Chicago
By "Jamie Sale"
Chicago is a midwestern farm town with city flair. It's a perfect blend between country living and city night life. The city covers a large area, but there are few "good" neighborhoods left in the actual city of Chicago. The suburbs sprawl all over northeastern IL and even into northwestern IN. The most exclusive housing is found north of the city, in trendy suburbs that pretend to be East Coast.
The Chicago accent emphasizes vowels, especially short ones. As for other speech quirks, the fizzy caffeinated drinks we love with our burgers are various types of "pop," round candies attached to sticks are "suckers," and the proper term for the type of shoes to wear while being athletic would be "gym shoes."
Culturally, Chicago thrives and the upper class elite flock to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) at Orchestra Hall, the Chicago Lyric Opera (CLO), the Art Institute, performances by Second City, the Joffrey Ballet, broadway shows at the Chicago Theater or the Ford Center, and scads of other museums and theaters. In the summers, you're not anyone if you don't catch a performance at Ravinia, an outdoor orchestra hall. Chicagoans are passionate about their food, particularly hot dogs with sauerkraut and relish and Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. You can't get anything like it anywhere else in the world and every night, thousands flock to Chicago pizza chains, like Giordano's, Gino's East, and Nancy's. If you're in the mood for something unique, try going to one of the ethnic neighborhoods to get authentic Polish, Russian, Greek, or Chinese cuisine. Excellent, authentic Mexican restaurants are all over the area.
For nighttime fun, the residents of Chicago enjoyed more relaxed activities than many other areas of the country. The movie theater is always a popular choice, as is having friends over to watch a sports event on TV. Speaking of sports, you either like the Cubs or the White Sox - never both. We're passionate about baseball in this town and football too, even though our team hasn't had a good year since go-go boots were in style. Cosmic bowling (bowling with glow-in-the-dark balls & pins and black lights, with fun dance music) is also a must for the Chicagoan. Bowling alleys are open until all hours of the night and they're always packed on the weekends. If your character lives in Chicago, please, do not have them go clubbing every night. Clubs do exist in Chicago, but they are not a big deal at all - yes, people go, but not all that often.
For a romantic evening, plan on watching the sun set and going for a hand-holding stroll along the lake downtown, ending at Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park. It's turned on and lit up on summer nights. A massive fountain and very romantic, I've seen many a man take a knee at this lovey-dovey hot spot. If it's winter, there is a large outdoor ice rink, similar to the one at Rockefeller Center in New York City. It's called located in Millenium Park, a brand new effort in beautifying downtown.
And finally...a few tidbits. Chicago is in northeastern Illinois with a large, important port at the southwest end of Lake Michigan. Yes, there are beaches north of the city. Yes, the far outskirts of the outlying suburbs do contain many a cornfield. Yes, the Chicago River is green. And yes, it is a wonderful place to live. The cost of living is slightly less than in New York or LA, but you still get the big city vibe.
