Chicago food is garbage, the local stuff is bland, midwestern regional slop. The ethnic cuisine and fine dining are far better in the coastal cities, it’s just better than anywhere in the south or Midwest by far
I’m dead at you saying the bean is Chicago’s main tourist attraction. It’s only been here for like 20 years! And Chicago is 1000% known to be a great foodie city lol. Loved the video though and I’m glad you enjoyed it here. It’s a great place.
And he compares it dismissively with the Empire State building, for some reason... odd. Not even comparing building to building, mean, how easy would it be to say Chicago has nothing on par with the Statue of Liberty? Or the Intrepid?
@@ahwhite2022chicago is much more of an exploring city with much more around, instead of a few big attractions, and it’s very nice. Now, I am sure that New York is Like that too, but I think it’s the little things that matter
Absolutely no mention of the Art Institute, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, the many other museums and galleries, the tons of playhouses all over the city, jazz clubs and concert venues. He did say that he spent most of his time outdoors, but seriously, he didn't visit even one cultural institution?
I've noticed that on a lot of videos of people visiting Chicago. They don't even mention the Art Institute, Museums, Shedd Aquarium, Planetarium, etc. and they're missing out.
Yeah he compared the Bean to the Empire State without mentioning the Sears/Willis Tower or the Hancock. Hidden gems but no mention of record stores, book stores, little concert venues, mom and pop ethnic restaurants and diners… I rank this tour guide a 2 or a 3. Check out Across the Pond or Feli from Germany for better insight.
It's still so wild to me that LA has the best weather of just about anywhere in the US but is the least urban and most car obsessed lol. So much potential down the drain. I've never been to Chicago, but am definitely going to try to get there next time I visit the US next year.
If you can find the time, Milwaukee is about an hour north (probably around 60 or 70 miles) and is a fun city that's very distinct from Chicago. It's smaller but it'll give you a different American city experience. Just something to consider!
Chicago offers great value for money. June is a great month to be here. The locals don't tend to travel in the summer. It is the best time to stay here. This may be bourgeoisie but us middle aged folks here stay in town all summer and do a number of long weekends in Europe in Fall, Winter and Spring. The low (compared to NY or LA) cost of living here allows us to do that along with the fact that O'Hare is the best connected international airport in the world. And we are okay with people thinking NY and LA are better. It is our little secret...
THIS. We make LA Salaries with half the housing cost. i am middle class and have taken a gay cruise every winter since i was like 25. you dont see working class nyers and LA ppl with that money to spare. also you can get good food for cheap in chicago. but its worth saying that west of western, the culture changes drastically. only half of chicago is really deeply urban.
@@tredd4997 LA has great food but not as good as NYC or Chicago. However, make no mistake, LA is not less vocal about anything, it is literally the Media Capital of the World and the showoff is obviously exaggerated at a commercial level. There is no other city in US that compares to NYC a fact that a lot of Californians can't tolerate and try to sneak in comparisons especially with SFO. Chicago is an interesting case and is absolutely the most underrated big city and it doesn't work as much as NYC, LA or SFO in showing off probably because of their mid western values.
Lived in Chicago for the past 3 year and just moved to LA. Agreed with 100% of what you said, and I'm glad you were able to see so much of what's great about the city! I'd argue with you on the Chicago food scene though: there's a TON of amazing restaurants and bars in the city. And because cost of living is better compared to other cities, there's always a lot of people out. Winters are indeed brutal and seem to never end. You're not really in the clear until April. But the summers are incredible. Everyone is out. Everyone is just happy. There's literally dozens of festivals and concerts during the summer: Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Marathon, Air and Water Show, and fireworks off the pier. And don't even get me started on how great the museums are. We had a membership to the Art Institute and it was worth every penny to just get to spend weekends wandering around historical paintings. I miss it.
Never cared about Chicago until I moved to Milwaukee. I literally visited every week and even did my grocery shopping in Chicago. Now I live in Chicago. It's definitely an underrated city.
“Windy City” has nothing to do with atmospheric winds, rather a nickname given to the city due to politicians. Chicago IS known for food, incredibly diverse and unique food seen. Chicago has world class museums, stunning architecture, incredible sports venues, music scene (where Gospel, House music and drill discovered and festivals galore) and so much more. There is a reason Chicago has been voted the top US city to visit by Condé Nast readers seven years in a row. He is right Navy Pier and Bean (hardly “the” top attraction) are tourist spots. Few locals visit those areas regularly (or eat deep dish pizza, thin crust in squares is, by far, most popular)
I agree with a lot of what you've said, and having lived in Chicago and LA, I'm ready to move back to Chicago. LA is too hot for me, and I like being able to walk everywhere. The traffic in LA is just getting unbearable.
Cold keeps out the cowards! Also, Chicago winters have actually been mild recently. We have had one week of REALLY cold, then the rest of the winter has been lioe 30s/40s. One more thing about winter, winters are AWESOME!!! and there is no bad in, just bad clothing.
Actually Chicago is known for food, the majority of critics consider it to be better than even New York and Chicago is consistently voted the overall best big city in America. And you can't compare the bean with the empire state building because Chicago has the willis tower which was the tallest building in America until the recently and Chicago is where the skyscraper was invented. NYC has one of the best train systems in the entire world but Chicago's CTA is the second biggest and most developed in America after NY by far and it is also the only other one that operates 24/7 and Chicago's takes you to the airport while NY's does not.
Yeah... when he said like just the Bean and NYC with the Empire State building. It struck me odd given Chicago has its supertalls and ole Sears (Willis) Tower tallest in the world for 24 yrs with skydeck and former John Hancock building still for me has the best views that especially show up the north shore of the city's lakefront. Was different in it did not concentrate basically at all on downtown Chicago. Skyline photo and not much else.... from the ferris wheel and not much else of Navy Pier. Still great to have this city with some complementary feedback as most is upon visits.... just so much in media today is anything but positives on this city and Midwest in general. Still worthy of a like by me as it got people to desire to visit one day a fav city of mine.
The majority of critics? You Chicago people sure love making up things. Chicago doesn’t offer the variety of food NYC has to offer so I’d like to see what foods these critics were eating
@@dubreil07 I am not a Chicagoan, but a interior Easterner. Every city deserves its credit no matter mighty New Yorkers demand they rule. Generally TRANSPLANTS to our cities can become the MOST Boastful of their new haunt.... Bros and those who see their 6-diget jobs make them most special and NYC alone sole ruler. Many cities rising and booming especially the sunbelt keep having their transplants boast and you can belly-ache on them too. ALL DESERVE THEIR DUE whether its high-end food or city specialties. Chi gets it for me for its most common - tavern style thin-crispy crust pizza cut into small squares over the NY style wimpy large triangles..... A Chi Italian beef trumps a Philly cheesesteak if they use chez whiz especially..... by me a Italian cheesesteak has tomato sauce and mozzarella still great .... just not all. Also give me a Chi style hot dog with a vienna frank and works on it LOL... relish, mustard, onions, tomato, sport peppers and quarter deli pickle.... yum.... no ketchup though.
Or the John Hancock Observation Deck on the Mag Mile. Also, Millenium Park has more than just the Bean. There's an outdoor theater, a children's playground, a skating rink, a climbing wall, a garden, etc. He really missed all that. He also didn't mention our Theater District. Shows at multiple theaters year round.
Great video but there is so much more to Chicago that should've been included or at least mentioned! Wrigleyville is probably the hottest spot in the city on any given night with tons of bars, restaurants and of course, the iconic Wrigley field! The museum campus is absolutely stunning with 3 of Chicago's major museums located right next to each other with beautiful parks, view of the skyline and views of Soldier Field. Millenium park is the best and located next to the bean and always hosts awesome festivals and events. And the city's west neighborhoods from Ukranian Village to Pilsen has the best cultural vibes you'll find in any city. Really felt like you focused on the North side of the city in this video which is amazing but there is so much more!
You spent a month there and you never went to the museums? Sampled the food? I can't imagine you ate anything if you left thinking Chicago isn't known for its food, or that most of the pizza eaten there is deep dish (yes, we mostly eat thin crust).
Summertime in Chicago is great. The energy is unmatched, you feel it when you walk around and exist. Real people living their lives, not as many disconnected transplants
Tons of Chicagoans have beach houses in Michigan on lake Michigan. The Wisconsin side of lake Michigan has bluffs, but Michigan side has beautiful huge beaches and dunes. Chicagoans have homes in the st Joe area
Ngl compared to NYC and L.A. Chicago was much better than I thought it would be. Such an underrated city. A shoutout to Queens and Brooklyn though. The Bronx and Manhattan can KMA Speaking of Chicago I think that's the exact park I went to where you can see the skyline from the shore/park area
I agree wholeheartedly about the June gloom of L.A. We visited last June from CO. I actually had more fun in the sun back home at a lake in CO compared to L.A.
So glad you put put another video. I agree 100% about city parks. Loved all the greenery and the walkability. Their shore though different looked great. 🍎💚
I so look forward to your videos!! You're my favorite RUclipsr. You're such a New Yorker and I love it!!! haha! Thanks for the review of Chicago, I've never been and will definitely visit one day - in the summer.
You're also misreading Chicago transit. We may look like NYC, but the 'L' isn't our main ride. We're much more like L.A.--the majority of transit rides here are on a CTA bus. And the bus system here, unlike my NYC hometown (and L.A. since they canceled the rapid buses), actually works to get you where you want to go in a timely manner.
Not true. Chicago people have many cottages and rentals in Saugatuck, MI, lake Geneva, WI and north woods, WI for weekend getaways. You would love these places as we are New York transplants eight years Chicago now and we love these places even more than Long Island and the Hamptons
Chicago has way more wealthy people in its limits than NYC and LA. Every lake town in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin is plagued with Illinois plates every summer.
I lived in Chicago for a year trying it out and I really liked it! I had lived in NYC for many years and thought that was the best. Currently not living in NYC anymore and I would never live there again, Love to visit and leave, although, I always miss the walkability and easy transit. I think that Chicago transit is pretty good compared to other cities, but, I found taking the bus much easier than rail .I lived in Lakeview and found everything convenient and the people very nice. I would move back to Chicago for a great job. The taxes are high there like NYC though.
I live in Chicago. It’s my favorite. New York is great but too expensive. LA is also great, but I still love Chicago much better. Sure LA might have better weather but right now they are dealing with smoke from the fires and the past few years the snow hasn’t really been that bad in Chicago. And you don’t have to worry too much about flooding, no hurricanes, not really any fires, not really any tornadoes in the city.
I had the same experience, I never knew much about Chicago, but when I visited I absolutely loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised about pretty much everything. I'd totally consider living there if it wasn't for the winter weather and the fact that it's not near the ocean.
Did you really just compare the bean to the empire state building😂😂😂.... one is a famous art work the other is a livable workable skyscraper.... you might want to consider editing to compare to oh I don't know like the sears tower 😂😂😂😂😂
I've been wanting to go to Chicago for a 5 day trip before weather turns cold. I like to do that 18 mile walk and see the big parks. Being a nature person, I bet it's a great city to visit and maybe we'll see more outdoor videos of places outside of the city.
Good video. If the winters werent so bad, the cost of living would be outrageous and the population would be so much higher. Take the good with the bad.
A lot of what is better is subjective. Chicago winters are fucking brutal. I use to live north of Chicago in Milwaukee back during the early 90s. It's roughly the same distance as Santa Barbara is from LA. Milwaukee is a fun city, with a beautiful lake front. It's a blend of downtown and nature. And very hilly on the shoreline, compared to very flat Chicago. Milwaukee is a hilly city. Chicago. Very humid during the summer. And foggy during the spring, that rivals San Francisco fog. There's a lor to do in Chicago. Excellent food, art museums, architecture history and origin started there, parks etc. New York. Not much that i could add, because most has already been said. LA. Ironically. LA is what it is, infrastructure wise, because of my old hometown city. Detroit via Motown. Played a major role in what LA is, to this day. In simple terms. LA infrastructure was based on the automobile. So it doesn't have a true downtown core. Due to most of the activities area within the neighborhoods. LA became massive because of the car culture. Before that. Detroit had more people than LA. With close to 2 million people at it's peek population during the 50s. The car culture from Detroit is why LA population exploded. Urban sprawl. Last. You don't appreciate how big Lake Michigan and the other surrounding lakes are, until you've been to them. They're pretty much are fresh water oceans. The Bay area would disappear on any of those lakes. That's how big that they are. I reside in the Bay area.
Chicago is close to Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan border's to 4 state's. But because it border's to 4 state's. Those 4 state's team up to do some business like economy or culture. Those four state's are Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Also there is something special about Lake Michigan. Is that Lake's Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario border's Canada. But Lake Michigan border's only the United States of America.
I love Chicago ...i just hate how major companies are tearing down the pedestrian friendly store front (corner store setups) and putting in large parking lots with big box stores...Completely ruining the decor of the city.
Whats interesting about chicago though is the amount of people from here who seem to think it doesn't get this cold anywhere else in the US. You can still drive like 12 hours north of Chicago before hitting the Canadian border in minnesota, and even when I lived in Tennessee and Georgia we def had days where rhe highs were in single digits with negative lows at times
Clearly that month wasn’t enough to experience the beauty of the city. The cleanliness alone BEATS out both! The Riverwalk, the food, the architecture, the culture, neighborhoods the FOOD is top tier!!! NYC and LA could NEVER! Only thing LA has over Chicago is the weather and we can forget about NYC. NY is filthy, the people are mad rude and the food is straight trash! There’s a reason Chicago was voted #1! #ChitownUp #BearDown
Love the point you made about the city parks! I've been in NYC SF Austin and Miami over the past few months and all of them have really nice parks to hang around in whereas LA has quite literally none. I now want to make it a point to check out more in new cities! Also speaking of urban parks I would love to hear your thoughts on San Francisco (idk if you've made any videos on here about SF) I am very curious if you would love/hate it
Native Chicagoan here who lived in New York. In terms of cities I prefer NYC. But Chicago's numerous parks and lakefront is amazing and indeed has one of the nations best beach scenes during the summertime right up there with Miami Beach, LA and even Wiakiki Beach, Hawaii. As crazy as it sounds IMO Chicago is a mix of LA (laidback people & lots of beaches) and NYC (urban density, a great skyline, good public transportation, diverse culture, food and art scene, great big old parks like Central Park and Prospect Park, etc) with Lake Michigan acting like a mini Midwest ocean, beaches and lakefont downtown. Though, winters are indeed not fun. But climate change is making them milder and shorter....
Agreed. Also a Chicago native and I always got defensive when I'd hear someone hype up New York. Then I visited NYC and man... Chicago is a city but NYC is a CITY. You can get all types of vibes from Chicago's very diverse neighborhoods and even different parts of its downtown but whether you're in Manhattan's Financial district, midtown, central park, Brooklyn, they have different vibes but they are all a BIG CITY vibe generally.
Even better than the lakefront bike route are the trails through the city’s many forest preserves. It’s like a bike highway. I used to do bike messengering when I was a DePaul student and those routes are a godsend.
Great video, but you got it wrong regarding chicago not being known for good! Just google Chicago food compared to Los Angeles and other cities, and we will have more Michelin rated restaurants and more food blogs as it is one of the best food cities in the world. And we don’t have a ton of homeless, littering our parks and sidewalks as an all of California on the West Coast.
Oz park because wizard of Oz was written in Chicago. There is a yellow brick road tribute to L Frank Baum in Humboldt park neighborhood. 1667 N Humboldt Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647 Walt Disney’s childhood home is also in Chicago
The Wizard of Oz came out in 1939, not quite 100 years old :P The Bobby's Bikes Bites and Brews Tour in Chicago is fun to get a sample of the North Side. Fulton Market/West Loop are really up and coming with a diverse food scene. I've found that it is so much easier to get by the water in New York City & Chicago than it is in LA - quite counterintuitive
As someone native to the Chicago area now an LA transplant, I do miss my home major city a lot. If only it wasn’t for the dreadful winters that feel like they last half the year. Michael, it seems like you’d like San Francisco a lot
Urban America (SF, Chicago, LA, Seattle, Portland, NYC, DC, etc) in general is going through a low point in today's post-Covid, post-2020-summer era. In several decades, I've never seen SF in such a downturn (symbolically or economically, or both) as it is in 2023. As for negative PR coming out of it, Chicago, LA, NYC, etc, a lot depends on the luck & timing of visitors, & how curated their trip is or isn't
Oh gosh not SF right now!!! Have you read about all the horrific problems with homelessness and skyrocketing rents? Average price is like $3800 for a one-bdrm. Sadly mental health issues and homelessness are rife due to the very very rich buying out the city, inept folks in politics, etc. Stores constantly broken into and it’s no longer even a crime. SF is a hot mess and I hope they can fix their issues 😢
I live in a place with ZERO public transport besides the occasional bus every 2 hours with a population of 500,000. IMO one of the best factors to determine a good city Is public transportation and car dependency, a city can be as nice as it wants and pretty and all but if you have to drive 2+ hours just to have some fun is it really a good city?
I fully agree. I'm in a similar situation - I live in Vegas and there's no sense of community or urbanism here. While nothing can beat New York, Chicago at least is somewhere that you can live in the United States with a sense of community and that alone makes it exceptional. I definitely found the Lake Michigan bike trail there comparable in awesomeness to the beach path along Santa Monica. I agree in full about the food. Winters in Chicago, yes, are absolutely awful, and you are correct, you can't dress for them. I was bundled in three layers and about as covered as I could get with a parka. I still was cold. That was in April and it was 15F. The public transit is mostly awesome except for the fact people feel free to break the rules on it.... Seemed like every train car somebody was either smoking weed or cigarettes, and occasionally people were doing harder drugs. New York has better enforcement.
Lmaoo Chicago has mew York beat please don’t do this the reviews don’t lie people prefer Chicago over nyc Chicago won best city 7 years straight I have a thousand reasons why Chicago has nyc best people only nyc is better because it’s bigger we’ll let me scratch people use to say that because nyc bigger and even tho nyc was more relevant people thought Chicago was boring and a wannabe nyc until people actually started moving and doing tours in Chicago they realized all the hype and that it was as violent as the media betrayed American media is very bias towards Chicago and favors nyc if you watch all Chicago and nyc tours ,vlogs,debates ,food reviews Chicago wins in all of them hey don’t be mad at me the people are speaking for themselves they choose Chicago over nyc I mean nyc wins a few of these debates nowadays sorry nyc fell off in the 90s🤷🏾♂️
I'm a parisian tourist in LA since 1 month now and I ride my mountain bike 3 or 5h a day I love it, I went to many parks and the beach and I saw many things in the city (I'm in West Hollywood), I am the only guy cycling in the city aha. But honestely if you are careful it's fine !
Awesome video!! I loved hearing your perspective since your LA videos are great. I live in Dallas (hate it) and wish I could move to LA but my job won’t let me so I’m considering Chicago since I can transfer internally to live there. Biggest gripe is that the beach faces East so you can’t watch the sunset like in LA lol but otherwise I love the big city feel and liberal politics 💜
Last year it was warmer In the winter here in chicago. I live here for about 28 years lol, it only snowed in once in February which was honestly weird. Hopefully we’ll get the same this year
@@MichaelMartello Great to see your subs climbing dude. Metrics obv really don't matter to me as I love your content regardless but brilliant to see you reach more people- keep going buddy!
Having been on public transit in all three Chicago’s is by far the cleanest and most reliable, and most accessible. Also, you missed several things that make Chicago superior. 1. Chicago festival season. The city festivals are iconic and the best way to experience different neighborhoods in the city. 2. Lake culture. Chicagoans will often go to Western/Northern Michigan or Northern Wisconsin on weekends for one of the many amazing lake towns. 3. The cleanliness. Chicago is hands down massively cleaner than both LA and NYC. The fact that Chicago has Alley’s and you don’t have the smell and trash on the sidewalk in summer like NYC has puts it far ahead. 4. Comparing the bean to the Empire State Building is like apples and oranges. Try the Hancock, Sears tower or many of the other amazing skyscrapers. The skyline is hands down the most beautiful in the US. 5. The food scene is top tier and regularly has restaurants rated as some of the country’s best. 6. The museums are some of the world’s best. Not only in architecture, location and accessibility but also the exhibits.
If you want to raise a family in a city, Chicago has more good public schools than New York or LA. As someone with experience with SF public schools, we don't have the same ideological capture--some schools may not believe in things like learning multiplication tables and phonics, but my kids' school sure did. There also are safe neighborhoods that are still affordable. There is a lot to do indoors in the city in the winter. Besides museums, there are a number of beautiful conservatories (Garfield Park, Lincoln Park, and just outside the city but accessible by the Blue Line, the Oak Park Conservatory--where you can walk around in warmth and green.) The park field houses have a lot of indoor pools that are free, and amenities that are close to free, and the highest rated urban library system in the US. We also ... kind of get used to the cold. You dress for it. The streets are lit with Christmas lights, and we have the Christkrindlemarkets and Zoo Lights festivals. In January when the lake freezes it can be a beautiful sight, and everyone is really nice to each others in the snowstorms (unless you steal a parking spot someone dug out!)
“Chicago’s temperatures in the winter often reach negative digits”. Very incorrect, Chicago only averages four days per year where it gets to zero degrees or below. Please do a little research.
I was raised in Chicago. Finally moved to LA when I was 30. June is a great month in the Windy City. November-March, not so much. I literally almost died when my car's engine froze up on the Tri-State Tollway during what was then the coldest day in the city's history. Windchill factor of 40 below zero. I'll take Southern California, June Gloom and all.
I'm from Chicago and I've lived here basically my whole life and there's SO many oppurtunites and amenities this city offers but I NEED something different. I'm graduating from art school and I'm trying to decide where's next for me, LA or NYC. My main interests are filmmaking and phtotography and I just want to make friends and thrive in an awesome career and I could absolutely do that here in Chicago but I'd rather experience somewhere new. What do you guys think?
If only Chicago were known for its food scene. LOL. Alinea, rated the best restaurant in the world many times, is here. Deep-dish pizza is for tourists. But I'm glad you found so many of Chicago's gems. Oz Park is certainly one of them (the city's motto is Urbs in Horto, City in a Garden). But the Bean is not the top spot in the city. And for someone who has lived in NYC, how do you not comment on how clean Chicago is in comparison?
Micheal! I love your videos soo much!! Congrats on 10K!! You're the most underrated RUclips channel. Every video of yours is a gem!! You should do a video about Laguna or Newport in the OC!
I'm glad all of the commenters love Chicago food, but after being downtown a decade (and suburbs since birth) I have to disagree. Nothing beats NYC authenticity and LA food is fantastic as well, especially if you like Asian food. I think our green spaces and having 2 airports connected via train to our city are some of the best perks. Summertime Chi is never boring.
Chicago wasn’t underrated until Millennials made it that way. Chicago wasn’t knocked from second largest by LA until 1983. And Chicago was a very desirable big city for boomers in the 80s and Gen. X in the 90s. Starting in the 2000s Chicago suffered from burgeoning tech companies preferring the coasts.
whoever your guide was in Chicago did you a major disservice -- if you had one. No mention of Wrigleyville, any of the museums (Planetarium, Museums of Science and Industry, Art Museum, Shedd Aquarium, etc..), you like to bike but didn't go on the 606, Libraries, Theaters/Second City, if you're into Vinyl and that kinda stuff go to Logan Hardware, Breweries/Tours (Half Acre in Lincoln Square), Galloping Ghost Arcade, Kumas Corner for a burger (and heavy metal?), Water Tower Place (Mall) although I think more and more shops are leaving every year still worth a look inside, a bunch of rooftop gardens/drinking spots, Green Mill, Magic Inc in Ravenswood (please visit if you have children, these guys are great), also didn't mention our Zoos?? Anyways, theres a shit ton of other stuff I didn't mention for the sake of brevity. Please come to Chicago, it's great and you definitely won't get mugged/shot, everyone here is nice for the most part, including our homeless!
Compared the Bean (it’s actually called The Cloud Gate) to the Empire State Building. One is public art, the other a skyscraper. Not a good comparison. Glad you enjoyed the public parks. We have around 700 of them spread out across the city. Definitely recommend getting out of downtown and the Near North Side and into the West and South Sides. Hidden gems abound in Chicago and most of that is in the neighborhoods. Ride the L train and explore, my friend!
i don't think chicago is underrated. chicago's public transportation is higher than what you rank it. where is chicago under developed? are you serious? will a real chicagoan create a video to do this beautiful city justice? this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
Nice video, I think LA, NYC and Chicago great and I would also recommend Toronto as one of the most up and coming cities in North America. But if you decide to visit or live in Toronto have your wallet ready because Toronto very expensive city to live.
So glad to see you post another video, Michael! I moved to LA 8 months ago from Ecuador. I started watching your videos before I moved to get a better idea of the city and I’ve continued watching them, discovering things to do and places to check out. You’ve definitely given me great ideas! I also felt so seen and could relate to loathing the May and June gloom. It was really getting to me haha. I moved here last November right before all the rain and the gloom that followed (not the LA I expected) 😅. But I’m so glad the sun is back and ready to enjoy my first full LA summer ☀️ keep up the great content! Always looking forward to your next video.
We often complain about New York winters, then move out to places like Florida, and LA for awhile, then become depressed. We take New York City for granted yall.
“Chicago not known for food” is crazy. Some of the best food/restaurants in the US…some argue the world, are in Chicago.
Not only Chicago, the America is not known for food in general.
I thought Chicago is very much known for its food. People literally come here to taste it 😂😂😂
Chicago food is garbage, the local stuff is bland, midwestern regional slop. The ethnic cuisine and fine dining are far better in the coastal cities, it’s just better than anywhere in the south or Midwest by far
@@410phee4 Chicago food is better than anything in New England and the only real food city that comes close is NYC.
@@Jebusjoose I had to live in Chi for years, SUFFERING. You ain’t gonna tell me what I already know and experienced 😂
I’m dead at you saying the bean is Chicago’s main tourist attraction. It’s only been here for like 20 years! And Chicago is 1000% known to be a great foodie city lol. Loved the video though and I’m glad you enjoyed it here. It’s a great place.
My thoughts exactly
I wouldn’t say it has better food than NY, but everything else is much better.
And he compares it dismissively with the Empire State building, for some reason... odd. Not even comparing building to building, mean, how easy would it be to say Chicago has nothing on par with the Statue of Liberty? Or the Intrepid?
@@ahwhite2022chicago is much more of an exploring city with much more around, instead of a few big attractions, and it’s very nice. Now, I am sure that New York is Like that too, but I think it’s the little things that matter
@@ahwhite2022imo
Absolutely no mention of the Art Institute, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, the many other museums and galleries, the tons of playhouses all over the city, jazz clubs and concert venues. He did say that he spent most of his time outdoors, but seriously, he didn't visit even one cultural institution?
I've noticed that on a lot of videos of people visiting Chicago. They don't even mention the Art Institute, Museums, Shedd Aquarium, Planetarium, etc. and they're missing out.
Yeah, he said that Chicago’s tourist icon is the bean? What a lamo.
does ANYONE leave the loop ??? like have they not been reading about the food … and going north or west or south ???
Yeah he compared the Bean to the Empire State without mentioning the Sears/Willis Tower or the Hancock. Hidden gems but no mention of record stores, book stores, little concert venues, mom and pop ethnic restaurants and diners… I rank this tour guide a 2 or a 3. Check out Across the Pond or Feli from Germany for better insight.
Another "absolutely" fetishist.
It's still so wild to me that LA has the best weather of just about anywhere in the US but is the least urban and most car obsessed lol. So much potential down the drain. I've never been to Chicago, but am definitely going to try to get there next time I visit the US next year.
I totally agree, LA could have been SO good.
Yup. Same with san diego. Shame really
Chicago is my favorite big city. You’ll love it!
If you can find the time, Milwaukee is about an hour north (probably around 60 or 70 miles) and is a fun city that's very distinct from Chicago. It's smaller but it'll give you a different American city experience. Just something to consider!
San Francisco is probably a better example of a Pacific coast metro area than LA.
Chicago offers great value for money. June is a great month to be here. The locals don't tend to travel in the summer. It is the best time to stay here. This may be bourgeoisie but us middle aged folks here stay in town all summer and do a number of long weekends in Europe in Fall, Winter and Spring. The low (compared to NY or LA) cost of living here allows us to do that along with the fact that O'Hare is the best connected international airport in the world.
And we are okay with people thinking NY and LA are better. It is our little secret...
THIS. We make LA Salaries with half the housing cost. i am middle class and have taken a gay cruise every winter since i was like 25. you dont see working class nyers and LA ppl with that money to spare.
also you can get good food for cheap in chicago.
but its worth saying that west of western, the culture changes drastically. only half of chicago is really deeply urban.
Chicago & New York are known for great food & good public transit they have LA beat in those areas. LA only has better weather
LA had good food too. I've noticed that LA is less vocal about what it excels in where as NYC and Chicago will boast more about their strengths.
@@tredd4997 LA has great food but not as good as NYC or Chicago. However, make no mistake, LA is not less vocal about anything, it is literally the Media Capital of the World and the showoff is obviously exaggerated at a commercial level. There is no other city in US that compares to NYC a fact that a lot of Californians can't tolerate and try to sneak in comparisons especially with SFO. Chicago is an interesting case and is absolutely the most underrated big city and it doesn't work as much as NYC, LA or SFO in showing off probably because of their mid western values.
@@kurtg7630 my point exactly.
LA has better streets, nature and beaches
And the food is way better too with a large Hispanic population
Nah. Not “LA only has better weather.” /
Lived in Chicago for the past 3 year and just moved to LA. Agreed with 100% of what you said, and I'm glad you were able to see so much of what's great about the city! I'd argue with you on the Chicago food scene though: there's a TON of amazing restaurants and bars in the city. And because cost of living is better compared to other cities, there's always a lot of people out.
Winters are indeed brutal and seem to never end. You're not really in the clear until April.
But the summers are incredible. Everyone is out. Everyone is just happy. There's literally dozens of festivals and concerts during the summer: Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Marathon, Air and Water Show, and fireworks off the pier. And don't even get me started on how great the museums are. We had a membership to the Art Institute and it was worth every penny to just get to spend weekends wandering around historical paintings.
I miss it.
Do you prefer Chicago or La
Never cared about Chicago until I moved to Milwaukee. I literally visited every week and even did my grocery shopping in Chicago. Now I live in Chicago. It's definitely an underrated city.
Not underrated.
@@JeffC-fq1be Definitely underrated
@@AtomicMushroomz By whom? You?
“Windy City” has nothing to do with atmospheric winds, rather a nickname given to the city due to politicians. Chicago IS known for food, incredibly diverse and unique food seen. Chicago has world class museums, stunning architecture, incredible sports venues, music scene (where Gospel, House music and drill discovered and festivals galore) and so much more. There is a reason Chicago has been voted the top US city to visit by Condé Nast readers seven years in a row. He is right Navy Pier and Bean (hardly “the” top attraction) are tourist spots. Few locals visit those areas regularly (or eat deep dish pizza, thin crust in squares is, by far, most popular)
Visited all three last year for the first time, Chicago was by far my favourite.
I’ve lived in Chicago for 28 years. Sorry but it much cleaner and more affordable than NYC. I’ll take this city over NYC any day.
No shit because you've lived there for a long time and are clearly very biased.
Chicago is such a beautiful city and it has the most elegant and my favorite skyline! ❤❤❤❤
Their beaches having freshwater has its advantages. Don’t have to worry about sharks and jellyfish
I agree with a lot of what you've said, and having lived in Chicago and LA, I'm ready to move back to Chicago. LA is too hot for me, and I like being able to walk everywhere. The traffic in LA is just getting unbearable.
The traffic I understand but LA too hot? Where in LA did you live?
Cold keeps out the cowards! Also, Chicago winters have actually been mild recently. We have had one week of REALLY cold, then the rest of the winter has been lioe 30s/40s. One more thing about winter, winters are AWESOME!!! and there is no bad in, just bad clothing.
sure buddy
@@MyKeeP81 glad you agree ;) (also I am speaking from lived experience and the data chart I looked at like 3 hours before I posted that comment)
Actually Chicago is known for food, the majority of critics consider it to be better than even New York and Chicago is consistently voted the overall best big city in America. And you can't compare the bean with the empire state building because Chicago has the willis tower which was the tallest building in America until the recently and Chicago is where the skyscraper was invented. NYC has one of the best train systems in the entire world but Chicago's CTA is the second biggest and most developed in America after NY by far and it is also the only other one that operates 24/7 and Chicago's takes you to the airport while NY's does not.
Yeah... when he said like just the Bean and NYC with the Empire State building. It struck me odd given Chicago has its supertalls and ole Sears (Willis) Tower tallest in the world for 24 yrs with skydeck and former John Hancock building still for me has the best views that especially show up the north shore of the city's lakefront.
Was different in it did not concentrate basically at all on downtown Chicago. Skyline photo and not much else.... from the ferris wheel and not much else of Navy Pier. Still great to have this city with some complementary feedback as most is upon visits.... just so much in media today is anything but positives on this city and Midwest in general. Still worthy of a like by me as it got people to desire to visit one day a fav city of mine.
The L doesn't just take you to the airport, it takes you to the airports.
The majority of critics? You Chicago people sure love making up things. Chicago doesn’t offer the variety of food NYC has to offer so I’d like to see what foods these critics were eating
@@dubreil07 I am not a Chicagoan, but a interior Easterner. Every city deserves its credit no matter mighty New Yorkers demand they rule. Generally TRANSPLANTS to our cities can become the MOST Boastful of their new haunt.... Bros and those who see their 6-diget jobs make them most special and NYC alone sole ruler.
Many cities rising and booming especially the sunbelt keep having their transplants boast and you can belly-ache on them too. ALL DESERVE THEIR DUE whether its high-end food or city specialties. Chi gets it for me for its most common - tavern style thin-crispy crust pizza cut into small squares over the NY style wimpy large triangles.....
A Chi Italian beef trumps a Philly cheesesteak if they use chez whiz especially..... by me a Italian cheesesteak has tomato sauce and mozzarella still great .... just not all.
Also give me a Chi style hot dog with a vienna frank and works on it LOL... relish, mustard, onions, tomato, sport peppers and quarter deli pickle.... yum.... no ketchup though.
The what tower?
One of best content creators i've seen in a very long time. thanks for sharing
His LA videos are freakin top notch for hidden gems and budget friendly options
Made it until "Chicago is not known for food." before I completely disregarded your opinion.
8:00 A better comparison to the Empire State Building is the Sears Tower versus the Bean
Or the John Hancock Observation Deck on the Mag Mile. Also, Millenium Park has more than just the Bean. There's an outdoor theater, a children's playground, a skating rink, a climbing wall, a garden, etc. He really missed all that. He also didn't mention our Theater District. Shows at multiple theaters year round.
Great video but there is so much more to Chicago that should've been included or at least mentioned! Wrigleyville is probably the hottest spot in the city on any given night with tons of bars, restaurants and of course, the iconic Wrigley field! The museum campus is absolutely stunning with 3 of Chicago's major museums located right next to each other with beautiful parks, view of the skyline and views of Soldier Field. Millenium park is the best and located next to the bean and always hosts awesome festivals and events. And the city's west neighborhoods from Ukranian Village to Pilsen has the best cultural vibes you'll find in any city. Really felt like you focused on the North side of the city in this video which is amazing but there is so much more!
You spent a month there and you never went to the museums? Sampled the food? I can't imagine you ate anything if you left thinking Chicago isn't known for its food, or that most of the pizza eaten there is deep dish (yes, we mostly eat thin crust).
I'd rather have Chicago rent than LA and NY rent lol. Chicago is also my kind of place as an Escooter rider.
Summertime in Chicago is great. The energy is unmatched, you feel it when you walk around and exist. Real people living their lives, not as many disconnected transplants
Glad you enjoyed your time here! You came at the best time (arguably the only reason we endure the dreadful winters).
The weather was a tease!!
Tons of Chicagoans have beach houses in Michigan on lake Michigan. The Wisconsin side of lake Michigan has bluffs, but Michigan side has beautiful huge beaches and dunes. Chicagoans have homes in the st Joe area
great beaches that are beautiful!
Ngl compared to NYC and L.A. Chicago was much better than I thought it would be. Such an underrated city. A shoutout to Queens and Brooklyn though. The Bronx and Manhattan can KMA
Speaking of Chicago I think that's the exact park I went to where you can see the skyline from the shore/park area
I can't believe you didn't even talk about the MUSEUMS. They are world class, did you miss them????
This guy is not a museum style guy, just typical American young guy.
Lol. The Bean? Not Sears Tower or Wrigley Field?
I agree wholeheartedly about the June gloom of L.A. We visited last June from CO. I actually had more fun in the sun back home at a lake in CO compared to L.A.
So glad you put put another video. I agree 100% about city parks. Loved all the greenery and the walkability. Their shore though different looked great. 🍎💚
Thanks!! Love the parks. lol
Why we Chicago natives never feel the need to go to LA or NYC. We have it all here.
I can't wait to visit, I want to go to NY, Chicago and Atlanta to see where I want to move to next in 5 yearsish.
I just got back from Chicago. Hands-down it's the best North American city to visit in summer.
Did he say Chicago is not known for food 🧐🧐🧐
I so look forward to your videos!! You're my favorite RUclipsr. You're such a New Yorker and I love it!!! haha! Thanks for the review of Chicago, I've never been and will definitely visit one day - in the summer.
Thanks so much! Definitely visit (in the summer!)
“Chicago may not be known for food” I love that for you.
You're also misreading Chicago transit. We may look like NYC, but the 'L' isn't our main ride. We're much more like L.A.--the majority of transit rides here are on a CTA bus. And the bus system here, unlike my NYC hometown (and L.A. since they canceled the rapid buses), actually works to get you where you want to go in a timely manner.
Not true. Chicago people have many cottages and rentals in Saugatuck, MI, lake Geneva, WI and north woods, WI for weekend getaways. You would love these places as we are New York transplants eight years Chicago now and we love these places even more than Long Island and the Hamptons
Chicago has way more wealthy people in its limits than NYC and LA. Every lake town in Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin is plagued with Illinois plates every summer.
I lived in Chicago for a year trying it out and I really liked it! I had lived in NYC for many years and thought that was the best. Currently not living in NYC anymore and I would never live there again, Love to visit and leave, although, I always miss the walkability and easy transit. I think that Chicago transit is pretty good compared to other cities, but, I found taking the bus much easier than rail .I lived in Lakeview and found everything convenient and the people very nice. I would move back to Chicago for a great job. The taxes are high there like NYC though.
I live in Chicago. It’s my favorite. New York is great but too expensive. LA is also great, but I still love Chicago much better. Sure LA might have better weather but right now they are dealing with smoke from the fires and the past few years the snow hasn’t really been that bad in Chicago. And you don’t have to worry too much about flooding, no hurricanes, not really any fires, not really any tornadoes in the city.
I had the same experience, I never knew much about Chicago, but when I visited I absolutely loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised about pretty much everything. I'd totally consider living there if it wasn't for the winter weather and the fact that it's not near the ocean.
Don’t need an ocean 🌊. We have 18 miles of beaches 😊. Lakeshore Drive is to die for!
Lake Michigan is like an ocean though! Very large and I found it clean. Nicer than ocean water with all the salt..
Did you really just compare the bean to the empire state building😂😂😂.... one is a famous art work the other is a livable workable skyscraper.... you might want to consider editing to compare to oh I don't know like the sears tower 😂😂😂😂😂
I've been wanting to go to Chicago for a 5 day trip before weather turns cold. I like to do that 18 mile walk and see the big parks. Being a nature person, I bet it's a great city to visit and maybe we'll see more outdoor videos of places outside of the city.
Good video. If the winters werent so bad, the cost of living would be outrageous and the population would be so much higher. Take the good with the bad.
A lot of what is better is subjective. Chicago winters are fucking brutal. I use to live north of Chicago in Milwaukee back during the early 90s. It's roughly the same distance as Santa Barbara is from LA. Milwaukee is a fun city, with a beautiful lake front. It's a blend of downtown and nature. And very hilly on the shoreline, compared to very flat Chicago. Milwaukee is a hilly city.
Chicago. Very humid during the summer. And foggy during the spring, that rivals San Francisco fog. There's a lor to do in Chicago. Excellent food, art museums, architecture history and origin started there, parks etc.
New York. Not much that i could add, because most has already been said.
LA. Ironically. LA is what it is, infrastructure wise, because of my old hometown city. Detroit via Motown. Played a major role in what LA is, to this day. In simple terms. LA infrastructure was based on the automobile. So it doesn't have a true downtown core. Due to most of the activities area within the neighborhoods. LA became massive because of the car culture. Before that. Detroit had more people than LA. With close to 2 million people at it's peek population during the 50s. The car culture from Detroit is why LA population exploded. Urban sprawl.
Last. You don't appreciate how big Lake Michigan and the other surrounding lakes are, until you've been to them. They're pretty much are fresh water oceans. The Bay area would disappear on any of those lakes. That's how big that they are. I reside in the Bay area.
The food scene is definitely great in Chicago, and well known. Overall, good video.
Chicago is close to Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan border's to 4 state's. But because it border's to 4 state's. Those 4 state's team up to do some business like economy or culture. Those four state's are Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Also there is something special about Lake Michigan. Is that Lake's Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario border's Canada. But Lake Michigan border's only the United States of America.
I love Chicago ...i just hate how major companies are tearing down the pedestrian friendly store front (corner store setups) and putting in large parking lots with big box stores...Completely ruining the decor of the city.
Its -1 degree right now here in Chicago. Lets just say I'm ready for the summer at this point.
Whats interesting about chicago though is the amount of people from here who seem to think it doesn't get this cold anywhere else in the US. You can still drive like 12 hours north of Chicago before hitting the Canadian border in minnesota, and even when I lived in Tennessee and Georgia we def had days where rhe highs were in single digits with negative lows at times
quit complaining bro. We had an easy winter this year.
Clearly that month wasn’t enough to experience the beauty of the city. The cleanliness alone BEATS out both! The Riverwalk, the food, the architecture, the culture, neighborhoods the FOOD is top tier!!! NYC and LA could NEVER! Only thing LA has over Chicago is the weather and we can forget about NYC. NY is filthy, the people are mad rude and the food is straight trash! There’s a reason Chicago was voted #1! #ChitownUp #BearDown
Love the point you made about the city parks! I've been in NYC SF Austin and Miami over the past few months and all of them have really nice parks to hang around in whereas LA has quite literally none. I now want to make it a point to check out more in new cities! Also speaking of urban parks I would love to hear your thoughts on San Francisco (idk if you've made any videos on here about SF) I am very curious if you would love/hate it
Welcome back. To clarify--in SoCal, beaches too are parks. In all senses--e.g. outdoor life, social life.
They are just beaches lol. Not comparable to the parks in NYC and Chicago
Native Chicagoan here who lived in New York. In terms of cities I prefer NYC. But Chicago's numerous parks and lakefront is amazing and indeed has one of the nations best beach scenes during the summertime right up there with Miami Beach, LA and even Wiakiki Beach, Hawaii.
As crazy as it sounds IMO Chicago is a mix of LA (laidback people & lots of beaches) and NYC (urban density, a great skyline, good public transportation, diverse culture, food and art scene, great big old parks like Central Park and Prospect Park, etc) with Lake Michigan acting like a mini Midwest ocean, beaches and lakefont downtown. Though, winters are indeed not fun. But climate change is making them milder and shorter....
Agreed. Also a Chicago native and I always got defensive when I'd hear someone hype up New York. Then I visited NYC and man... Chicago is a city but NYC is a CITY. You can get all types of vibes from Chicago's very diverse neighborhoods and even different parts of its downtown but whether you're in Manhattan's Financial district, midtown, central park, Brooklyn, they have different vibes but they are all a BIG CITY vibe generally.
Even better than the lakefront bike route are the trails through the city’s many forest preserves. It’s like a bike highway. I used to do bike messengering when I was a DePaul student and those routes are a godsend.
Great video, but you got it wrong regarding chicago not being known for good! Just google Chicago food compared to Los Angeles and other cities, and we will have more Michelin rated restaurants and more food blogs as it is one of the best food cities in the world. And we don’t have a ton of homeless, littering our parks and sidewalks as an all of California on the West Coast.
Welcome back. I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay in Chicago, and I enjoyed the video you put together. Stay Strong and Be Blessed.
How can you compare the bean to the empire state building? A better comparison would be the Hancock Center or the Sears (Willis) Tower.
HI. What about Chicago Sales Tax, Personal Property Tax, City and State Income Tax ?
Oz park because wizard of Oz was written in Chicago. There is a yellow brick road tribute to L Frank Baum in Humboldt park neighborhood. 1667 N Humboldt Blvd, Chicago, IL 60647
Walt Disney’s childhood home is also in Chicago
The Wizard of Oz came out in 1939, not quite 100 years old :P
The Bobby's Bikes Bites and Brews Tour in Chicago is fun to get a sample of the North Side. Fulton Market/West Loop are really up and coming with a diverse food scene. I've found that it is so much easier to get by the water in New York City & Chicago than it is in LA - quite counterintuitive
As someone native to the Chicago area now an LA transplant, I do miss my home major city a lot. If only it wasn’t for the dreadful winters that feel like they last half the year. Michael, it seems like you’d like San Francisco a lot
Urban America (SF, Chicago, LA, Seattle, Portland, NYC, DC, etc) in general is going through a low point in today's post-Covid, post-2020-summer era. In several decades, I've never seen SF in such a downturn (symbolically or economically, or both) as it is in 2023. As for negative PR coming out of it, Chicago, LA, NYC, etc, a lot depends on the luck & timing of visitors, & how curated their trip is or isn't
Oh gosh not SF right now!!! Have you read about all the horrific problems with homelessness and skyrocketing rents? Average price is like $3800 for a one-bdrm. Sadly mental health issues and homelessness are rife due to the very very rich buying out the city, inept folks in politics, etc. Stores constantly broken into and it’s no longer even a crime. SF is a hot mess and I hope they can fix their issues 😢
I agree chicago like NYC has better public transit & food tge only thing LA has that's better is the weather
SF is just LA with shittier weather and even higher cost of living somehow
I live in a place with ZERO public transport besides the occasional bus every 2 hours with a population of 500,000. IMO one of the best factors to determine a good city Is public transportation and car dependency, a city can be as nice as it wants and pretty and all but if you have to drive 2+ hours just to have some fun is it really a good city?
"Chicago may not be known for it's food." Really??? Who is this guy? Chicago has some of the BEST and diverse food in the world!
I'm sorry I just have to correct you, Chicago is actually one of the most known cities in the United States for food.
I fully agree. I'm in a similar situation - I live in Vegas and there's no sense of community or urbanism here.
While nothing can beat New York, Chicago at least is somewhere that you can live in the United States with a sense of community and that alone makes it exceptional. I definitely found the Lake Michigan bike trail there comparable in awesomeness to the beach path along Santa Monica. I agree in full about the food.
Winters in Chicago, yes, are absolutely awful, and you are correct, you can't dress for them. I was bundled in three layers and about as covered as I could get with a parka. I still was cold. That was in April and it was 15F.
The public transit is mostly awesome except for the fact people feel free to break the rules on it.... Seemed like every train car somebody was either smoking weed or cigarettes, and occasionally people were doing harder drugs. New York has better enforcement.
Love both the Chicago lakefront and Santa Monica bike trail! Agree on public transit - the train culture just isn’t on par with NY either
Lmaoo Chicago has mew York beat please don’t do this the reviews don’t lie people prefer Chicago over nyc Chicago won best city 7 years straight I have a thousand reasons why Chicago has nyc best people only nyc is better because it’s bigger we’ll let me scratch people use to say that because nyc bigger and even tho nyc was more relevant people thought Chicago was boring and a wannabe nyc until people actually started moving and doing tours in Chicago they realized all the hype and that it was as violent as the media betrayed American media is very bias towards Chicago and favors nyc if you watch all Chicago and nyc tours ,vlogs,debates ,food reviews Chicago wins in all of them hey don’t be mad at me the people are speaking for themselves they choose Chicago over nyc I mean nyc wins a few of these debates nowadays sorry nyc fell off in the 90s🤷🏾♂️
Another great video 👏. As a Brit it’s interesting to see, will have to visit Chicago at some point!
I'm a parisian tourist in LA since 1 month now and I ride my mountain bike 3 or 5h a day I love it, I went to many parks and the beach and I saw many things in the city (I'm in West Hollywood), I am the only guy cycling in the city aha. But honestely if you are careful it's fine !
Awesome video!! I loved hearing your perspective since your LA videos are great. I live in Dallas (hate it) and wish I could move to LA but my job won’t let me so I’m considering Chicago since I can transfer internally to live there. Biggest gripe is that the beach faces East so you can’t watch the sunset like in LA lol but otherwise I love the big city feel and liberal politics 💜
Did you say the bean was the main tourist attraction? Lmaoooo
Last year it was warmer In the winter here in chicago. I live here for about 28 years lol, it only snowed in once in February which was honestly weird. Hopefully we’ll get the same this year
Really cool video with a fair & balanced view Michael. Great content as always!
Appreciate it!
@@MichaelMartello Great to see your subs climbing dude. Metrics obv really don't matter to me as I love your content regardless but brilliant to see you reach more people- keep going buddy!
Great vlog. I enjoyed watching, thank you.
Having been on public transit in all three Chicago’s is by far the cleanest and most reliable, and most accessible.
Also, you missed several things that make Chicago superior.
1. Chicago festival season. The city festivals are iconic and the best way to experience different neighborhoods in the city.
2. Lake culture. Chicagoans will often go to Western/Northern Michigan or Northern Wisconsin on weekends for one of the many amazing lake towns.
3. The cleanliness. Chicago is hands down massively cleaner than both LA and NYC. The fact that Chicago has Alley’s and you don’t have the smell and trash on the sidewalk in summer like NYC has puts it far ahead.
4. Comparing the bean to the Empire State Building is like apples and oranges. Try the Hancock, Sears tower or many of the other amazing skyscrapers. The skyline is hands down the most beautiful in the US.
5. The food scene is top tier and regularly has restaurants rated as some of the country’s best.
6. The museums are some of the world’s best. Not only in architecture, location and accessibility but also the exhibits.
I wore my overcoat no more than 10 times last winter. I walk to work. The winters aren't bad unless you love to complain.
How is the humidity in Chicago during the summer ?
If you want to raise a family in a city, Chicago has more good public schools than New York or LA. As someone with experience with SF public schools, we don't have the same ideological capture--some schools may not believe in things like learning multiplication tables and phonics, but my kids' school sure did.
There also are safe neighborhoods that are still affordable.
There is a lot to do indoors in the city in the winter. Besides museums, there are a number of beautiful conservatories (Garfield Park, Lincoln Park, and just outside the city but accessible by the Blue Line, the Oak Park Conservatory--where you can walk around in warmth and green.) The park field houses have a lot of indoor pools that are free, and amenities that are close to free, and the highest rated urban library system in the US.
We also ... kind of get used to the cold. You dress for it. The streets are lit with Christmas lights, and we have the Christkrindlemarkets and Zoo Lights festivals. In January when the lake freezes it can be a beautiful sight, and everyone is really nice to each others in the snowstorms (unless you steal a parking spot someone dug out!)
Chicago is very violent and I dont think people want their kids around such high level of crime.
@@dubreil07 if they have a good job they won’t even be near those areas !
@@dubreil07northern chicago is safer then rest of chicago
Chicago is hands down the best city in the US DURING THE SUMMER
It is humid often though, Not always so comfortable.
@@richardgrobertson5293 not perfect. But as a whole in my humble international opinion. The best
“Chicago’s temperatures in the winter often reach negative digits”. Very incorrect, Chicago only averages four days per year where it gets to zero degrees or below. Please do a little research.
The thing about the park system in Chicago is, there is no place in the city that is further away than 1/2 mile from a park
This was a fantastic video.
Just wanted to say that I really love your videos. Stumbled upon your channel a few months ago and been watching ever since. Big love from Australia!
Chicago people... enough with the nitpicking chips on your shoulder. He said he loved it. So chill bro.
It isn't Mont Rose beach. it's Montrose.
Same difference..
I was raised in Chicago. Finally moved to LA when I was 30. June is a great month in the Windy City. November-March, not so much. I literally almost died when my car's engine froze up on the Tri-State Tollway during what was then the coldest day in the city's history. Windchill factor of 40 below zero. I'll take Southern California, June Gloom and all.
I'm from Chicago and I've lived here basically my whole life and there's SO many oppurtunites and amenities this city offers but I NEED something different. I'm graduating from art school and I'm trying to decide where's next for me, LA or NYC. My main interests are filmmaking and phtotography and I just want to make friends and thrive in an awesome career and I could absolutely do that here in Chicago but I'd rather experience somewhere new. What do you guys think?
“Is Chicago known for food? No”
🤦🏻♂️ 😆😆😆
ARMY literally taking over NYC metro right now, talking about LA has the worst metro, isn't that's why you escape NYC to LA? 😂😂😂😂
If only Chicago were known for its food scene. LOL. Alinea, rated the best restaurant in the world many times, is here. Deep-dish pizza is for tourists.
But I'm glad you found so many of Chicago's gems. Oz Park is certainly one of them (the city's motto is Urbs in Horto, City in a Garden). But the Bean is not the top spot in the city. And for someone who has lived in NYC, how do you not comment on how clean Chicago is in comparison?
Micheal! I love your videos soo much!! Congrats on 10K!! You're the most underrated RUclips channel. Every video of yours is a gem!! You should do a video about Laguna or Newport in the OC!
Thank you!!!
I'm glad all of the commenters love Chicago food, but after being downtown a decade (and suburbs since birth) I have to disagree. Nothing beats NYC authenticity and LA food is fantastic as well, especially if you like Asian food. I think our green spaces and having 2 airports connected via train to our city are some of the best perks. Summertime Chi is never boring.
I grew up in NYC, Chicago, and New England. I liked New England best, but NYC and Chicago were also great.
Chicago wasn’t underrated until Millennials made it that way. Chicago wasn’t knocked from second largest by LA until 1983. And Chicago was a very desirable big city for boomers in the 80s and Gen. X in the 90s. Starting in the 2000s Chicago suffered from burgeoning tech companies preferring the coasts.
whoever your guide was in Chicago did you a major disservice -- if you had one. No mention of Wrigleyville, any of the museums (Planetarium, Museums of Science and Industry, Art Museum, Shedd Aquarium, etc..), you like to bike but didn't go on the 606, Libraries, Theaters/Second City, if you're into Vinyl and that kinda stuff go to Logan Hardware, Breweries/Tours (Half Acre in Lincoln Square), Galloping Ghost Arcade, Kumas Corner for a burger (and heavy metal?), Water Tower Place (Mall) although I think more and more shops are leaving every year still worth a look inside, a bunch of rooftop gardens/drinking spots, Green Mill, Magic Inc in Ravenswood (please visit if you have children, these guys are great), also didn't mention our Zoos?? Anyways, theres a shit ton of other stuff I didn't mention for the sake of brevity.
Please come to Chicago, it's great and you definitely won't get mugged/shot, everyone here is nice for the most part, including our homeless!
Compared the Bean (it’s actually called The Cloud Gate) to the Empire State Building. One is public art, the other a skyscraper. Not a good comparison.
Glad you enjoyed the public parks. We have around 700 of them spread out across the city.
Definitely recommend getting out of downtown and the Near North Side and into the West and South Sides.
Hidden gems abound in Chicago and most of that is in the neighborhoods.
Ride the L train and explore, my friend!
i don't think chicago is underrated. chicago's public transportation is higher than what you rank it. where is chicago under developed? are you serious? will a real chicagoan create a video to do this beautiful city justice? this guy doesn't know what he's talking about.
I love Chicago and NYC, sorry but not a fan of LA. There was something superficial about the scene there.
Great overview and comparison. Ps which brand of the blue banded-collar polos you wore in the vid? Looks cool.
Nice video, I think LA, NYC and Chicago great and I would also recommend Toronto as one of the most up and coming cities in North America. But if you decide to visit or live in Toronto have your wallet ready because Toronto very expensive city to live.
So glad to see you post another video, Michael! I moved to LA 8 months ago from Ecuador. I started watching your videos before I moved to get a better idea of the city and I’ve continued watching them, discovering things to do and places to check out. You’ve definitely given me great ideas! I also felt so seen and could relate to loathing the May and June gloom. It was really getting to me haha. I moved here last November right before all the rain and the gloom that followed (not the LA I expected) 😅. But I’m so glad the sun is back and ready to enjoy my first full LA summer ☀️ keep up the great content! Always looking forward to your next video.
We often complain about New York winters, then move out to places like Florida, and LA for awhile, then become depressed. We take New York City for granted yall.