<p>I also got a master’s degree at U of Toronto without even a real winter coat. But if I had to do it over, I would dress for the Iditerod. Anybody who’s spent a winter in Toronto would agree that Chicago has a lot of guts calling itself the “windy city.”</p>
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<p>Chicago’s nickname has nothing to do with weather. Its a reference to Chicago politicians. No kidding.</p>
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<p>Actually, it has to refer to the 1893 Columbian Exposition, the setting of “The Devil in the White City.”</p>
<p>If you’re from California - especially southern - New England winters will seem cold and dreary, that first one in particuar. My born-and-raised-on-the-beach-in-LA niece went to college in New Jersey and was in shock her entire first year. But. She did get used to it, even learned to enjoy the four seasons. You shouldn’t move to, say, Boston for the weather, unless you live somewhere north of Greenland. But the east has so much to offer, there are so many great cities and areas to see (without a car) I would encourage all west coast kids to give it a shot.</p>