Everything that makes Chicago the best hometown in the world

From the South Side to the North Side there’s a lot to love. It’s not the fancy buildings or the tourist attractions that make it great, it’s the little things that differentiate a true Chicagoan from your typical suburbanite.

It’s wearing the Chicago flag necklace at your out-of-state college even though you secretly know no one will get it. It’s putting a train map on your wall and thinking about the time you definitely didn’t steal it in an empty train car on your way home from downtown. It’s jumping off the ledge with your friends or going to North Ave even though it’s always way too crowded. It’s learning how to walk and text when it’s 20 degrees below zero and you’re practically frozen. And finally, it’s embracing a city for all of its quirks. Let’s go.

The food. No not just deep dish pizza and hot dogs

Chicago food is not only amazing, it’s authentic. From Pilsen to Greektown to Chinatown, it’s not even up for debate whether or not Chicago food is good. Each area has its specialty, and each one is just as good as the next. You’re craving tamales? Pho? Pirogues? Chicago has them all – just bring your appetite.

The Good Ol’ CTA

Chicagoans have a love-hate relationship with the CTA (aka the Chicago Public Transit System). It can show up in the blink of an eye, or it can show up 20 minutes later. The “L” is our carriage ride after post Lollapalooza adventures or before our busy Monday mornings. It can take us from the North to the South to the West, and even to the suburbs. Just avoid that purple line express train to Evanston and make sure to save a seat on the winter-themed Christmas Train instead.

CPS (or the Chicago Public School system)

From kindergarten to high school, the Chicago Public School system provides education to kids from across the city. There are a number of top-ranked high schools that are among the top 10 schools in Illinois, but don’t think that there aren’t rivalries between them.

Whitney Young versus Lane Tech, Lane Tech versus Taft, Northside versus Payton, the list goes on. But at the end of the day, we’re all just CPS kids trying to avoid another pay cut from our city, while we pray for off-campus lunches and avidly wait on new air conditioning.

Weather: From snow to rain to heat to ice to fog

Chicago weather is like Ross and Rachel from Friends (circa 2007 of course): It just can’t decide who it wants to date. Or in this case, it can’t decide on rain or snow or sun every 25 minutes. From hot and humid summers to school closings for it being dangerously cold outside,Chicago weather teaches us resilience at an early age. The only thing you can count on are the below-freezing temperatures throughout March, maybe even April. So if you celebrate a birthday in late-March, you might want to think twice before having everyone meet up for a party at the beach.

Music festivals: The pride and joy of our summer

Music festivals are not just an event in Chicago, they’re a way of life. Whether you’re an EDM fan or classic rock lover, there’s a show for you. Favorites include the more popular festivals such as Lollapalooza (pictured above) and Spring Awakening, the highly suburbanite-infested Northcoast, and the hipster-infused Pitchfork. This year there was even one created by Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper (Magnificent Coloring Day).

The key to music festivals in Chicago is to have fun and not care about looking like an idiot in a flower headband or bandana – because you will, and that’s just something you have to accept, so accept it with pride and have some fun.

Traffic. Yeah, maybe just take the train…

When you can’t take the train, or just feel like driving, Chicago traffic will greet your car faster than you can say “rush hour”. Rush hour in Chicago is typically 7-9am and 4:30-6:30pm, but don’t forget about the 24/7 traffic coming back from O’Hare. Learning to drive in Chicago has its many challenges, but it only makes us more qualified to laugh at the bad drivers out in the ‘burbs.

Neighborhoods: What defines yours?

I can’t even name all of the neighborhoods in Chicago. Each section of the city has its own vibe that you figure out once you visit. Wicker Park is known for food, concerts, shopping, and most importantly, finding hipsters. Lincoln Park has luxury houses, and a good public high school that only half of the kids who live in the neighborhood actually go to. The Loop is where the tourists crowd the streets during spring, summer, and fall (they can’t handle our winters). There are plenty more that aren’t as basic and touristy, but I think you get the point.

Sports (Clearly I’m a Cubs fan)

I don’t follow sports at all, but even I know Chicago has amazing sports teams. You grew up as either a die-hard Cubs or Sox fan, screamed for the Bulls and the Bears, and chances are you wore the team apparel 24/7 during the season. You watched the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup year after year, and you still don’t know any of the words to Chelsea Dagger.

Events (Just picture that river green)

You’ve seen the green-dyed river on St. Patrick’s Day and the enormous Daley Plaza Christmas Tree covered with snow. You’ve decked yourself out in rainbow gear for Pride Parade and watched fireworks at North Ave on the 4^th of July. If you’re lucky, you even managed to make it to a Blackhawks parade or two. Or you’ve attended one of the several protests over the budget cuts for Chicago Public Schools. Basically if there’s a large gathering of people coming together to celebrate or speak about a cause, Chicago is the place to do it.

At the end of the day, it’s about embracing a city for what it is, flaws and all

We know we’re not a perfect city. We have numerous problems with the segregation of our communities, police brutality, corrupt government officials, gun violence, homelessness, and the list goes on.

But we don’t give up, and we’re constantly improving little by little. Chicago is a city of hope and prosperity, and just like our city, our people are outstanding.

So next time you tell someone about Chicago, don’t forget the details that make it stand out from the rest.