Chicago anyone?

[doradoo]

We have the possibility of a longish term secondment with DHs job in Chicago and are seriously considering it - but I've never been to the States and don't know where to start.

It's marginally more complex as we're already overseas and are having to toy between staying put, moving elsewhere in Germany (completely new job) and now Chicago on secondment with current job.

Are there any Chicago Mnetters - or anyone else who could give me the lowdown on the windy city?

I lived there and loved it! The lake is amazing, it is so weird to walk next to what looks like the sea, but isn't salty. The city itself is full of different areas, so is highly variable. The north was considered pretty mixed communities, where as the South side has more polarised communities. Then there are rings of outer suburbs,older ones are closer to the city, newer ones further out. Some are walk able eg. OakPark, others are real car suburbs.

I've been in Chicago for a year and love it! My husband is from here and we don't have children yet, so I may have a different perspective on life here. There are lots of very varied neighbourhoods, each with their own characteristics. Beautiful architecture, amazing lake front, people are friendly, lots to do and see, easy to travel round. I came here from a small town in mainland Europe, so had a bit of culture shock at first (but not all in a bad way!), but have absolutely no regrets about living here. Feel free to ask any specific questions or message me.

Thanks for replying - still waiting to hear if it's a goer from this end but we're all very excited about the prospect.

Let's hope we can persuade DHs company to let us go!