[B-Chan]

How was Chicago able to lure Boeing from Seattle over Dallas?

Maybe they had something special to offer.

Or perhaps it was the windy blow.

Better still, the yummy pizza,

That many feel too rich in dough.

Illinois, the Land of Lincoln,

Endless towers, toddlin' town

Safeguard always thy renown.

[Coyote Choir]

Well, thought I'd jump in and say personally, I loved Chicago back when we would visit our daughter during the four years she attended the U. of C.. I do realize that Hyde Park is especially well patrolled, due in part to the presence of the university; I never felt endangered as an older woman while we were out and about in the city (at least when we were not flying down a highway in an airport shuttle van), although of course I always worried and prayed about my daughter's safety. She was fine, it turned out; she has a lot of common sense, and she spent most of her time studying (The unofficial motto of her school was something like “The University of Chicago: the place where fun comes to die”) - the students traditionally work very hard there. There are wealthy areas in Hyde Park, but there are also many modest apartments and highrises, and there is a real mix of people. I loved being able to walk everywhere in Hyde Park down tree lined streets and being able to catch a bus and ride on down a few blocks further or go on across the city. I loved the great Chicago area museums, especially the Institute of Art downtown, the small restaurants, the whole rich, rough-edged urban flavor, and the park running along the lake shore. We are not wealthy people, especially after seeing our two children graduate from college - we are just a family from Oklahoma - but I just didn't want all of the posts to be uniformly negative about Chicago. It is a great city with a distinct, rough and tumble personality all of its own. And you can visit Chicago and stay in Hyde Park without spending a vast fortune, too (unless you just want to). Just go when it is warm.