New York City vs. Chicago

[LonelyRoad]

Hi all,

I'm starting this thread to just gain some knowledge. I have been to NYC (only once so far) and hope to move there in 3 years when I graduate from college. My friend is transfering to a school in Chicago and goes on and on about how great it is, but he's never been to NYC. However, I've never been to Chicago.

I thought I would get more "expert" opinions about the pros and cons of the two and how they match up. Even though this is a NYC board, hopefully people knowledgeable about Chicago will respond too.

Thanks.

[MrSpice]

Hi all,

I'm starting this tread to just gain some knowledge. I have been to NYC (only once so far) and hope to move there in 3 years when I graduate from college. My friend is transfering to a school in Chicago and goes on and on about how great it is, but he's never been to NYC. However, I've never been to Chicago.

I thought I would get more "expert" opinions about the pros and cons of the two and how they match up. Even though this is a NYC board, hopefully people knowledgeable about Chicago will respond too.

Thanks.

One thing that is definitely bad about Chicago is its long, cold winters.

[czsz]

And the flatness. And the fact that it's less historic. And that it lacks New York's heroic density and scale, which extends (in Manhattan) far from the business centres. And lack of much to see or do in the immediate vicinity of the city comparable to what's on the East Coast.

[lesterp4]

I have lived in both cities and still have family in Chicago. There is really little comparison. Except for the strip along Michigan ave. and Lake Shore Drive Chicago is more like Brooklyn than Manhattan. The tall buildings are in a very narrow strip several blocks wide and about 10 blocks long. No comparison to the breadth of Manhattan. I have always felt Chicago to be a big small town as opposed to a big international city (NYC) with an international population. Tall buildings alone do not make a truly urban city.

[shocka]

I have grown up in NY, but did spend couple months in a row in Chicago this past year.

I really like Chicago overall, and it would be my 2nd choice of place to live. When I was there I almost packed up and moved there, too bad my family and friends are all in NY.

I liked areas such as Wrigglyville and Lincoln Park in Chicago. River North and Gold Coast (area by Michigan Ave and Lakeshore Dri) were very similar to Midtown. Overall I just had a better time going out in Chicago, things were cheaper and my money goes a lot further for a lifestyle VERY VERY simliar to NY! When I was there I met alot of people who left NY for chicago and all had the same feeling as me:

people were nicer in Chicago
better value even though things like cabs/restauarnts are comparable to NYC
things are a not as rush/hussle as nyc

One thing thought this winter was beautiful in Chicago, it was actually worse in NY this year. But I have heard some horry stories of winter in chicago.

With all that said.. what I would do is look where there is a better market for your degree.

If you have a career that entails domestic travel chicago is great since it is almost the center of USA.

Both are great cities and have their positivies over the other, so find another major factor to help you decide.

[stache]

It's been 30 years since I lived in Chicago. I've heard from others that with global warming, winters are not as severe as they used to be. Chicago is always a great deal of fun in the summer.

[nycsports]

We just branched out to Chicago with our nycsportingnews.com website. We launched chicagosportingnews.com because we felt that it was the logical place to go next. I was there a few months ago for the first time and will be there many more times during the summer.

I found it to be a nice place but I didn't venture too far away from the hotel. I did go to a restaurant that looked like a high class NYC restaurant but the prices were GREAT! and the food was very good as well.

I'm a lifelong New Yorker and cannot imagine anyplace being better. (Just less expensive)

[antinimby]

I've heard from others that with global warming, winters are not as severe as they used to be.Yeah, it will now go down to -12 degrees instead of -15 degrees. :D

[BrooklynRider]

I feel that Chicago is very much an "American" city and one of the finest ones at that. New York, on the other hand, is much more of an international city.

[pscoln1]

I feel that Chicago is very much an "American" city and one of the finest ones at that. New York, on the other hand, is much more of an international city.
Yea NY is definitly much more of an international city. I actually wanted to start a forum about a city I have been to, and Chicago and NYC were the two that I have been to the most and were most knowledgable about. But I decided to go with NYC. I have been thinking of doing a forum about either Chicago or Miami next but I need to get my site http://LocalApple.com established first.
Because I grew up in NYC, I felt that when I first went to Chicago it was almost a replica of NYC but that is just a matter of my opinion. Both are generally really nice cities!

[amaluu729]

I've lived in Chicago for 4+ years now and I absolutely adore it. I've never lived in NYC so I can't effectively compare, but Chicago is beautiful, fun and has all the excitement of a big city (great dining, shopping, nightlife, cultural attractions, etc.) but its still Midwestern so it's still family values. I work in the tourism industry in Chicago and it took very little time to turn me into a cheerleader for this city. The summer is amazing, hanging out on Oak Street beach or eating in outdoor cafes, plus shopping on Michigan Ave or (my preference) State Street. Grant Park is gorgeous in the summer. I have a lake view from my apartment and it's to die for. It's got its fair share of diversity too with great neighborhoods like Devon Street and it's own Greektown, Little Italy and Chinatown (kind of a dodgy area). I live in South Loop which is in my opinion the best area (but I am biased).

Culturally there's a ton - the museums are fabulous (I worked for one of them for 3 years), theater is really top-notch, and there's constantly free music concerts all over downtown. In the summer there's Summerdance, a free series of 1-hour dance lessons followed by open dancing in an outdoor setting, right in Grant Park. It's amazing! There's ballroom, salsa, congolese, and all kinds of dancing on different nights (even bhangra!).

Winters are rough, no doubt, but I don't find them that different from NYC (which I've visited in January every year for the past 4 years) or Washington, D.C. (where I lived for 2 years) or Michigan (where I grew up). The lake effect makes it quite windy, but its pretty much cold everywhere in the midwest or northeast in the winter.

Oh yeah, and the EL is fairly clean, safe and easy to navigate (D.C. has by far the best subway system ever though - it's totally clean and VERY simple to learn).

This post is by no means to make any statement about NY btw, just my opinion of Chicago. I love it - it's my kind of town.

[ryan]

Winters are rough, no doubt, but I don't find them that different from NYC (which I've visited in January every year for the past 4 years) or Washington, D.C. (where I lived for 2 years) or Michigan (where I grew up). The lake effect makes it quite windy, but its pretty much cold everywhere in the midwest or northeast in the winter.

Winter is much, much milder in NYC. It's cold in January and February for sure, but November, (early) December and March are rarely below freezing, so to my great lakes-raised senses there's about half as much winter (off set by as much more excessive heat in the summer).

You thought DC had the same winter as Michigan?!?

[amaluu729]

I really did, Ryan ... see I'm freezing everywhere - I'm always cold. I'm cold right now cause the A/C is too high in my office, but its 80 some degrees outside. So anyway, yeah - I was in D.C. from 95-97, and the winters I experienced were more or less the same as the winters I experienced in Metro Detroit & Ann Arbor, MI. Chicago is probably a BIT colder, cause of lake effect, but not so much so. Pretty much I hate being cold anywhere.

Maybe NY is much milder - it makes sense because of all the people and the heat of a big city.

[MrSpice]

I've lived in Chicago for 4+ years now and I absolutely adore it. I've never lived in NYC so I can't effectively compare, but Chicago is beautiful, fun and has all the excitement of a big city (great dining, shopping, nightlife, cultural attractions, etc.) but its still Midwestern so it's still family values.

I am just curious to know what you mean by "family values"? You mean, more conservative socially? Or, that they go to church on Sunday? I guess in Chicago "family values" means something extremely positive. I have never livied in Chicago. But in New York, we have a surprising number of families living here :)

[NYatKNIGHT]

I'm curious too about what "family values" midwesterners have that we apparently lack in the northeast.

[amaluu729]

Again, my post was not meant as anything about or against NYC. It was just what I like about Chicago, not what makes it better than anywhere else. Definitely not trying to attack or say anything against any other place.

The Midwest is just generally known for being very family-oriented, I don't mean that any other place isn't.

I have a feeling this could spin out of control quickly so I'll just leave it as that. I wasn't saying that New York isn't, so please don't take offense.

[pianoman11686]

As far as weather is concerned, Chicago has without a doubt a more extreme climate than New York's, which is tempered by its proximity to the relatively warm Atlantic Ocean in the wintertime. A sample of monthly average temperatures in January:

Chicago
High: 29
Low: 13

New York
High: 38
Low: 25

An even more telling statistic is the comparison between alltime lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded in the two cities:

Chicago: -27; 105

New York: -15; 106

[MrSpice]

Again, my post was not meant as anything about or against NYC. It was just what I like about Chicago, not what makes it better than anywhere else. Definitely not trying to attack or say anything against any other place.

The Midwest is just generally known for being very family-oriented, I don't mean that any other place isn't.

I have a feeling this could spin out of control quickly so I'll just leave it as that. I wasn't saying that New York isn't, so please don't take offense.

I am not trying to be politically correct or saying that Chicago is not more family oriented. I am just genuinly curious what you mean by "family values" in your post. You can honestly say what you believe - after all, this is the US and you can freely say what you feel without any fear... :)

[milleniumcab]

How big do you want the city you live in to be?... If you know that, answer should be clear..:)

[milleniumcab]

BY the way, both of my kids are born and raised in NYC, Manhattan.. Guess what, they both have family values...:p

[sfenn1117]

Being a meteorology student, the weather of New York has always been something that I've loved. We have scorching heat, bitter cold, wicked thunderstorms, and beautiful crisp autumn days.

Chicago also has that. But NY has one thing that Chicago can't claim. Nor'easters! The biggest snowstorm in Chicago history is something like 17". NY has had 8 or so larger storms, including the mega blizzard that I missed this winter (still pretty mad about that). I absolutely love snow, and I love walking in the city in the middle of a snow storm and watching a city so calm, so peaceful, so clean, that otherwise isn't. It's truly an amazing site, and in my opinion, is when this city looks the best.



Anyway I've never been to Chicago. I'll be there Monday -Thursday though to visit a friend at Northwestern. I'll post back here when I get back.

[bobbymcmillin]

I live in Chicago, but have spent a lot of time in New York. Out of the major cities in the USA, meaning those with a population of more than a million, Chicago and New York are similar. However, there are some major differences. Crime rates are a difference, I love Chicago, but we simply have more crime. New York is much more expensive overall. Transportation is another difference, New York has more 24 hour lines which stretch farther and reach more areas than the CTA. Weather is yet another difference, winters are colder and longer in Chicago. Chicago is CLEANER, that was a big one for me. New York reeks in the summer. One thing that wasn't mentioned before, is how much more there is to do in New York if you decide to leave the city. Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, not to mention beautiful New England towns are all accessible to New Yorkers. In Chicago we have Illinois, (corn fields anyone?), and Milwaukee. I'm sorry, but it's the truth.

Furthermore, New York is simply larger, and although some think that "bigger doesn't mean better," I have to disagree to some extent. New York is definitely an international city, like London and Paris, therefore it offers more theaters, museums, and restaurants. More exhibits come to New York not to mention New York has been more influential on society as a whole. I love Chicago because it IS smaller, more affordable, and the people are overall nicer. This isn't to say we don't have assholes, but New York, you guys have some of the rudest people I've ever seen in a major city. Money is generally a factor for people, it certainly is for me, that's why I chose Chicago. If I offended anyone it was not my intent.

[ZippyTheChimp]

Someone will certainly be offended, but it could be from either city.

Well done.

[eddhead]

Nice summary comparison of my 2 favorite US cities (well, maybe 2/3 throwing in San Francisco). I think the asshole factor in NYC is over rated though. For the most part I find New Yorkers to be pretty sharing; you just have to seek them out as opposed to people in midwest cities who tend to gravitate to you (unsolicited hellos and stuff like that). Reserved might be a better description of New Yorkers.

New York tends to be faster paced than just about anyplace I have been, and I think that explains the perceived rudeness. I do agree people tend to be a bit oblivious but I chalk that up to they're being extraordinarily busy. IF you stop a New Yorker on the street and ask for help, 9/10 times they will oblige.

On the other hand people from all over the midwest tend to be outgoing and nice regardless of their circumstances.

Still, a nice balanced comparison Thanks.

[antinimby]

Excellent post bobby.

The amount of crime depends entirely when you were in NY. For example, in the 70's & 80's, I don't think there were any American city that were as crime ridden as NY.

That all started to change in the mid-90's and NY has been one of the safest large city in the country year in and year out for a while now.

Chalk that up to policing, gentrification, high cost of living, etc. but the change from the 80's to now is staggering.

[lofter1]

Also chalk it up to the crack heads dying off.

[ASchwarz]

I live in Chicago, but have spent a lot of time in New York. Out of the major cities in the USA, meaning those with a population of more than a million, Chicago and New York are similar.

I don't see this at all. How are NYC and Chicago similar?

To me, among major U.S. cities, NYC is most similar to Philly and Boston. Similar types of people, similar geographic location, similar history, architecture, lifestyles, etc. No, not the same, but definitely similar (especially with Philly, which is like a less prosperous, smaller NYC).

Chicago always feels very different to me. Very different architecture, much newer city, very different history and cultural feel. The people are very different, IMO. Much more car-oriented too.

So yeah, outside of the fact that they're both big American cities with big skylines, I don't see the similarities. No neighborhood in Chicago looks like one in NYC, while plenty of neighborhoods in Philly and Boston have at least a passing resemblance to ones in NYC.

Heck, I get more of an "NYC feel" in parts of Florida and California. Obviously the architecture and urban feel is totally different, but you get a ton more NY types and more of the international outlook.

[HoveringCheesecake]

Heck, I get more of an "NYC feel" in parts of Florida and California. Obviously the architecture and urban feel is totally different, but you get a ton more NY types and more of the international outlook.

What the hell? You had me until that comment. NYC "feel" in Florida and California? Whatthe...

From another perspective - for us flatlanders, NYC and Chicago feel similar. Not the same by any means. Just standing on a street corner in either city, one can easily notice the difference.

Unless you mean by NY feel you mean NY residents. In that case: DEL BOCA VISTA!

[eddhead]

I might be kind of unique in this regard, but I do not feel Boston and NYC are alike at all. There are neighborhoods within Boston (in particular those in the North End) resemble parts of Manhattan (such as Nolita or even parts of Brooklyn) but those neighborhoods to me are few and far between. Except for the finanical district, Boston always struck me as being a large collage town. That may not be entirely fair, but that is what comes to mind.

Chicago feels like NYC to me in a lot of ways, although I agree with archetetcure (which I find to be almost Eurpean influenced) is different from that of NY, at least in the loop and downtown area. But areas like Wrigley, Gold Coast, even Evanston remind me of areas of neighborhoods in NYC. Chicago also has a certain electricty that I find lacking in Boston.

Besides you have to love any city with a river runnng through it.

Also, to me Philly is a sprawling city with suburban parts; there are beautiful white-stone houses (I am not sure what you call them) on the outskirts bordering Bryn Mahr I think it is for instance that do not exist in NYC, Boston, or Chicago/

[antinimby]

If anything, this just goes to show that these feelings and impressions are all subjective.

Of the cities cited, I have only been to Chicago and Boston and Chicago feels more like New York.

They both got that "big city" feel that Boston just seems to lack.

[scumonkey]

I agree with eddhead...Boston is a large college town- lived there for a year, and all I could do was think of ways to get out- so I could move to NYC.

[eddhead]

If anything, this just goes to show that these feelings and impressions are all subjective.

Of the cities cited, I have only been to Chicago and Boston and Chicago feels more like New York.

They both got that "big city" feel that Boston just seems to lack.

I agree with you and scumonkey.

[antinimby]

Cool, it's good to be agreed with. :D

[eddhead]

Considering who it was, I
bet you were shocked. ;)

[Hof]

Shortly after getting my new copy of the AIA "Guide to New York City" last summer, I saw the companion AIA guide for Chicago for sale on Amazon. It was only $7.00, so I bought it and perused it as intently as I did the NY book. ( The format is identical to the NY guidebook; also, it is a much smaller book. With 570 pages, it's about half the size of the NY edition).
I found that the architecture, history and urban layout of Chicago is as varied and interesting as New York's and I became posessed with the notion of learning more about Chicago. One of the things that drew my attention is the huge number of buildings around Chicago designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a hero of mine and one of the 5 historic figures on my personal wish list whom I would love to have a beer with. ( The others are Jesus, John Lennon, John F.Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe).

That curiosity soon led me to spend hours traveling Chicago's streets on Google Street View and visiting numerous Chicago-themed websites. I've learned thet Chicago has Olmstead Parks, some superb neighborhoods, world-class universities and a roster of sports franchises, museums, public transportation and skyscrapers (including Donald Trump's tallest building yet) that rank it on the top of the "World's Greatest Cities" list. There's a lot to Chicago.
I have become a big fan of the city and I'm planning to fly up there-- next Spring, after it thaws out-- and see for myself what I have been learning about the place.
I've been to Chicago exactly twice, once just passing through, and once (I was about 9 years old) when my Aunt took me to Navy Pier and a Cubs game, so I have zero firsthand knowledge about the city. That means it is ripe for exploration.

...(One of the largest clusters of Wright's work was done in Oak Park, a leafy suburb adjacent to Chicago. Curiously, Street View does NOT have any street shots passing many of FLW's homes-- they have most of the nearby streets, but Wright's work is mysteriously absent. I wonder why???).

[ASchwarz]

One of the things that drew my attention is the huge number of buildings around Chicago designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, a hero of mine and one of the 5 historic figures on my personal wish list whom I would love to have a beer with. ( The others are Jesus, John Lennon, John F.Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe).


I actually think that Chicago is quite overrated, and comparing it to NYC is laughable.

The city has a very discombobulated urban fabric, with nicer urban neighborhoods broken up by freeways, strip malls, warehouses, railroad yards, and bombed-out ghetto zones.

That said, Oak Park is a must-see for Frank Lloyd Wright fans, and Chicago has a wonderful architectural heritage. Chicago is certainly world-class when it comes to Wright and architectural legacy. And it certainly has an amazing skyline. On other accounts, not so much, IMO. Much closer to Dallas, Houston, Detroit, etc. than to NYC.

[stache]

Get a hotel on the Near North Side.

[eddhead]

Chicago is one of my favorite cities. Architecturally interesting, east to navigate through (built on a grid) , fairly well developed transit system, clean, ethnically diverse (by mid-west standards anyway) with great resturarants and shops. When I finally get sick of NYC, Chicago will likely be my next landing pad. Very livable city

[stache]

Philly weather is less brutal.

[Hof]

Stache--thank's for the North Side tip.
I had already done some research online and found a few likely places where I'd want to stay, and the North Side kept coming up as a good part of Chicago to be in. It's close to the Loop and right on transit lines, and much of the area has a genteel, Upper East Side feel to it. ( I've BEEN there, on Streetview...).
It was where the wealthy Chicagoans went when they rebuilt their homes after the Great Fire destroyed the city in 1871, and the streets are loaded with blocks of nicely designed 19th-century town houses and mansions.

It is also the entertainment Mecca for the City. One of the North Side neighborhoods is called Old Town, and has streets like Rush and Wells that are loaded with bars and clubs and shops that are begging me to explore them; it looks like a midwest Greenwich Village, the brick side streets crammed with apartments. N State Street, the Miracle Mile, is an urban mall, Chicago's Fifth Avenue/ Rodeo Drive. Live music venues, interesting restaurants, theatre and museums are scattered throughout the Lincoln Park area. It looks very walkable. There's a freaking beach nearby, the old Playboy Mansion is in the neighborhood and deep dish pizza places are common. It looks like the perfect part of town to stay in for a first-time visit.

The area is within walking distance to the Loop, close to Chicago's spectacular Center City skyscraper garden, an architectural hot spot and the place where the very first skyscrapers were designed and built. The illustrated History of tall buildings, spanning Louis Sullivan's early efforts to Trump's impressive new SOM-designed riverside Tower, is presented throughout the Loop and along Wacker Drive, and I'm anxious to see it all. Chicago's architecture has impressed me since I was a kid.

I'm just beginning to plan the trip, and I'm not going there if there is even a hint of Winter, so I have a long time to discover what Chicago is all about.

[antinimby]

Are you going solo?

[ASchwarz]

I had already done some research online and found a few likely places where I'd want to stay, and the North Side kept coming up as a good part of Chicago to be in. It's close to the Loop and right on transit lines, and much of the area has a genteel, Upper East Side feel to it. ( I've BEEN there, on Streetview...).
It was where the wealthy Chicagoans went when they rebuilt their homes after the Great Fire destroyed the city in 1871, and the streets are loaded with blocks of nicely designed 19th-century town houses and mansions.

It is also the entertainment Mecca for the City. One of the North Side neighborhoods is called Old Town, and has streets like Rush and Wells that are loaded with bars and clubs and shops that are begging me to explore them; it looks like a midwest Greenwich Village, the brick side streets crammed with apartments. N State Street, the Miracle Mile, is an urban mall, Chicago's Fifth Avenue/ Rodeo Drive. Live music venues, interesting restaurants, theatre and museums are scattered throughout the Lincoln Park area. It looks very walkable. There's a freaking beach nearby, the old Playboy Mansion is in the neighborhood and deep dish pizza places are common. It looks like the perfect part of town to stay in for a first-time visit.


I lived in Chicago for 3 years, and I think most of your characterizations are somewhat off.

Old Town has nothing to do with Greenwich Village. It's hardly "crammed with apartments", as it's mostly detached single family homes and urban renewal-era townhouses. And it's filled with postcollegiate frat/sorority folks.

It looks and feels like a much less dense version of Hoboken. Totally different from GV.

Similarly Gold Coast around Astor and Michigan Ave north of the river have very, very different feels from the Upper East Side, and Fifth, respectively.

But whatever. Different folks for different folks. There's plenty to do and see.

BTW, if you do stay in this part of Chicago, choose hotels somewhat to the west, away from the lake. There are no rapid transit lines anywhere near the lake, or the most upscale/touristy parts. The Brown and Red Lines are far to the west.

[stache]

Old Town was more like the Village back in the '70's. I remember Peacock Alley which was very artsy craftsey.

[Hof]

ASchwartz--
Having never lived in Chicago, my characterizations about the place are always going to be off.
Google Street View only gives me pretty pictures, not the feel of the place, so firsthand experiences from someone who has been there will be welcomed and could enable me to form a more precise vision of Chicago. The more I learn about Chicago the richer my visit will be.
After my visit there I'll try and get to Hoboken, to check out your characterization...

[stache]

Old Town was very hot in the late '60's, then everything shifted to New Town. After that I pretty much lost track.

[eddhead]

Wrigleyville is a favorite are of mind. And although it has become kindof cliche, I also like Lincoln Park

[lesterp4]

i have lived there and people do not walk in Chicago. Either they drive or take a bus . The train lines are sparse. Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville are closestin resemblance to Brooklyn areas. There is hardly anything compared to much of Manhattan.

[HoveringCheesecake]

ASchwartz--
Having never lived in Chicago, my characterizations about the place are always going to be off.
Google Street View only gives me pretty pictures, not the feel of the place, so firsthand experiences from someone who has been there will be welcomed and could enable me to form a more precise vision of Chicago. The more I learn about Chicago the richer my visit will be.
After my visit there I'll try and get to Hoboken, to check out your characterization...

Be sure to have a cocktail or two at the Signature Room Lounge on the 96th floor of John Hancock Center. I never made it to Windows on the World, but I like to imagine that it was a similar experience. The Signature Room is a nice place from which to view the rest of the city.

http://www.signatureroom.com/Signature-Lounge/

Also, is it a sin to like both Chicago and NYC? Even if I prefer NYC?

[eddhead]

i have lived there and people do not walk in Chicago. Either they drive or take a bus . The train lines are sparse. Lincoln Park and Wrigleyville are closestin resemblance to Brooklyn areas. There is hardly anything compared to much of Manhattan.

I haven't lived there but I have spent a lot of time there. My wife is from Chicago and we get back their to visit friends and family often. I agree that neither location is like Manhattan, but I would not say they are like Brooklyn either. Not sure you can classify them in "NY relative terms". The other thing is that Chicago in the summer is much different than than Chicago in the winter, and not just in terms of weather.

@ Hovering ... I agree you can like both. When we were dating the first time I visited Chicago my now wife took me to the Signature Room. We had a great evening.

[yardsalechat]

Wrigleyville is a favorite are of mind. And although it has become kindof cliche, I also like Lincoln Park

Nothing wrong with Lincoln Park, I'm not ashamed to say it! :)

http://yardsalechat.com/blog/

[HoveringCheesecake]

@ Hovering ... I agree you can like both. When we were dating the first time I visited Chicago my now wife took me to the Signature Room. We had a great evening.

That is quite awesome. A very belated congratulations, I'm sure. ;)