It's still so wild to me that LA has the best weather of just about anywhere in the US but is the least urban and most car obsessed lol. So much potential down the drain. I've never been to Chicago, but am definitely going to try to get there next time I visit the US next year.

I’m dead at you saying the bean is Chicago’s main tourist attraction. It’s only been here for like 20 years! And Chicago is 1000% known to be a great foodie city lol. Loved the video though and I’m glad you enjoyed it here. It’s a great place.

Absolutely no mention of the Art Institute, The Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Adler Planetarium, Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago Symphony, Lyric Opera, the many other museums and galleries, the tons of playhouses all over the city, jazz clubs and concert venues. He did say that he spent most of his time outdoors, but seriously, he didn't visit even one cultural institution?

“Chicago not known for food” is crazy. Some of the best food/restaurants in the US…some argue the world, are in Chicago.

Chicago & New York are known for great food & good public transit they have LA beat in those areas. LA only has better weather

Lived in Chicago for the past 3 year and just moved to LA. Agreed with 100% of what you said, and I'm glad you were able to see so much of what's great about the city! I'd argue with you on the Chicago food scene though: there's a TON of amazing restaurants and bars in the city. And because cost of living is better compared to other cities, there's always a lot of people out. Winters are indeed brutal and seem to never end. You're not really in the clear until April. But the summers are incredible. Everyone is out. Everyone is just happy. There's literally dozens of festivals and concerts during the summer: Lollapalooza, Taste of Chicago, Chicago Marathon, Air and Water Show, and fireworks off the pier. And don't even get me started on how great the museums are. We had a membership to the Art Institute and it was worth every penny to just get to spend weekends wandering around historical paintings. I miss it.

Chicago offers great value for money. June is a great month to be here. The locals don't tend to travel in the summer. It is the best time to stay here. This may be bourgeoisie but us middle aged folks here stay in town all summer and do a number of long weekends in Europe in Fall, Winter and Spring. The low (compared to NY or LA) cost of living here allows us to do that along with the fact that O'Hare is the best connected international airport in the world. And we are okay with people thinking NY and LA are better. It is our little secret...

He says Montrose beach weird 😂 also we are more than a 6.5 in transit, you just need to know how to use it/have your home base in the right spot

I agree with a lot of what you've said, and having lived in Chicago and LA, I'm ready to move back to Chicago. LA is too hot for me, and I like being able to walk everywhere. The traffic in LA is just getting unbearable.

I am afraid Chicago winters might disappoint you by not living up to its exaggerated reputation. It doesn't get nearly as cold as it used to a decade ago. Chicago winters these days are more like what St Louis winters used to be circa 2010.

8:00 A better comparison to the Empire State Building is the Sears Tower versus the Bean

Actually Chicago is known for food, the majority of critics consider it to be better than even New York and Chicago is consistently voted the overall best big city in America. And you can't compare the bean with the empire state building because Chicago has the willis tower which was the tallest building in America until the recently and Chicago is where the skyscraper was invented. NYC has one of the best train systems in the entire world but Chicago's CTA is the second biggest and most developed in America after NY by far and it is also the only other one that operates 24/7 and Chicago's takes you to the airport while NY's does not.

Visited all three last year for the first time, Chicago was by far my favourite.

Their beaches having freshwater has its advantages. Don’t have to worry about sharks and jellyfish

You spent a month there and you never went to the museums? Sampled the food? I can't imagine you ate anything if you left thinking Chicago isn't known for its food, or that most of the pizza eaten there is deep dish (yes, we mostly eat thin crust).

Glad you enjoyed your time here! You came at the best time (arguably the only reason we endure the dreadful winters).

I was raised in Chicago. Finally moved to LA when I was 30. June is a great month in the Windy City. November-March, not so much. I literally almost died when my car's engine froze up on the Tri-State Tollway during what was then the coldest day in the city's history. Windchill factor of 40 below zero. I'll take Southern California, June Gloom and all.

One of best content creators i've seen in a very long time. thanks for sharing

Did you really just compare the bean to the empire state building😂😂😂.... one is a famous art work the other is a livable workable skyscraper.... you might want to consider editing to compare to oh I don't know like the sears tower 😂😂😂😂😂

I fully agree. I'm in a similar situation - I live in Vegas and there's no sense of community or urbanism here. While nothing can beat New York, Chicago at least is somewhere that you can live in the United States with a sense of community and that alone makes it exceptional. I definitely found the Lake Michigan bike trail there comparable in awesomeness to the beach path along Santa Monica. I agree in full about the food. Winters in Chicago, yes, are absolutely awful, and you are correct, you can't dress for them. I was bundled in three layers and about as covered as I could get with a parka. I still was cold. That was in April and it was 15F. The public transit is mostly awesome except for the fact people feel free to break the rules on it.... Seemed like every train car somebody was either smoking weed or cigarettes, and occasionally people were doing harder drugs. New York has better enforcement.

So glad you put put another video. I agree 100% about city parks. Loved all the greenery and the walkability. Their shore though different looked great. 🍎💚

Tons of Chicagoans have beach houses in Michigan on lake Michigan. The Wisconsin side of lake Michigan has bluffs, but Michigan side has beautiful huge beaches and dunes. Chicagoans have homes in the st Joe area

Another great video 👏. As a Brit it’s interesting to see, will have to visit Chicago at some point!

I had the same experience, I never knew much about Chicago, but when I visited I absolutely loved it. I was so pleasantly surprised about pretty much everything. I'd totally consider living there if it wasn't for the winter weather and the fact that it's not near the ocean.

Its -1 degree right now here in Chicago. Lets just say I'm ready for the summer at this point.

You're also misreading Chicago transit. We may look like NYC, but the 'L' isn't our main ride. We're much more like L.A.--the majority of transit rides here are on a CTA bus. And the bus system here, unlike my NYC hometown (and L.A. since they canceled the rapid buses), actually works to get you where you want to go in a timely manner.

Lol. The Bean? Not Sears Tower or Wrigley Field?

Love the point you made about the city parks! I've been in NYC SF Austin and Miami over the past few months and all of them have really nice parks to hang around in whereas LA has quite literally none. I now want to make it a point to check out more in new cities! Also speaking of urban parks I would love to hear your thoughts on San Francisco (idk if you've made any videos on here about SF) I am very curious if you would love/hate it

I so look forward to your videos!! You're my favorite KZfaqr. You're such a New Yorker and I love it!!! haha! Thanks for the review of Chicago, I've never been and will definitely visit one day - in the summer.

I've been wanting to go to Chicago for a 5 day trip before weather turns cold. I like to do that 18 mile walk and see the big parks. Being a nature person, I bet it's a great city to visit and maybe we'll see more outdoor videos of places outside of the city.

Chicago is close to Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan border's to 4 state's. But because it border's to 4 state's. Those 4 state's team up to do some business like economy or culture. Those four state's are Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Illinois. Also there is something special about Lake Michigan. Is that Lake's Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario border's Canada. But Lake Michigan border's only the United States of America.

The food scene is definitely great in Chicago, and well known. Overall, good video.

Great overview and comparison. Ps which brand of the blue banded-collar polos you wore in the vid? Looks cool.

Welcome back. I'm glad that you enjoyed your stay in Chicago, and I enjoyed the video you put together. Stay Strong and Be Blessed.

I lived in Chicago for a year trying it out and I really liked it! I had lived in NYC for many years and thought that was the best. Currently not living in NYC anymore and I would never live there again, Love to visit and leave, although, I always miss the walkability and easy transit. I think that Chicago transit is pretty good compared to other cities, but, I found taking the bus much easier than rail .I lived in Lakeview and found everything convenient and the people very nice. I would move back to Chicago for a great job. The taxes are high there like NYC though.

The Wizard of Oz came out in 1939, not quite 100 years old :P The Bobby's Bikes Bites and Brews Tour in Chicago is fun to get a sample of the North Side. Fulton Market/West Loop are really up and coming with a diverse food scene. I've found that it is so much easier to get by the water in New York City & Chicago than it is in LA - quite counterintuitive

Good video. If the winters werent so bad, the cost of living would be outrageous and the population would be so much higher. Take the good with the bad.

Awesome video!! I loved hearing your perspective since your LA videos are great. I live in Dallas (hate it) and wish I could move to LA but my job won’t let me so I’m considering Chicago since I can transfer internally to live there. Biggest gripe is that the beach faces East so you can’t watch the sunset like in LA lol but otherwise I love the big city feel and liberal politics 💜

Great video, but you got it wrong regarding chicago not being known for good! Just google Chicago food compared to Los Angeles and other cities, and we will have more Michelin rated restaurants and more food blogs as it is one of the best food cities in the world. And we don’t have a ton of homeless, littering our parks and sidewalks as an all of California on the West Coast.

Welcome back. To clarify--in SoCal, beaches too are parks. In all senses--e.g. outdoor life, social life.

Really cool video with a fair & balanced view Michael. Great content as always!

I'm a parisian tourist in LA since 1 month now and I ride my mountain bike 3 or 5h a day I love it, I went to many parks and the beach and I saw many things in the city (I'm in West Hollywood), I am the only guy cycling in the city aha. But honestely if you are careful it's fine !

I'm surprised at the gloom n doom weather in Cali! For right now I'm hating this gloom n doom in ny! The whole summer been hot humid n grey ! But glad you are still making videos and I am still moving to cali lol . Have fun !! 🌴🌞

As someone native to the Chicago area now an LA transplant, I do miss my home major city a lot. If only it wasn’t for the dreadful winters that feel like they last half the year. Michael, it seems like you’d like San Francisco a lot

I live in a place with ZERO public transport besides the occasional bus every 2 hours with a population of 500,000. IMO one of the best factors to determine a good city Is public transportation and car dependency, a city can be as nice as it wants and pretty and all but if you have to drive 2+ hours just to have some fun is it really a good city?

Great Vid ! Keep that goin bud !

Just wanted to say that I really love your videos. Stumbled upon your channel a few months ago and been watching ever since. Big love from Australia!

Chicago is such a beautiful city and it has the most elegant and my favorite skyline! ❤❤❤❤

I love Chicago ...i just hate how major companies are tearing down the pedestrian friendly store front (corner store setups) and putting in large parking lots with big box stores...Completely ruining the decor of the city.

It isn't Mont Rose beach. it's Montrose.

hey mike would you do a video about palm springs and palm desert?

Great video but there is so much more to Chicago that should've been included or at least mentioned! Wrigleyville is probably the hottest spot in the city on any given night with tons of bars, restaurants and of course, the iconic Wrigley field! The museum campus is absolutely stunning with 3 of Chicago's major museums located right next to each other with beautiful parks, view of the skyline and views of Soldier Field. Millenium park is the best and located next to the bean and always hosts awesome festivals and events. And the city's west neighborhoods from Ukranian Village to Pilsen has the best cultural vibes you'll find in any city. Really felt like you focused on the North side of the city in this video which is amazing but there is so much more!

Awesome video as always! I just got home from Los Angeles and I had a great time! I watched a lot of your videos before my trip.

Summertime in Chicago is great. The energy is unmatched, you feel it when you walk around and exist. Real people living their lives, not as many disconnected transplants

How can you compare the bean to the empire state building? A better comparison would be the Hancock Center or the Sears (Willis) Tower.

I grew up in NYC, Chicago, and New England. I liked New England best, but NYC and Chicago were also great.

Micheal! I love your videos soo much!! Congrats on 10K!! You're the most underrated KZfaq channel. Every video of yours is a gem!! You should do a video about Laguna or Newport in the OC!

Compared the Bean (it’s actually called The Cloud Gate) to the Empire State Building. One is public art, the other a skyscraper. Not a good comparison. Glad you enjoyed the public parks. We have around 700 of them spread out across the city. Definitely recommend getting out of downtown and the Near North Side and into the West and South Sides. Hidden gems abound in Chicago and most of that is in the neighborhoods. Ride the L train and explore, my friend!

Cold keeps out the cowards! Also, Chicago winters have actually been mild recently. We have had one week of REALLY cold, then the rest of the winter has been lioe 30s/40s. One more thing about winter, winters are AWESOME!!! and there is no bad in, just bad clothing.

whoever your guide was in Chicago did you a major disservice -- if you had one. No mention of Wrigleyville, any of the museums (Planetarium, Museums of Science and Industry, Art Museum, Shedd Aquarium, etc..), you like to bike but didn't go on the 606, Libraries, Theaters/Second City, if you're into Vinyl and that kinda stuff go to Logan Hardware, Breweries/Tours (Half Acre in Lincoln Square), Galloping Ghost Arcade, Kumas Corner for a burger (and heavy metal?), Water Tower Place (Mall) although I think more and more shops are leaving every year still worth a look inside, a bunch of rooftop gardens/drinking spots, Green Mill, Magic Inc in Ravenswood (please visit if you have children, these guys are great), also didn't mention our Zoos?? Anyways, theres a shit ton of other stuff I didn't mention for the sake of brevity. Please come to Chicago, it's great and you definitely won't get mugged/shot, everyone here is nice for the most part, including our homeless!

So glad to see you post another video, Michael! I moved to LA 8 months ago from Ecuador. I started watching your videos before I moved to get a better idea of the city and I’ve continued watching them, discovering things to do and places to check out. You’ve definitely given me great ideas! I also felt so seen and could relate to loathing the May and June gloom. It was really getting to me haha. I moved here last November right before all the rain and the gloom that followed (not the LA I expected) 😅. But I’m so glad the sun is back and ready to enjoy my first full LA summer ☀️ keep up the great content! Always looking forward to your next video.

I can't believe you didn't even talk about the MUSEUMS. They are world class, did you miss them????

You missed out on the awesome jet skis they had at montrose beach

i really like your channel

Maybe you need to try living in DC and SF as well!

Chicago is completely overshadowed by New York City and Los Angeles

Ngl compared to NYC and L.A. Chicago was much better than I thought it would be. Such an underrated city. A shoutout to Queens and Brooklyn though. The Bronx and Manhattan can KMA Speaking of Chicago I think that's the exact park I went to where you can see the skyline from the shore/park area

Nice video, I think LA, NYC and Chicago great and I would also recommend Toronto as one of the most up and coming cities in North America. But if you decide to visit or live in Toronto have your wallet ready because Toronto very expensive city to live.

Amazing how you can take in so much in such a small amount of time. Very impressive ❤

Native Chicagoan here who lived in New York. In terms of cities I prefer NYC. But Chicago's numerous parks and lakefront is amazing and indeed has one of the nations best beach scenes during the summertime right up there with Miami Beach, LA and even Wiakiki Beach, Hawaii. As crazy as it sounds IMO Chicago is a mix of LA (laidback people & lots of beaches) and NYC (urban density, a great skyline, good public transportation, diverse culture, food and art scene, great big old parks like Central Park and Prospect Park, etc) with Lake Michigan acting like a mini Midwest ocean, beaches and lakefont downtown. Though, winters are indeed not fun. But climate change is making them milder and shorter....

2nd City💓

A lot of what is better is subjective. Chicago winters are fucking brutal. I use to live north of Chicago in Milwaukee back during the early 90s. It's roughly the same distance as Santa Barbara is from LA. Milwaukee is a fun city, with a beautiful lake front. It's a blend of downtown and nature. And very hilly on the shoreline, compared to very flat Chicago. Milwaukee is a hilly city. Chicago. Very humid during the summer. And foggy during the spring, that rivals San Francisco fog. There's a lor to do in Chicago. Excellent food, art museums, architecture history and origin started there, parks etc. New York. Not much that i could add, because most has already been said. LA. Ironically. LA is what it is, infrastructure wise, because of my old hometown city. Detroit via Motown. Played a major role in what LA is, to this day. In simple terms. LA infrastructure was based on the automobile. So it doesn't have a true downtown core. Due to most of the activities area within the neighborhoods. LA became massive because of the car culture. Before that. Detroit had more people than LA. With close to 2 million people at it's peek population during the 50s. The car culture from Detroit is why LA population exploded. Urban sprawl. Last. You don't appreciate how big Lake Michigan and the other surrounding lakes are, until you've been to them. They're pretty much are fresh water oceans. The Bay area would disappear on any of those lakes. That's how big that they are. I reside in the Bay area.

Mahn-Trose Beach

I'd rather have Chicago rent than LA and NY rent lol. Chicago is also my kind of place as an Escooter rider.

Hi. Had no idea you were in Chicago :) It looks like a beach to me. I live in Long Beach, NY (a few blocks from the Atlantic Ocean) that has sharks and jellyfish so I get the fear of going in the water in the ocean. And you are right, NYs writers don’t feel as harsh because of what we see compared to those just a few miles north in West Chester, CT or Northern NJ/New England. I agree about the parks, and the walking too, I have a boardwalk and lots of open spaces in Long Beach NY where I live, and maybe each city really does have its own special charm. And at some time in history each city was known for special attractions. Thanks for making this video! And as I’vezs said it before and will say it again, if given the choice, I’d move to Coronado Island. Safe travels 😊💎

If you want to raise a family in a city, Chicago has more good public schools than New York or LA. As someone with experience with SF public schools, we don't have the same ideological capture--some schools may not believe in things like learning multiplication tables and phonics, but my kids' school sure did. There also are safe neighborhoods that are still affordable. There is a lot to do indoors in the city in the winter. Besides museums, there are a number of beautiful conservatories (Garfield Park, Lincoln Park, and just outside the city but accessible by the Blue Line, the Oak Park Conservatory--where you can walk around in warmth and green.) The park field houses have a lot of indoor pools that are free, and amenities that are close to free, and the highest rated urban library system in the US. We also ... kind of get used to the cold. You dress for it. The streets are lit with Christmas lights, and we have the Christkrindlemarkets and Zoo Lights festivals. In January when the lake freezes it can be a beautiful sight, and everyone is really nice to each others in the snowstorms (unless you steal a parking spot someone dug out!)

chicago is perfect for your typical midwesterner

We actually do go outside the city on weekends--but not where you'd think. We go to Southwest Michigan, which has a dozen historic old beach towns, backed by an enormous wine AVA, and Chicagoans have been heading there for over a century. It's literally across the lake (and beyond the horizon) from the city--just a 90 minute drive around the lake.

Mont rose beach lol

Not relevant to the video, but I love your Marine layer shirt 🥰

Chicago is hands down the best city in the US DURING THE SUMMER

😀😀😀😀😀😀😀

You need to check out Montana Ave in Santa Monica and Abott Kinney in Venice if you want to see plenty of people out and about. Also, The Original Farmers Market / The Grove.

ARMY literally taking over NYC metro right now, talking about LA has the worst metro, isn't that's why you escape NYC to LA? 😂😂😂😂

People escape to lakes in the summer in chicago

Chicago is SUPER well known for food ... What are you talkin bout? Jaja

Fort Lauderdale Next Bro!

I love Chicago and NYC, sorry but not a fan of LA. There was something superficial about the scene there.

We often complain about New York winters, then move out to places like Florida, and LA for awhile, then become depressed. We take New York City for granted yall.

Takes the CTA twice and rates it a 6/10. 🤦 Brrooo, CTA is at least as good if not better (cleaner) than MTA. Maybe go for a larger sample size next time.

Mon-trose

Did he say Chicago is not known for food 🧐🧐🧐

NY is like benchmark 😂

I’ll be honest, LA is not a city. It’s a suburb that LARPs as a city. It blows my mind that you have a place that is gorgeous to bike and walk in and everyone is in their little metal boxes forced to breathe polluted air because they destroyed their entire city to build more highways.

D.C has better public transit than NYC. In response to 6:27

Uh, Chicago’s not known for food? Do your research, it was voted the best in the U.S. and the world. Look it up.

He said Chicago isn't known for food . lol couldn't be more wrong.

Chicago is by far better than NYC and LA, it’s not even close.

Grew up in LA. Have lived in Chicago for 35 years. It’s an apples to oranges comparison. LA has natural beauty. Mountains , desert, ocean. LA nightlife shuts down early. 2 am. No after hours places. In Chicago some bars close at 5 am on Saturday nights We have social clubs in Chicago. Pay a small fee and it’s open 24/7 365 days a year. Chicago has great food. Neighborhood joints that are authentic along ethnic lines. We have the instagram BS places as well. But you cannot beat the food in Chicago. Chicago up until recently had a safe and reliable rapid transit system. Now not so much. LA is getting better but you can take the train and bus in LA and still be 10 miles or more from where you need to be. LA has perfect weather. Chicago has hot and humid in the summer and cold as hell in the winter. LA is crazy expensive. It’s a city for rich people. Even Ultra rich people. The rents are astronomical. The homes prices are outrageous. Chicago has a serious crime problem since Covid and BLM riots. Chicago has more homicides than NYC and LA combined. But LA has more homeless issue. The people. LA people are not the nicest. Or more like a fake nice. In Chicago the people are more down to earth. Not trying to be cool. Not so focused on things or dressing the right way. And if they don’t like you they’ll let you know. I would not entertain moving back to LA unless I could live in Malibu or Hermosa Beach or Topanga Canyon or Santa Monica. But you need to be a millionaire to live in those places. In Chicago up until recently you could very we ll you made close to $100k a year. In a good hood with good bars and restaurants. Maybe even with a boat in the harbor. You’ll never get that in LA I really can’t comment about NYC. Only been to JFK airport. Chicago is the sweet spot of big cities in the USA. But the crime and taxes have made it a place to probably move away from if you can work remote. Side note. About an hour away from Chicago you have the Indiana Dunes National Park. It’s worth the trip. And it’s close to Harbor country in Michigan. It’s gorgeous. Chicago is overlooked. It’s flyover. It’s the rust belt. But it’s a great city. And one that should be visited .

After all NY pizza is better