Chicago is a Fantastic City.
To experience some of Chicago's excitement,
you may want to visit many of the web sites listed below.

If you're looking for a fantastic time in the city of Chicago ...
check out our Chicago Links listed below.

• Your living room is called the "front room." (pronounced fronchroom)
• You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois, and you become irate at people who do.
• You measure distance in minutes (especially "from the city"), and everything is pretty much 15 minutes away.
• You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "DesPlaines."
• Your school classes were canceled because of the cold weather. Your school classes were canceled because of the hot weather.
• You've switched from heat to air conditioning in the same day.
• Your grocery stores don't have sacks; they have bags.
• You end your sentences with prepositions: "Where's my coat at?" or "If you go to the mall, I wanna go with," or "Come by and pick me up."
• Your idea of a great sandwich is when the meat is twice as big as the bun, it has everything on it, and a slice of dill pickle is on the side.
• You always carry jumper cables in your car.
• You drink "pop," not soda.
• You understand that I-290, I-90, I-94, and I-294 are all different highways.
• You know the names of the interstates:
  Stevenson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Dan Ryan, and the Edens, but you call them all "expressways."
• You refer to anything south of I-80 as "Southern Illinois"
• You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake."
• You've seen the BEAN.
  
• You know what the "cribs" are.
• You refer to Chicago as "The City."
• The "Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in a series of 35 played in January of 1985.
• No matter where you are, when you hear the term "Downtown," you immediately assume they're talking about downtown Chicago.
• You know "the Loop" means Downtown.
• You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers!
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you know the curse of "the Billy Goat."
• You read "The Trib."
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you drive to the North suburbs by taking "The Outer Drive" even though no such road exists.
• When giving directions - You say ...
  Go toward Wisconsin; Go South; Go West; Go towards the Lake!
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you think 35 degrees is great weather to wash your car!
• You know what goes on a Chicago Style Hot Dog and what does not go on. You NEVER put Katchup on a hot dog!
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you know what Chicago Style Pizza REALLY is.
• You know what "Italian Beef" is.... "Italian beef with sweet peppers" !
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you know why they call Chicago "The Windy City" (and it has nothing to do with "Wind") !
• You understand what "lake-effect" means.
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you know the difference between Amtrak and Metra, and know which station they end up at. (Do note the preposition.)
• You ride the "L."
• YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO,if you can distinguish among the following area codes: 847, 630, 773, 708, 312, & 815.
• You respond to the question "Where are you from with a "side." Example: "WESS SIDE," "SOUT SIDE," or "NORT SIDE."
• You wear gym shoes, not sneakers.
• And, the all time CHICAGO CLASSIC:
  YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO, if you have at some time in your life, on a snowy day, used your furniture to guard your parking spot on a city "side street"

This is the "Year of the Cubs" !!!

• 60 above - Floridians wear coats, gloves, and wooly hats.
  Chicago people sunbathe.
  
• 50 above - New Yorkers try to turn on the heat.
  Chicago people plant gardens.
  
• 40 above - Italian cars won't start.
  Chicago people drive with the windows down.
  
• 32 above - Distilled water freezes.
  Lake Michigan's water gets thicker.
  
• 20 above - Californians shiver uncontrollably.
  Chicago people have the last cookout before it gets cold.
  
• 15 above - New York landlords finally turn up the heat.
  Chicago people throw on a sweatshirt.
  
• 0 degrees - Californians fly away to Mexico.
  Chicago people lick the flagpole and throw on a light jacket
  over the sweatshirt.
  
• 20 below - People in Miami cease to exist.
  Chicago people get out their winter coats.
  
• 40 below - Hollywood disintergrates.
  Chicago's Girl Scouts begin selling cookies door to door.
  
• 60 below - Polar bears begin to evacuate Antarctica.
  Chicago's Boy Scouts postpone "Winter Survival"
  classes until it gets cold enough.
  
• 80 below - Mount St. Helen's freezes.
  Chicago people rent some videos.
  
• 100 below - Santa Claus abandons the North Pole.
  Chicago people get frustrated when they can't thaw the keg.
  
• 297 below - Microbial life survives on dairy products.
  Illinois cows complain of farmers with cold hands.
  
• 460 below - ALL atomic motion stops.
  Chicago people start saying... "Cold 'nuff for ya??"