Chicago has a population of roughly three million. three million people, but none of the hussle and bustle of new york... ok, maybe just a little. Chicago is the little city that could - and does.

It's the third largest city in the United States and attracts millions of visitors a year. We boast the tallest skyscraper in the US and the busiest airport in the world. But underneath that business-like exterior, Chicago is familiar, comforting, and majestic to those who tread its streets regularly. A friend once said that he felt safer in New York than in Chicago. I just don't see how one can feel unsafe here. We do not have the wall-to-wall pedestrian traffic that New York has; our "el" system is much cleaner and safer than New York's subways; and, most importantly, Chicago has that midwest hospitality that you aren't going to get in New York city.

I've lived in Chicago's suburbs for roughly half my life, and still find myself staring up in awe at the Sears tower as i pass by. I am glad to call myself a Chicagoan - the name, to me, implies dedication, hard-work, and strong-willed. This city was founded on these values; it was rebuilt on these values. Chicago's character is one based on its rebirth after the fire; it could have crumbled in the ashes, but instead, rose like a phoenix and rebuilt itself into one of the most complex and awe-inspiring cities in the world. New York and Los Angeles don't have that.

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