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Toronto/Chicago comparisons

Towered said:
Yes, in Northbrook, which apparently is Chicago's version of Mississauga or Vaughan or some such horrid place. That definitely was a big factor in my refusal!
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42M along the I-90 and I-94 from The Loop, says Google.
1731437342776.png


Population ~35,000

Its downtown, via Wikipedia:

1731437416651.png

Further Credit: By CL Minecraft - Own work, CC BY-SA 4
 
I stayed in a place within Chicagoland that's literally called Countryside, Illinois. It's definitely a hole, but it's a quick drive to La Grange which is quite pleasant. It's main road is lined with grand older American style homes and a decent retail strip.


grang.jpg

grag2.jpg
 
Towered said:
Yes, in Northbrook, which apparently is Chicago's version of Mississauga or Vaughan or some such horrid place. That definitely was a big factor in my refusal!
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Nope. With respect, you should take a second look.

Chicago is surrounded by many older and smaller communities that have been taken over in the post WWII boom. And many of these older communities feature some interesting smaller town vibes, walkability, transit connections, even bike trails. And I believe I biked to this location from NW U in Evanston. An hours ride plus stops for warming fluids as it was late in the fall and that breeze from Wisconsin can be cool and strong.

Do not fall into the trap of generalizing about this city and its surroundings. Yes, earlier versions of Mississauga and Brampton surround in plenty, and in plenty of areas (Skokie for instance), but a little research and a scouting mission or two will reveal other neighborhoods within the communities.

And Evanston is always a good choice.
 
just east of the creek said:
Nope. With respect, you should take a second look.

Chicago is surrounded by many older and smaller communities that have been taken over in the post WWII boom. And many of these older communities feature some interesting smaller town vibes, walkability, transit connections, even bike trails. And I believe I biked to this location from NW U in Evanston. An hours ride plus stops for warming fluids as it was late in the fall and that breeze from Wisconsin can be cool and strong.

Do not fall into the trap of generalizing about this city and its surroundings. Yes, earlier versions of Mississauga and Brampton surround in plenty, and in plenty of areas (Skokie for instance), but a little research and a scouting mission or two will reveal other neighborhoods within the communities.

And Evanston is always a good choice.
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I agree w/what you're saying overall, which I was getting at w/my post above............

But on reflection, I would say one thing......... while @Towered does like to stand out some..........

I think his standoutishness might be a bit much for suburban Chicago. LOL

I mean ....in a town of 32,000 ............everyone would know Towered...... that might be life-style inhibiting.... LOL
 
Northern Light said:
I agree w/what you're saying overall, which I was getting at w/my post above............

But on reflection, I would say one thing......... while @Towered does like to stand out some..........

I think his standoutishness might be a bit much for suburban Chicago. LOL

I mean ....in a town of 32,000 ............everyone would know Towered...... that might be life-style inhibiting.... LOL
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Meh, my style is even too much for some here in good 'ol TO - the other week I was at a gas station simply filling up the car with my mum and 6 year old son in tow when some prick started randomly spouting off on me from the opposite pump:

"Hey! Can't you see there's people waiting??"

"I just popped into the store for a moment - you see that there's one here, right?"

"You're supposed to fill up and move on."

"But I quickly needed something from inside."

"BUT THERE'S PEOPLE WAITING TO GET GAS!"

"I understand that, but I had to wait too, and there's a convenience store right here for a reason."

"OMG - STOP TALKING AND HURRY UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

'WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO, BUT YOU STARTED A POINTLESS ARGUMENT WITH ME THAT'S NOW WASTING EVEN MORE TIME FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOURSELF.

"SHUT THE HELL UP - LOOK AT YOU, WITH YOUR SHINY, TIGHT PANTS - YOU LOOK LIKE A FUCKIN' FAGGOT."

"AT LEAST I LOOK GOOD, YOU STUPID OLD FART!!"

My poor mum and son were both stunned by how loud and aggressive I was getting because most of the time I'm a very easy going, jovial sort, but I don't suffer fools gladly and my polite veneer quickly unravels if someone has the nerve to mess with me like that.

So yeah, now and then I get accosted by such assholes just for looking different. People really should mind their own goddamn business.
 
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evandyk said:
I would have suddenly realized I'd forgotten to pick up one more thing in the convenience store. Though with a 6 year old and mom in tow, maybe not.
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The weird thing is that he wasn't even personally affected by what I was doing, because he was already pumping gas in a different lane - he just couldn't stand my fashion style and couldn't help but lose his shit over it. Such an idiot.
 
Towered said:
Meh, my style is even too much for some here in good 'ol TO - the other week I was at a gas station simply filling up the car with my mum and 6 year old son in tow when some prick started randomly spouting off on me from the opposite pump:

"Hey! Can't you see there's people waiting??"

"I just popped into the store for a moment - you see that there's one here, right?"

"You're supposed to fill up and move on."

"But I quickly needed something from inside."

"BUT THERE'S PEOPLE WAITING TO GET GAS!"

"I understand that, but I had to wait too, and there's a convenience store right here for a reason."

"OMG - STOP TALKING AND HURRY UP AND GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

'WHAT DO YOU THINK I'M TRYING TO DO, BUT YOU STARTED A POINTLESS ARGUMENT WITH ME THAT'S NOW WASTING EVEN MORE TIME FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING YOURSELF.

"SHUT THE HELL UP - LOOK AT YOU, WITH YOUR SHINY, TIGHT PANTS - YOU LOOK LIKE A FUCKIN' FAGGOT."

"AT LEAST I LOOK GOOD, YOU STUPID OLD FART!!"

My poor mum and son were both stunned by how loud and aggressive I was getting because most of the time I'm a very easy going, jovial sort, but I don't suffer fools gladly and my polite veneer quickly unravels if someone has the nerve to mess with me like that.

So yeah, now and then I get accosted by such assholes just for looking different. People really should mind their own goddamn business.
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That's an unfortunate encounter that you had to go through. Although there's not really a measurable metric to tally up, I do feel like the general experience rate of dealing with rude people in public has risen in the past several years. This is often especially the case when cars in involves, as seen with the amount of reckless driving and road rage seen on the streets nowadays.

Not to turn this into a whether Canada or America has more assholes, because there'll be assholes on both sides of the border, but I did a lot travel to the US this year and have found people down there to be pretty nice for the most part. Of course places like Vegas and Nashville are heavily tourist reliant, so they'll be extra service oriented. But even in smaller towns in Indiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky, people there treated us well.
 
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