Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with newyork and chicago

Chicago to New York for cheap with a week of notice?

jordanlewis — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 11:26:00 -0800

Please help me find the cheapest way to get from Chicago to New York late next week! I need to travel from Chicago to New York on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday of next week to celebrate my father's birthday. I don't have a car. Is there a cheaper way of doing this than taking the major train/bus/plane carriers? The prices I've found are:

JetBlue: $199
Southwest: $199
Amtrak: $~130 (and super slow, according to this question)
Greyhound: $77

What I'm wondering is whether there is a sneakier way of traveling, perhaps using multiple cheaper carriers. For example, a MegaBus to Cleveland is only $35, and perhaps there is a cheap way of getting from Cleveland to New York that I am unaware of. Do you know of any routes like this?

All suggestions are welcome.

Graphic Design future in Chicago or New York?

buriednexttoyou — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 16:09:37 -0800

My future as a graphic designer: Stay in Chicago, or move to New York? After a few years of searching for my passion in life, I've found my place as an illustrator and graphic designer. I live in a suburb of Chicago, and I do some design work for a small bank that loves darn near everything I do. My success there inspired me to enroll in the Graphic Design program at the College of DuPage. For the first time in my life, I care about school enough to get straight A's, and I'm a favorite of all my teachers. COD is a two-year school, so I will have an associate's degree in Graphic Design when I am done.

Here's the question: What's next?

I could move to Chicago and try to get work as a designer, or I could transfer to a four-year school and get a bachelor's first. After reading some threads on AskMe, though, it sounds like Chicago is not the best city for designers. New York seems to come up a lot, and the idea of going there seems great since so many of my heroes live there.

I really want to go where there is talent. I want to be challenged and inspired much more than what I'm getting here in the suburbs. I want to be around the best, because I want to be the best I can be. Which city should I live in? Which schools should I consider? Do you have any other advice for me?

Driving New York to Chicago

SampleSize — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 14:20:29 -0800

This coming week, I'll be driving from New York to Chicago. I'm not in a major rush to get there and would like to make the trip fun (I'll be traveling with my girlfriend). What are some points of interest along the way? Scenic routes that don't take me way, way off course? Good food? Interesting towns? I'm thinking three days and two nights will give me some time to enjoy the trip, yes?

New York-style pizza in Chicago?

korpios — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:55:11 -0800

Where can we find New York-style pizza in Chicago? My wife and I have been living here in Chicago for almost a year now; being originally from New York, we're thoroughly sick of what passes here for "pizza". :p Can anyone (especially ex-New Yorkers) offer a clue? This is essentially the converse of this question.

We've tried Chicago pizza several times, both in deep-dish and thin varieties, and it hasn't grown on us. (If anything, I'm getting more annoyed at how awful it is each time I have it.) I do, however, quite enjoy Chicago-style hot dogs (minus the sport peppers, perhaps substituted with giardiniera), so at least it isn't a total loss. ;-)

Should I be a hog butcher of the world?

zoomorphic — Fri, 09 May 2008 08:11:32 -0800

Will I go crazy if I move from New York to Chicago? Before any eagle-eyed MeFites start ringing the “repeat” bell, bear with me: Earlier I asked about leaving New York despite the inevitable blow to my magazine career, and most of you sensibly told me to stay put for five (!) or ten years (!!) and build up my portfolio. Thing is, I’m not all that stoked about living here, and staying in a city I’m only ‘meh’ about feels like a waste of time and youth. This question isn't about my job (I'm aware of the inherent professional risks of moving), but about my lifestyle.

I live in Brooklyn, work in Manhattan, but I long for a big city life with a more laid-back pace. I'm familiar with Chicago from growing up in the Midwest and visiting after college, but have never lived there. Maybe I’m pinning too many expectations on a city when I just want out of NYC, but I get the impression that Chicago is a home while New York is just a superconductor always shuttling me up one invisible ladder to the bottom rung of the next. But, of course, I've got my doubts: what if I move to Chicago and get… bored? No one can answer that question but me, but I’d like your input.

What I like about New York:

-affordable, reliable transportation: I don’t drive, probably never will again.

-culture: book readings, museums, public lectures, etc

-well-read, liberal people

-efficiency: I walk fast, talk fast, and act like I’m 5 minutes late to everything (that’s not New York, just me). However, I’d prefer a city that doesn’t encourage me to be a self-important ass who hustles you to the slow side of the stairs if you’re not walking fast enough.

-Brooklyn: love the neighborhoods, love the bike-friendliness, love the bars, parks, and the staggering diversity.

What I dislike about New York:

-high rents: I’d rather live in a tiny studio on my own than with two roommates with various quirky psychoses. I want very badly to have my own place, and I fear I’ll never be able to afford one here with the astronomic rents.

-I make the New York sacrifice of spending waaaay too much money on rent and time at my job to get the big, slobbery dog of my dreams. I want a dog the way other women want babies.

-obsession with money, beauty, and power: I really try not to care, but I am haunted by a paranoia of not being pretty enough, thin enough, successful enough (I haven’t published a book at 24!), etc. As a pretty, somewhat successful, educated, formerly ball-busting girl, this annoys me.

-the weather: New York had snow, like, twice, and once it melted off the sidewalks after 3 hours. My Welsh/Ohio blood craves the bitter cold, not the chilly rains, people!

-transience: my friends pick up and leave at the drop of a hat. No one is here for good, including me, apparently.

Am I taking New York's culture for granted, or underestimating Chicago? Insights from New Yorkers, Chicagoans, and anyone in between are very welcome.

UA vs. AA: Which FF Plan is Better?

jules1651 — Sun, 04 Mar 2007 17:45:50 -0800

In the next couple of months I am going to start flying frequently (probably weekly) between Chicago and New York and Chicago and DC. I am currently a member of US Airways Dividend Miles, but they don't have enough flexibility in flight schedules for me. I am trying to decide whether to sign with United or American (I'd like to stick to one airline whenever possible to get status, and I'll likely pick up their credit card as well). So, I'd love to hear feedback on the two programs: which treat their customers better, which have more perks (more upgrade availability), etc. Thanks in advance!

Has anyone traveled the Amtrak Lakeshore Limited?

beachhead2 — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 07:37:43 -0800

Is it a good idea to take Amtrak from Chicago to New York City? I'd love to hear from anyone who has experience with this service (Chi-NYC). The train is called the "Lakeshore Limited". My wife and are considering a sleeper-car trip in June. Don't worry, we're not in a hurry! I am an Amtrak veteran (in coach) so I know there will almost certainly be delays. However, most of my experiences have been between DC and NYC which is rumored to have better service. Is the Lakeshore Limited somewhat reliable by Amtrak standards? Presumably a sleeper will make some delay more tolerable...

Where should I move?

echo0720 — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 14:02:16 -0800

How do I figure out what city to move to? I'm looking for a new job and basically have two cities that I'm interested in moving to (staying where I am is not an option given my lack of support network, general unhappiness here, etc.) - New York or Chicago. I've lived in Chicago before (albeit briefly, only for a few months) and loved it. I have two good girlfriends there, a good male friend who might be moving away for grad school soon, and a few other casual acquaintances who may or may not become good friends. In addition, I'm from the midwest, so the culture there is familiar. But damn is it cold. On the other hand, I've never had a NY experience, and I have a couple of good male friends (one is probably one of my absolute closest friends) there, and another one probably about to move there (from here, actually), but no close girlfriends. However, my friends there are very outgoing and I'd have the potential to meet a lot of people. And it would be a completely new and different experience. Chicago is more affordable than NY. But NY would probably be more social and probably contains more single men (at my age, sadly, this is a major concern).

Something else for me to keep in mind, one of the jobs I am interested in is focused on high tech and communications, so clients would likely be concentrated on either coast (more travel likely if in Chicago, but if I live in NY, I could either be in town OR have a super long commute to).

So anyway...how do I decide which city I want to move to? I am very torn between the two. I know you won't be able to magically read my mind adn say "move to city X", but if you've ever had such a dilemma and can help me figure out a logical way to determine where I want to live, I would really, really appreciate it.

Also, wow this was long, thanks for reading the whole thing.