<p>Zamzam is right in his complaints about everything in Chicago closing at 8pm. It’s really rather ridiculous. I come from a city where most fast food restaurants are open 24 hours and most downtown shops are open until at least 11.</p>
<p>yeah Vermont skiing is child’s play compared to the Rockies. And Utah really does have the best powder like their license plates say.</p>
<p>In Chicago, it doesn’t matter that we’re stuck in the Midwest, because we have so many things in our own city. In a city of nearly 3 million people, not counting the millions of people who live in the surrounding suburbs, we don’t exactly lack resources. We don’t have mountains, however, which would suck if you love to ski. </p>
<p>Summertime is great here. We have Lake Michigan, which I definitely prefer to murky lakes or oceans (though you obviously can’t surf in it). Lake Shore Drive is a great place to go rollerblading, cycling, walking, etc. There are plenty of neat local stores and restaurants around the city, and the near suburbs have other places to check out (IKEA, for example).</p>
<p>I should mention that Chicago isn’t really the best city for sightseeing; it’s a great place to live, though.</p>
<p>Hmmm… if you want to go into some kind of government (or even just overseas) work, Washington would probably be the place. In just about all other cases, I’d say Boston.</p>
<p>i’ve never lived in any but i’ve visited all 3. chicago annoys me. i love boston. DC would be cool is you’re thinking politics</p>
<p>one thing I forgot to mention: try to avoid living in DC proper. See if you can find an apartment in Alexandria (just across the Potomac in VA; very easy access). Lower taxes, less crime.</p>
<p>chicagooooooooooooooooo</p>
<p>Boston, then DC.</p>
<p>I have been to all of these cities. However, I live in DC. I got a bad first impression of DC, but the more I live here, the easier it has been to find my niche. Other people I’ve talked to have had an easier time. There is a lot of culture here, but not as much as the population would seem to support. It depends on what you’re in to. A lot of the culture is free, in the form of concerts, lectures, etc. and there are absolutely tons of them, usually sponsored in part by museums in the area, but not always.</p>
<p>The bar scene is as yuppy as yuppy gets, and saturated with politics. There are a few cool bars around, though, in Arlington (Galaxy Hut), Silver Spring (Quarry House Tavern), and very few others, usually not in DC proper. I have not been impressed with the nightlife here, because people here have an inflated sense of self-worth, and it seems like no matter where you go on Fri/Sat night, every place is bursting at the seams. . . in a bad way. Best nights to go out are weeknights. DC is teeming with beautiful people, most of them painfully unattainable.</p>
<p>Chicago is much more fun at night, and the midwest in general is very laid-back. I vote Chicago. Bostonians are typical easterners–inflated sense of self-worth, no time to give directions or put up with ‘tourists’ or people like you. You will find that there are a lot of college students, which in my opinion is a bad thing if you are looking for life experience. Chicago is more like New York, but much more comfortable (i.e. less pushy). It has a big city feel with great institutions of higher learning (not unlike Boston), as well as excellent theatre, museums, music of all kinds, excellent bars and none of the disneyland-like experience of New York (or even Boston).</p>
<p>I can’t stress this enough: the people in Chicago are much more friendly than Boston or DC, and that can make or break it if you’re only talking about a year. You’ll make a lot of friends in Chicago, whereas you might make “connections” with people in Boston or DC.</p>
<p>boston and chicago pwn…d.c. kinda sucks…</p>
<p>(Chicago = Boston ) but >> D.C ?</p>
<p>:)</p>