I’m really alive and kicking in Chicago! And it’s not just Chicago, it’s Chi-caaaago. The Midwestern accent has a little pizazz to it. It’s certainly not a bad thing, but it just makes me chuckle whenever the words ‘pop,’ ‘mom,’ ‘spot,’ or anything with an ‘o’ sound as the emphasized vowel gets spoken. I think Californians are just too normal with our plain non-accented way of speaking 
I have been asked what it’s like out here, and honestly it is very similar to any major metropolitan city in the U.S.
Pros:
- Activities – There are surprisingly a ton of things to do here, with something to accommodate everyone. Performing arts, museums, concerts of all genres, sports, water related activities, shopping, top notch restaurants like San Francisco, boutiques, nightlife, and festivals galore (almost one every day of the summer!)
- Living cost – Generally speaking, compared to San Francisco and New York, you get more bang for your buck for housing here. A decent condominium will be much less than other hot spot cities. If you’re a suburbs kind of person, then the lots/yards are much bigger. Trees are abundant as well.
- Public transportation – I absolutely do not need my car here. Sure, it helps for bigger shopping trips like going to Target or Costco, but I’m not in a position to buy a ton of stuff anyway! The “EL” (elevated train) fares are cheap at $1.75 a trip no matter how far you travel, and I hear buses work just as well but are just harder to figure out.
- The “Lake” – AKA quasi ocean Just kidding. Lake Michigan is quite a piece of work being so large. It really does not beat the Pacific coast, but I suppose it will have to do.
- Sports – I’m not a huge sports fan, but it seems like the majority of people who grew up here are very loyal fans of baseball, football, and basketball. Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls…and not to mention the college sports!
- Neighborhoods – Like San Francisco, the city is comprised of various ‘hoods that greatly differ from one another. There’s even one analogous to “the Marina,” and many others that each have a different ambiance, demographic make up, architectural style. Me? I’m living in the ‘up and coming’ South Loop.
Cons:
- Traffic – Downtown is not car friendly at all. The city is just full of honkers like NYC and the highways are congested at random times.
- Public transit – On the flipside, the trains are old and dirty at times. Think of the musty scent of the BART trains…most underground stations have a different kind of musty scent to it that never fails, especially in the summer. Okay, the winter too.
- Drivers – Runner up to NYC in my opinion, people drive like maniacs out here. They are impatient and rude. I think that if there wasn’t a punishment/law for running people over at crosswalks, there would be many more pedestrian hit and run incidents!
- Weather – Cliche because the subject of weather is just boring, the weather is very extreme. People always bring up the deathly cold weather here, but I am more sensitive to the humid hot weather. My tolerance is slowly building…slowly.
A cityscape view from the Shedd Aquarium: