate. Got to visit Brooklyn and Manhattan when I was there a few years ago. Not that I hate New York; I really enjoyed it. But you have the assessment dead-on accurate.

Chicago is my kind of town. Cold weather, warm people.

;-)

I agree with you and I love Chicago. I have lived here for almost two years now and the city continues to amaze me. As with any large city, it has it's drawbacks. However, I agree that we have fewer drawbacks than both L.A. and New York, but with all of the amenities.
I love traveling, but after living in Chicago, my desire to visit either of the aforementioned cities has waned because I feel like I have most of what I look for in a big city (museums, restaurants, night life, etc.) right here and often for less money.
I feel truly lucky to live in such a great city and to have such relatively affordable housing.

Chicago was fun to visit when my son was at boot camp at Great Lakes, IL, but he told me alot of guys got jumped when visiting downtown Chicago, so just because there is a lot to do, doesn't mean you are in a "safe" town. Lot's of crime too from what I am hearing.

Shhh!! We don't want anybody else to know!!

i lovee chicago and i look forward to exploring it even more!
i live there & im only 15 so i still have alot to see other than the sears & hancock buildings. i cant wait for summer ! =].

You're right... those are the only 3 cities in the entire US.

Los Angeles is ugly and lame... no secret. New York, however, is far more cosmopolitan than Chicago, and less... *midwestern* Chicago barely feels like a city... moreso an overgrown cow-town. It retains much of the uptight midwesterness that surrounds it. New York has more vibrant culture, and is far more cosmopolitan than Chicago, which is more of a bar/sports kinda town - yeah, museums... blah blah - how often do you people living there actually *go* to museums? In New York, you have buskers and street artists at every subway station and corner in certain areas. Art and culture is more all encompassing and interactive... not the case in Chicago.

However, several other major cities to consider, better than both... San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston (er... sorta), etc...

no

I was born and raised about 20 minutes form Chicago, and I love this town.. I have been a few to times to each LA and New York. And I am probably partial because it is my home town, but I love being 20 minutes from anything I could want. The one and only complaint I have is the winters here are brutal.