I’m becoming Chicagoan. You might wonder what that means. It means I am going to become as local as they can get. What’s I-290? You mean the Dan Ryan? Who calls it that dumb number code? Deep dish? Deep dish is for suckers. Real Chicagoans eat tavern-style pizza (this is gibberish).
Italian beef. Driving endlessly around the suburbs. Soul food. Complaining about how no one thinks about our city despite being just right there behind New York and LA. Being really happy about how The Bear is a culturally relevant show. Having two baseball teams for some reason.
I already have one of the most vital things - I am a Big 10 graduate. I even work at a slightly uncool company. What else do I need to truly be a local? Who even are the local Chicagoans? I don’t know.
What are the relationships between the city? Chicago is famously the city split across North and South. Every single social determinant plummets when you cross Roosevelt.
In my opinion, Chicago is the slept-on city. So many Tiktoks are spilt on New York. People wander the city, eating at whatever restaurant, getting millions of views. So many words are wasted talking about Los Angeles. Who cares what happened there?
Chicago needs love. Its 77 neighborhoods, its riverfront, its culture. I think it is a city lacking a clear identity. If it has one, I don’t know what it is.
Chicago’s identity is out there. Millions of people wake up every morning and go about their days, go about their life, putting in all their effort. I’ll be joining them, and in the process, becoming one of them. Join me as I become Chicagoan.