I am a member of the Collective Bias Social Fabric community. I have been compensated to share my experience with you by Collective Bias and their client, Mastercard.

I move around a lot. Since college I’ve live a couple years in New York, St. Louis, Boston and Milwaukee. Now I’m back in the Midwest and splitting my time fairly evenly between Milwaukee and Chicago. Every time I move somewhere new it’s a new discovery process and I wait for the moment in which I feel like I’m home. For me, this usually happens when I leave the city for a trip and return home, breathing a sigh of relief at seeing something familiar. When I lived in New York, I remember seeing the lights of the city from the plane and feeling an overwhelming sense of relief that I was done with a week-long trip and home. When I live in St. Louis it was the arch that welcomed me back. In Boston (this city took longer for me to feel a part of) it was actually a cup of Dunkin Donuts. I’m not sure what it is in Milwaukee yet, I’m not sure I’m there. But in Chicago… it isn’t just one thing. It’s everything - I Love This City.

Having grown up in the suburbs and spending several summers in both high school and college working in the city, I can honestly say nothing makes me feel as settled and contended as seeing the Chicago skyline with the Sears Tower (ahem Willis) holding its prominent position. I wondered if after returning to the Midwest and working multiple days a week in the city if I would get sick of it all, but I’m not. I don’t think I’ll ever be. I Love This City.

This morning I started to make a mental list of everything I love, everything that makes me feel like I am home, every reason I Love This City. The list in my head grew to be too long, so I started making a note in my phone. That got out of hand too. So instead of bullet point everything I love about Chicago, here’s a few paragraphs of categorized highlights in no particular order.

Food - Can we say Chicago Deep Dish Pizza?! Honestly the best pizza creation in the world. Nothing compares. Chicago-style hot dogs. You haven’t eaten a hotdog until you’ve gotten one with all the toppings from a hole-in-the-wall here! I still remember the first time my dad took me to one of those places. I was mesmerized, if not a little disgusted. Garrett’s popcorn. It’s so good people stand outside in the freezing cold winter just to get a bag to go or a Christmas tin. Sunda. This place made me realize the Midwest CAN do seafood amazingly well, which was eye-opening after living in Boston where it is usually always spectacular. The Billy Goat. Can’t pass-up this Chicago establishment. It was in the basement of the building I worked in for two summers while I was growing up, so needless to say I’ve spent a fair amount of time there. Goose Island 312. I’m a beer fan, in case you didn’t know from my instagram feed, and this beer named after the Chicago area code is one of my favorite light beers. The Berghoff. Classic German food and ambiance, plus they make their own soda!

People - Can we just take a moment to recognize Michael Jordan, Walt Disney, Nat King Cole, Billy Corgan, Eddie Vedder, Oprah, Harrison Ford, Tina Fey, Robin Williams, Michael Crichton, Ernest Hemingway, Jim Belushi, Steve Carrell, John and Joan Cusack… I could go on and on.

Landmarks - Wrigley Field. With all it’s Ivy and the fact that you literally drive upon it seemingly out of nowhere. Plus it brings back childhood memories of the best kind. Sears Tower. I’ll always call it that, even if someone else bough the naming right. Even as a kid I knew it was impressive that Chicago housed the tallest building in the US, and for some years the entire world. The Bean. A totally random piece of architectural and arty genius that is awe-inspiring every time I see it. The Ferris Wheel at Navy Pier. The Ferris Wheel was invented for this city! How cool is that? From this one you can get an amazing view of both the city and Lake Michigan. And let’s not forget all the stunning buildings you could pass right by without noticing if you don’t glance up while walking around the city, such as The Wrigley Building, The Tribune Building, The Watertower, The Field Museum, The Lyric Opera House, Marshall Field, etc…

Memorable Moments - Several winters in a row my Aunt B. brought me and my sisters into the city to watch the Nutcracker. It was a day we looked forward to every winter. And then there was the summer of the painted cows - this was before this was the trendy thing every city was doing. The cows took over the whole city. Together with Aunt B. we got a map and struck out to explore every painted cow we could discover. It was a long, picture-filled, wonderful day. (can you tell Aunt B. liked to explore Chicago as much as we did?? I have a lot of memorable moments with her in the city.) Let’s not forget the Chicago Marathon and the two times I’ve run this beautiful course; the first time with my sister and dad. The path through 29 neighborhoods, the relentless cheering of the crowd, the sights, sounds and smells of the city, all while you accomplish something truly out-of-the-ordinary - that will be forever seared into my memories. Going to the Museum of Science and Industry, lead by my mom along with all my sibling to explore the richness of the place. Taking the commuter train back and forth every day with my dad to get to work the summer I worked in his office. Junior Prom on a house boat on Lake Michigan. I don’t remember too much about that night except we were thrilled to be in the city and we spent a fair amount of time running from one end of the boat to the other to make it rock in the water.

There is so much more that I love about this city… but you don’t need to read through an entire novel.

So tell me, if you are from Chicago or have visited it, why do you Love This City?