as with most nmr posts, this one is somewhat personal. things have not been going well for me professionally or socially where i live now. in the last week, two friends have asked me to move with them because they have been in similar situations as myself and are concerned about me.

so... one friend wants to go to chicago. she has apparently found an apartment in lincoln square and has asked me to move with her. this actually just came up a few hours ago and i have no idea about anything in chicago because i've only been there twice for a few days a couple years ago. i work in public radio now and am a little skeptical about getting a similar job out there because they're kinda few and far between.

another friend has just bought a house outside of washington, dc. and she wants me to live with her in the new digs next month. i live three hours north of DC now and visit there quite frequently. so i know the city well.

i know there's a ton of chicago obnish and maybe one or two in DC or NoVa. basically, i'm just asking for the pros and cons of your city. i need to get out of here by the end of the year (at the latest) and have to make a decision on where i'm going and what i'm doing with my life once i leave. so any advice or suggestions or whatever would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

I should get my fiance to answer this thread....she lived in Chicago for years, and now she's living in DC

Move to Lincoln Square and be my neighbor! DO IT!

Pros of Chicago:
- cool neighborhoods (Lincoln Square)
- (relatively) decent rent
- decent public transportation (for now)
- good bowling alleys
- decent employment opportunities
- excellent pizza and hot dogs
- the pigeon man of Lincoln Square

Oh what I wouldn't give for that kind of 'lets get outta here' opportunity...

As someone who's lived in neither, but been to both, I have no helpful input. But good luck.

edit: Actually, I am along the same line of thought as Dana.

never lived in either city, but have visited Chicago. I would definitely pick Chicago over DC.

I used to live in Lincoln Square and loved it.
It's changed a little since I was there -- more young people, a bit more transient of a population -- but there are still a lot of single-family homes. That makes it one of the more "homier" 'hoods in the city, if you ask me. And there are still excellent restaurants around there and one pretty cool record store (Laurie's Planet of Sound), as well as the Old Town School of Folk Music (who host some pretty amazing concerts and one pretty damn good outdoor festival every year).

Come to Chicago!

Chicago's public trans. is aces.
Lotsa record stores.
Lotsa bands come through town.
You'll have a built-in network of people you already sorta know to go to shows with.
Decent job opportunities.

Yeah... Chicago.

Of course, I'm not biased, or anything.

it seems like, if you're not fulfilled where you are now, that moving to DC isn't going to ammount to much of a change. in other news, DC kinda sucks. go to chicago and go down swinging.

I have seriously wondered why people who don't work in politics live in and around DC. I liked it fine, but I was trying to get into politics/schmoozing folks/delivering shit to Senate offices and the like, and I was 23...life still held some kind of excitement allure...

So, while in some instances I would reccojmend DC, it seems like you would be doing more of a total change kind of thing by bouncing out to Chi-town.

Housing around here is outrageous (I'm a half hour east of DC). It has stalled a bit, but it's still insane. Traffic sucks, plus god knows what sort of terror prevention techniques might be implemented.

Plus, DC has speeding cameras in addition to red light cameras. I don't mind going over every so often, but DC ain't exactly my cup of tea. Lots of shit to do, and lots of shows of most persuasions.

Oh, and you can listen to Go-Go all night long on Saturday night radio. Ugh.

I like living here, but I grew up here for the most part. It drives me nuts, but it's my stomping grounds. I go to Baltimore 3x as often as DC though.

Actually, a good question would be what do you do or want to do to make your money?

i love go-go, but i agree with the Senator, unless you're into politics or something like international law i can't see who would benefit from living there.

chicago is extremely liveable.
go there. really.

crap, i may move there!

Chicago's great. If you can't live in Seattle and you can't live in Boston, Chicago is the next best place.

wow. Lincoln Square seems to be the popular place these days.

Josh and I are moving there in late spring/early summer. We desparately want out of the Loop plus he works at Old Town School of Music so it would be very convenient for him.

I say go with Chicago.

I really liked hanging in Lincoln Square. I say go for Chicago. I lived there for 2 years and although I don't want to move back I enjoyed my time there. I'm just not a big city person.

If I were you I'd totally move to Chicago if such a choice come-hither opportunity plopped in my lap.
Actually, I'd be there now if it weren't so insanely cold/snowy/hellish in the winter.

D.C. is fun to visit if you have friends to show you around museums, bars and such. Thankfully, you'll have that going on, too very soon.

But Chicago is the choice place to live.

Why can't you move to New York? Why would anyone wanna live anywhere else?

bahahahahaaha

Bahaha all you want. I recall you having an awesome time when you were here and I even remember you crying like baby when you had to leave.

hold me

thanks for everybody's responses, suggestions, advice, etc. it seems that i'm moving to chicago this weekend. so i will be yet another of the chicago obnish next week.

it IS the greatest city in america, though.

Awesome!!

We'll have to get together soon and have a welcome to chicago night for you!!

Where are you going to be living?

it's around lincoln square, like two or three blocks north of welles park.

Jen,

I have a friend applying for a marketing job there (Old Town School Of Music).

Z,

I have a friend that lives a little outside DC and hates it. Chicago is the schizzle.