People & Places
The appeal of Chicago - the windy city
Hanna Lindon is blown away by Chicagos buzzing lifestyle.
If everything you know about Chicago has been gleaned from watching ER, then you're probably imagining a Sin City-type centre with high crime and freezing temperatures. That's certainly what I was expecting when, last year, I travelled to the Windy City for the first time to attend a friend's wedding.
But, although Chicago is certainly a city of stark contrasts its trademark skyscrapers mingle with delightful old historical buildings, and the weather seems either to be freezing cold or boiling hot it turned out to be nothing like my dire preconceptions. For a start, there's the atmosphere. Chicago's centre is just a buzzing and lively as New York, but without the overpoweringly fast pace of life. People look at you interestedly in the street, whereas in the Big Apple they mainly treat you as invisible. Added to this, there is the amazing mix of cultures, races and creeds which makes Chicago one of the most cosmopolitan and tolerant cities in the world.
The contrasts that are plain to see everywhere in central Chicago extend to the suburbs. Yes, there are the run-down ghetto areas shown in the movies but there are also many utterly charming all-American style villages with wide avenues and brightly coloured houses that could have been taken right off the set of Desperate Housewives. This is where the families live; you'll see children cycling in the street and climbing over the fences into one another's back yards, running around in the middle of the road and playing skipping games on the pavement. As in many big cities, the crime in Chicago is largely contained in certain small areas of the city, and I generally felt safer than I ever have done in New York. "For some reason, Chicago has the reputation of being high-crime," says Megan Cheyney, a realtor who has lived in the city all of her life. "I can honestly say, though, having been brought up here, I have never had any experience of violent crime. We've never even had our house broken into."
According to Megan, there are plenty of things that make Chicago a great place to live not least the plethora of entertainments on offer. "Being beside the lake is wonderful, just like living by the sea," she said. "In summer, my favourite thing to do is to go for a walk on the beach. Other than that, there are tonnes of things to do. Lots of nightclubs, for a start, that feature really good music, as well as a ton of new comedy club that have late and really late shows. I like Second City and the IQ Theatre near Wrigley Field. If you're a fan, it's also great fun going to watch the Cubs play." Han Huang, a Brit who lived in the city for five years when he originally emigrated to America, agrees that Chicago has a lot to offer newcomers. "The diversity is just amazing, and there's something in the atmosphere that just keeps you constantly on the edge of your seat," he says. "Coming here from the UK was like walking into a dream for me the excitement, the feeling that you're at the centre of where everything's happening, just totally did it for me. Chicago epitomises a lot of the things that I think are really great about America."
Han worked in central Chicago, and found commuting in from the suburbs every day to be no problem at all in fact, he says that he rather enjoyed the experience. "The public transport is very good and it's cheap," he reveals. "My American wife and I had a lovely house in the suburbs with a back yard, and it took hardly any time at all to get from this immensely peaceful family place to my work in the centre. "I loved the journey as well it was great seeing a whole load of Chicago's fabulous architecture along the way, and there were some buildings that never ceased to amaze me!" Quite apart from the architecture, the atmosphere and the lifestyle, there is another great reason to make Chicago your home. "The cost of living here is cheaper than almost any other city in the US," says Megan. "House prices are also low in many areas, and the housing market is doing better than most other places at the moment."
According to the recent Best and Worst Neighbourhoods to Buy a Home lists by Forbes, Chicago's Loop is the best place to buy a home in the whole of the US. It has the greatest appreciation in the entire nation, with the total price appreciation from 2004 to 2006 being 206.7 per cent. On the other hand, the Near North Side and Gold Coast appears to be a bad place to buy if you want your home to accumulate value. Appreciation here during the same time period was only 20.5 per cent. You can expect to pay around $710,000 for a home in Chicago's Loop, whereas a place in the Near North Side will set you back only $350,000. Many families choose to move closer to Chicago's best schools, of which the highest-rated is Lincoln Park. Chicago has a large collection of both private and public schools, the best of which are situated in the more affluent suburbs.
Louise Hannay is a 14-year-old British girl who spent a week at a school near the Chicago suburb of Evanston when her family visited the States for a research trip. She describes the whole experiences as 'just amazing': "The teachers were all so nice. I fitted into the class straight away as well, because everyone was so friendly. There are lots of different groups in my school back home, and here everyone seemed to just like one another. I had watched lots of movies about American high schools, and didn't think it would be like that at all." There were some other crucial differences between her school in Britain and the one she visited, too. "They seemed to be quite a bit ahead of us," Louise says. "They were doing stuff in science that I had never heard of. There were also lots more sports classes and we spent lots of time in the gym." Chicago has a great deal to offer British expats, whether you're emigrating as a family or looking to enjoy America's legendary singles life. Don't be put off the Windy City by what you've seen on TV go and check it out for yourself.
An expat's perspective
Eleanor Smith recently moved to Chicago after marrying a local man. Here, she describes her experience of living in Illinois. "Chicago is pretty amazing in its diversity. The contrast of the modern huge skyscrapers and the more classic buildings is fantastic. The skyline as you come into the city never ceases to amaze me. Sitting next to the great lake is like being on the ocean edge. "I go to the lake most days to either cycle or run. You would be surprised at the amount of people working out down at the lake front. Mothers even jog pushing babies in their chairs! When it's warm enough I like to swim in the lake too. There is a cycle path that goes for over 15 miles from the north side of town to down south. There are many marinas and beaches along the way, with activities such as weight training, beach volley ball, sailing and so on. People just picnic too. The rivers run into the lake and I also like to take out a canoe. During the winter months there is outdoor skating. "The city is very clean, and the gardens and parks that sit between the lake and the city itself are extremely well maintained. The park even hosts a zoo, which has free entry. The many parks along the front host different events every week, such as movie night, outdoor dance nights etcetera. There is always a festival. "It seems that every holiday is celebrated throughout the summer months. Chicago also holds the biggest triathlon and has a marathon yearly. The summer here is pretty amazing the city seems to come alive. However, in contrast I believe winter is hell! I have not been here in the winter yet. This is when you have to take advantage of the bars and restaurants, of which there are many. Food is reasonably cheap here and there is tonnes to choose from. "I like it here very much. I do, however, miss my friends and Brits."
British expat Han Huang shares his list of the top ten things to do and places to go in Chicago:
Free classical concerts at the Millennium Park.
Horseback riding near the beautiful forest preserves around Cook and DuPage Counties.
Shakespeare Theatre at Navy Pier.
Art Institute of Chicago, which has the worlds largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside of Paris.
Of course, Michigan Avenue and State Street for great shopping.
You can rent a canoe or kayak, and ride up and down the river through the skyscraper canyon.
Restaurants and night clubs are plentiful and are some of the best in the US.
There's lots of choice, but you have to try the Deep Dish Restaurants.
You can take the architecture river boat tours. It sounds boring but it's a lot of fun.
Visit the Field Museum, Science and Industry Museum and the Chicago History Museum.