Day 2 - Inside Mordor

[Suvorov]

I was based out of ORD for 4 years and enjoyed the times I ventured into the city. If I thought that I would be based there the rest of my career, I'd have moved my family to one of the less draconian areas surrounding Chicago in a heart beat. Of the 4 big cities in the US, Chicago is my favorite. It is beautiful, full of culture, good food, and a lot of good people. POTUS and his cronies excepted, I don't get the elitist "I hate the US" attitude which is quite prevalent in LA and NY. Rather the average Chicagoan I came in contact with was true to their midwest roots. Damn shame the bad guys have such a choke hold on it.

Good luck and enjoy!

[23JAZ]

"He just moved to Chicago for work and explained why; it's in this thread."


Yes I know. Sorry must of forgot the sarcastic smiley face.

[RevolverRob]

We're coming up on Day 14 in Mordor - Anyone want to take an over-under on the number of shootings this holiday weekend? During Easter weekend 45 shot, during July 4th there were 87 shot. Labor Day is the last big weekend of good weather. The weatherman says rain today, then sunny and pleasant the rest of the weekend. I'm going with 75 shootings over the next 96 hours (from midnight this morning to midnight Monday night).

So far - No shootings to report today - last shooting was 10:15pm last night. I will update as I enjoy listening to the police scanner and checking the news occasionally throughout the day.

-Rob

[LittleLebowski]

81 shootings.

[RoyGBiv]

^^^ I think your estimate is light... I'll take the OVER. (My guess is 83)

[RevolverRob]

Well - Most of the day has been uneventful, no shootings until this evening apparently, we are up to two so far - http://voices.suntimes.com/news/brea...aug-29-sept-1/ - But I went for some Chipotle earlier (No one was open carrying there) and could see things were starting to heat up tonight. I'm planning to be home before dark the rest of the weekend.

-Rob

[LittleLebowski]

10 this morning.

[MGW]

Besides the gun laws, and politics in general, Chicago has some of the neatest things to do in any major large city in N. America. Awesome museums, parks, restaurants, etc.

The Lincoln Park Zoo is amazing, and free! Shedd aquarium as mentioned, Navy Pier... Try using Yelp or similar and you'll be amazed at how much cool stuff there is.

I spent a couple days in Chicago fresh out of Navy boot camp and had a blast. All in dress whites mind you. I was pretty naive back then and did some things I would never do now but lucked out and had a mostly event free good time.

We went everywhere on foot because it was what we could afford. I know I only scratched the surface of what was there to see, mainly because most pizza places never asked for IDs if you were in uniform, and would love to go back there with the family.

Being unarmed there really makes me nervous though.

[threedogdad]

Rob,

Thanks for starting this thread. It's interesting to learn a little about a place I have never visited, but I'm more interested in your field of study. That was one I truly wanted to follow back in the day, but I ultimately went down a different path. No regrets, but I am a little jealous.

Congrats on your upcoming opportunities and thanks again for all the info.

[Hambo]

RevolverRob, try to look at the bright side. This will be hard to do in winter when you don't see the sun for five months, but try anyway.

First, you're not in Philadelphia. That fact alone should warm you on the coldest of winter days. Second, even thought there is significant violent crime in Chicago, it's not as bad as say, Mogadishu. Third, decoding firearms laws and filling out forms so you can legally own the guns you own will give you a something to do when you're not hammering out your dissertation.

Seriously, congrats on the chance to study there and I hope you get your guns soon. Enjoy the Midwest and Midwesterners while you can, you never know when you'll end up in Philly.