The most talked-out Chicago-centric story on social media this week was a guy’s “goodbye letter” to Chicago. In it, he talked about his difficulty in meeting people, his issues with the weather and how Chicago’s “always trying to prove itself in the pantheon of ‘important’ cities.” As any native will tell you, we don’t need to prove anything. Chicagoans are proud, but trying hard to keep up appearances is antithetical to the entire Chicago… if not Midwestern… experience.

In response, I thought I’d list seven of my reasons for staying in the Chicago area. Consider it my “Hello” letter.

1. No B.S. Back to the idea of keeping up appearances, what are the bars we keep going back to? They’re not the ones with the velvet ropes, long lines and “look at me” patrons in River North. They’re comfortable neighborhood places that don’t charge a cover, have reasonable drink prices and are exactly where we want to hang out with friends. Chicagoans are cool without having to tell you how cool they are.
2. The food. Sorry to read that the HuffPo writer packed on 40 many pounds during his stay here. Yeah, we like our portions big here, but if you don’t want to gain weight, you have the option to exercise… you can rent a bike on pretty much every block. Then there’s the comment, “’foodie cuisine’ and ‘glorified carnival fare’ seem interchangeable,” which reads like something a cheese-and-charcuterie-plate-indulging hipster might say with a sneer. He missed the fact that Chicago has the best lowbrow and highbrow food. Our beef sandwiches and hot dogs are high art… and on the other end of things, we have places like Alinea, Topolobampo and Girl & the Goat. The writer writes with an almost tangible disgust, “Putting corn chips into burger meat is a real thing.” My response: Who does that, and how late are they open?
3. Four seasons. We go deep on all four. And yeah, winters are brutal, but being snowed-in and getting a free pass on whatever you were supposed to do for the day is a pleasure. Kids should also know the thrill of getting a call from their school, announcing a snow day. Finally (and mercifully), Chicago summers are enough to make us temporarily forget the worst of Chicago winters.
4. Music. Our music scene is diverse, and the talent pool is deep. The music industry in Chicago has never been stronger, thanks to efforts of musicians, entrepreneurs, club owners, promoters, and places like 2112.
5. Elbow room. With the exception of some pockets on the north side, our neighborhoods are spread out, and not too densely populated. The writer notes that as a negative, “You can’t always walk to your grocery store. You can’t always walk to a busy strip of bars. And whatever friends you do make, you most probably cannot walk to them.” Sounds like he wants to live on a college campus, not in a big-boy city.
6. The people. The nicest people I’ve ever met are from here (unless they’re driving, in which case they’re dicks).
7. Stuff to do. There’s always something to do, somewhere to go and something new to try.