My Kind of Town

Chicago has alot of interesting history behind it. It was formed basically from a swamp, and one of is largest industries used to be slaughterhouses. Then of course there is the fire. I'm sure there are some books or videos out there that might be pretty interesting.

Don't forget the free admission at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Chicago is an absolutely wonderful city. I lived outside the city for a little over three years. The winters can be brutal, but after moving back to Texas I can't say a day has passed that I haven't missed Chicago in some way. Gratefully I still have family there, and that makes for an easy visit.

A few photographs I took last year of Millennium Park and the skyline...

I was born and raised in Chicago and clearly remember the moment in my life - 13 years old standing along the lakefront looking back at the city/skyline - that I knew I would never want to live anywhere else. Sure, I've visited others cities, even worked for extended periods in some, but none have ever lived up to Chicago. Glad you had a good visit.

I was there a couple years ago and my best memories are the Cubs game at Wrigley, Sosa hit one out, Muhamad Ali sang the "Take me out to the ballgame" and my buddy barfed. Good times.

Also, dinner at the Michael Jordan restaurant.

I started visiting Chicago about twice a year starting three years ago. It was interesting to sort of see Millennium park be built, even if it was a few large jumps. The shiny bean puzzled me until I saw it finished last November. I had not realized that the amphitheater was designed by Gehry. It just so happens that I'm spending this weekend in Chicago, so I will make sure to take a longer look at all of it.

I presently live in Chicago so it's great to hear that you made it to this fine city (and the weather must have been great while you were out here). I think one of the things that sets the Chicago skyline apart from New York's is that you can actually see and appreciate the Chicago skyline while you're in Chicago. Unlike NYC where the best view is in New Jersey probably one of the best views in Chicago is by the Adler Planetarium (please say you had a chance to swing by the museum campus - or if you couldn't, make it a top priority next time). Also driving up Lake Shore Drive (LSD) from the south at night and seeing the city lit up is absolutely gorgeous.

And about Ghery's amphitheater, I had the pleasure of attending the first "pop" concert there last night when I got to see Tori Amos perform live. Let me just say that if you think the theater LOOKS great you'd be happy to know just how wonderful it SOUNDS. I have never been to a concert where the acoustics sounded so good. It truly is "form follows function" and it's evident that a lot of thought went into making a place specifically designed for music. I can't wait to hear more performances there in the future.

I'm really glad that you got to see why everyone who lives here loves their city.

Lived here my whole life (college doesn't count). Definitely a great city, until you spend some time stuck in traffic. All that time bumper to bumper you wonder why you live here. That's why I now work from home. :)

Been there a couple of times, and I like it. I know this sounds like a small-town boy in the big city (which is exactly what it is), but I really enjoyed the mass transit system. It's clean, cheap, feels relatively safe, and you can zoom around anywhere in the city without caring how bad the traffic is below (or above, depending on where you are). I'm sure riding the rail would get old after a while, but I enjoyed it while I was there.

I love everything about living here (been here for 12 years) except for the 9 months of winter. Around mid-January I entertain thoughts that global warming isn't such a bad thing after all...

Sheesh and you didn't stop by to say hello? We almost always buy beers for visiting web friends...

Interesting info here -- with follow-ups -- about the art in Millennium Park being copyrighted by the city. Be careful what you do with those photos you took!

Winter, as has been said, is the one downside of the windy city, followed only by the sweltering summer. Of course for the months of chill to the marrow cold, you get rewarded by four of the most glorious months in any city, anywhere - April, May, September, October. Seriously, there is no better place to be than Chicago during Spring and Fall.

The longer I live in a psuedocity like Seattle, the more I miss real city's like Chicago. I really miss the El. And real art museums. And the Lincoln Park zoo. The upside is, it's never below zero here in Emerald City and we've got killer whales...

Fascinating link Lorne. That should spark a huge debate about what 'public art' truly means -- does it belong to the public, as is the intention (especially when tax payer money is used to fund its creation) or does the artist hold eternal copyright. It seems ridiculous that they'd build all that and then expect the public (professional photographers included) to take photos of it.

Todd, just wanted to say I was glad to hear that you enjoyed your time in the Windy City. We're a good town, and I've felt like home here for the last eight years.

As you can see from the other comments, we Chicagoans are very proud of it and love that you and others have enjoyed it as well. I regularly visit other cities for vacation and just try to do the things locals do everyday... but when it comes down to it, I don't think I could leave Chicago to live full-time somewhere else.

I hope you got to see Cloudgate (the bean at Millennium Park) after they've buffed out most of the seams. I forget the exact numbers, but I think it's cost as much to buff out the seams over the past 10 months (after being unveiled initially) as it did to construct the thing.

Plus, there is always the chance of running into Kanye West.

I've been coming to Todd's site for a long time, but I don't think I've ever left a comment. However, when I saw an entry about my city, I had to say something.

Er...I really don't have anything to add, because Todd pretty much said it all. Chicago's a great place to live, though in the middle of winter, California starts looking really good, too.

Chicago is not as big NYC not as small as SF - it is just right. Fantastic city even when you are freezing your ass off in the winter.

If you are interested in Parks, please visit my blog: http://whatsnewtoday11.blogspot.com

Not everybody love their city