Great NY Times article

"Chicago is now the center of the world"

jeff tweedy said, whoever he is, a guy from chicago, but good try.

Score: Rufus 1, other StreetEasy posters 1,000,000,000,000,000

kspeak, i'm sorry but the NY Times is more reputable than posters on this board who know nothing about Chicago. you know NYC is losing out when its own paper of record goes out of its way to praise Chicago's rise in prestige and stature.

Apparently Chicago doesn't suck because "We’re not Little Rock and we’re not Texas".

And the best part... because there is no wealth or accomplishment... "People aren’t defined by wealth or by work or accomplishments, but rather who they are"

Chicago really is the special olympics...

nyc10022, people in Chicago are secure and confident. they don't need to brag about how much money they make at their finance job or how expensive their gucci purse is.

I usually read these threads with amusement. But Rufus, that last "People in Chicago are secure and confident..." is a howler. If you can't read your repeated messages and realize the implicit insecurity of having to post repeatedly about Chicago's superiority then you really are self-deluded.

I like Chicago. I have been there dozens of times. And I appreciate that there are people who would prefer to live there rather than NYC. I also appreciate that there are people who might think it is better. I disagree in that I don't think you can say either is better, just very different.

But your constant posting shows that though people in Chicago may be more secure, you certainly are not in that same group.

>>> "people in Chicago are secure and confident. they don't need to brag about how much money they make at their finance job or how expensive their gucci purse is."

Yes, this is why you post constantly about how great Chicago is because it has "upscale" restaurants, "luxury hi-rises," etc. If you are so secure and confident, why post?

nyc10022 once again showed his nyc elitism by bashing Chicago, even though he knows nothing about it. on a per capita basis, the people in chicago are just as well-educated, wealthy, accomplished, and cultured, as nyc people.

>>>> on a per capita basis, the people in chicago are just as well-educated

nope. actually, chicago is not even in the top 50. also note that manhattan itself would be number one on the list.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/29/real_estate/brainiest_cities/index.htm

>>> wealthy

http://wealth.mongabay.com/tables/100_wealthiest_zip_codes.html

This is on a per-capita basis and actually only 2 zip codes in Chicago and four in the entire STATE of IL make the top 100. for the third-largest city in the country that's not great

"nyc10022, people in Chicago are secure and confident."

As they show their "confidence" by spending THOUSANDS of hours on bulletin boards trying to prop up their city.

Sorry, rufus, thats what one calls insecurity.

> the people in chicago are just as well-educated, wealthy, accomplished, and cultured, as nyc people.

Thats what one calls stupidity.

Jesus just left Chicago and he's bound for New Orleans.

rufus, I just got back from a 5-day stay in Chicago, and while I genuinely like the city, it's just silly to compare it back-and-forth to New York. The architecture was impressive, people were nice, though I have to say your average meal there is not. Produce in NYC doesn't really compare to produce in California, but Chicago produce is somehow even worse - I was a bit surprised to see that.

bjw2103, you're right. chicago architecture is indeed impressive and vastly superior to nyc.

this article is bothering a lot of new yorkers. they didn't realize that Chicago was such an important and dynamic city.

>>> this article is bothering a lot of new yorkers. they didn't realize that Chicago was such an important and dynamic city.

Fortunately, nobody has to explain that New York is important and dynamic.

NYC is declining precipitously. the fact that you don't know this, shows how ignorant you are.

> Fortunately, nobody has to explain that New York is important and dynamic.

LOL... that Chicago needs articles to say "hey, it doesn't suck as much as people think" is kind of evidence point #1 of it sucking.

Rufie, even if NY struggles, do you realize NY's murder rate would have to go up by MORE THAN 6x to approach Chicagos? That even if property values fall in half, manhattan will still cost more than Chicago? That living in your parents basement in Indiana when you are 25 years old is really sad?

nyc10022, did you even read the same article i did? the author is talking about how obama's election signals a shifting point in the hierarchy of U.S. cities. back in the old days, Chicago was #2, but with Obama's victory and the 2016 Olympics, Chicago has now risen as the center of the U.S.

You are finally right on one thing - chicago is closer geographically to the center of the U.S. So is north dakota ..

kspeak, i know it's painful for you to admit this, but facts are stubborn things. Chicago has surpassed NYC in virtually every category.

>>> Chicago has surpassed NYC in virtually every category.

Yes, like crime, average clothing size and weight of its citizens, portion size at its restaurants, poverty, etc.

Rufus, I happen to be a fan of Chicago. But in no way shape or form will it take over primacy of New York, at least not for another several decades. And you are sounding more and more ridiculous for the constant attempts to suggest it.

Jeff Zeleny? You do realize that this article is by Jeff Zeleny, who has spent his entire life in Chicago and writes for the Chicago Tribune, right?

I wouldn't exactly go to bat with this as "definitive proof" of how great Chicago is. Considering the source and his credibility, it's the same things as going to a GOP fundraiser and having them hand you literature about how to teach you to not be gay anymore.....laughable and completely made up to please a certain segment of the population.....credible? Not so much.

rufus, note that I said the architecture in Chicago was impressive, NOT that it was superior to New York's. That said, some of the areas just west of downtown in Chicago were pretty hideous, and anyone (such as yourself) who calls Williamsburg a "dump" has some pretty strong blinders on when going through major sections of Chicago. Sorry.

The funny thing is, its written by a shill... and even the shill doesn't even try to claim Chicago is anywhere near NYC.

AvUWS, several decades? more like several years. the winds are already shifting, as the article suggests. while the mood in NYC is gloomy due to the financial meltdown, Chicago is dynamic and giddy over Obama's election and the likelihood of hosting the Olympics.

>>> Chicago is dynamic and giddy over Obama's election and the likelihood of hosting the Olympics.

Pretty pathetic considering the Olympics is EIGHT years away and last for ONE MONTH. This is like low-level employees getting excited for the company holiday's partys buffet/open bar, while the real winners view it as a drag.

Equally pathetic to get giddy over the election of somebody who is leaving for the next 4-8 years (except to the extent to be glad somebody is replacing Bush - but this is true nationwide).

So, Chicago will be Obama-less and Olympic-less for the NEXT EIGHT YEARS. That means 8 more years of sucking followed by one possible month of glory. And there is no guarantee Obama will return to Chicago after he is president.

I finally got around to reading that article. It's one gigantic back-handed compliment for Chicago.

And that you, Cracker Boy, would be so naive as to print something that treats Chicago like a baby that doesn't projectile-vomit quite as much as it used to makes me, well, totally embarrassed for you.

Have you no self-esteem at all? Are you really so completely aware of your self-worth?

"Pretty pathetic considering the Olympics is EIGHT years away and last for ONE MONTH. This is like low-level employees getting excited for the company holiday's partys buffet/open bar, while the real winners view it as a drag."

ROTFL.

Well said. And don't forget the street fairs!

rufus get over yourself, pack your bags and move back to chicago for X's sake. i hear the winter's are especially balmy.

>>> Chicago is dynamic and giddy over Obama's election

The other irony is that Rufie is giddy over Obama's election not because he wants to replace W, but because he is from Chicago!!! He doesn't even get WHY Chicago is giddy - less because Obama is from Chicago than because our president can actually speak a sentence.

This is also further proof Rufie doesn't actually live here. People were celebrating in NY too.

kspeak, of course people were celebrating in NYC. this is a liberal city where Osama bin laden would receive a better welcome than George W. Bush. But you can't deny that Chicago people were especially ecstatic because Obama is one of their own. And they're glad that Chicago is now the most important city in the U.S., thus getting the attention that it fairly deserves.

The main reason why NYC is considered "upscale" is because of dumb TV shows like Sex and the City, that grossly exaggerates NYC life. The city itself is quite dirty, grimy, and unsophisticated.

Rufie, just because you couldn't get into any of the clubs or restaurants on Sex and the City doesn't mean they don't exist. Most of the clubs and restaurant featured were real.

kspeak, i've been to more clubs and restaurants than you have in the city.

of course, the clubs and restaurants featured on the show are real, dumbass. i never claimed otherwise. but that show glorifies NYC life, and a lot of young people bought into that fantasy notion of what the city is like. then once they move here, most of them get disillusioned and realize that NYC is overrated and overpriced.

>> that show glorifies NYC life, and a lot of young people bought into that fantasy notion of what the city is like. then once they move here

So you moved here because you like what you saw on the Sex and the City? Now THAT is pathetic.

>> i've been to more clubs and restaurants than you have in the city.

You've probably been to more "upscale" ones I grant, but I guarantee this is impossible, given the age difference. I'm pretty sure you are in your mid-twenties at best. So, not possible.

Wondering which is more pathetic ...

1) Moving to NYC because of what you saw on Sex and the City
2) Being "giddy" over an even that is 8 years away and last for one month (e.g., hosting the Olympics)

kspeak, i'm referring to the naive girls who move here after college. check out murray hill if you want to see who i'm talking about.

i'm actually in my late twenties, but i'm confident in my assertion because in earlier posts, i mentioned some of the clubs/lounges i've been to, and it was clear that no one else has been to them.

The influx of murray-hill girls from Jersey and Long Island has been here long before SATC actually.

Okay, so late twenties. I don't remember the post. What clubs/lounges?

The real New York isn't found at those clubs/lounges, although sometimes it is still fun to go to those types of places every once in a while. The invention of bottle service actually kind of ruined those places in my opinion. The local spots in your neighborhood of choice is where it's at ...

kspeak, i only mentioned those clubs/lounges because someone asked me which places i've been to, in response to my point that the chicago venues have more attractive women than nyc.

some of the clubs/lounges i've been to recently are 1oak, bungalow 8, rose bar, beatrice inn, goldbar, southside, mr. west.

Actually, Obama is not Chicago's own. He was unable to find a job in his chosen field in NYC, and was able to find a similar one in Chicago (organizing decayed communities -- no shortage of availability there), so off he went.

Is Mr. West a cousin of Mr. Hankie?

rufie, what is your job?

alanhart, Obama started his political career in Chicago. He considers himself as a Chicagoan.

kspeak, i do quantitative research for a hedge fund.

>>> do quantitative research for a hedge fund

the quantititive part explains the lack of luck with the ladies ...

kspeak, your attempt at humor is amusing.

This is perhaps the dumbest conversation I have ever seen. Chicago is a wonderful city with many great attributes--the legacy of modern architecture probably being foremost among them. The election of Barack Obama certainly elevates the city's profile for the time being, and congratulations to the people of Chicago for that. There are some people who prefer Chicago to New York. God knows it is a lot cheaper, it's friendly in it's way, and it lacks the constancy of rapidity of change that define New York life. I always enjoy visiting Chicago, the Art Institute is fantastic, the sky scrapers....

That said, it's just illiterate to compare Chicago to New York. All you New Yorkers dumping on Chicago should be a little ashamed. It's sort of a like a supermodel getting into a cat fight with a prom queen over who has better legs. New York is a city to be compared with the great cities of world history: Rome, Cairo, Tokyo, Istanbul, London, Bombay, Paris. Leave Chicago alone.

I don't disagree that Chicago is a decent city but not comparable to NYC, but lecturing others on how their posts are "dumb" is ridiculous. This is no more "dumb" than starting a thread about "Look how overpriced/ugly this apartment is."

It's like you've walked in to the middle of a conversation that has been going on for days (see the hundreds of previous threads) and are trying to understand to offer your advice. Unfortunately, you don't realize that all attempts at logic (like you tried above) have been lost on Rufus, so we post for pure entertainment's sake. Really not worth taking seriously either way ....

Months!

We finally got his "job" out of Rufie.

I wonder if by "quantitative research for a hedge fund" he means "logging trades into excel in Jersey City" ?????

happyrenter, you're right that NYC should be compared to cities like Cairo and Bombay. They're all filthy cities, so they definitely have a lot in common. Thanks for that clarification!

rufus, which hedge fund?

alanhart- rufie's fraternity brother from Tri Lamba at Western Indiana State University runs a day-trading operation out of his house in Jersey's city (trading the $20k daddy gave him for graduation). Rufie does "quantitative research" by logging the trades into excel each day.

alanhart, you're an idiot if you think i'm gonna divlge the name of my firm. it's a fund in midtown manhattan, that specializes in quantitative strategies. that's all i'm gonna say.

rufus, which hedge fund?

Chicago is the center of the universe? Please... This reminds me of that NYTimes article about Philadelphia being the 6th borough. A lovely thought, but nothing more than timely fluff.

Jeff Tweedy is pretty brilliant, though - I'll admit.

why all the comments about Chicago? I've been reading this site for months and it is a site about the RE market in NYC. I'd like to echo kspeak's and happyrenter's comments. Chicago is not so bad. Actually a pretty nice city with a large geographic area and more reasonable real estate prices. RE prices are less because the concentration of wealth is not comparable so the old theory of supply and demand applies, not because it is a bad place. It is not NYC, but there are advantages. As New Yorkers, lets not be so egocentric where we feel that no other city has attributes and advantages over NYC. There are some. Just admit them and maybe we can learn from them to better our city and our daily life. NYC life has gotten better by smart people comparing the city to other places and seeing how we could copy them to implement change.

skippy2222, i agree entirely. we can all learn from other cities. i've been pointing out that nyc has a lot to learn from chicago, when it comes to architecture, urban planning, keeping the city clean, keeping rent prices reasonable, etc.

rufus, which hedge fund?

"It's sort of a like a supermodel getting into a cat fight with a prom queen over who has better legs. New York is a city to be compared with the great cities of world history: Rome, Cairo, Tokyo, Istanbul, London, Bombay, Paris. Leave Chicago alone."

Nah... tts more like a girl with the muffin top STALKING the supermodel...

We'd be more than happy if Chicago left us alone. We didn't give a crap about Chicago or Detroit or Jacksonville or Kansas before, but if any of them show up on this board trying to annoy us, we'll continue to swat them.

Boycott Rufus