city warz - LA vs. Chicago

I don't have an opinion on this. I've only been to LA for a few hours and it seemed all right, so even if I tried to proclaim why Chicago was better, I'd be talking out of my ass.

l.a. wins out when it comes to food and geography and proximity to other interesting cities, and weather. chicago wins on housing options, the skyline, the people, the architecture, the general big-city energy which l.a. lacks in some ways, the museums, and the overall tolerability of the suburbs.

i will give it to chicago, also b/c my family roots there go back to the 1820s-30s.

chicago wins on rock n roll and cheese, loses on general aesthetics of the population and every single minute between the six months between october and may.

i need a nap, obviously.

every single minute between the six months between october and may.

^^^^^^^seriously thinking about moving

not to LA, tho

dont underestimate the weather thing

-- max, Monday, May 5, 2008 1:54 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

also babes, medical marijuana, mexican food

-- max, Monday, May 5, 2008 1:55 PM (2 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

yeah i wish there was mexican food in chicago!

chicago has weather, babes and mexican food

fyi

lol

it may not have a 'weather thing'

it also has people who take everything really literally, apparently

when i come back to chicago, the people who seemed like douches are practically bros now that i've met l.a. douches

Chicago is real and the crime is more organized.

I love going home to Chicago but I have to vote L.A. Everyone I know here is from NY and Chicago anyway.

You know what town also has a lot of Chicagoans? Phoenix.

every single minute between the six months between october and may.

^^^^^^^seriously thinking about moving

not to LA, tho

-- deej, Monday, May 5, 2008 3:57 PM (Monday, May 5, 2008 3:57 PM) Bookmark Link

this is the reason a very awesome friend of mine transferred to l.a., this winter fucking killed everyone it seems. i don't think i can take another one.

people always complain about winters in chicago, but i love them. it's the summers that can be a real bitch. i grew up w/o air conditioning.

chicago is gonna win this poll b/c there are a ton of chi people on this board and they rep their city hard, theres only like 12 angelenos and no overwhelming city pride

omar, this one was different. fucking brutality.

Everyone I know here is from NY and Chicago anyway.

i think jmc is the only chilxor who was born here? most seem to be from north carolina?

heavy snowfall in april is a bitch

i was born in chicago

make that two then.

i haven't been this mad about missing snowfalls since that crazy blizzard shut down manhattan while i was home for break back in '95/'96

secondary poll: cuauh v. beckham

http://www.vanguardia.com.mx/XStatic/vanguardia/images/espanol/cuaunta15nov07.jpg

i was born in ELGIN

I'll be the lone voice for "winter's not that bad" but like jmc I haven't been to LA outside of the airport so I can't really make a quality decision. Blanco pwns Becks tho.

Don't mess with WAUKEGAN

YOU'RE PRETTY FACE IS GOING TO WAUKEGAN.

dammit, gonna be singing that to myself all day now.

i like la and prefer it to nyc most days, i have never been to chicago : (

i prefer l.a. to nyc almost every day

ILXors originally from the Chicago area.xls:

jaymc, Granny Dainger = Bolingbrook
felicity = Waukegan (apparently)
Amateurist, deej = Evanston
Melissa W. = Wheaton
omar little = Woodstock
phil-two, k3rry k3ane = Chicago

T0dd Sw1ss = Naperville

i hated la in my youth w/o ever stepping foot in it, think a lot of people do that

i'd like to see a boston vs san francisco poll except nearly everyone hates boston, including me, so what would be the fun in that?

that would be an unfair competition

chicago is really pretty today so i feel guilty for all the shit i've been talking about it all winter, but i think it is ultimately not really for me maybe.

how long have u been here?

almost 5 years. for school. if i had a normal job, i think i'd probably like it a lot better.

but i think it is ultimately not really for me maybe.

i'm in all likelihood moving back east in the fall for family reasons but i think ultimately i'll come back here. oh, and i was hanging out with buffalo folk this weekend.

after I saw how many ex-Chicagoans there were in the Valley of the Sun, my business plans were to import good pizza and italian beef out there. Alas, I have no business acumen.

OPEN A HOT DOG STAND. it's hard to fuck up hot dogs.

Does Aur0ra count as Chicago area? If so, add me to Chicago_area.xls

Chicago by a mile.

most seem to be from north carolina?
what are you smoking? i think only jeff is from nc. some of us lived there for a while but i am from NE OH.

my hometown is the butt of many jokes, but at least it's not in north carolina.

also i have never been to LA so chicago 4eva

i guess the last stop before here was north carolina for a few folks (jenny, jeff, jesse, courtney).

er, ?

the lesson, as always, disregard anything i have to say.

Does Aur0ra count as Chicago area? If so, add me to Chicago_area.xls

Totes. I knew I was forgetting someone. I mean, there's probably another handful more, if you count random ILM posters that don't say hi on the Chicago thread.

chicago's weather thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwA-MvEfTLY

<3

See like I said, not really bad. Getting dark at 4 PM is what sucks the worst.

mindy kaling lives in l.a. which is a point in its favor.

This whole idea of people being "better" in one city versus another is ridiculous.

spencer otm, assholes populating the world shocker

love and miss both these towns so much

chicago winter mornings where there's not a cloud in the sky and its 5 degrees out are the best.

mindy kaling is better than other people.

xpost

All generalizations are ridiculous.

if Chicago had LA weather it would be more expensive than SF or NYC

also chikev what do you mean when you say chicago loses on "general aesthetics"? it lacks(real) beaches and mountains but i think its a much prettier city than LA. I like LA's style though too.

Chicago has very little grafitti for a city its size which in some ways is :( but in other ways is :)

i think kevin's talking about girls maybe? chicago is a really beautiful city.

Chicago has very little grafitti for a city its size which in some ways is :( but in other ways is :)

-- gr8080, Monday, May 5, 2008 5:25 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Link

bcause you cant buy spray paint w/in the city limits

Graffiti is coming back... take the Pink Line some time for some real nice pieces at train-level.

also it is a felony to posses spraypaint after 9pm (is this really true?)
also Mayor Daly's Grafittibusters with their huge annual budget- if your property gets vandalized the city removes it free within a few days.

i think kevin's talking about girls maybe? chicago is a really beautiful city.

-- horseshoe, Monday, May 5, 2008 12:26 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i guess not just girls but people in general look more attractive/intersting in LA

i called graffitibusters once because someone had tagged our building. they were very efficient and came within 24 hours or so!

Chicago.

WHOSE apartment was right next to Wrigley Field?

That's right, the apartment of Larry Appleton and Balki Bartolkomos!

Chicago (where I've never been) might have more urbanity and history than LA, but NY has more of those things than Chicago, and to the extent that there may be an older feel to Chicago, I'm guessing it's in no small part because it isn't as vital or globally-linked a city. Ignoring the vacuum in which these are the only two cities, I imagine two particular reasons to prefer Chicago (besides, you know, hailing from there): 1) you want a more American (read: interior/insular, to some extent) place, and 2) you want a stronger civic feeling, whether based in ethnic neighborhood ties, or more broadly, born of a high-but-middling density and an unpretentious (for lack of a better word) midwestern cultural influence

do chicago people who have lived in coastal cities feel like they are "living by water" with their "inland sea"?

STANDING TALL
ON THE WINGS OF FUCK L.A.

That said I've never been to Chicago in winter. The weather in LA might make me reconsider my vote if I had.

generaliZing

i feel more like im living by the water than i would in nyc

yes

gabbneb continuing his tradition of being the expert on places he's never been to

mindy kaling lives in l.a. which is a point in its favor.

-- horseshoe, Monday, May 5, 2008 3:08 PM (38 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i saw her at pinkberry once

+15 L.A.

WHOSE apartment was right next to Wrigley Field?

lol I was like "jaxon?"

chicago is a gorgeous city, and very clean for how big it is.

i was surprised how different NYC was when i finally visited.

gr8080, are you from Chicago, too? I know you lived here once upon a time.

Uh. If you live in Chicago you aren't "living by water", you are actually living by actual water. Dumbass.

WHOSE FAKE apartment address was Wrigley Field?

That's right, the fake apartment address of Jake and Elwood Blues!

a point in chicago's favor: chicago is a city where not only is there actual living by actual water, i can afford to live 1.5 blocks from it.

I dunno about 'civic feeling'... Chicago has tons of dumbass Big 10 douchebag drunks spiking their hair and pretending to be lifelong Cubs fans. I think I like NYC more culturally, but fuck jesus shits rent is TOO HIGH. Too indie rawk, this town.

chicago is incredibly, incredibly segregated

Uh. If you live in Chicago you aren't "living by water", you are actually living by actual water. Dumbass.

the quotes don't mean what you think they do, but lol

and to the extent that there may be an older feel to Chicago, I'm guessing it's in no small part because it isn't as vital or globally-linked a city.

I don't think it's that so much as no Robert Moses to plow everything down to make room for cars.

Living on a huge honking lake in a town built over a huge honking river with locks and drawbridges feels more like living by water than in a desert city with a perennial water shortage, yes.

xpost yes, famously segregated. The North/South animosity is very meaningful.

xp to jaymc

i lived in chicago for a year when i was a baby, but wasn't born there.

my family has chicago roots a few generations deep on both sides. somehow it feels more like home than any place i have memories of living with my parents does. all three of my siblings moved there after i did. also, i lived in chicago longer than anywhere else in my life.

people of one city being "better" than those from another is ridiculous, yes. but people from one city being more in tune with your values/interests/personality type and just generally being more relatable to you personally is a totally valid OPINION

i love l.a. but that's what i'm talking about

LA is a much safer place to live if you are a cougar

i hate what pop culture has done to my initial reactions to certain words

If there were an ACTUAL war, Chicago would stomp all over LA like General Sherman's army.

having spent more than a day but less than a week in either city, I'm voting Chicago just based on general vibe/music/reputation. I'd rather stay on the east coast than ever live somewhere else, but I'd sooner move to Chicago (and almost did a couple years ago) than anywhere west coast. plus my brother lives in Wisconsin and if he can adjust to midwestern winters, so could I.

I love Chicago and it will always be familiar and my first reference point, but for that very same reason it feels limited and limiting. Even when I go back to Chicago to visit, things haven't changed that much--or in the case of some neighborhoods, have changed for the worse. It's just a more static place. Having lived in LA almost 4 years now, it still feels like there are greater opportunities--size is definitely a factor here--and new shit pops up all the time. Also, in terms of art museums & galleries, LA wins hands down.

things don't stop there, of course, but my understanding was the Art Institute beats the LACMA pretty easily

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-schmich_18apr18,0,4690095.story

i like being v. social and have a large network of friends that i feel like could be lost if i move to a place like ny or la where u are so separated from ppl who dont live in your immediate area ...? I like that I live down the block from like 20 different ppl that i know ... after work today im going to a friends' bbq just down the street from my apt in his back yard, and we'll probably walk to a bar where we could run into other people that i know, or we could just call them and they'll meet us there, and its like no big thing.

i feel like if i lived in ny id probably see the same 3 ppl over and over again just because they'd be the ones who actually lived near me

so basically we're otm about the cold in winter, but we should shut up because early spring is nicer in chicago, xp

true, you should shut up

stfu

Why do people insist that NYC is some kind of dystopian solitary confinement cell where you will be unable to form human bonds? It's not like there's an affect inhibitor in the water, you know.

am i the only ilxor actually born in la?

a place like ny or la where u are so separated from ppl who dont live in your immediate area

waht

http://filmbuzi.hu/files/film2007/escape-from-new-york-poster.jpg

Yeah, Chicago can be just as dispersed... I have friends in Wicker Park, Boystown, Bridgeport, Hyde Park, Devon... it's not easy getting everyone together.

isn't spring like the time to be in the midwest in general?

And without cars... forget it.

in l.a. it is more of a problem but social laziness is everywhere

am i the only ilxor actually born in la?

No, but we are according to most people the only people ever born in LA.

i think kevin's talking about girls maybe? chicago is a really beautiful city.

-- horseshoe, Monday, May 5, 2008 12:26 PM (13 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i guess not just girls but people in general look more attractive/intersting in LA

-- gr8080, Monday, 5 May 2008 22:41 (1 hour ago) Link

that's it exactly.
based on my visits to l.a. in particular and southern california, the ratio of insanely attractive people to regular looking folks is off the charts. the midwest in all it's sausage and cheese glory isn't in the same league.

University of Chicago vs. UCLA: University of Chicago
University of Illinois, Chicago vs UCLA: UCLA
University of Chicago Men's Bball vs UCLA Men's Bball: heh
Arty Institute of Chicago vs LACMA: AIC
Arty Institute of Chicago vs LACMA + BCAM: LACMA
Chicago Bears vs LA no team: LA
Chicago NHL squad vs LA NHL squads: lololol
Chicago public transportation vs LA public transportation: Chicago
Chicago live music scene vs LA live music scene: LA
Illinois vs California: California
Lake Michigan surfing vs. Malibu surfing: Malibu
Big-10 steakheads vs. industry poseurs 2 years out of Emory: push
Bobblehead chicks vs nice midwestern girls who played field hockey: midwestern girls
Winter and Summer: LA
Spring and Fall: Chicago
Chicago architecture vs LA architecture: my heart says Chicago; my head says push
The price of beer: Chicago
The price of real estate: Chicago
Chicago food vs LA food: fuck seven different kinds of steak, I'll take LA

Chicago, it's cheaper to live there for a reason. QED.

I grew up in Texas but I've lived in Chicago for over ten years now. The first few years I lived here I really hated it because of the drunken Big 10 chucklehead nonsense. I got past that and the rest of the place has worn me down. I like it now. I know I'm not going to live here forever, but I do appreciate it.

I've spent some time in LA and I actually like it for different reasons. Most of those reason revolve around natural beauty and outdoors sorts of activities. Also, it's true, LA does have more to offer in terms of museums and film (obv.) but not in terms of music.

Whoever said upthread that LA is a better restaurant city is wrong. I'd argue that Chicago beats LA food-wise, despite LA's proximity to awesomely fresh produce.

I'd almost say it's wash except...I kind of hate driving. It's possible to not own a car in Chicago (although I do). Chicago wins!

i've only been to chicago a couple of times for work. it was cool.still i have to rep the home town anyways. City of Angeles

which seven are you talking about? carne asada burritos, thai pepper steak, prime dry-aged rib eyes, schwarma, italian beef sammies, cemita milanesa, and sabri nehari?

underrated part of chicago winters: sitting in a bar talking politics with a bunch of big fat bun e. carlos looking motherfuckers. esp. if they have the harsh accent.

University of Chicago vs. UCLA: University of Chicago

not in science/medicine/engineering/research funding

i would say l.a. wins in food but it's getting closer, chicago's restaurant scene is pretty forward-thinking. the local music scene in l.a. isn't as good as chicago's for the most part, though the number of bad bar blues bands throughout the city takes it down a notch or two.

ts: krumping vs footworking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUuTDftJ8p4

oh dear lord I forgot the Great Lakes accent vs. the Chicano accent (which has definitely transcended its origin - I know Nisei who sound like Latin Playboys on the phone): LA - no American accent is more painful than Great Lakes

record stores: amoeba is great but i'd trade dusty groove and the rest of my chicago favorites for it.

Arty Institute of Chicago vs LACMA + BCAM: LACMA

my parents' review of the Broad Collection: if he had given them the stuff outright, they probably would have turned around and sold it

though the number of bad bar blues bands throughout the city takes it down a notch or two.

-- omar little, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 00:06 (30 minutes ago)

Sure, but 99% the time you have no reason to ever encounter bands like this if you don't want to. It's not like they're playing at otherwise cool venues.

I'm from Chicago and currently live in Evanston. I visit my friend in LA/Hollywood and all we talk about is how much better Chicago is, save for medical marijuana and film scene (points to Chicago too for Siskel, Music Box, Facets). Chicago just plain kicks all kinds of ass. Wish we had the Lakers instead of the Bulls, though. I can appreciate that the visual arts scene is much better in LA, but dang if you don't have drive hither and yond for galleries and museums - I get sad when great talent leaves Chicago for LA.

true enough i suppose, i think it's just my burnout from hearing sweet home chicago ad infinitum over the years

chicago music scene is literally the number one reason i've stayed here the last two and a half years.

UofC doesn't offer courses in engineering, so it's kind of pointless to compare it to other schools on that basis. Then again, this whole thread is pretty much an exercise in futility so whatevs, I only work there, no need to play save-a-U on their behalf.

I don't really see a lot of the Big 10 steakhead types around, but I guess that's because I live somewhat removed from the Wrigley/Lincoln Park/general north side nexus of that business. I probably wouldn't notice them that much anyway, having grown up in a midwest college town.

Hey, Chicago people posting in this thread should maybe come say hi in the rolling Chicago thredz sometime if they don't already post there.

actually forget what i said because bad blues stuff aside, l.a. isn't even in the running w/r/t local music

you got the lamps, i'd trade all but maybe 3 chicago bands for them.

my parents' review of the Broad Collection: if he had given them the stuff outright, they probably would have turned around and sold it

Your parents are philistines. The entire wing would be worth it for the Koons bunny and balloon dog alone. Maybe even just the bunny.

you got the lamps, i'd trade all but maybe 3 chicago bands for them.

But we also have Rilo Kiley. I'd trade them for draft picks.

yeah, I don't think my parents are big Jeff Koons fans, though I know people with lots of money are. isn't the balloon dog on the roof of the Met at the moment?

UofC doesn't offer courses in engineering, so it's kind of pointless to compare it to other schools on that basis.

right, it doesn't compare. I'm not saying UCLA's a better undergrad school, tho it is improving, but if you're comparing universities, you have to look at the overall.

Many of U of C's grad programs are overrated, though if you want to learn dead Middle Eastern languages you are set. UCLA's got a banging musicology dept, yes?

WHOSE apartment was right next to Wrigley Field?

lol I was like "jaxon?"
-- jaymc, Monday, May 5, 2008 10:49 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

ha. me too!

chicago is incredibly, incredibly segregated

-- deej, Monday, May 5, 2008 11:06 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

one of the main reasons i left

am i the only ilxor actually born in la?

-- chaki, Monday, May 5, 2008 11:44 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Link

no

dad grew up in chicago, mom grew up in LA. lived in la 23 yrs, chicago 1yr. would i move back to either? only LA. chicago as a city is amazing. the public transportation, the actual downtown. the music is (was? i don't listen to current music much anymore) better in chicago. but the weather sucks. i don't really like the midwestern vibe. it's probably the better city to visit.

nabisco pointed this out on the NYC vs CHI thread but another great thing about Chicago is that if you want to have a car, you can and if you don't want to you don't really need it.

Wow I've never seen the CTA lauded so much as on this thread.

My bus caught on fire this morning across the street from the Museum of S&I.

mindy kaling lives in l.a. which is a point in its favor.

-- horseshoe, Monday, May 5, 2008 3:08 PM (38 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i saw her at pinkberry once

-- max, Monday, May 5, 2008 5:48 PM (3 hours ago) Bookmark Link

[YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT I WAS GONNA POST HERE]

I'm moving away from Chicago, for reasons unrelated to the city itself. But yeah, this winter was fucking terrible. Good thing I'm moving to Minneapolis (<3).

Also, spending most of the day biking all over the place (Evanston to Hyde Park to Oak Park), I've come to fully appreciate how really, really, REALLY segregated the city is. And while Chicago might be cleaner than NYC or LA, the amount of trash in some neighborhoods is pretty astounding.

xps seriously CTA must only look good when you're comparing it to whatever LA's got

Wow I've never seen the CTA lauded so much as on this thread.

mindy kaling lives in l.a. which is a point in its favor.

-- horseshoe, Monday, May 5, 2008 3:08 PM (38 minutes ago) Bookmark Link

i saw her at pinkberry once

-- max, Monday, May 5, 2008 5:48 PM (5 hours ago) Bookmark Link

OMG I SHOULD MOVE TO LA AND HANG OUT AT THIS "PINKBERRY"

yeah, I don't think my parents are big Jeff Koons fans, though I know people with lots of money are.

WAT?

Wow. We really flushed out some closet Chicagoans on this thread (by that I mean that I've never seen them on the Chicago thread).

I have to visit LA, because I've been mildly hating it sight unseen for about 20 years now and I suspect that I will find things to like about it. And other things that prove that my feeling was right all along.

most old Chicagoans : the Chicago thread :: Jesse : Chicagoans talking about music

The only time I've been to L.A. was when I was visiting friends in San Diego six years ago and we decided to take a drive up to CalArts for the day (one was thinking about applying there). I practically had to beg them to stop in L.A. on the way back; they were all "It's such a shithole, it's not worth it" etc. Since they lived in southern California, they probably had more reason to dislike it than most people, but I still sort of resented (and still do resent) that kneejerk antipathy toward the city.

If there were an ACTUAL war, Chicago would stomp all over LA like General Sherman's army.

You are on fucking crack.

LA has like over a million more people.
Also, Chicagoans are too nice to fuck with LA. Just try to get in the way of some Angeleno's money. Seriously. Try it.

A friend who lived there for a few years, and whose opinion I expressly trust on such things, loved LA. Was kind of enchanted by it, the way anyone who's able to be enchanted by a city gets when they really mean it. He will still defend it to the death (of the argument). It's obvious that the LA stereotype of it all being shallow Hollywood and valley rejects can't hold water, because it's just too big to be that small, if you see what I mean. But he was a big appreciator of the LA that most people that live there don't even pay much attention to -- the large parts that are very walkable, the great bookstores, the really superior ethnic food -- the kind of things that are associated in the pop imagination with New York and SF, but specifically not LA. He convincingly argues, everything you know about LA is wrong, if you know how to look.

I have never lived there, only visited. It looked like Houston to me.

I like Chicago and all, but I'm ready for some shit like this and this at the end of a long day.

the beach i can deal with, but that first pic is... a mountainous desert. You long for mountainous desert? Really?

You can also get that kinda shit in Albuquerque.

except for the beach part.

After years of flat, flat, flat, yeah, give me a trail that leaves me winded.

you only have to deal with hollywood douchebags if you go to hollywood douchebag bars.

If there were an ACTUAL war, Chicago would stomp all over LA like General Sherman's army.

You are on fucking crack.

LA has like over a million more people.
Also, Chicagoans are too nice to fuck with LA. Just try to get in the way of some Angeleno's money. Seriously. Try it.

-- B.L.A.M., Tuesday, 6 May 2008 04:54 (21 minutes ago) Link

Not on crack. Just from Chicago. What I should have said was:

Chicago has the smartest scientists and the Fermilab Tevatron particle accelerator. If there were an ACTUAL war, Chicago would bomb LA to kingdom come.

Don't be so certain. JPL + Latin Playboys = win.

you only have to deal with hollywood douchebags if you go to hollywood douchebag bars.
yes, thats true. but then you have to deal with wannabe-hollywood douchebags in every other bar in the city which is probably worse.

also, whoever said that LA has better food, I dunno about that one. LA has better Mexican and Asian food (especially korean & sushi), though Chicago does have two of the best authentic Thai restaurants in the country (Spoon Thai & TAC Quick). But Chicago kills LA on most everything else, except for salads I guess.

i think if Michelin did guides, Chicago would certainly have more stars than LA.

though i actually don't mind LA. i just need to get a drivers license before my next trip there.

You long for mountainous desert? Really?

I sure the hell do. And having it a short drive from a beach is unbeatable.

Everyone is convinced that Chicago's music scene womps all over LA's, but LA is way more represented in my music collection than Chicago. Maybe it's cause I don't like indie/rock?

I can't comment on a war between the citizenries, especially if the field of battle is unspecified (Valley Girls suffering through Valley Forge II, etc.), and I note that there are major rivers, deserts and mountain ranges between the cities. But if you want to look at institutions, I note that FermiLab (where one of my college best friend's parents work) is located in Batavia, Illinois and contains no weapon facilities - if it's gonna blow anything up, it's Chicagoland. If you want to extend the city that way, tho, LA has, in addition to Cal Tech, the LA AFB (space and missile systems), Vandenberg, March AFB, Miramar, Edwards, Lockheed Martin, Northrop-Grumman, Boeing, Hughes Aircraft, Camp Pendleton, San Diego Naval Station, Fort Irwin/the National Training Venter (GTA: Iraq), the California National Guard, the bloods, the crips, the entertainment industry, the paparazzi, Kaiser Permanente, Cedars-Sinai and the University of Southern California Trojan Marching Band. Chicago's got a lot of big fat guys.

You long for mountainous desert? Really?

Really Doe

JPL be on the rocket science tip. Them + CalTech + Dr. Dre? they be droppin' BOMBS.

Total Research Funding, 2005:

UCLA $786M
USC $445M
UIC $318M
U. Chicago $294M
Irvine $277M
Cal Tech $265M

Relative size of the Unis considered in that list MUST factor into your analysis. The Research Funding per student numbers would be FAR more revealing.

CalTech is like three or four square blocks in Pasadena. UCLA is half of Westwood.

i know how much physical space the LA schools take up and while i'm not doing analysis, students don't have much to do with the issue.

i hated LA for a lot of years but lately ive got nothing but all kinds of love for it. It certainly beats Chicago by miles.

xps seriously CTA must only look good when you're comparing it to whatever LA's got

or boston, or portland, or memphis. or hey, have you ever been on the people mover in detroit? imagine if instead of multiple lines going to the loop there was one train line and it only went to the abandonned factories on the west side.

You are on fucking crack.

LA has like over a million more people.
Also, Chicagoans are too nice to fuck with LA.

i'd be wililng to bet the crime statistics would show that nicety isn't one of chicago's strong suits.

hmmm, according to fbi data, despite having a million more people, there were only 12 more murders in la in 2006 (last year of complete data). and there were over 3,000 fewer aggravated assaults out there.

CTA is pretty good but it could have done without bulldozing several green line branches on the southside. Could do with through ticketing on the Metra and the Metra should run through the city, also a decent Metra connection to O'Hare would be good too.

CTA is pretty good but it could have done without bulldozing several green line branches on the southside.

If they hadn't done this (though it was many years ago and *supposedly* because of neighborhood demands) I would be able to ride the El all the way to work.

My U of C sociologist girlfriend pretty much put the bulldozing of the greenline branches down to them serving Black neighborhoods.

done without bulldozing several green line branches on the southside

they didn't bulldoze any lines. they closed some stops over the years (university in '85, dorchester in '73, etc.) but most of those had seen steep ridership drops after the dan ryan el opened anyway.

having spent about two weeks cumulatively in both places I can say Chicago wins on pretty much every front except for weather. I should note that I turn in to a whiny bitch when it dips below 52 degrees F.

though it was many years ago and *supposedly* because of neighborhood demands)

i used to work with a guy who grew up down here who said his preacher made $$$ off the green line terminating at cottage grove after the '96 green line rehab. it's amazing what not having an elevated train running behind your buildings will do for property values.

http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/maps/1933map.jpg

See mainly kenwood and stockyards branches

yeah, i miss those branches that closed in the mid-50s too.

I was talking about the 63rd branch, Ed, the Dorchester stop would come in pretty handy these days.

(that's a cool map btw)

It's a cool site, http://www.chicago-l.org/, lots of CTA history.

Weird. That site is blocked at my work.

actuall, this map is way clearer:

http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/maps/1938map.jpg

uh i can't see those maps either and my work doesn't block anything

Yeah, I had trouble, too. Try this, and scroll down?

http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/index.html

Interesting to see that there was an early version of the Skokie Swift 70 years ago.

I grew up in L.A. and stayed there waaaay too long. I've visited Chicago once.

I voted Chicago based on musical terms - Rotary Connection being a big reason. (maybe the lamest?) Yeah, yeah, skyline, public transit, arts, Lake Michigan, cost of living, etc.

I was hoping this would be actual WARZ thread.

Pit every L.A. mayor against every Chicago mayor of the respective era.

At least until 1976, Chi would preserve disorder in L.A. with a flick of the hand. (see what i did there?)

http://www.chicago-l.org/maps/route/maps/

For some reason I can access this address, and then from there go to the maps posted.

My work also blocks nothing. Good maps!

I can say Chicago wins on pretty much every front except for weather. I should note that I turn in to a whiny bitch when it dips below 52 degrees F.

for me its:

I can say LA wins on pretty much every front except for weather. I should note that I turn in to a whiny bitch when it dips above 52 degrees F.

if we're going to compare the cities based on how many poor people kill each other, yes, Chicago has a higher murder rate in the aggregate, but I think those measures may follow the city boundaries. in this regard, it's notable that Compton, for instance, is a separate city in LA county. if you go below the large-city measures, it's #14 on the most dangerous list, while the only Chicago-area city in the top 25 is Gary, at 17. a number of LA/SoCal cities are among the safest places.

Chicago-area city in the top 25 is Gary, at 17.

the mob's been dumping bodies in gary for 40 years!

We moved to Chicago instead of LA in part because LA is too far away from the east coast. I like having to fly only 2 hours to get back home.

Chicago...L.A...Tom Friedman kind of has it right:

A few weeks ago, my wife and I flew from New York’s Kennedy Airport to Singapore. In J.F.K.’s waiting lounge we could barely find a place to sit. Eighteen hours later, we landed at Singapore’s ultramodern airport, with free Internet portals and children’s play zones throughout. We felt, as we have before, like we had just flown from the Flintstones to the Jetsons. If all Americans could compare Berlin’s luxurious central train station today with the grimy, decrepit Penn Station in New York City, they would swear we were the ones who lost World War II.

wtf with this thread getting all "my crime is bigger than yours"

see thread title

no one's gonna deny that there's lots of ugly in NY. it's the price of efficiency and a side-effect of old infrastructure that still functions very well. if Singapore's the Jetsons and NY's the Flintstones, then what's London? and why doesn't the metaphor correspond to their global significance or financial power?

holy crap it's so gorgeous outside chicago would win, for today anyway, over anyplace on earth. why am i inside?

I'd settle for an open window. It's the perfect day. I will be having extra "smoke" breaks this afternoon.

i was outside all day suckas

You long for mountainous desert? Really?

-- kenan, Tuesday, 6 May 2008 05:09 (Yesterday) Link

yes, you mope, duh.

it is pretty shocking. i mean when ever do you see mountainous desert romanticized in American culture???????

Thomas Friedman would live in a fascist police state as long as it smells good and he gets nice reception on his Blackberry.

holy crap it's so gorgeous outside chicago would win, for today anyway, over anyplace on earth. why am i inside?

-- chicago kevin, Tuesday, May 6, 2008 12:37 PM (10 hours ago) Bookmark Link

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Thomas Friedman would live in a fascist police state as long as it smells good and he gets nice reception on his Blackberry.

-- Gavin, Wednesday, May 7, 2008 3:27 AM (2 days ago) Bookmark Link

His whole theory, though, is that Blackberry reception prevents fascism.