re: I am blown away with Chicago

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Go to Smith & Wolenski's if you want a great steak.

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Is that one any different than the other dozen located around the US?

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Wife and I are officially booked to go August 7-9. Wish we could stay longer but o well.

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my wife and I did 3 nights and it was perfect. You can still see a lot(if not all the desirable parts) of the city in that time.

Chicago is nowhere near the size and doesn't have nearly as many "must see" places as New York.

For hotels, try to stay as close to magnificent mile as possible.

don't get shot

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Oddly, Milwaukee is slated to become much more aesthetically pleasing. They have some great redevelopment plans in place, the most publicized being the new Bucks arena and the area surrounding it.

There is a lot of potential with Milwaukee, though. It's right on Lake Michigan and the rivers that travel through it.

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Milwaukee is definitely an underrated "big" city. I like it a lot.

As for those talking about the murders in chicago. I assume many/most of you are also fond of/live in/visit New Orleans with regularity.

If that is the case, please know that New Orleans has the second highest murder rate in the country. Baton Rouge is also in the top 10. Chicago is not on the list. So don't fear, you're safer in Chicago

LINK

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With the right winter gear may not be as bad.

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It's still bad with the correct winter gear.

I've lived in Chicago, Madison, Minneapolis, and New York City (parents currently live there). Of those four, Chicago has definitely been the coldest place I've lived. It is brutal, especially being on Lake Michigan.

That being said, it is all worth it. I am very glad I moved here two years ago.

Lived in River North in the summer of 2012 for my senior internship at the CME. Was literally the greatest time of my life.

Girls there are awesome, they party hard, aren't nearly as stuck up as LA and NYC and there is just so much shite to do. Also like NY, you absolutely do not need a car.

And the South Side gets a bad wrap but the West can be really bad too. Just stay North of the loop and east of Wicker Park and you're golden.

There's literally too many spots to go out at night, Feels like there is 50-100 kickass different neighborhoods with different vibes to hangout in.

I had the same feeling when we went last year. It's just incredible how well laid out the city is around the waterfront. All of the major attractions are just so conveniently located. We were staying in the theatre district, and everything was just a short cab ride away. We stayed in a junior suite at TheWit on one of the high floors, and practically the entire wall was glass - just an incredible view. I enjoyed the Field Museum more than the Smithsonian. It was snowing when we went (in March of '14) and one of the cab drivers said it was about the worst winter since he has been there, but for me it just made everything look better.
We had a hell of a time getting there. We drove, and when we were around AR/TN, there was a couple inches of ice on the roads. We were bumper to bumper for hours, cars off the road everywhere, got stuck on the road for a couple hours, etc. Spent 14 hours in the car the first day, then around 7 the next, but it just made the trip more memorable. We were going to a karate tournament, so despite my wife's desire to abandon the trip, we weren't turning around.
I had never really had any desire for "big city" vacations, but I think it stands out as my favorite trip (though DC gives it a run). Due to the winter, Navy Pier was closed so we didn't see that, didn't visit Wrigley…would love to go back and see the rest of the city. Now that I've been there, I want to take a trip to NYC.