Chicago is GREAT!

Alexis Simmons 

When I first came to Iowa to attend school I quickly learned that the culture here in Iowa is very different than the culture I grew up in up in. I am from a suburb that is 30 minutes south of Chicago, Plainfield Illinois. I pretty much have experienced the city life my whole life because my parents are always constantly bringing my siblings and I, and my friends and I are always in the city. For example, we just went home last weekend to stay in Chicago all weekend. Chicago is very fast paced city, there is no such thing as walking slow or stopping in the middle of road to catch up with another individual. Chicago is a great city, but the people are less friendly because they are always on the go. In Iowa, everyone is friendly and wants to stop and wave but in Chicago individuals barely look at each other. Since everyone is always on the go, everyone in very assertive because you have to be if you want to survive the city. Chicago is also known for being urban, and is very diverse. Chicago has many different cultures within one huge city all the way from Little Italy, China Town, Greek Town, and many more. Chicago culture is also revolved around sports. With Chicago have many championships such as the recent Chicago Cubs, and Blackhawks winning; Chicago is passionate when it comes to their sports. If you were in Chicago within the last few weeks during the World Series, you would find the streets of Wrigley Ville filled with tears and smiles. Another example is last week I attended the pep rally for the Chicago Cubs at Grant Park that was filled with over five million people just to celebrate The Cubs winning the World Series. Another thing about the culture in Chicago is that driving through the city is hectic because every individual is driving crazy. If you are from Chicago, you know that even when the walking signal turns on you still need to look around your surroundings because the drivers in Chicago do not care and will accidently hit a pedestrian. Chicago is also filled with individuals who cannot agree on things, walking through the streets of this city you are more than likely going to see if not one, but multiple individuals arguing with one another. For some reason, individuals from Chicago are very verbal and have no shame in expressing their anger to surrounding individuals. The last thing that needs to be discussed about the culture in Chicago is the violence that is constantly shown in the media. Chicago is having an issue where there are bad parts of the city where shootings and violence is taking place, but that does not represent the overall culture of Chicago. Chicago is a massive city with so many different individuals that conflict and violence is bound to happen. With every great part of the city, bad parts of the city come along with it. You just have to remember to be aware of your surroundings, and enjoy the great city that it is!