Welthy Posted March 21, 2007 Posted March 21, 2007 A funny little prep about Chicago quirks for those who don't live here! Enjoy. (I'm sure they apply to other places too!) You know you're from Chicago when... You say Chicawgo and not Chicaago. You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of Illinois. You become irate at people who do. No matter where you are, when you hear the term "Downtown" you immediately assume they're talking about Downtown Chicago. You find yourself referring to the central business district of any city you happen to be in as "The Loop." You measure distance in minutes (especially "from the city"). And you swear everything is pretty much 15-20 minutes away. You know why they call Chicago "The Windy City". You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake" and Chicago as "The City". You understand what "lake-effect" means. You respond to the question "Where are you from" with a side" example:"WEST SIDE", "SOUTH SIDE" or "NORTHSIDE." (Or North suburbs, West suburbs, etc.) You have no problem spelling or pronouncing "Des Plaines". The "Living Room" is called the "front room" (pronounced fronchroom). You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example:"Where's my coat at?" or "If you go to the mall I wanna go with." Da is a proper definite article. You know the difference between Richard J Daley and Richard M Daley. Your school classes were canceled because of cold or heat. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day. You've worn shorts and a parka at the same time. Stores don't have sacks, they have bags. You wear gym shoes, not sneakers. You drink "pop." You carry jumper cables in your car AND know how to use them. You understand that I-290, I-90, I-94, and I-294 are all different roads. You know the names of the interstates: Stevenson, Kennedy, Eisenhower,Dan Ryan, Tri-state and the Edens. But you call the interstates "expressways" . You know what "the Hillside strangler is," and know they lied about "fixing" it. You don't flinch when you pay the fifth toll of your 45-minute car ride on the tollway. You refer to anything South of I-80 as "Southern Illinois". "The Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in a series of 41 played in January of 1986 (not updated to account for this year -- but probably still the same.) You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers! You know when the last time the Cubs won a pennant. You buy "The Trib". You think 35 degrees is great weather to wash your car! You know what goes on a Chicago Style Hot Dog. You know what Chicago Style Pizza is and feel sorry for those who don't. You know the difference between Amtrak and Metra, and know which station they end up at. You have ridden the "L". You have at some time in your life, used your furniture, a chair, or an old broom to guard your parking spot in winter. It's January and you see someone's kitchen chair in the street, and you know that if you're a responsible citizen and bring it back to the sidewalk you will be shot on sight. You've been caught speeding in Wisconsin because you had Illinois plates. You know what the phone number is to Empire Carpet! Quote
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