My first impression of Chicago, “It’s not even that cold here…” Well, as I rounded the corner of the building I was walking in to, the wind hit me like a fastball to the chest and my opinion was forever changed. Imagine a refrigerator the size of a small country, that’s what Chicago is. But as cold as it is, it was gorgeous. Michigan Avenue was host to some of the most breathtaking architecture I’ve seen, beautifully illuminated with Christmas lights and other decorations given the time of year this post is being written. My stay in the city was short so I’ll keep this post equally as short. Here, I’ll take a look at the 3 things, the food, the traffic, and the culture.
Anytime I’ve considered visiting Chicago I’ve always imagined a really thick deep-dish pizza with all the toppings. I imagined placing myself firmly in a food coma, drifting off in to a deep sleep courtesy of grease, cheese, and tomato sauce. I was not disappointed. If you’re a pizza person, or if you’re not a pizza person, definitely check out some authentic Chicago pizza while you’re in town. I recommend Lou Malnatti’s pizza, reasonably priced and perfectly delicious.
As far as the traffic goes, I’ll keep this short. Northern Virginia and whatever that road was between the suburbs and downtown Chicago are equally as frustrating to drive in. Jump off the highway and you’ll find yourself in a similar battle, just with stop signs and stop lights that appear to only act as a suggestion to the native Chicago driver. The road markings exist as a guide to the general flow of traffic, or the idea thereof. Chicago is the first place I’ve ever been that has a concrete median seemingly designed for you to drive on when you don’t feel like waiting for traffic to move. If you’re like me and appreciate the order of traffic laws, just catch an Uber and take a nap.
Lastly, the culture. In order for you to truly appreciate my stance on the culture it’s important for you to know that I grew up in a small town in the south where everyone knows everyone and everyone speaks to everyone, it’s a southern thing. Now imagine a place exactly opposite of that… yep, that’s Chicago. Similar to New York City, most people had headphones on as they walked about and only spoke to you if you were in their way and they couldn’t push past you. However, for a city with such high crime and a poor reputation for being violent, I didn’t notice a huge police presence in any of the places I visited. So maybe the people aren’t all that bad, they’re just not too social with strangers? In conclusion, if you’re visiting Chicago for the people, take your people with you.
In conclusion, from my perspective this city of full of life and activity, but not this country boy’s cup of tea. The food was something to write home about and something I will look forward to on future visits. I’ll definitely plan to either use public transportation or stay closer to the things I want to visit. Thanks Chicago for having me in town, we’ll see you next time!