40 Reasons to Love Chicago
Why we wouldn't want to live anywhere else
This past year, we witnessed our fair share of history makers and head-scratchers. One of our own (now relocated to Washington, D.C.) shepherded a sweeping health-care reform. The Blackhawks awoke from a long nap to win the Stanley Cup. Twenty million Hollywood dollars turned downtown into a movie set. On the other hand, we couldn’t rid ourselves of an embarrassing ex-governor. And the Cubs made it 102 futile years in a row. Brilliance flourishes alongside ignominy in dynamic cities, just as beauty lives next to grit. Underneath, though, there’s a current, a vitality, that supports the whole and moves us forward. For this, Chicago magazine’s 40th anniversary issue, we’ve chosen to highlight the people, places, and ideas that keep us optimistic about where we are headed. Consider what follows a celebration, an analysis, an accounting—40 reasons why we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
1
Because we’ve got the only human qualified to imagine the ultimate Chicago movie: Roger Ebert
2
Because it takes a Chicagoan to replace Oprah on daytime TV
3
Because we’ve watched a sports star (Derrick Rose) grow up in front of our very eyes
4
Because we find inspiration in rugged thoroughfares (like Elston Avenue)
5
Because we'll be arguing for years over whether Mayor Richard M. Daley was good for the city
6
Because we still realize the American dream
7
Because a spirit of invention prevails
9
Because for 25 years a thorough, thoughtful reporter has been keeping an eye on city hall
10
Because we export record-breaking feats of engineering
11
Because, for three years, a DIY talk show has survived on beer, humor, and its host's persistence
12
Because the Neo-Futurists can crank out a great play in a flash
13
Because where would New York theatre be without us?
14
Because Chicago continues to stoke SNL's flame
15
Because even when the star conductor falls ill, the CSO soldiers on—and blows you away
16
Because an amateur photo contest can uncover serious talent
17
Because Chicago theatres have nurtured America's edgiest playwrights for decades
18
Because gospel music is still being played in the very churches where it originated
19
Because every neighborhood is its own awesome universe
20
Because we've cultivated a come-one, come-all bar culture
23
Because there's amazing food on almost every corner (40 favorites in 40 neighborhoods)
24
Because you can live a lot of different lives here without leaving
25
Because neighborhood joints (like Stella's Diner) still hold the place together
26
Because, in the country's third-largest city, we maintain beehives and chicken coops
27
Because we love our game so much we are willing to go to the ER for it
29
Because Cupid likes to strike in Chicago's ballparks
30
Because we speak our own language: a quiz—who said what—Daley or Guillen?
31
Because at last we can dress stylishly in local fashion
32
Because there's a Wilco for everyone
33
Because Chicago produced the most introspective hip-hop artist in America: Common
34
Because Chicago's shopkeepers put Midwest designers front and center
35
Because architecture in Chicago is a contact sport
36
Because we can move to the suburbs and not feel like we're selling out entirely
39
Because our poets (like Reginald Gibbons) see beauty in rush hour
This article appears in the December 2010 issue of Chicago Magazine.
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Reader Comments:
Because deft leaders prevented it from becoming Detroit.
I've loved Chicago forever it seems because of the Lakefront and Michigan Avenue, eating at the Cape Cod Room w/the same maitre d' and waiters, all of downtown
I'm moving to Chicago in the fall to attend the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I can't wait to get to know the city! I used to visit frequently years ago, and I've always gotten a sense of freedom just walking down the streets. Can't wait!
Re point #4 - Elston Avenue a "rugged thoroughfare"? You need to see more of the world.
What about The University Of Chicago, one of the Top Ten?