You always say you wanna leave, but once you do there's a couple of things you have to learn the hard way. The Chicago Suburbs are like a culture of their own and other people aren't going to understand a lot of it. If you've ever ventured out of the burbs you can probably relate.
1) The food is not as good anywhere else.
Potbelly's, Portillo's, Noodles & Company, Lou Malnati's, Culvers you miss them all.
2) The sports fans don't care nearly as much.
Not everyone cheers on their home team as passionately as people do in Chicago. Whether it's the Cubs vs. Sox rivalry, the Bears fans hatred of the Packers, or cheering the Blackhawks on to another Stanley Cup, you will miss being surrounded by Chicago sports fans.
3) The snow is actually something you'll come to miss.
This sounds like a joke, but it's true. While the constant cold is something you can live without you're going to miss having a white Christmas and a snow day every once in a while.
4) Having a big city so close is a blessing you didn't realize you had.
Weekend trips downtown for shopping and site seeing were a highlight of your childhood. But, once you leave you may have a pretty far drive for any big cities.
5) The concert scene is not as big everywhere else.
When your favorite artist was going on tour you could be confident they would come to you're state, but that's not the case when you get far away from the city. Not to mention we have Lollapalooza, Lake Shake, and Spring Awakening.
6) Not everyone has spent countless family vacations at Wisconsin Dells.
The Wilderness and the Kalahari may have been some of your favorite places growing up, but a lot of people have never even heard of it.
7) Construction on every road is not normal in other areas.
Some states experience more seasons than just winter and construction.
8) Centennial Beach is way cooler than anyone else's neighborhood pool.
It's really impossible to explain to people what it's like; you just have to go for yourself.
9) Not everyone has a lake house they visit on weekends.
We all knew someone with a house in either Wisconsin or Michigan, but apparently some people prefer to vacation farther than just a three hour drive.
10) Not everyone's entire extended family lives within an hour of them.
Having your whole family at your house for every holiday is not what happens everywhere else
11) Some people have never heard Jewel Osco or Dominick's.
Publix? Hyvee?
12) No one really knows any cities in Illinois except Chicago.
"I'm from Naperville." "Oh ok, so how far is that from Chicago?"
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