Chicago

[Note: This was written on spec for an ad I saw looking for a blogger. It was done quickly as an exercise. The objective given was to write about what distinguishes Chicago and to keep in mind that I’d be blogging for a clothing store that plans to service only this city. The employer wanted a Chicago native, but I tried to lobby for my perspective – an outsider making Chicago his home.

Chicago

Not New York. A bit more manageable.
Definitely not Los Angeles. Much more real.
A more active San Francisco. Larger and with more vigor yet retaining its soul.

Chicago is a city I once knew solely through a sports lens. The South and their Sox playing second fiddle to the North and the Cubbies. The Bears being the toast of the town despite 1985 feeling more and more like 1908. The Bulls, who fostered a generation of admirers in the 90s, have since fallen far from ESPN’s radar.

Yes, there is crime and corruption that plagues it. There is also an ethnic divide that is easily discovered. Yet Chicago is much more than this and its sports culture. They only add to it. To use a cliché, Chicago is diverse... but contains a level of approachability that is surprising for a city of its stature. This is what I’ve come to enjoy more than anything.

Seasons are pronounced here. There is an abundance of museums from the noteworthy trifecta near Soldier field to lesser-known American gems such as Wright’s Old Home in Oak Park. Music is consistently around. Free many times I might add. Bars, lounges and clubs are sprinkled everywhere. People are moving about and for an outsider such as myself, it is exciting because one can easily fit in. Single or with a family; religious or soul-searching; student or professional...Chicago has a spot for you.

With this, it demands a style that matches. Eccletic to refined and everything in between. A Chicagonian does not fit a single boilerplate.

That is why it needs a store to reflect its interests.