Been kinda slow this week, I know. I'm in Chi-town reporting out a story for my Atlantic overlords. Man I tell you, it would be easy to fall in love with this place. A buddy of mine told me I need to come back in, say, February and then see how much I like it. That hawk coming off the lake is no joke, I hear. Anyway, someone sent me this in reference to all the hand-wringing involving Barack. Thought it was funny. Let's hope it's true
After a loss last season at to the Bears at Soldier Field in January...Brett Favre said it was the worst playing conditions of his career...and he has spent (most of it) in Green Bay.
Otherwise, it is a great city and under appreciated in my opinion.
And I agree with bleigh82, the winter is brutal beyond imagining, but it's worth it for the rest of the year. Chicago also has a world-class road crew that keeps the streets and sidewalks clear in even the worst blizzard. It's pretty impressive an makes the otherwise unbearable bearable.
Chicago is like New York except a little friendlier and a lot less frantic. In my opinion it's just a matter of taste which one a person likes better, but I'd take the 2nd city any day.
I third (fourth, fifth...) the Welcome to Chicago comments! It might be rainy but it was still beautiful, at least when I was walking to work this morning. I can't wait to see what you're writing and I hope you have a great time here.
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town". Use that term, and you are marked as an out of towner.
Winters in Chicago are not that brutal. Slightly worse than the east coast which has the moderating influence of the ocean. We have not had a truly brutal in some time. 76-77 was the snowiest winter in history. 77-78 was the coldest. (it may be the reverse as to coldest and snowiest) 78-79 broke both records in the same year. We have occasional snow storms but average snowfall in Chicago is about 34 inches. From time to time, we have a week where the temperature stays around zero. This also happens in New York and Boston.
If we have another winter like 78-79, I am leaving town. We had 88 inches of snow - which never melted. There was a stretch of about 40-50 days where the temperature never got above freezing. And it kept snowing - and it kept piling up.
You can attribute the emergence of Barack Obama to the winter of 1978-79. Richard J. Daley died in December of 1976. Michael Bilandic took over. During the winter of 1978-79, he would get on tv and say everything is fine, the snow is being cleared (it was not). Public transit was fine - but so many trains were broken that the CTA skipped the close in stops in the black neighborhoods. In the democratic mayoral primary (in late February I think), people were so pissed that they voted for Jane Byrne rather than the machine backed Bilandic. Byrne promptly sold out to the machine so in 1983, there was an African American rebellion against the machine which led to Harold Washington as Chicago's first black mayor. I maintain - No Harold - No Barack.
Then we had the pleasant years of Chicago as Beirut by the Lake. If you want a taste of what it was like, listen to the This American Life episode, "Harold" - http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=84
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town". Use that term, and you are marked as an out of towner.
But that's fine. One of the big differences between New York and Chicago is that we don't pretend we don't care when someone compliments our town. We love it when visitors have nice things to say. Welcome, out-of-towner!
As for the weather, that's just a matter of dressing right.
I have exactly zero problem being marked as an out-of-towner. Being from B-More (which we do say), I've been one all my life.
I'm staying down on the South Side--which is like Mecca for black folks as far as I'm concerned. I know I've agreed with the sentiment that Harlem is Mecca--and in terms of art maybe it is. But the South Side is the cultural and economic Mecca.
I keep that picture on my desktop and open it whenever I fret that things are spinning out of control - which has been quite frequently lately. It really does have a calming effect!
Why the profanity? You are at the Atlantic. Obama is a walking manifestation of black excellence. Get it together! Sometimes I see flashes of brilliance and depth but it is not sustained. Doesn't being on the Atlantic blog roll matter to you? You are the first. Act like it.
Chicago has been called the most segregated city in America. I doubt people understand the depth of the segregation - it is not just black and white. Puerto Ricans are upset that Mexicans have moved into Humboldt Park. South Side blacks look down on West Side blacks - the country bumpkins. Winning the city high school basketball championship is important. South Side Simeon, Derrick Rose's alma mater, was top dog in 2006 and 2007. Marshall of the West Side was top dog this year. The South Side has its problems but the West Side is the classic case of the inner city disaster. It was burned down during the 1968 riots and never rebuilt. Very little of an economy although that is where the first city WalMart went. You see a lot of currency exchanges, liquor stores and storefront churches. Gentrification is moving steadily west. Should reach California Avenie (2800 west) soon. The poor inner city blacks are being pushed out into the inner ring suburbs - like Maywood and Bellwood.
Can you eat at Topolobampo and expense it as Obama research?The Globe's food section says he eats there.
After food my thoughts on Chicago are along these lines:
Fermilab has many geese. Also buffalo. Which is cool for a particle accelerator.
Some intersections don't have stop signs--the only traffic accident of my life was in Chicago.
If you work in Boston and your company merges with one in Chicago, no one wants to visit the sister office in the winter. Why don't we ever merge with companies in Hawaii? or even Orlando?
After almost five years in L.A., I still miss Chicago, winters or no, and look forward to moving back at some point. It's an easy city to fall in love with as opposed to L.A, which, for all it's lovely weather, is still just a place.
I grew up in Chicago, but I live in Atlanta which is suppose to be the 'black mecca' but I must say the South Side of Chicago is a lot more inclusive and politically and culturally evolved. Even with Farakhan and J. Wright. I mean that as a joke.
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town".
Aw, c'mon, I call it that sometimes. Admittedly semi-jokingly, but still...
Where on the South Side are you, TNC? I'd guess Bronzeville or South Shore if you're describing it as the black Mecca. But yeah, Chicago's amazing, and it always amazes me how few people from the coasts even seem to consider it as a place to go to school or work.
If you're up for it, it might be cool to hold a quick drinks thing somewhere in town one evening, it's always interesting to meet the blogging community in real life.
Never spent a winter in Minnesota or points west, eh? Chicago winter has a couple of brutal weeks and then it turns into overcast not-quite-spring. I like the winter better than "late" spring, when it's almost nice, but there's still an icy breeze off the lake.
Puerto Ricans are upset that Mexicans have moved into Humboldt Park.
And the Irish don't like the Poles and the Lithuanians don't like the Russians and Kenilworth doesn't like Jews--it's always been a city of ethnic and racial enclaves. That isn't to minimize the real problems--especially in CPS--but if you get that fine grained about it, you'll find problems almost everywhere.
Some intersections don't have stop signs
Having grown up in a city of about 100k, I have driven thru many, many uncontrolled intersections. I have yet to see one in Chicago in over a decade here--although they do exist in teh 'burbs. Where is/was that?
Yo, I just came back from a biz trip to the Chi, and I'm with you: it's easy as hell to fall in love with the place. I got in on Sunday and it was the most beautifullest day (btw, that's a Keith Murray allusion for you grammar police).
It was my first time there--though I grew up a serious Bears and Bulls head--so it was extra special for me. Didn't have time to trek out to Soldier Field and the Museum, though I did make sure to bus it to the UC and pay my respects by kowtowing in front of the bronze Jordan.
Might be heading back in April. If so, I'm def looking forward to it.
1.
I'd second Kevin Drums suggestion: 'Obama needs to tighten up his answers. Make his point and move on.'
2.
He needs more hard-hitting ads. They dont have to be outright lies but he should not shun brutal truth:
-John McCain only met Sarah Palin once before he
made her his VP choice. Does he really expect
us believe he put country first?
-John McCain has been talking about change for
26 years and has yet to deliver. Isn't it going
to another lapse in judgment (Keating 5) for
him to come out with legislation?
-A 'daisy' ad with Sarah Palin in control of our
nuclear arsenal.
Being from Chicago, I can attest, the winters might be sorta harsh - you get used to them- but, I'm with the above poster. Let the snow stop and 3 hours later, you can drive on the main streets - it's a promise. No other mayor will EVER be thrown out because of the snow. It's sorta funny to me.
I love all 4 seasons in Chicago, but winter can be sort of a downer.
I've visited New York numerous times. Too crowded for me. Too fast paced. Nobody stops to breathe it seems in NYC.
I've heard a lot of Chicagoans claim that only out-of-towners say "Chi-Town," but I've heard many African-American Chicagoans say it. Maybe it's not a resident/out-of-towner dichotomy, but white/black?
I don't know what the focus of the piece is, but I hope the article clears up some stuff about Hyde Park and its reputation as posh suburb. There are certainly some very nice areas (like where Obama lives), but a good bit of Hyde Park is inhabited by lower middle class and working class African-Americans. It says a lot that there's no commercial area near Hyde Park that is close to what you see on the North Side or even neighborhoods like Humboldt Park.
Oh, for god's sake. You're either 6 or 60; nobody else cares about the word "fuck."
If that language is good enough for our servicemen and women overseas, protecting us from seriously scary shit, then by god it's good enough for the Atlantic, or any other august publication.
I grew up in Chicago and I think people say Chi-Town all the time. Its a lot better than "Chicagoland."
Winter is not that colder or snowy but it is dreary. Thats what beats you down.
If you're looking for a nice south side run you can't go wrong with the Lake front. If you run north you get a beautiful skyline and the lake (not to mention a lot of barbecue scenery on the weekend). If you run south, Jackson Park (especially the backside of the museum and the wooded isle) and the South Shore country club are great getaways.
The picture is great, and the profanity is poignant. I'm white and young, and the generational relevance - for me - trumps any other signals it's sending. Just my two cents, but I understand Jay's point.
Thank you for posting this picture! For the last several days, every time I need to be cheered up about this stupid campaign I've looked at that picture and chuckled. It might have kept me from jumping out off of the roof.
Are there a lot of TNC fans here in the Chi (see that's how Kanye and I do)?
Maybe a TNC fan barnight tomorrow night? Anyone? There's that Bar Louie down at the Pelican on--what is that?--53rd street? TNC, you wanna meet some of your friends from the city of the next century?
C'mon, let's at least get a D&D one-shot together. What do ya think?
Yeah maybe next time I'm here, I'll let folks know where I'll be hanging. It's weird. Not used to traveling since I started blogging. But I guess I need to start buying a round.
Our winters generally aren't that bad and serve the purpose of getting rid of our old and weak. We send them to Arkansas, and the western coast of Florida.
Being melanin challenged I won't speak for the black community here, but my impression is that if you are black and ambitious Chicago is one hell of a place to live.
We do have our share of the urban gangster stupidity, but I'm working on a whole concept of dropping the worst bangers into Afghanistan in dresses and filming the results. I expect the crime rate to plummet and school attendance to rise.
If you work in Boston and your company merges with one in Chicago, no one wants to visit the sister office in the winter. Why don't we ever merge with companies in Hawaii? or even Orlando?
Deborah, if you don't want to say that's fine but do you work in media research or PR?
Reading this thread is actually making me miss Chicago a little, despite not having lived there for 20 years. Frankly, while the winters suck, the real reason I'm never leaving California are eastern summers, with the high humidity. Yes, it regularly gets over 100 in Sacramento--but the thing about dry heat? Is true.
great and all, except for the fact that BO manifestly does NOT "got it". A girl has him all geeked. She's so unqualified that she's occupied all of the attention for two weeks, and it's not letting up.
He's a lightweight who shies from a fight. He's a poser with a glass jaw. The fact that you need such a graphic in reaction to a girl joining the McCain two weeks ago shows the pathetic state of your champ.
Down goes Barry. Down Goes Barry. Down Goes Barry.
She's so unqualified that she's occupied all of the attention for two weeks, and it's not letting up.
Yeah, that was some great attention...
I've been in losing election cycles before. I've been exactly where you are at. I volunteered for John Kutsch vs. Don Manzullo in 2002 and I *believed* we were gonna win.
When the candidate you don't even really like loses, and it's time for bloodletting...I suggest perspective. When you are out of power and it's all over, that's the time to stop and think about things. When you start typing things like "Of course John McCain was a loser, we needed *=Romney, Huckabee, etc.. give some thought to the idea that McCain really was your best bet this cycle. If you have a certain ideological persuasion hammer it home if you feel like it's going to win some interpartisan battle, but don't believe your own bullshit.
This is seriously friendly advice from someone who doesn't see a prayer in hell that your ticket is going to win in November.
Where we differ is that I acknowledge that McCain could lose this. And he should--by any standard, the R candidate should not even be close. Why then does McCain lead with 8 weeks to go?
It's not because he's the wrong candidate. McCain is the only R who could have made it close. Palin may have put him over the top, as crazy as that sounds.
Deny it if you want, but Obama cannot close the deal. His mojo worked on all of the people it was going to work on. The few undecideds seem to have realized that Obama's all talk, and only when a teleprompter is near. Palin gives them new reasons to go for McCain. Perhaps that's why she drives Obama supporters crazy. Nobody's supposed to base their vote for the VP, but it's happening. Why?
Because Obama's appeal is limited, and Palin taps into the folks who were waiting for a reason to vote against Obama. Rationalize that away all you want, but that's the reality.
And I've been through a few elections as well. I don't get emotionally wrapped up in the candidate, but I can observe when a candidate connects on an emotional level with the electorate. That's Palin.
Perspective indeed. The folks around the Atlantic have completely lost it. Over a girl.
I'm not in the slightest bit scared of Sarah Palin either. She won some news cycles and did a bunch of things things that are going to sink John McCain in the end and no one really even needs to touch them. The thin veneer on this would have fallen off on it's own. Baiting the press, makes it worse. If she's your plan, I'd start working on plan B.
This isn't trash-talking. I've learned my lesson. When you lose this one, I really suggest you study this the way teams losing the super bowl look over what went wrong.
The Palin pick could have worked better. Handing her the generic VP speech was stupid. It's effect won't be immediately apparent but in retrospect and with a degree of understanding how things work... the problem becomes obvious.
I think you are just tinkerbell clapping at this point, but after it's all over that is the moment to study.
Don't you even wonder why it's even still a race? It shouldn't be, given the Bush handicap McCain bears. I won't need any quiet reflection to figure out why McCain lost, if that happens. It's supposed to happen.
I suspect the deconstruction will somewhat more rapid than the calm contemplation of what went wrong-- the heads of the true believers of Obama will explode. Talk about Tinkerbell and wishing really hard...
Weaksauce, and trolling defined all at once. Be man enough to show your work, instead of making baseless charges. If you can't even cite examples from this blog of that charge, you're not worthy of an argument. Your just coming over here, as the gentleman said, to trash-talk--which any blowhard on his third beer is quite capable of. Congratulations.
Mr. Coates, let us know next time you're here in Chicago (Chi, or Chi-Town okay for younger folks - just don't call it the Windy City). We need to thank you for your entertainment/information. Plenty of places to watch all the NFL (or soccer, for that matter) you want.
Martin, spot on posts. That TAL episode of "Harold" is so illustrative of our town. You and I agree - No Harold, No Barrack.
Good thing is that Axelrod saw all he slime & dirty tricks thrown at Harold so he can deal with the Rove-McCain tactics.
Here's a piece no one cared about. Meh, whatever, probably the most enjoyable article I did during my stint at TIME. Premiered a month before I got laid-off. The nail in the coffin? Ya think?
Here's me going after Al. I didn't so much have a problem with him, as I had a problem with media acting like this dude was the go-to guy for everything black.
This was my first real story at time. I was writing for the Business section, a real change of direction for me. At any rate, it's about Wal-Mart's attempts to colonize the inner-city. As much as I enjoyed this piece, I mostly enjoyed going out to Chicago, which is a beautiful, beautiful city.
This a piece I did about the cops just outside our nation capitol, in Prince George's County, a few years back. I wanted to offer a counter to the dumb, conventional wisdom that if you paint your police force black, you could eradicate police brutality. In fact, Prince George's--one of the richest, blackest counties in the country--also had one of the most brutal police force's in the country.
The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons, and an Unlikely Road to Manhood 
It's true...Chi-Town winters are brutal.
After a loss last season at to the Bears at Soldier Field in January...Brett Favre said it was the worst playing conditions of his career...and he has spent (most of it) in Green Bay.
Otherwise, it is a great city and under appreciated in my opinion.
Thanks for my new desktop background.
And I agree with bleigh82, the winter is brutal beyond imagining, but it's worth it for the rest of the year. Chicago also has a world-class road crew that keeps the streets and sidewalks clear in even the worst blizzard. It's pretty impressive an makes the otherwise unbearable bearable.
Chicago is like New York except a little friendlier and a lot less frantic. In my opinion it's just a matter of taste which one a person likes better, but I'd take the 2nd city any day.
Well, I am sure as hell looking forward to the article.
And I suspect the picture you posted is spot on. Now, excuse me while I recross my fingers and toes and go rub my rabbits foot again.
Welcome to Chicago! If you've got time, check out Rogers Park on the far northside - great dive bars and tons of great people.
I third (fourth, fifth...) the Welcome to Chicago comments! It might be rainy but it was still beautiful, at least when I was walking to work this morning. I can't wait to see what you're writing and I hope you have a great time here.
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town". Use that term, and you are marked as an out of towner.
Winters in Chicago are not that brutal. Slightly worse than the east coast which has the moderating influence of the ocean. We have not had a truly brutal in some time. 76-77 was the snowiest winter in history. 77-78 was the coldest. (it may be the reverse as to coldest and snowiest) 78-79 broke both records in the same year. We have occasional snow storms but average snowfall in Chicago is about 34 inches. From time to time, we have a week where the temperature stays around zero. This also happens in New York and Boston.
If we have another winter like 78-79, I am leaving town. We had 88 inches of snow - which never melted. There was a stretch of about 40-50 days where the temperature never got above freezing. And it kept snowing - and it kept piling up.
You can attribute the emergence of Barack Obama to the winter of 1978-79. Richard J. Daley died in December of 1976. Michael Bilandic took over. During the winter of 1978-79, he would get on tv and say everything is fine, the snow is being cleared (it was not). Public transit was fine - but so many trains were broken that the CTA skipped the close in stops in the black neighborhoods. In the democratic mayoral primary (in late February I think), people were so pissed that they voted for Jane Byrne rather than the machine backed Bilandic. Byrne promptly sold out to the machine so in 1983, there was an African American rebellion against the machine which led to Harold Washington as Chicago's first black mayor. I maintain - No Harold - No Barack.
Then we had the pleasant years of Chicago as Beirut by the Lake. If you want a taste of what it was like, listen to the This American Life episode, "Harold" -
http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=84
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town". Use that term, and you are marked as an out of towner.
But that's fine. One of the big differences between New York and Chicago is that we don't pretend we don't care when someone compliments our town. We love it when visitors have nice things to say. Welcome, out-of-towner!
As for the weather, that's just a matter of dressing right.
Martin,
I have exactly zero problem being marked as an out-of-towner. Being from B-More (which we do say), I've been one all my life.
I'm staying down on the South Side--which is like Mecca for black folks as far as I'm concerned. I know I've agreed with the sentiment that Harlem is Mecca--and in terms of art maybe it is. But the South Side is the cultural and economic Mecca.
I keep that picture on my desktop and open it whenever I fret that things are spinning out of control - which has been quite frequently lately. It really does have a calming effect!
Chicago is the greatest city in the world, but only six months of the year.
And if you want to be real hip you can call it "Chi-villa" instead of Chi-town.
Make sure you eat at Harold's!!!
Why the profanity? You are at the Atlantic. Obama is a walking manifestation of black excellence. Get it together! Sometimes I see flashes of brilliance and depth but it is not sustained. Doesn't being on the Atlantic blog roll matter to you? You are the first. Act like it.
Chicago has been called the most segregated city in America. I doubt people understand the depth of the segregation - it is not just black and white. Puerto Ricans are upset that Mexicans have moved into Humboldt Park. South Side blacks look down on West Side blacks - the country bumpkins. Winning the city high school basketball championship is important. South Side Simeon, Derrick Rose's alma mater, was top dog in 2006 and 2007. Marshall of the West Side was top dog this year. The South Side has its problems but the West Side is the classic case of the inner city disaster. It was burned down during the 1968 riots and never rebuilt. Very little of an economy although that is where the first city WalMart went. You see a lot of currency exchanges, liquor stores and storefront churches. Gentrification is moving steadily west. Should reach California Avenie (2800 west) soon. The poor inner city blacks are being pushed out into the inner ring suburbs - like Maywood and Bellwood.
Thanks Jay. I know where that comes from, and I appreciate it. I'm doing the best I can, sir.
Can you eat at Topolobampo and expense it as Obama research?The Globe's food section says he eats there.
After food my thoughts on Chicago are along these lines:
Fermilab has many geese. Also buffalo. Which is cool for a particle accelerator.
Some intersections don't have stop signs--the only traffic accident of my life was in Chicago.
If you work in Boston and your company merges with one in Chicago, no one wants to visit the sister office in the winter. Why don't we ever merge with companies in Hawaii? or even Orlando?
After almost five years in L.A., I still miss Chicago, winters or no, and look forward to moving back at some point. It's an easy city to fall in love with as opposed to L.A, which, for all it's lovely weather, is still just a place.
Why the comma splice? You are at the Atlantic. Get it together!
James from NJ beat me to it - but still. Thanks for the new desktop background.
I grew up in Chicago, but I live in Atlanta which is suppose to be the 'black mecca' but I must say the South Side of Chicago is a lot more inclusive and politically and culturally evolved. Even with Farakhan and J. Wright. I mean that as a joke.
Chicago has been called the most segregated city in America.
Please see: Detroit, Michigan
Word to that picture. I can't wait for the debates.
People who live in Chicago do not call the city "Chi-town".
Aw, c'mon, I call it that sometimes. Admittedly semi-jokingly, but still...
Where on the South Side are you, TNC? I'd guess Bronzeville or South Shore if you're describing it as the black Mecca. But yeah, Chicago's amazing, and it always amazes me how few people from the coasts even seem to consider it as a place to go to school or work.
If you're up for it, it might be cool to hold a quick drinks thing somewhere in town one evening, it's always interesting to meet the blogging community in real life.
the winter is brutal beyond imagining
Never spent a winter in Minnesota or points west, eh? Chicago winter has a couple of brutal weeks and then it turns into overcast not-quite-spring. I like the winter better than "late" spring, when it's almost nice, but there's still an icy breeze off the lake.
Puerto Ricans are upset that Mexicans have moved into Humboldt Park.
And the Irish don't like the Poles and the Lithuanians don't like the Russians and Kenilworth doesn't like Jews--it's always been a city of ethnic and racial enclaves. That isn't to minimize the real problems--especially in CPS--but if you get that fine grained about it, you'll find problems almost everywhere.
Some intersections don't have stop signs
Having grown up in a city of about 100k, I have driven thru many, many uncontrolled intersections. I have yet to see one in Chicago in over a decade here--although they do exist in teh 'burbs. Where is/was that?
Yo, I just came back from a biz trip to the Chi, and I'm with you: it's easy as hell to fall in love with the place. I got in on Sunday and it was the most beautifullest day (btw, that's a Keith Murray allusion for you grammar police).
It was my first time there--though I grew up a serious Bears and Bulls head--so it was extra special for me. Didn't have time to trek out to Soldier Field and the Museum, though I did make sure to bus it to the UC and pay my respects by kowtowing in front of the bronze Jordan.
Might be heading back in April. If so, I'm def looking forward to it.
1.
I'd second Kevin Drums suggestion: 'Obama needs to tighten up his answers. Make his point and move on.'
2.
He needs more hard-hitting ads. They dont have to be outright lies but he should not shun brutal truth:
-John McCain only met Sarah Palin once before he
made her his VP choice. Does he really expect
us believe he put country first?
-John McCain has been talking about change for
26 years and has yet to deliver. Isn't it going
to another lapse in judgment (Keating 5) for
him to come out with legislation?
-A 'daisy' ad with Sarah Palin in control of our
nuclear arsenal.
Being from Chicago, I can attest, the winters might be sorta harsh - you get used to them- but, I'm with the above poster. Let the snow stop and 3 hours later, you can drive on the main streets - it's a promise. No other mayor will EVER be thrown out because of the snow. It's sorta funny to me.
I love all 4 seasons in Chicago, but winter can be sort of a downer.
I've visited New York numerous times. Too crowded for me. Too fast paced. Nobody stops to breathe it seems in NYC.
Fermilab is a good hour outside Chicago. It's not in the city.
Have a great time while you're here. I love this place--and it's damn beautiful, too.
I've heard a lot of Chicagoans claim that only out-of-towners say "Chi-Town," but I've heard many African-American Chicagoans say it. Maybe it's not a resident/out-of-towner dichotomy, but white/black?
I don't know what the focus of the piece is, but I hope the article clears up some stuff about Hyde Park and its reputation as posh suburb. There are certainly some very nice areas (like where Obama lives), but a good bit of Hyde Park is inhabited by lower middle class and working class African-Americans. It says a lot that there's no commercial area near Hyde Park that is close to what you see on the North Side or even neighborhoods like Humboldt Park.
Why the profanity? You are at the Atlantic.
Oh, for god's sake. You're either 6 or 60; nobody else cares about the word "fuck."
If that language is good enough for our servicemen and women overseas, protecting us from seriously scary shit, then by god it's good enough for the Atlantic, or any other august publication.
I grew up in Chicago and I think people say Chi-Town all the time. Its a lot better than "Chicagoland."
Winter is not that colder or snowy but it is dreary. Thats what beats you down.
If you're looking for a nice south side run you can't go wrong with the Lake front. If you run north you get a beautiful skyline and the lake (not to mention a lot of barbecue scenery on the weekend). If you run south, Jackson Park (especially the backside of the museum and the wooded isle) and the South Shore country club are great getaways.
The picture is great, and the profanity is poignant. I'm white and young, and the generational relevance - for me - trumps any other signals it's sending. Just my two cents, but I understand Jay's point.
Back to the post. It means you won't have to listen to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-z2D9lo9-8&feature=related
Thank you for posting this picture! For the last several days, every time I need to be cheered up about this stupid campaign I've looked at that picture and chuckled. It might have kept me from jumping out off of the roof.
Well, this past winter was pretty brutal, but the past summer was one of the coolest on record. I did not have to run my A/C for most of it..
If you got time, borrow or rent a bike, and ride up and down Lake Shore Drive - there is no other ride like it in any major US city.
Are there a lot of TNC fans here in the Chi (see that's how Kanye and I do)?
Maybe a TNC fan barnight tomorrow night? Anyone? There's that Bar Louie down at the Pelican on--what is that?--53rd street? TNC, you wanna meet some of your friends from the city of the next century?
C'mon, let's at least get a D&D one-shot together. What do ya think?
Thanks for the image, friend. It's already getting a good reaction amongst my compadres.
Go to Mr. Beef on 666 N. Orleans and order a combo, hot and wet. You can thank me later.
Yeah maybe next time I'm here, I'll let folks know where I'll be hanging. It's weird. Not used to traveling since I started blogging. But I guess I need to start buying a round.
It's "Shhh caw gah" not "chi-town".
Our winters generally aren't that bad and serve the purpose of getting rid of our old and weak. We send them to Arkansas, and the western coast of Florida.
Why Obama could only have come out of Chicago.
Being melanin challenged I won't speak for the black community here, but my impression is that if you are black and ambitious Chicago is one hell of a place to live.
We do have our share of the urban gangster stupidity, but I'm working on a whole concept of dropping the worst bangers into Afghanistan in dresses and filming the results. I expect the crime rate to plummet and school attendance to rise.
Enjoy the best city in the country, and try to get to Soul Vegatarian East on E 75th!
Yeah Chicago winters are brutal but the food is the best in the land and it's makes up for it.
If you work in Boston and your company merges with one in Chicago, no one wants to visit the sister office in the winter. Why don't we ever merge with companies in Hawaii? or even Orlando?
Deborah, if you don't want to say that's fine but do you work in media research or PR?
Reading this thread is actually making me miss Chicago a little, despite not having lived there for 20 years. Frankly, while the winters suck, the real reason I'm never leaving California are eastern summers, with the high humidity. Yes, it regularly gets over 100 in Sacramento--but the thing about dry heat? Is true.
Re: the graphic.
great and all, except for the fact that BO manifestly does NOT "got it". A girl has him all geeked. She's so unqualified that she's occupied all of the attention for two weeks, and it's not letting up.
He's a lightweight who shies from a fight. He's a poser with a glass jaw. The fact that you need such a graphic in reaction to a girl joining the McCain two weeks ago shows the pathetic state of your champ.
Down goes Barry. Down Goes Barry. Down Goes Barry.
Keep making fun of the girl. It's all "you got."
She's so unqualified that she's occupied all of the attention for two weeks, and it's not letting up.
Yeah, that was some great attention...
I've been in losing election cycles before. I've been exactly where you are at. I volunteered for John Kutsch vs. Don Manzullo in 2002 and I *believed* we were gonna win.
When the candidate you don't even really like loses, and it's time for bloodletting...I suggest perspective. When you are out of power and it's all over, that's the time to stop and think about things. When you start typing things like "Of course John McCain was a loser, we needed *=Romney, Huckabee, etc.. give some thought to the idea that McCain really was your best bet this cycle. If you have a certain ideological persuasion hammer it home if you feel like it's going to win some interpartisan battle, but don't believe your own bullshit.
This is seriously friendly advice from someone who doesn't see a prayer in hell that your ticket is going to win in November.
Good ole Atlantic coding...
And that's what makes a market.
Where we differ is that I acknowledge that McCain could lose this. And he should--by any standard, the R candidate should not even be close. Why then does McCain lead with 8 weeks to go?
It's not because he's the wrong candidate. McCain is the only R who could have made it close. Palin may have put him over the top, as crazy as that sounds.
Deny it if you want, but Obama cannot close the deal. His mojo worked on all of the people it was going to work on. The few undecideds seem to have realized that Obama's all talk, and only when a teleprompter is near. Palin gives them new reasons to go for McCain. Perhaps that's why she drives Obama supporters crazy. Nobody's supposed to base their vote for the VP, but it's happening. Why?
Because Obama's appeal is limited, and Palin taps into the folks who were waiting for a reason to vote against Obama. Rationalize that away all you want, but that's the reality.
And I've been through a few elections as well. I don't get emotionally wrapped up in the candidate, but I can observe when a candidate connects on an emotional level with the electorate. That's Palin.
Perspective indeed. The folks around the Atlantic have completely lost it. Over a girl.
Ok.
I'm not going to bed shaking in my boots here.
I'm not in the slightest bit scared of Sarah Palin either. She won some news cycles and did a bunch of things things that are going to sink John McCain in the end and no one really even needs to touch them. The thin veneer on this would have fallen off on it's own. Baiting the press, makes it worse. If she's your plan, I'd start working on plan B.
But that's the point. It's NOT Palin. She's just the variable that exposed the fact that Obama can't get over the hump.
I think the problem is Obama. He can't do the hump-de-hump. But we shall see.
Even old Dick Durbin is contemplating suicide. From the NYT:
Asked directly about comparisons to the 2004 campaign, Durbin insisted: "We lived through it once, we won't again."
Poor Dick. He won't live through Obama losing.
You lose. The end.
This isn't trash-talking. I've learned my lesson. When you lose this one, I really suggest you study this the way teams losing the super bowl look over what went wrong.
The Palin pick could have worked better. Handing her the generic VP speech was stupid. It's effect won't be immediately apparent but in retrospect and with a degree of understanding how things work... the problem becomes obvious.
I think you are just tinkerbell clapping at this point, but after it's all over that is the moment to study.
I'm still up, so I haven't lost yet.
Neither has McCain.
Don't you even wonder why it's even still a race? It shouldn't be, given the Bush handicap McCain bears. I won't need any quiet reflection to figure out why McCain lost, if that happens. It's supposed to happen.
I suspect the deconstruction will somewhat more rapid than the calm contemplation of what went wrong-- the heads of the true believers of Obama will explode. Talk about Tinkerbell and wishing really hard...
Keep making fun of the girl. It's all "you got.",
Weaksauce, and trolling defined all at once. Be man enough to show your work, instead of making baseless charges. If you can't even cite examples from this blog of that charge, you're not worthy of an argument. Your just coming over here, as the gentleman said, to trash-talk--which any blowhard on his third beer is quite capable of. Congratulations.
Mr. Coates, let us know next time you're here in Chicago (Chi, or Chi-Town okay for younger folks - just don't call it the Windy City). We need to thank you for your entertainment/information. Plenty of places to watch all the NFL (or soccer, for that matter) you want.
Martin, spot on posts. That TAL episode of "Harold" is so illustrative of our town. You and I agree - No Harold, No Barrack.
Good thing is that Axelrod saw all he slime & dirty tricks thrown at Harold so he can deal with the Rove-McCain tactics.
If Harold was "Luke Skytalker", who is Barrack?
More Harold:
http://cbs2chicago.com/vault/harold.washington.council.2.594673.html