Washington D.C. or Chicago?
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- YetiMade
Getting a feel for these cities, and looking to move at some point. Which would you say is a better city for designers, stuff to do and public transit? What's good and bad about these cities?
- monospaced0
Chicago has more culture, more art in the city, a better food scene, and enough schools to make it feel alive (all compared to DC). The downside is that it's freezing 6-9 months out of the year.
- Good public transit in Chicago too.monospaced
- < pretty much thislvl_13
- The upside is that if you snowboard or ski, I can ensure you do so every weekend in the winter.mg33
- I don't snowboard or ski, but I've always wanted to.YetiMade
- I can make your wildest dreams come true.mg33
- stoplying0
Never lived in either but have been to both. Mono is right above, but I'll add...
DC has a great global feel to it because of all the politicos, diplomats, etc. And tons of hot chicks.
Chicago weather is something to consider. Are you cold weather fan?- I grew up for a bit in Minnesota so it doesn't bother me.YetiMade
- fooler0
My sister used to live in Adams Morgan area of DC. It was nice, tons of culture and great ethnic food because of all the diplomats but it always seemed way to stuffy and pretentious. Tons of white collar government workers so lots of suits and ties. Now she lives near H street and it seems way more laid back hipster cool, not as many stuffy people. That said I only visit once or twice a year so I don't know what the design scene is like I just know it's way to freakin hot in the summer.
- moldero0
I drove through DC once, it was like driving through a big butt hole
- wordssssss0
Chicago, always chicago. Also it isnt that cold.
- freedom0
Why only those two options?
- yeah, why?monospaced
- cause obama.yurimon
- Basically I have some opportunities available to me in both cities, plus family in the D.C. Area.YetiMade
- Go where you like the job better,omahadesigns
- cause obamasyurimon
- fooler0
Chicago doesn't look cold at all
- That looks like no lake front area in Chicago.wordssssss
- Hills in the background. That's not Chicagomg33
- wherever that is. damn!moldero
- Could be super north on LSD. Near the College in Evanston.dorkKn1ght
- LSD ends miles away from Evanston. This is not Chicago.wordssssss
- YetiMade0
I actually really love the 20th century architecture in Chicago, the brownstones and the public transit. D.C. looks like a very new city, plus it's a train-ride away from NYC.
- utopian0
Chi-town
- twokids0
Chicago is an awesome city in many ways, but the winters do suck often, a little bit less so becaue of global warming, but still can get very nasty.
- cannonball19780
Yeti, I'd look at the type of work you'll be doing in either of them.
I prefer Chicago, although parts of DC are beautiful, like Arlington. Chicago has the culture though. For the type of work I've seen on your site I think you'd do better there. DC has work too but it's very business-political oriented in my experience.
I would also look at which city is harder to assimilate and find your tribe, so to speak. Chicago has more of a town-ey vibe to it if that's your thing.
People bitch and moan about the cold, but everyone deals with it, and it's a widely known faux-pas if you shovel your car out and then someone else steals your spot.
- mg330
I've been in Chicago for over 12 years now and still love it. It's a real love/hate city sometimes because of how expensive it can be, and the general bullshit of city politics and our ridiculous mayor Rahm Emanuel. Sometimes I really start to daydream about being out of the city eventually, when we hopefully have kids and want something a little more calm with an actual house, yard, privacy, etc.
But as it is, I love having everything at my fingertips like I do. I live in Lakeview and I'm 30 seconds away form the subway station. Close to the lake. All the restaurants we could want or need around us. Quick to get downtown. Nice quiet street, good neighbors in our condo building.
But like I said, looking forward to eventually leaving it behind. I'll be 36 in December and I figure by the time I'm 40 it will be time for something new. We're fortunate to own 2 places, one that we rent that will be paid off soon, so when we make that next move I'm hoping we'll be getting a whole house whether it's in the city or not.
- johndiggity0
I've lived in both and Chicago is worlds better than DC. Much more to do, amazing food and beer scene, very easy place to live, much, much more affordable than DC. Housing is plentiful, comparatively. There's a real modern sensibility compared to DC where there's a lot of emphasis on history.
That being said, the winter can be a downer, and despite the cold weather, there's nowhere worthwhile to ski or snowboard—it's a prairie. Pretty much nix any type of outdoorsy activities as well, except visiting the lake 3 months of the year. I'd argue DC has more access to better skiing and much better hiking/nature if that's your thing. If you really love cities and city living, you will love Chicago.
Lastly, the design community in Chicago is absolutely thriving compared to DC. It's just a much more diverse city from a business standpoint and that brings in a lot of different opportunities compared to the standard boring government contract pr type work that's common in DC.
- We snowboard just fine around here, thank you.mg33
- Better outdoor stuff in Wisconsin and Michigan for sure.mg33
- Granite Peak was cool, but there's much better skiing closer to DC than the 5 hour trip to Wausau WI.johndiggity
