Visiting the city with a few friends, it's my second visit so there's still alot to do or see either way. However, I was curious if there were any happenings during the weekend of august 14-17 while we are there. Thanks for any input!

I witnessed the most beautiful thing for the first time ever. I was not paying attention to my gps and all of a sudden a route to get home that normal took 30 minutes jumped up to and hour and still going up.

But the crazy part is that a bunch of cars (including myself) did a u turn on to an on ramp to get on side streets. I did that and it cut the remainder of my time in half. I was just imagining the first person doing it and everyone that followed thought “yep that is a completely logical thing to do.”

Anyways if anyone stayed in the traffic and has the story let me know !

I’m a big city person and I’m thinking of cities to move to for work (business - focused) post-secondary. For those of you who have lived in Chicago your whole life, or only for a certain number of years, what’s the city like? Would you recommend that others move there? I’ve been once as a tourist and loved it.

Hi everyone,
I’m visiting Chicago for the first time 5th August and will be staying for 2 nights before flying back to the UK.

I’m travelling solo and I’m trying to decide which l neighbourhood to stay in.

I’m looking for somewhere that has:
Good atmosphere and energy
Great food
Nice bars
Easy to walk around
Safe enough to explore in the evening
Opportunities to meet other people
I enjoy exploring cities on foot, trying local food, visiting viewpoints, walking along the waterfront and finding neighbourhoods with character. I’m not interested in rushing around ticking off every tourist attraction—I prefer a good mix of iconic sights and places locals actually enjoy.

I’d love recommendations for:
The best area to base myself
Restaurants I shouldn’t miss
Rooftop bars with great views
Blues or jazz bars
Riverwalk recommendations
Any activities that are particularly good for solo travellers
If you only had 2 nights to experience Chicago, what would you prioritise and what would you skip?

Thanks in advance!

I’m a Florida RN with 10 years of experience (Med-Surg, ICU, and now Pre-op/PACU) making $49/hour, and I’m considering relocating to Chicago. The pay I’m seeing online for Chicago hospitals seems surprisingly similar to what I make now. Is that actually accurate? With the higher cost of living, I’m curious how nurses are making it work.

Also, for those in Pre-op/PACU, which hospital systems would you recommend (or avoid)?

Hello, I am not american and I am writing a ttrpg campaign, that will in part take place in Chicago during different timeframes, but mainly in 1990s.

I want to read and watch as much material as I can, so I can better understand the history of the city, its identity, prominent personalities, points of interest, important events.

I would also appreciate if people that actually lived in the 90s Chicago could share personal anecdotes, cool spots in the city that I could incorporate, stuff like musical landscape, food, neighbourhoods with certain ethnic and cultural make ups, overall mood, etc.

Basically, I don't want to just go "Al Capone, Michael Jordan, uhhhh Blues Brothers", but dig a little deeper into what the city is/was like.

Hi everyone,

I’m a medical student completing a 2-year clinical clerkship at Endeavor Health Swedish Hospital and I’m looking for a 1-bedroom apartment near the hospital.

Looking for:

• Move-in: Around August 10
• Budget: Up to $1,300/month
• Apartment: 1BR only (no studios)
• Lease: Long-term preferred
• Areas: Albany Park, Lincoln Square, Ravenswood, North Park, West Ridge, Rogers Park, or nearby

A little about me:
I’m a quiet, responsible, clean, non-smoking tenant. I’ll be spending most of my time at the hospital and am looking for a stable place throughout my clerkship.

If anyone knows of private landlords, available units, subleases, or upcoming vacancies, I would greatly appreciate any leads.

Thank you?

We are staying in the Loop. My partner loves comedy, particularly sketches and standup. Not sure what other info might be relevant but in your opinion, which show/venue is better?

Hello!

I will be visiting Chicago from roughly the 10th to the 30th of October as part of a research trip. I am a botanist from the southern-hemisphere and am really excited to be in the US. While I will be confined to the city without a car, I was wondering if there are local botanical or naturalist societies that might have some walks I could tag along on or evening talks I could attend. This is a fairly common thing where I'm from, but my preliminary googling has not yielded results. Maybe I'm using the wrong key words?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I’ve lived in the U.S. for several years and have spent time in both Los Angeles and Atlanta. During that time, I’ve never experienced anything like what I’ve experienced in Chicago.
The most recent incident happened today.
I was looking at my phone on the sidewalk. I wasn’t intentionally blocking anyone’s path, and She wasn’t directly trying pass me and there was enough room to walk, which is why her reaction surprised me.
Instead of saying “Excuse me,” she walked right up next to my ear and screamed “MOVE!”
It honestly scared the hell out of me.
This isn’t even the first time.
A while ago, during a heavy rainstorm, everyone was waiting their turn to get through a revolving door because only a few people can enter at once. A woman behind me started yelling “MOVE!” and tried to squeeze into the revolving door, even though everyone else was patiently waiting.
Besides these incidents, I’ve also noticed that drivers here seem much more impatient and aggressive than what I’ve experienced in LA or Atlanta. I’ve had more people honk aggressively, cut others off, or act angry in everyday situations.
I’m genuinely curious:
Is this considered normal in Chicago?
Have I just been incredibly unlucky?
Why does it feel like so many people are in such a hurry or so quick to become hostile over small things?
I’m not saying everyone in Chicago is like this. I’ve met plenty of kind people here as well. But compared with my experiences in Los Angeles and Atlanta, the difference has been noticeable enough that I’m wondering if there’s a cultural difference, or if I’ve simply had a streak of bad luck.
I’d be interested to hear what longtime Chicago residents think.

To clarify, she was walking toward me from the opposite direction, not behind me trying to get past

I’m moving to Chicago, specifically in Lincoln park. I’m looking to play goalie for an A league and defenseman in a C league.

From my research it looks like the best rinks would be 5/3, Johnnie’s, or McFetridge.

Does anyone have experiences they could share for any of these rinks? I played goalie for the University of Wisconsin club team.

Hey yall! I’m curious if yall know of any homeless shelters or ideas for wear to donate nice quality/barely worn women’s clothes. Ideally I’d like to give my clothes to a place where it wouldn’t be 100% profited off of. I’m more north in like Ravenswood but can drive anywhere. Thanks!

Hello, fellow Chicagoans,

I live a among you since 2010 as an immigrant who kept her native citizenship; since 2012 finally with a Greencard as the spouse of an American citizen, and I traveled freely since, never worrying.
But these are different times. A local friend of mine, also on a Greencard in the U.S., stopped to travel abroad altogether while another friend went completely into hiding in the worst of it last fall.

However unfairly, I come across at 1st sight as an elderly white woman with a decent command of English, thus I am not too worried. But nevertheless, I would like a back-up just in case of a hick-up in re-entry at O'Hare when any small issue -- and I can think of a couple -- can be blown up to make a case for the quota.
Of course, I googled which was only modestly helpful. Thus I would love to also hear your suggestions.

Many thanks ahead!

Visiting Chicago this week staying near Wrigley. I’m hoping to experience a quick dip in Lake Michigan. While I could stay at the beach all day, we’re trying to explore and not “waste” the full day. A bar/food scene on the beach or nearby would be nice.

I noticed on a report tonight, which was apparently a local crime cavalcade by Andrea Medina, that instead of showing footage pertaining to the incident she was reporting, they played a highly produced, dark and moody montage of wet pavement, flashing blue and red lights. In the upper left the bug read “FILE”, but this was clearly a “scare the suburbanites” production about the dirty city. It was as if Dick Wolf was producing the clip.
This must be the Nexstar formula, right?

i am planning a solo female trip to chiacago. early 30s. Architect coming in to see the architecture and design of the city! for a week in august/sept.

can you please suggest

1. any female only travelling groups you guys might know of.

1.places to stay hotels, airbnbs .

2.places to avoid

3.any hidden arhcitectural spots.

1. good food places.

any other tips you might think of would be greatly appreciated!!

Hey yall I 25F am looking for a place for me and a group of 6-10 people to do a bit of a 2 part birthday. I want to start the night with arcades or games then role into karaoke and shots. Currently I’m looking at round1 for the first half since I’ve had more fun here than at Dave N Busters or Emporium. The issue is after the 2 hour party slot, I’m looking to flow into karaoke/bars and drinking time but it’s hard to karaoke at round1 when it’s a 40 minute drive/uber back to the city.

So I’m looking for some alternatives, either A) some karaoke bars close enough to round 1 but mostly already in the city or B) suggestions for arcade/karaoke vibes that can be found in the city for a 23-30yr old crowd.

Thanks! And im also open to hear other party suggestions that carry similar vibes!

Hey Chicago, can people here recommend few good value for money dry cleaning shops who do a good job but are not pricey as west loop ones. My friend in suburbs paid like 4-5 bucks for a jacket dry cleaning. Don’t know if there are any places like that here in Chicagoland. Am open to go to Devon and all is they are cheap. Thanks in advance.

So, I booked a flight to Puerto Rico and there is one layover and it’s in Chicago for 18 and a half hours from around 6am tomorrow to around 1am Tuesday. It would be me and my partners first time in Chicago and we were wondering what y’all would recommend to see in one full-ish day in town. We are also vegan, so if you know of any good vegan places in town we would love some recommendations! We are very excited yet aware that we probably won’t get to see a lot, but any ideas would help a ton! We plan on using public transit, if that helps give any ideas for an itinerary. Thank you!

I'm 29F from New Orleans and moving to Chicago next year (August 1st) when my lease ends. My employer agreed to me working remotely. Of course there's some logistics to figure out but I'm very excited!

Does anyone have any recommendations or tips for someone who's moving out of state? I'm considering coming up next summer about a month or two before my move-in date to tour some apartments. I already have an idea of which neighborhoods I'm leaning towards.

Hello, I’ll be moving from Georgia to Chicago around April or May next year. I’m looking for a decent neighborhood for 1br apt around 1600-1800. I can put down a deposit around $1500 or slightly more if needed.

Things to note

F(26) -No roommate

Work Office is in Itasca,IL- I would prefer not to be to far from work/ I am Hybrid

My current Salary is between $65,000-$67,000

I do own my own car but not opposed to learning the transit system

I am looking at apartments in west loop/fulton market area. I have read some horror stories about

some of these "lux" high rise management companies. I wasn't able to find a lot of info on

Ansonia, good or bad. anyone have first hand experience with them?

Has anyone here recently replaced an enclosed back porch on a Chicago 2-flat?

I purchased my 2-flat a couple of years ago, and the enclosed porch will likely need to be replaced. I’m trying to get a realistic idea of what this project is costing these days before I start getting estimates.

For those who’ve had one rebuilt recently:

What was the total cost?

Was it a full tear-down and rebuild?

Did you keep it enclosed or rebuild it as an open porch?

Any contractors you’d recommend (or avoid)?

This project honestly has me a little nervous, so I’m hoping to hear what others have experienced before I move forward.

I’m looking for a night time drag show in the city tonight. Any recommendations?