Each week, Yahoo Travel pits rival destinations against each other to determine once and for all which one is the best. Up this week are two US rivals: Chicago and New York City.
The Case for Chicago
by Bill Fink
Chicago has long been called the “Second City,” with a smaller population than insufferably packed New York City. But Chicago is first where it matters: quality of life for residents and visitors alike. This may come as a shock to New Yorkers, but it is possible to live in a big city and still be friendly. Chicago welcomes tourists with free city guides. In New York, they’ll knock you down if you hold hands or stop to take a picture.
Chicago is a city of firsts: It built the first skyscraper in the world, precursor to its stunning lakefront skyline; it raised the first Ferris wheel, the inspiration for the current ride on Navy Pier; it chewed the first Juicy Fruit gum, bringing us the city’s iconic Wrigley Building (and Wrigley Field!). Chicago has world-class art, architecture, dining, shopping, music, sports, really everything that New York has, but without the excessive cost and attitude.
Related: Cheat Sheet: Chicago
The descendant of the world’s first Ferris wheel: Navy Pier Ferris Wheel (Photo: Thinkstock)
New York City’s myopic, self-absorbed viewpoint is best seen in the famous New Yorker magazine cover created to compensate for its citizens’ miserable quality of life. Bad news for New Yorkers: Unless you’re a billionaire hedge-fund manager, you’re living in an unaffordable, closet-size apartment, scurrying to work on packed streets like rats in a maze. Bad news for visitors: New York is full of New Yorkers. New York City is basically the A-Rod of cities: overpriced, overhyped, in love with itself, hostile to others, eventually to be proved a sham. Chicago is your logical first choice.
Population: About 2.7 million in the city of Chicago, 9.5 million in the greater metro area
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