I’m going to start by saying that so far, Chicago is the best city in the world if you are only looking as a tourist and also only want to spend 3 or 4 days in this city. More days than that, for me, is not worth it.
I lived in Chicago for two years. I came to that city because my wife was awarded a scholarship to do a master’s degree, and probably my experiences and my wife’s experiences were totally different. If this post catches your interest, I could make a second part talking about the student perspective.
Having said all the above, I’m going to start why I love Chicago. Chicago has the best transportation that you can expect. The "L" is the train system, which has a bigger connection from the suburban zone to the city, that allows you to get a good price for a lease. In our case, we chose to live in "La Villita," far enough to get a good price, near enough to only commute 30 minutes to the university.
The second thing why I fell in love with Chicago is the joy. Chicago has diverse activities throughout the year, but also in the winter when the frozen attacks you have a lot of indoor activities. In my opinion, the Lincoln Park Zoo in winter has the most beautiful experiences in the city. The lighting way show is really magic.
My top 3 activities for the Windy City:
1.Lincoln Park Zoo in winter (lighting show)
2.Chicago River architecture tour
3.The 24th in La Villita: the best Mexican food in the US
And to finish with my hate for Chicago, to be honest, my problem with Chicago is being poor, being an immigrant, and needing to have the worst jobs to survive. But this was my short love-hate with Chicago.