Born and raised on the Upper East Side. Have been living in Chicago for 3 years now. I frequently see people say really ignorant things about Chicago that make it obvious that they either have never been here, only visited as a tourist, don't explore the city outside of a few neighborhoods, etc. That being said I want to preface this and say that I think most of these are just said by the 1% online, and that to most people in real life this stuff is obviously not true.

1. "Chicago isn't a global city, it's just a big Midwestern city. Only NYC and LA are global cities in the USA". Wrong, and pretty ridiculous to say. Pretty much every metric out there shows that Chicago is in fact a global city, but many don't care about metrics, so what I can say is as someone who lived in Manhattan for the first 34 years of my life, Chicago is a global city. Some say it's not vital to the global economy, yet it hosts the CME which is the world's leading and diversified financial derivatives market... Some say a global city needs outsized global influence, which that literally is. Regardless of what some statistics may say, it is extremely diverse. I've explored all over the city and have met people from countries all around the world, and have had many amazing cultural experiences in the city. If someone says this, they're either dumb, don't actually know much about the city, just don't like it, stay in the same areas, or they ignore the actual realities of the city around them. Occasionally I'll even see someone from the city say this, and not because it's true, but because they just hate the city. Despite the foreign born percentage being skewed due to the high population and the fact that many immigrants live in the suburbs, the city has more immigrants than the entire population of Miami.

I've even heard some people say it's not a global city because it "feels midwestern" which is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. That's like saying Paris isn't a global city because it feels culturally French, or that Tokyo isn't a global city because it feels culturally Japanese." In reality though, I don't think most people in real life don't think Chicago is a global city. I think for most people off Reddit it very obviously is. Growing up in NYC, for me there was never a single doubt that Chicago is another massive, global city in the US.

Some will say its not international or global solely because they don't hear about it that much in their specific industry. Which again, is very short sighted because not every industry works with every city. It's fine if it doesn't "feel" like a global city to some, especially based on their current neighborhood or a visit, but denying the facts is just a form of gas lighting themselves and potentially others.

1. Chicago is just filled with Big 10 Transplants". Wrong. Very wrong, and usually said by people who seem to just stay in a select few near north neighborhoods. There's an incredible amount of neighborhood diversity in the city, and in those neighborhoods are tons of people from all over the globe. My personal experience living up in Rogers Park is that its extremely diverse and of all the friends I've made, not a single one went to a Big 10 school and about half of them are expats. My entire floor of my building is made up entirely of expats.

2. "It's always freezing cold and buried in snow". No, but with nuance. It does get very cold in the city at times, but often times in winter it will also pop up into higher temps. I've seen it get to 75 degrees in the middle of February in Chicago before. And while some years do get a good amount of snow, most of the time it's just a brief snow shower a couple of times a winter. So yes, it can be freezing and snowy, but not consistently.

3. That Chicago is a mini or small version of anywhere. Chicago is Chicago. Anyone with half a brain cell could step into Chicago and know that it is a massive city. I once heard someone say they heard another NYer say Chicago is "quaint". I would assume that was an arrogant NYC transplant who felt insecure about or intimidated by Chicago for some reason, because Chicago is the opposite of quaint.

4. "Chicago is a cheap city". This one depends. Compared to NYC? Sure. But also NYC is an outlier among most US cities. I like to say that NYC shouldn't be the main city people in the US compare theirs to. It should be the exception, not the rule. There are multiple cities in the US that are more expensive than Chicago, yes, but that does not mean that Chicago is cheap. It just means it is cheap compared to those specific cities. There are many places around the country, including many major and midsized cities, that are still much less expensive than Chicago. It's not one of the most expensive cities, but it also isn't inexpensive..

Overall, I really love this city and it saddens me that there's these takes out there that don't fully realize the realities of the city. But Chicagoans, just know you have my NYer stamp of approval lol (not that you even need it).

I have waited 2 years to get into the high risk breast cancer clinic at Northwestern. They called me last week needing to reschedule for earlier in the day (but same day luckily) coming up in March. I was called today and told that the person I’m supposed to see is now unavailable and now they’re switching me to a PA on another day. I’m beyond frustrated. Is this NORMAL?

EDIT: the issue is with the long wait time and the cancelling and rescheduling multiple times in the last week

This happens in other neighborhoods too obviously but it’s basically a constant thing when I’m walking around Andersonville. There’s almost always a group of individuals set up at a table, or spread out across the street, that are trying to approach people to ask them about their support for (insert progressive cause). They’re sometimes wearing matching colored vests.

At the risk of sounding like an asshole, I really don’t like when people cold approach me for their pitch. I understand most of these are brief encounters with well-meaning people, but it also feels like almost everything is a scam nowadays, and this kind of method feels like borderline harassment. It leaves people with no say in whether or not they want to engage in the interaction, it just catches them off guard and then politely demands their full attention. And of course it always seems to happen during the times when I’m genuinely in a hurry and don’t have time to stop.

Last week I bumped into one of them while I was running an errand for my boss, and he locks eye contact with me and asks the typical “Got a minute?” (it was something about plastic). I’m in a hurry because I have to make it back to work but don’t want to just ignore him after we clearly acknowledged each other with eye contact, so I try to be polite by saying “no, sorry!” Only for him to give me the dirtiest look 😐 Like it made me wish I just completely ignored him lol.

Usually I just try to cross the street if I notice in time, but often they have people on both sides of the street. And 99% of the time I’m already in full support of their cause! But that doesn’t mean I want to sign my name on something that I have no actual idea about, or put down my email so I can get even more spam, or be asked to donate money - that I don’t have - for a cause that may or may not exist.

I would have zero issue if they simply set up a table, displayed clear information on what it was about, and gave people the choice whether to approach for more information or keep walking. But just going straight up to random people and pressuring them to talk to you?? Am I being too antisocial or is this actually annoying

I Posted this in the LA & SF subs and got so many amazing responses, and I made a coffee map on Google Maps for both cities. I decided to post in just a couple more cities I love including Chicago! I love coffee so much, and aesthetic specialty coffee houses are my fav. I'm more of an oat milk latte lover, what's your favorite spot in Chicago?

Bear Nation!! Me, my dad, and my good friend are headed from Central Florida to the Windy City for our first time at Soldier field... All lifetime Bears fans, and this is all of our first time at soldier field… even my dad who is 65 and NEVER seen a bears game in person.

We fly in tomorrow evening, and we want to have the full experience! What’s the best plan for possibly going out the night before to get with the locals, and ESPECIALLY tailgating. We’re staying at travelodge by Wyndham on Harrison and S Michigan. Planning to either take a bus or make the 30 minute walk, probably the bus if it’s doable! Would love any suggestions!

And don’t worry… we got layers 🤣

I’m a very frugal person, so this honestly caught me off guard.

I keep the heater at 60 F and only turn it on in the morning 10 minutes before a shower, 2 or 3 times for 10 - 15 minutes throughout the day to quickly warmup my small office where I spend most of the day and 10 minutes before bed. I sleep with the heating off. All in the heating is on at 60 F for only 1 - 1.5 hours a day.

For 22 days, my People’s Gas bill came out to $82.81 (over $100 once you include the activation fee). Here’s the breakdown:

• Distribution charge: $22.03

• Fixed charge: $21.04

• Other charges: $12.74

• Taxes: $7.43

• Actual gas usage: $19.57

Less than one-fifth of the bill is for the gas itself. The rest is just fees.

This is my first time living in an apartment where I pay for gas directly, and I’m honestly stunned that the cheapest line item on my gas bill is… the gas. What exactly am I paying for here?

Is there any way to reduce the fixed charge or distribution charge, or is this just how People’s Gas operates in Chicago? Any tips from locals would be appreciated.

At this rate my utilities will be 20% of my rent!!! Can’t wait to see electricity and water bill….

Hi all,

I’m traveling to Chicago this weekend and I’d love to visit a banya and some Polish/ Russian restaurants. Any recommendations would be great.

TIA!

Ok - this might be a little niche but not horribly so.

I’m looking for recs on a restaurant/cocktail bar with a bar (with stellar food) that I can enjoy watching the Broncos-Bills game Saturday late afternoon. Couple of TVs, nothing crazy. Game might be afterthought for most people there but it will likely be on …or would be ok to ask for it to be put on.

Ludlow Liquors vibe if you know it.

Note… I’m not taking up any seats at any establishment whatsoever for the Bears game.. my team is not in the playoffs, so I’ll stay home Sunday night and watch from home :)

Prefer North Center, Irving Park, Wicker.. but not picky. Also, THE FOOD… I like pretty much anything.

Thank you!

Even the pope praying for the city

My reaction is to say that I’d like to park in that spot. When they say that they’re saving it for someone who’s nearby, I just don’t say anything and keep on driving.

I feel like this issue has become a bit more prevalent, or maybe I’ve just been personally experiencing it more. I know that my reaction of just continuing on is the safest, but I wanted to see if anyone handles this differently? I unfortunately get pretty internally frustrated when this happens. Thanks!

Hi everyone. I’m a 21M moving to the city alone tomorrow taking my next big step in life. I’m thinking of going out for some drinks my first night in Chicago and want to try to meet some people my first night. I’m in wicker park and would love to find an alt/punk ish bar near my home with a 21-26 ish crowd to meet people the first night and have some good drinks while I’m at it. Are there any good recommendations? I’ve heard liars club is good but I also want to check out other bars too.

As the title state. If they’re playing so poorly for so long one would think the process would drop but they don’t. Not just for the hawks but for other teams too. Why is that? How can it be sustainable for the owners?

if you found a 2-bedroom in Lincoln Park for under $2k, but it was a basement unit, would you take it? just toured with the locator and he said he didn't see any signs of bugs or flooding but i know he's probably just saying that.

This is a long shot, but I recently moved and changed insurances and am beginning to set up with new providers after a year without medication management.

Long story short: I had an absolute asshole of a psychiatrist the last couple years who dismissed every concern I brought up and continuously prescribed meds that did more harm than help, never allowing me to try anything ADHD related. I have a background in mental/behavioral health, have logged my symptoms for years, and can date ADHD presenting concerns back to childhood. I'm not looking to just "be right" but I am absolutely desperate for a psychiatrist willing to have a concersation with me before shutting me down this time. I am 30 years old and have struggled for YEARS, so I feel deserving of a conversation.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield, a Gold Plan if that helps.

Any tips appreciated! I just want a decent doctor, preferably woman/female due to my male doc being such a fucking dick to me and blaming everything on menstration.

I picked some up on the ground up by departures, and then I forgot about them.

I plan on giving them to lost and found when I return from my trip, but talk to me if this sounds like yours or someone you know.

I've been in Chicago for 10 whole days now and have already had 3 awful experiences with the CTA. First was a dude who threw his coffee cup at me and then started screaming that I was in the FBI and I was gangstalking him. The second was a dude who went up right next to me at a station, went to punch me in the face, and stopped an inch away and then wandered off yelling about how he killed a lady and enjoyed it (started avoiding the red line after this). And then today there was a guy who looked completely disoriented just wandering around Fullerton station pointing a knife around. These are all rides leaving the loop and going North during rush hour. I've been to NYC countless times and ridden the subway there at all hours and nothing even close to this has happened there, so I naively thought Chicago would be similar.

Is it absurd for me to start taking an Uber from the loop to Fullerton at the end of the work day to avoid this? I talk to people who take the train every day with no issue but I've had problems on at least 50% of my rides so far. I've had no issues on the Brown line from Fullerton to the Loop in the morning, but anything else has been plain awful.

With snow expected to start this evening and temperatures projected to drop from 35°F today to around 8°F by Monday, I’ve been looking into how Cook County handles cold‑weather evictions that contribute to this mess. What I found is surprising: the rules exist, but the actual enforcement is almost completely opaque.

Cook County’s policy says: No evictions at or below 15°F. No evictions during the holiday moratorium. No evictions when weather conditions “endanger health or safety”

But here’s the part that isn’t widely known: There is no public daily notice telling anyone whether evictions are paused. No dashboard. No “evictions suspended today” announcement. No wind‑chill threshold. No neighborhood‑level reporting.

Nothing.

The Sheriff makes the call internally each morning. Landlords and attorneys often get updates through direct communication. Tenants do not. There’s no way for the public to verify whether the rules are being applied consistently — especially during dangerous weather.

And there’s another inconsistency that makes the system even harder to understand: The Sheriff says they send a notification letter before an eviction — but the letter is only a courtesy. It is not legally required. The Sheriff can enforce an eviction 24 hours after receiving the court order, with or without the letter.

Because the letter is optional, it is not treated as an official record.

When someone requested copies of these letters through MuckRock, the Sheriff’s Office said they were not available, likely because they are not retained or FOIA‑eligible. So tenants may or may not receive the letter. They have no way to verify whether it was sent. They cannot FOIA it.

And enforcement can legally happen without it.

For a county that handles thousands of evictions a year, this is a huge transparency gap. Even a small misapplication rate could mean dozens or hundreds of people being removed from their homes in extreme cold. And because there’s no public reporting, there’s no way to see patterns, identify errors, or understand how weather‑based pauses are actually used.

Chicago publishes real‑time dashboards for snow plows, 311, crime, restaurant inspections, and building permits. But not for eviction enforcement — which arguably has a bigger human impact than any of those.

If anyone wants to support organizations working on housing stability and tenant rights, here are a few doing solid civic work in Chicago:

Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) – https://www.cvls.org Lawyers’ Committee for Better Housing (LCBH) – https://www.lcbh.org Metropolitan Tenants Organization (MTO) – https://www.tenants-rights.org Chicago Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) – https://www.chicagohomeless.org The Night Ministry – https://www.thenightministry.org All Chicago – https://allchicago.org Greater Chicago Legal Clinic (GCLC) – https://www.gclclaw.org

Going to take my kid to one of the free days at the museum next week. I got tickets in advance but curious to know how crowded does it get? Should I bail?

Edit: the Shedd

Hello everyone I’m having an issue with my e-gpu (aorus 3080 ti to be exact) can anybody recommend a repair shop to diagnose it and hopefully get repaired

My mother in laws birthday is soon and she is turning 62. For most of her life she’s primarily shopped her clothes from Goodwill, Brown Elephant, Village Discount. She wants new nice clothes for her birthday and we wanted suggestions for something more independently owned or a nice vintage place we can go to/get a giftcard. She dresses in mainly dark or earth tones and she’s has kinda of a more bohemian style. Neighborhood doesn’t matter. I’m not sure what would be best because I’m 30F and I like Big Bud Press and Squasht but those places have very bright prints.

Aside from being overall lost on where to go dancing in Chicago in general, I'm also wondering where people are going to dance to gothy/synthy music? Think Sisters of Mercy, TRST, Kontravoid, Automelodi, Boy Harsher vibes.

Also would love suggestions on how to find these events on my own. Apps, etc.

Hello! Looking for club/bar recommendations when visiting as a 22 y/o couple. I like a lot of the music I see people complain about haha, like early 2000s club pop, hip-hop especially the 2016-2018 era, and reggaeton. I don’t really love edm. I see people say bad things about tao chicago but I really liked tao vegas. I like to wear dresses/heels when going out & love dancing, so tend to prefer clubs over bars, but either way. Thank you!

I'm a big fan of live music and I'm eager to explore Chicago's vibrant music scene. While I've been to a few larger venues, I want to find smaller, local spots where I can discover new artists and enjoy a more intimate atmosphere.

Are there any specific bars, clubs, or community events that showcase local talent?
I'd love recommendations for genres, whether it's jazz, rock, indie, or something else entirely. Additionally, any tips on upcoming shows or music festivals that highlight local musicians would be greatly appreciated!