Thursday, May 10, 2012

Finding a New City - Chicago

Wife got done with her interview with Loyola University outside of Chicago, IL. This is an interesting fellowship in that there are no call nights. That means that it is a normal 9-5 job just like any other normal person. That means that we are not limited to a certain time frame around the hospital for living arrangements. This, of course, means that we would try to live in the "hip" part of Chicago, right downtown. This is awesome!!!

Living and working in downtown Chicago would be just a ton of fun. All of the cool stuff is there, the shops, the restaurants, the shows, the views, everything. However that is the only plus.

Chicago is right up there with the most corrupt cities on the planet, in perhaps the most corrupt state in the union. Let us not forget that the former Governor of Illinois is now in prison, and the mayor of Chicago is Rahm Emanuel...

The only CCW laws in IL actually ban the concealing of weapons, and handguns were, at one time banned from the city. This ban was, of course, struck down by the Supreme Court as a violation of the 2nd Amendment, but that didn't stop Chicago from disarming its law abiding citizens. I like to work within the law, and I would be very concerned with bringing my guns to the city... I have a growing collection, and I very much doubt I could keep any of them in the house without breaking some law or another. Let alone taking them somewhere to shoot them.
Crime in the city is bad, very bad. Sure, some areas are worse than others, but violent street crime, even on the famed "Miracle Mile" is common place.

In the city proper, there is a bunch of really good places to train. Lots of black belts, lots of excellent schools. Carlos Gracie and Renzo Gracie all have schools here. It was where Stephen Bonner, and Andre Arlofski got their BJJ training. That is a big plus.

Work is easy to find with lots of jobs in the IT sector. If I wanted to remain a consultant, there are plenty of contract opportunities. Microsoft actually interviewed me for a position in the Chicago area, offering to fly me in and out every week. Big Plus Plus.
Taxes in IL are nuts. They are only higher in New York. This drives up an already overblown cost of living. It is almost 50% more expensive to live in Chicago than in Oklahoma City. Sure OKC is one of the cheapest places, and Chicago is one of the most expensive places to live, but wow... Really IL?

Aviation is tough to come by. It is very expensive, and you are dealing with the second busiest airspace in the world. If I wanted to fly, I would have to drive a good distance outside of the city to do it. Huge Huge minus.

Chicago is a major hub city. You can get a direct flight from Chicago to virtually anywhere in the world. It is something that can only be drempt about in other places. Want to fly to Japan? Boom. Want to fly to Houston? Boom. Want to fly to Omaha? Boom. Easy. Very cool, especially for two people who like to travel like the wife and I.

All in all, I don't think that I would mind living in Chicago, but I would have to give up a lot of the freedoms that I enjoy virtually everywhere else. I think that it would be OK for three years, but that would be enough.

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