Living in Chicago, IL

Chicago is a big city with a small town feel.  If you can stand winter, the summers here are amazing.  Lake Michigan is beautiful, crystal clear blue and the beaches are great in the summer (this coming from a girl who grew up near the Atlantic).  In the summertime, there are festivals going on just about every weekend.  My favorites so far include the Blues Festival, Taste of Randolph, Air & Water show, and the Sheffield garden walk.  There are also plenty of baseball games going on between the Cubs and the White Sox.  It is usually pretty easy to snag a ticket from the guy on the corner after the first inning for $20-$30 for bleacher seats, despite the prices or lack of availability before the game.  There are great small and large bars, and depending on your mood you can go classy or casual.  Not to mention the amazing range of restuarants.  I think one of my cab drivers told me that there are more restuarants than cabby's and that is about 9,000! 

I live on the north side of the city in a neighborhood called Lincoln Park.  DePaul University is located here so there is a large number of undergrad and graduate students as well as the young professional and young families.  There are tons of boutiques and shops in this area which are always fun to browse but the merchandise can be pretty pricey.