Which season in Chicago really says "Chicago"?

The Urban Politician · September 15th, 2005, 11:44 AM

I"m not asking for people to whine about the winter or to discuss ad nauseum how great the millions of citywide festivals/concerts/arts shows, etc that occur throughout the summer are.

All I'm asking is--in which season is Chicago the most....Chicago? Which season reveals the city's soul more than any other, or do none of the seasons have dominance in that?

To me, it's mid-fall. Right about late October, just around Halloween time. There's something about the early twilight, the leaves crunching beneath your feet, as well as the smell of leaves burning. There's the spooky feeling, with the rows and rows of brick buildings, many of them a century old, that really brings out the "true" spirit of Chicago for me.

edsg25 · September 15th, 2005, 12:41 PM

Well, to start with, we need to examine your list:

Summer
Fall
Winter
Spring

I've lived in Chicago my whole life. You've introduced a term I've never heard of. What exactly is spring? Whatever it is, we never had it (unless you're talking about the day we change our winter coats for shorts and short sleaves!

spyguy · September 15th, 2005, 02:55 PM

Love the fall. The air is crisp and there's great sleeping weather!

Steely Dan · September 15th, 2005, 05:04 PM

i've always felt that chicago is an autumnal city, in its soul.

tpe · September 15th, 2005, 07:48 PM

I think for a lot of people, it's summer.

But the Symphony, Opera, Theaters, etc. are all spread out from fall to spring, which is something to look forward to after the summer season ends...

Chicago3rd · September 15th, 2005, 07:49 PM

To be difficult:

Fall - shows us in all our glory..the colors, the air, the approaching winter.

Winter - Drives us deep into ourselves. Survival mode....we wake up and it will be us against nature and we will survive.

Spring - It is the thing you hope for but as noted...really doesn't ever arrive.

Summer - Party, Barbeque, everything is outside......go go go go.

My favorite....Fall.

chukchi · September 15th, 2005, 09:16 PM

summer

***i_am_hydrogen*** · September 15th, 2005, 10:05 PM

Summer - It's the time of year when the city is the most extroverted, when people are finally able--after a long winter--to, in the words of Afrika Bambaataa, "let their godselves just get wild." Summer is like a catharsis for Chicago.

UrbanSophist · September 16th, 2005, 12:35 AM

Well, it feels as though "summer" Chicago is trying too hard. It's the version of Chicago that keeps trying to show you how great it is and all that it has to offer.

"Winter" in Chicago can get pretty cold.

It's highlight is Michigan Ave. and State Street with the lights and atmosphere.

"Spring"... as nice as it is... it could be better. As far as I know, there's no old jazz standards entitled "April in Chicago".

So, as Chicago3rd says, "Fall" is Chicago's glory season. The weather is pretty much perfect (at least in my opinion), the great architecture is augmented by the colors on the trees, etc. I think fall more than any other season in Chicago just speaks for itself.

So, Fall is its!

wickedestcity · September 16th, 2005, 01:31 AM

i would like fall that much better if i didnt have alergies

UrbanSophist · September 16th, 2005, 02:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wickedestcity

i would like fall that much better if i didnt have alergies

I hear ya. I take Allegra-D. Works wonders!

Azn_chi_boi · September 16th, 2005, 02:04 AM

Fall... the differrent colors of the trees falling, with pumkins out side around October. Also, with a breeze, and sometimes a light snow falling...

chicagogeorge · September 16th, 2005, 02:52 AM

All seasons, but especially summer and winter. During the summer there are tons of things going on, the beaches are open, the taste of Chicago..... Winter, the Mag. Mile looks beautiful with all the holiday lights...

DeMaFrost · September 16th, 2005, 07:04 PM

Chicago goes into hibernation in the winter. It's not even the same city, its a little depressing actually. I think Summer and Fall are Chicago's seasons

samsonyuen · September 16th, 2005, 08:09 PM

Summer. It's when the city comes the most alive! Winter too, but that's more nostalgic for Christmases with the family.

Suburbanite · September 16th, 2005, 08:26 PM

Spring! I have never seen a city (except maybe in Canada) more full of happy people than Chicago in springtime. Those midwest winters give a person a real appreciation for simple pleasures like tulips and green grass.

View Poll Results: Which season says "Chicago" more than any other?
Summer	8	33.33%
Fall	10	41.67%
Winter	5	20.83%
Spring	1	4.17%
None of the Above	0	0%
Voters: 24. You may not vote on this poll

September 15th, 2005, 11:44 AM	#1
The Urban Politician The City Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 5,968 Likes (Received): 0	Which season in Chicago really says "Chicago"? I"m not asking for people to whine about the winter or to discuss ad nauseum how great the millions of citywide festivals/concerts/arts shows, etc that occur throughout the summer are. All I'm asking is--in which season is Chicago the most....Chicago? Which season reveals the city's soul more than any other, or do none of the seasons have dominance in that? To me, it's mid-fall. Right about late October, just around Halloween time. There's something about the early twilight, the leaves crunching beneath your feet, as well as the smell of leaves burning. There's the spooky feeling, with the rows and rows of brick buildings, many of them a century old, that really brings out the "true" spirit of Chicago for me.

September 15th, 2005, 05:04 PM	#4
Steely Dan facist lord of the cosmos Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: old style city Posts: 2,598 Likes (Received): 5	i've always felt that chicago is an autumnal city, in its soul. __________________ "I wish they'd hurry up and just destroy humanity already........... it's the waiting that I can't stand" - Philip J. Fry Last edited by Steely Dan; September 15th, 2005 at 09:42 PM.

September 16th, 2005, 02:52 AM	#13
chicagogeorge Registered User Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: South suburban Chicago Posts: 5,312 Likes (Received): 109	All seasons, but especially summer and winter. During the summer there are tons of things going on, the beaches are open, the taste of Chicago..... Winter, the Mag. Mile looks beautiful with all the holiday lights... __________________ for the Pelasgians, too, were a Greek nation originally from the Peloponnesus The Roman Antiquities of Dionysius of Halicarnassus http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...assus/1B.html Macedonia, of course, is a part of Greece". Strabo, VII, Frg. 9 http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/...ragments.html But north of the gulf, the first inhabitants are Greeks called Epirotes.... Procopius http://books.google.com/books?id=9m6...page&q&f=false

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September 15th, 2005, 12:41 PM	#2
edsg25 BANNED Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 9,399 Likes (Received): 0	Well, to start with, we need to examine your list: Summer Fall Winter Spring I've lived in Chicago my whole life. You've introduced a term I've never heard of. What exactly is spring? Whatever it is, we never had it (unless you're talking about the day we change our winter coats for shorts and short sleaves!

September 15th, 2005, 02:55 PM	#3
spyguy Expert Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Chicago Posts: 6,947 Likes (Received): 6	Love the fall. The air is crisp and there's great sleeping weather!

September 15th, 2005, 07:48 PM	#5
tpe Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Chicago & NYC Posts: 3,427 Likes (Received): 86	I think for a lot of people, it's summer. But the Symphony, Opera, Theaters, etc. are all spread out from fall to spring, which is something to look forward to after the summer season ends...

September 15th, 2005, 07:49 PM	#6
Chicago3rd Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 725 Likes (Received): 0	To be difficult: Fall - shows us in all our glory..the colors, the air, the approaching winter. Winter - Drives us deep into ourselves. Survival mode....we wake up and it will be us against nature and we will survive. Spring - It is the thing you hope for but as noted...really doesn't ever arrive. Summer - Party, Barbeque, everything is outside......go go go go. My favorite....Fall.

September 15th, 2005, 09:16 PM	#7
chukchi Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Orlando (Chicago in my heart) Posts: 2,750 Likes (Received): 0	summer

September 15th, 2005, 10:05 PM	#8
*i_am_hydrogen* muted Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 7,192 Likes (Received): 8	Summer - It's the time of year when the city is the most extroverted, when people are finally able--after a long winter--to, in the words of Afrika Bambaataa, "let their godselves just get wild." Summer is like a catharsis for Chicago.

September 16th, 2005, 12:35 AM	#9
UrbanSophist Registered User Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Aberdeen, UK Posts: 2,874 Likes (Received): 0	Well, it feels as though "summer" Chicago is trying too hard. It's the version of Chicago that keeps trying to show you how great it is and all that it has to offer. "Winter" in Chicago can get pretty cold. It's highlight is Michigan Ave. and State Street with the lights and atmosphere. "Spring"... as nice as it is... it could be better. As far as I know, there's no old jazz standards entitled "April in Chicago". So, as Chicago3rd says, "Fall" is Chicago's glory season. The weather is pretty much perfect (at least in my opinion), the great architecture is augmented by the colors on the trees, etc. I think fall more than any other season in Chicago just speaks for itself. So, Fall is its!

September 16th, 2005, 01:31 AM	#10
wickedestcity BANNED Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Chicago Posts: 1,570 Likes (Received): 0	i would like fall that much better if i didnt have alergies

September 16th, 2005, 02:04 AM	#12
Azn_chi_boi BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Bridgeport + Chinatown, Chicago Posts: 4,269 Likes (Received): 0	Fall... the differrent colors of the trees falling, with pumkins out side around October. Also, with a breeze, and sometimes a light snow falling...

September 16th, 2005, 07:04 PM	#14
DeMaFrost Registered User Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Too North for Lakeview, too east for Roscoe Village Posts: 479 Likes (Received): 0	Chicago goes into hibernation in the winter. It's not even the same city, its a little depressing actually. I think Summer and Fall are Chicago's seasons

September 16th, 2005, 08:09 PM	#15
samsonyuen SSLL Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Canary Wharf > CityPlace Posts: 8,534 Likes (Received): 0	Summer. It's when the city comes the most alive! Winter too, but that's more nostalgic for Christmases with the family.

September 16th, 2005, 08:26 PM	#16
Suburbanite Registered User Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 925 Likes (Received): 0	Spring! I have never seen a city (except maybe in Canada) more full of happy people than Chicago in springtime. Those midwest winters give a person a real appreciation for simple pleasures like tulips and green grass.