Here’s what I love about Chicago, and why you should go now

In the event you merely learn the headlines about Chicago, you may be scared to go to and query why individuals stay there. Reviews of crime and homelessness are plentiful, so it is a query many people who willingly stay right here get requested.

Chicago has lost residents over the previous a number of years, however that’s usually attributed to excessive taxes — to not crime or different big-city troubles. There are many causes to stay in Chicago and much more causes to go to. Here is why I like Chicago and why it may be value taking a visit there now.

Chicago is one in every of America’s finest massive cities

Rising up in St. Louis, Chicago all the time represented “the massive metropolis” to me. I’ve numerous reminiscences of visiting, together with once I celebrated my twenty first birthday at Carmine’s on Rush (RIP), obtained on Wrigley Area for my birthday and noticed “Completely happy Birthday Caroline” displayed on the massive display at then-Comiskey Park.

Over time, Chicago turned “the massive metropolis” I dreamt of dwelling in. In 1998, when strolling forward of my mother and father as I tended to do, I rotated and declared that I used to be going to stay on Michigan Avenue sooner or later. Twenty-four years later, my dream got here true.

Here is what guests ought to know.

With nearly 3 million people, Chicago is the third most populous metropolis within the U.S., behind New York Metropolis and Los Angeles. One of many issues I like most about Chicago is that, even with that many individuals, you do not want a automobile to get round.

There are two key transit techniques that function within the higher Chicagoland space: the Chicago Transit Authority L prepare and bus system companies town, whereas the Metra connects downtown to the suburbs. The CTA system is simple and low-cost to make use of ($2.50 for L prepare, $2.25 for bus one-way). The L (quick for “elevated” prepare) is the quickest and most inexpensive choice to get to Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) and O’Hare International Airport (ORD) by way of the Orange and Blue strains, respectively.

Nonetheless, I usually want the bus for a couple of causes: It is above floor all the time (thus extra temperature managed), it is simpler to entry and it feels safer to me since it is a smaller house that is still completely in view.

In the event you want to journey on foot, that can be potential, notably in case you are ranging from one of many downtown neighborhoods, together with Streeterville, River North, the West Loop, Gold Coast and the Loop.

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My favourite stroll to soak up Chicago is slightly below 3 miles. Begin at Oak Avenue Seashore in Gold Coast, stroll alongside Lake Shore Drive and Lake Michigan to Lincoln Park, and proceed on Stockton Drive by the park to Fullerton Ave earlier than slicing over to North Lakeview Ave, the place you’ll be able to admire some lovely properties. You’ll want to cease by my favourite farmers market — the Inexperienced Metropolis Market in Lincoln Park — when you’re there on a Saturday in season.

Strolling north, south and east is the best route. When you can stroll from downtown to a western neighborhood, the stroll just isn’t practically as nice. Thus, I’d advocate public transit if getting into that path.

Uber and Lyft rides are plentiful, whereas cabs are extra restricted however accessible downtown. Chicago visitors may be heavy, notably heading south on Lake Shore Drive, north on the Kennedy Expressway to ORD and the northwest suburbs, and west to West City and past.

One other different to keep away from visitors is hopping on a Divvy bike. Chicago is likely one of the most bike-friendly cities, a lot in order that even I (somebody who hadn’t biked since childhood) was capable of navigate throughout town. We’ve the second-highest proportion of bike-to-work commuters, per the city of Chicago, with greater than 300 miles of motorbike lanes, together with 19 that border Lake Michigan.

For a metropolis tucked in the midst of the nation, Chicago additionally has a powerful quantity of seashores — 29 to be precise — all alongside the Lake Michigan shoreline. The winding Lakefront Trail knits these seashores along with a sequence of parks and 18 miles of motorbike lanes, making for one of the scenic rides round city. The path itself is a cause why I feel biking is likely one of the most enjoyable methods to see Chicago.

It is essentially the most inexpensive main home metropolis

Of the nation’s largest city areas (New York Metropolis, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, Miami and Washington, D.C.), Chicago is essentially the most inexpensive, per information from Bankrate’s Cost of Living Calculator. The price of dwelling in Chicago in comparison with different main cities is as follows:

• 50.17% decrease than Manhattan
• 32.82% decrease than San Francisco
• 23.8% decrease than LA
• 21.59% decrease than Boston
• 21.27% decrease than Washington, D.C.
• 3.62% decrease than Miami

The info relies on housing, meals and life-style prices, together with clothes, leisure and private expenditures. Having lived in New York and Washington, D.C., essentially the most noticeable value of dwelling lower for me has been the price of renting a big one-bedroom house downtown. Numerous sources cite the typical one-bedroom lease in Chicago (throughout all neighborhoods) to be someplace between $1,900 and $2,100, per Zillow, Apartments.com and Rent.com.

As a SINK (single revenue, no children), I deeply really feel the monetary financial savings of dwelling right here.

You will discover inexpensive flights utilizing factors or miles

Chicago generally is a actual discount when planning a go to, too. Spherical-trip flights are sometimes lower than $300 from most cities in America. Only a few examples: You will discover a round-trip ticket from New York to Chicago for a protracted weekend this June for $123 on Spirit, $189 on Southwest or $225 on American Airways.

In the event you’re coming from Houston, we discovered flights starting from $138 (on Spirit) to $217 (United, American or Southwest). From San Francisco, there have been flights as little as $207 round-trip on United.

Factors could make for a terrific deal possibility, too — although usually, money costs are low-cost sufficient that it normally makes extra sense to avoid wasting these factors. Nonetheless, we discovered widespread availability for 17,000 American Airways AAdvantage miles round-trip, and typically as little as 12,000 miles for coach tickets from cities like New York.

Resort costs aren’t low-cost, however there are offers available

Resorts in Chicago can get dear relying on the time of yr and what conventions are on the town, however you’ll be able to usually discover some good offers nonetheless, particularly in comparison with different massive cities like New York Metropolis.

A fast Google search of motels in June confirmed a lot of nice choices below $300 an evening.

In fact, there are some fabulous factors motels in Chicago, together with from Hilton, Hyatt, IHG and Marriott. A fast search of Hyatt motels for a similar weekend confirmed factors bookings for as few as 18,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time.

Certainly one of my favourite Chicago motels — Park Hyatt Chicago — was simply 29,000 World of Hyatt factors per night time.

Despite the fact that Chicago feels distinctively Midwestern, it presents all that you’d discover in a cosmopolitan metropolis, from various eating places, nationwide theater performances, music exhibits and festivals, year-round skilled sports activities video games (two MLB groups, one NFL group, one NHL group, one NBA group, one WNBA group and one MLS group), 80-plus farmers markets, and lots of cultural establishments/museums and worldwide occasions.

I continuously get requested about my favourite native eating places. This can be a metropolis of eating places (7,300-plus), and so lots of them are wonderful. My private favorites by neighborhood embrace:

• Lincoln Park: Armitage Alehouse, Athenian Room
• West Loop/Fulton Market: Duck Duck Goat, Kumiko
• River North: Planta
• Previous City: Doma Cafe
• Logan Sq.: Lula Cafe
• Lakeview: Wheat’s Finish
• Southport: GC’s Hen Store
• Wicker Park: Handlebar, Bloom

I even have many suggestions for bakeries, espresso, well being meals shops, smoothies and juices:

• Bakeries: Uncooked and Ingrained (River North), each of which serve my gluten-dairy-free wants
• Espresso: Floor Up (River North and the West Loop)
• Well being shops: Bonne Sante (Hyde Park) and Chicago Well being Meals (Gold Coast)
• Juice: Dharma Delights, primarily bought on-line but in addition accessible at sure outposts, together with Zen Yoga Storage (my favourite yoga spot)
• Smoothies: Pure Inexperienced (a number of places)

Many vacationer sights are free, together with my high stroll spots — the Riverwalk and Lakefront Path. Different free highlights embrace Millennium Park, the Bean, the Chicago Cultural Heart, the Buckingham Fountain, Garfield Park Conservatory, Harold Washington Library Heart (one in every of largest public libraries within the U.S.), Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory, and the 606 Path.

Go to Chicago on a summer season weekend, and also you’re just about assured to run into an occasion, corresponding to Lollapalooza, EEEEEATSCON, Delight Parade, Windy Metropolis Smokeout, NASCAR Avenue Race Weekend, Pitchfork Musical Pageant, and Chicago Air and Water Present to call a couple of. Almost each neighborhood has a meals fest throughout the summer season, too. Seasonal events proceed within the fall and winter, corresponding to ice skating in Millennium Park, Christkindlmarket and ZooLights, amongst others.

Music and humanities followers can take pleasure in one of many 40 annual movie festivals, 74 yearly music festivals and 250 stay music venues.

If you are going to go to Chicago and pay for one factor, I like to recommend reserving an structure boat tour (at night time). These boat excursions by no means get outdated to me: You’ll be able to take pleasure in an open-air higher deck and inside views of a few of the metropolis’s most lovely buildings whereas listening to their historical past narrated in a humorous and informative approach. Excursions are supplied year-round, climate allowing.

With greater than 600 parks and 500 playgrounds, Chicago is family-friendly.

Chicago has its cons

The town is racially and ethnically various however segregated

Chicago is neighborhood-centric, and lots of residents keep on with their neighborhoods day-to-day. Like many different U.S. cities, Chicago has gentrified over time. Almost half of Chicago neighborhoods skilled a “speedy improve in housing prices (a rise above the regional median) between 2000 and 2017,” per the Urban Displacement Project.

Based mostly on 2023 U.S. Census data, the most important racial make-up of Chicago residents are white (42%), black (29%) and Hispanic/Latino (32%). However lower-income households proceed to be priced out from town’s moderate-to-high-income neighborhoods that provide fascinating colleges, grocery shops, parks and different neighborhood benefits. Consequently, neighborhoods in Chicago can largely be homogenous, relying on the place you reside.

Even so, Chicago has a number of culturally various neighborhoods, together with Little Italy, Chinatown, Pilsen, Uptown, Rogers Park, Albany Park, Hyde Park and Humboldt Park.

Leaving my neighborhood has helped me respect the melting pot that makes Chicago a terrific place to stay.

Chicago usually feels protected, regardless of statistics

One of the crucial widespread narratives about Chicago is that it’s not protected. Crime statistics recommend some issues are getting higher, although some violent crime has elevated.

In 2023, homicides and nonfatal shootings decreased by 12% and 14%, respectively, whereas general violent crime and citywide robberies elevated (14% and 40%) from the earlier yr, per the University of Chicago Crime Lab End of Year report. This report notes that crime disproportionately impacts black victims and areas with minority residents, together with District 11, which incorporates Humboldt Park, West Garfield Park and East Garfield Park. Even so, the info exhibits violent and property crime trending down within the space, with 150 fewer taking pictures victims yr over yr.

General, I really feel protected in Chicago whereas adhering to primary security ideas, together with protecting my head on a swivel always, avoiding the L prepare alone at night time and strolling with a Birdie alarm. It is the identical recommendation you’d give for any massive metropolis — simply use your widespread sense.

Backside line

Chicago can turn out to be a extremely massive small city when you let it’s. In the event you get out of your neighborhood (and luxury zone), you will discover various alternatives for neighborhood, tradition, leisure and inspiration amongst neighborhoods.

It is a gorgeous metropolis to go to, due to its plentiful museums, bike paths and public seashores. And do not forget to take a river cruise — it is probably the greatest methods to see town.

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