Potentially helpful: https://www.slowboring.com/p/im-still-not-feeling-very-optimistic
- I went to school in Manhattan for ~11 years and took a short trip to Chicago in the summer of 2024. I’ve been really interested in municipal governance since learning about Robert Moses, and I want to do some research to understand what could lead to some of the differences.
- Obvious
- Chicago is smaller
- NYC is way more internationally diverse
- Midwest vs East
- Chicago feels less rushed and the people feel generally nicer
- Vibes
- Affluent Chicago feels nicer than affluent NYC but the grimy parts of Chicago also feel worse?
- the river and being able to see buildings clearly and from a distance instead of having to crane your neck upward like you do in NYC probably plays into this
- The affluent parts of Chicago seem to have generally wider streets, open space, especially around the river
- I think my opinions here are highly biased by the fact that I was just extremely charmed by the river area
- The affluent parts of Chicago seem to have generally wider streets, open space, especially around the river
- Potential Reasons:
- Fire and having to rebuild?
- The total area of nice Chicago is just much smaller than nice Manhattan, so all of the best buildings are kind of in the same general area?
- the river and being able to see buildings clearly and from a distance instead of having to crane your neck upward like you do in NYC probably plays into this
- Something about the restaurants and stores just seems different
- The pizza is so much better
- The more everyday thin crust is better and deep dish is freaking phenomenal
- Might be a factor of Chicago being a less international city
- The pizza is so much better
- Chicago transit is awful compared to Manhattan
- From what I could tell, it feels a lot more necessary to have a car in Chicago (but you can still do fine without)
- Outside of the more affluent Chicago areas, Chicago definitely feels (and is objectively) less safe than NYC.
- Affluent Chicago feels nicer than affluent NYC but the grimy parts of Chicago also feel worse?
- I definitely don’t have a representative view of Chicago (or Manhattan for that matter → I’ve only really spent a lot of time in a couple of neighborhoods) so I should probably watch a couple of “life in Chicago” videos
- Obvious