Milwaukee, Houston, Chicago (possibly moving-related)
Brian
7,618 Posts
Ok, I've never been to any of these places but might have some leads on jobs. If you had to stick it out for two years in one of these places and probably were working like crazy the whole time to not be able to really enjoy what each location has to offer, which one would you choose? The following are important to me:
- Cost of living, what sq. footage for how much so I can decide whether I need to dump all this music gear before I move
- Public transportation (non-existent in Houston?)
- Weather (I've heard I will die in Chicago)
- Cost of living, what sq. footage for how much so I can decide whether I need to dump all this music gear before I move
- Public transportation (non-existent in Houston?)
- Weather (I've heard I will die in Chicago)
Comments
I'd say Houston, but that's cuz I hate snow.
Yes, I really like Houston! You get used to the heat, the women are friendly, food is great, really low cost of living compared with compensation! Plus, I prefer to visit snow, not the other way around.
/hating, apologies to those who live there long term and like it
//this is not about the culture of houston, but definitely about layout/livability
Chicago is cold, but I love that fucking city.
+ Cost of living is pretty damn cheap. My fairly spacious $525 one-bedroom should be about $650 {here [ I get a good deal (90 year old landlords-related)]} but would be about $750-800 in CHI and easily $1800 in LA or god only knows in NYC or SF.
- The bus system here is the most expensive in the US and runs pretty meagerly, especially during non-peak hours. Thank the state's psychotic Republican party for that.
- Weather: Coldest metropolitan area in the entire US, albeit Chicago's weather is nearly identical to ours. Summers here are pretty fantastic though, and since climate change has kicked it up a notch lately, the winters haven't been AS brutal it doesn't seem like.
Milwaukee is cool because it can feel small city some days, and big city others. Chicago is great and has a lot more going on, especially job-wise, but you're stuck with big city 24/7
I've never been to Houston but I hear its more of a gigantic armpit than a livable city .
Yes, public transportation sucks here, but if you live and work inside the loop it's not a big deal. Plenty of my friends use bicycles as their primary form of transportation.
The sprawl is pretty ridiculous, but to the people who live inside the 610 loop, you don't really think about it. It ends up having a small town feeling, more so than any big city I've lived in. If you had to live in Katy or Spring, I wouldn't be so enthutiastic.
I'm sorry, but I'v never understood the cold freakouts. And before you ask, yes I've been there a few winters and no I don't live there so I'm not used to it.
I can't comment on the other two things you asked about, but if cold winters were the only con against Chicago, I'd go there without thinking it twice.
I like Chicago a lot, but it is a really massive place. Like I said, there's a ton more to do. but, in Chicago, try hitting even two different things at night and you can be sitting in random traffic for a million years just to get a few neighborhoods over. In Milwaukee it would be 15 minutes in a car at MOST.
And the crosstown rush hours can't even compare.
That being said, Chicago is still a relative goldmine for records. When I hear Chicago collectros whine about how theres no more records there I seriously want to slap them 'cross the mouth
Umm, what else...
Chicago isn't afraid to act sophisticated whereas Milwaukee tends to relish in its blue collar heritage, generally speaking that is. But at the same time I would confidently pit our art & culture scene against any similarly sized city with the exception of Minneapolis because they would smoke us.
Chicago and Milwaukee both have Lake Michigan which is the absolute next best thing to being on the ocean.
Dunno about the hitting two things a night. Last time I was there I didn't have that problem. Mexico City is bigger (I think) but, at 'party hours' (after midnight) you can go from point A to point B without problems. Crosstown rush hours are a bitch, indeed.
Co-sine on the record bit. If you're not worried about getting your hands dirty or have enough contacts, there's quite a few stuff left out there. A token: a friend of mine found about a month ago a copy of Mel Britt - She'll Come Running Back. You'd think all the copies were in the UK by now, being a Northern Soul grial and a $1000+ raer, but he did.
Here are my two cents regarding the three cities.
1. Chicago:
-I think it's a fantastic city in terms of character, entertainment, arts and culture, and dining. Also, the walk on the Miracle Mile during summer time is downright breathtaking. As others have said, it's cold as hell there in the winter, but I like the cold so it's cool to me. I can wear my nice camel hair coats, top coats, and cashmere sweaters, so it's all good. My perspective comes from visiting there many times over the years. I would pick this city over the other two.
2. Milwaukee:
-I lived there 6 years and utterly hated it. If you are non-White, I must inform you that it is the most racist place I have ever lived (especially on the south side), and I'm from North Carolina! It's a challenge to find any access to minority culture (I'm Black) since the city is so racially stratified economically. So, you have to be the "Black dude" (or Asian or Hispanic dude) if you frequent any nice establishments because minorities tend to be scarce in such circles. While there, I was followed by and questioned by cops, refused service in restaurants, followed around in stores, etc. My wife was pulled over at gunpoint in front of the business school where I taught for "Driving While Black." As stated by others, it's cold as hell, but I like winter, so I didn't mind this aspect of the city. I'll give Milwaukee so kudos for having an OK local music scene (at least while I was there), and having bars damn near anywhere to have a drink.
3. Houston:
-I've visited Houston a number of times, and I've found it to be sprawling city with no character at all. It presents a bevy of lifeless strip malls, Starbucks, Whole Foods, and McMansion-esque neighborhoods. On top of all that, it's hot as hell down there nearly all year round. Also, from what I gather, the music scene there is a bit 'eh' compared to cities like Chicago and NYC. I'll give Houston this, their Tex-Mex is off the meat racks!!!
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
With all due respect...you are absolutely clueless when it comes to Houston.
I don't think it would be a stretch to say a majority of white people here, if not out-and-out racists, at least have a negative view of the black community. If we stretch the boundaries to include the suburban counties around Milwaukee then it would be a VAST majority, easily.
I would say it mostly stems from a severe lack of integration between the communities. As stacks said, by and large, its quite odd to see blacks and whites co-mingling at the same establishments. Even in the neighborhoods that could be called "trendy", "young", "diverse", or "open-minded". It just doesn't really happen.
Then every so often, some dumb shit like this goes down, and certainly doesn't help anybody's cause:
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/125027704.html
For real, all the Houston hatt is pretty lame and generic. What American city doesn't have Starbucks, Whole Foods and McManshion-esque neighborhoods these days? Seems like your visits were boring, maybe your guide sucked or weren't able to sniff out anything more interesting, but that says more about you than it does the city.
Fair enough, I thought Houston sucked when I moved there and it took a while for me to warm up to it, but now I'm thoroughly convinced of it's charms. That said, different strokes.
Good idea, but at least in Houston, it can be hard to determine where to look in craigslist. What kind of neighborhood are you looking for?
ps. brian... dont you live in hawaii? why would you leave ??? thats crazy