chicago

The best city in America and my “second home town!!” America’s 3rd largest urban area with almost 10 million people in 3 states (Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) along the southwest shore of Lake Michigan. It is a very large metro area that may not be as big as New York or Los Angeles, but is America’s largest inland city and more metropolitan in profile than the latter (at least Chicago has cleaner air and adequate public transportation unlike L.A.). Its most common nickname, “the windy city” actually has nothing to do with meteorology. Although windy (especially during its frigid winters when winds come off Lake Michigan), it stems from its boasting politicians in the 1800s during the world’s fair about the city’s greatness, which it no doubt has. It is the cultural, commercial and transportation center of the Midwest and is a very diverse city with a lot to offer: beaches, a huge lakefront, arts, museums, culture, shopping along Michigan Avenue, awesome architecture (the Sears Tower is among the tallest buildings in the world and the city is building the Chicago Spire, which will surpass Sears as the tallest building in the U.S.), Chicago Deep Dish Pizza, the Gold Coast Dog and one of the world’s busiest airports. The Chicago Metropolitan area contains over half of Illinois’ state population. Not surprisingly, Chicago has so many things to see and do: Navy Pier, shopping along Michigan Avenue, going to a ball game, visiting the Museum of Science and Industry, the Adler Planetarium, the Lincoln Park Zoo or the Brookfield Zoo, go swimming in polluted Lake Michigan (unless it’s the middle of a frigid winter) or going to Lake Geneva for the weekend. The worst thing about Chicago may be its gang problem (who doesn’t have gangs?) and extreme climate: hot and humid summers and frigid winters. Just try exposing yourself to the winds of Lake Michigan in January. If climate is the worst thing about Chicago then I’d say things are pretty good. New York can go screw itself. New Yorkers are fake and Chicagoans are real. Chicago over New York any day.