Agreed. Growing up in Southern Indiana in the “shadow of Chicago” I heard all my early life to stay out of Chicago, especially at night. This was back in the late 60’s early 70’s.
I visited Chicago once in the mid-seventies when I was a teenager. Went to Wrigley Field. A scary dump. I drove by an open air heroin market 2 blocks from the stadium. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. That one trip to Chicago was enough for me.
For a few years, I went to Chicago 1 to 2 times per year. There was a wholesale buying group headquartered in Naperville that the company I worked for was a member.
Other times to National Hardware Show in Chicago. (it has all been transplanted to East Coast now.) Like CA it is very hard for a business to survive in either place.
Even the public has that problem, they are leaving in droves.
Been to both Chicago and Detroit. Detroit is worse...
I made my first trip there in 1986. Did not see much of the city, was in meetings most of the time. It was a terrible feeling of being captured. Flew in, hotel bus picked me up at the airport, nice hotel, had our meetings, bused back to airport and flew home. Felt helpless and out of place.
On a later trip I had an unplanned extended trip, spent weekend in Chicago with nothing much to do. A good friend of mine from Knoxville, TN was there for the weekend too. He suggested we go see Downtown Chicago. We took hotel shuttle bus to the L and took it downtown. We went to the Museum of Natural History and some other places, interesting. Then we went back by the L and caught the shuttle bus back to the hotel.
I spent 2 days at the National Hardware Show, and then flew home.
Never had trouble traveling by car, even in big cities. For a while I traveled 11 states on business trips. But public transportation conveys dependence that I never liked.
Never did like big cities. Felt helpless from lack of knowledge of the local scheme of things. I avoid them if at all possible. Even here in Texas. I’ve only been to Houston 2 times. One I flew in, the other I drove. But I never had a problem with DFW or even San Antonio.
Cities that a river runs through them are always difficult to travel through. Even smaller cities like Ft. Smith, AR. That town has few bridges and only the locals have problems going from point A to B. Since the advent of cell phones and GPS navigation, it is not as bad, but even GPS lies. Might as well turn it off at the DFW airport. Am sure it is intentional there.
I am glad I live in Texas, am 76, don’t travel far any more.