016.td.fw.tock.op.comeagain.Willis.11xSS — Photograph: Matthew BowieOne of the iconic views of the Chicago skyline from Willis Tower.

Your guide to living in Chicago

Living in Chicago can be overwhelming. Use this guide to city life as your survival manual and you'll be a Chicago expert in no time

Thursday October 30 2014

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Living in Chicago doesn't have to be a puzzle. The tips and secrets to the city are right at your fingertips. Whether it's navigating food staples like pizza and hot dogs, figuring out which neighborhood you should call home or knowing who to avoid on public transit, we've got the essentials to becoming a Chicago expert.

Things to do

We took a helicopter tour of the Chicago skyline

Until very recently, the only way to take a helicopter tour of Chicago was to drive out to the suburbs and then fly back into the city to see the sights. A new...

Things to do

25 people you're guaranteed to run into at a Chicago street festival

You're going to a street festival this summer and that's all there is to it. And while you're there, you'll see a whole host of characters that seem to be...

20 signs you've been blessed by the Chicago gods

Chicago can be a rough city. Sometimes it feels like everyone is being a complete asshole, and you just want to curl up in a ball for a daylong cry. But every...

Things to do

Where Chicago residents and tourists take photos

Five years ago, a photographer named Eric Fischer embarked on a project called "Locals and Tourists" that had him mapping the photo habits of Chicago residents...

Things to do

Chicago vs. New York

Once and for all, we are ending the debate with these 33 reasons Chicago is better than New York

Things to do

26 ways to piss us off

No. 13: Put your name on a skyscraper

Movies

Chicago in the movies

Here are things we learned about our CTA, sex lives and more from movies

Things to do

18 ideas we'd steal

Co-opting these events, venues and innovations from other cities would making living in Chicago even better

Things to do

Chicago guilty pleasures

If loving our city's suburbs, cover bands, malls and big batch beers is wrong, we don't want to be right

Things to do

Best and worst Chicago tattoos

Before you go under the gun, take a look at some inked-up tributes to the city

Things to do

The 14 runners you'll see

You're sure to encounter these runners on the road to shin splints

Things to do

Gone but not forgotten

These are the closed Chicago restaurants, bars, nightclubs and more that we pine for the most

The essentials of living in Chicago

Things to do

27 Chicago hacks to make your life easier

Things to do

Chicago transit guide

Things to do

Chicago businesses we miss

Shopping

Chicago apartments guide

Things to do

10 things Chicagoans have to explain to out-of-towners

Things to do

51 things you'll never hear a Chicagoan say

Things to do

Chicago rites of passage

Things to do

The 16 rules of living in Chicago

Things to do

33 things that will definitely happen to you when moving to Chicago

Things to do

The 19 people you'll see on the CTA

Things to do

Overrated and underrated people and places in Chicago

Things to do

See Chicago then and now via Google Street View

What kind of Chicagoan are you?

Things to do

Quiz: Which neighborhood do you actually belong in?

Music

Quiz: Which Chicago music fest are you?

Why we love Chicago

Things to do

33 reasons Chicago kicks New York's ass

Of course Chicago is better than New York. We Chicagoans know this to be true and, if New Yorkers are being honest with themselves, they know it, too.

Kids

25 reasons why Chicago is the best city to raise kids

Here's why your kids will have awesome childhoods and grow up to be well-rounded people if you raise them in Chicago

Museums

The 50 most beautiful buildings in Chicago

We searched Chicago's skyline from the skyscrapers to the side streets (and beyond) to find our favorite examples of the city's architectural excellence

Music

The 41 greatest Chicago albums of all time

From Curtis to Kanye, from Screeching Weasel to Pelican, these are our favorite records made by Chicago artists ever

16 reasons why we can't leave Chicago

The winters can make us question why we live in Chicago, but these answers keep us right where we are

Chicago in photos

Things to do

See Chicago then and now

Remember 2007 and 2008? There was some kind of election going on, a local guy running or something? And Gov. Blagojevich was arrested in 2008—that was fun. Oh,...