That has been discussed but I did like the feeling of test-riding the cargo bikes a lot better. Everything is attached together and it gives me a lot of peace of mind. Also, we would like to use it for getting groceries too so one large compartment would be really nice for that. I have seen them around Chicago and…

Sveika! (I don’t know latvian only Lithuanian so excuse me if I make a mistake)

Thanks for the input. I am watching everyone’s input closely to see if I can get any insight for my personal life. I am going to try to raise a larger family in Chicago. Hopefully things get a little easier as time goes on (Rideshare cars…

Even though some of the taxes are higher like sales tax I think the American suburb effectively taxes everyone by requiring a lot of driving.

Right now I can comfortably live with no car and save a lot of money. As my family grows I may or may not choose to buy a car. If I stay in the city I could very easily live with…

For me it isn’t so much about the big city or the suburbs. It is all about walking, biking, and community. When I live in Europe (Lithuania) a lot of the places I loved weren’t in the center city and could be considered “Suburbs” but were very different from American burbs. We could still walk and bike places.…

I also live in Chicago but have a completely different experience. We probably have very different circumstances though. Here are my experiences.

Daycare - My wife works from home and watches the little one. So we don’t have daycare expenses. We got lucky here because I know other friends who have the same dilemma as…

A lot of people seem to imagine we live in a giant skyscraper when I say we live in the city. Chicago has a lot of little historic neighborhoods that are lower rise but still dense and walkeable. They are mostly residential but have businesses close by.

My wife and I moved back to Chicago from the suburbs after we found out we were pregnant (we were already deciding to move to Chicago because it would be closer to work for me)

Note: My experience will probably be very different than someone with school aged kids since I only have an infant. I also happen to live in a…

If you are ever by Millennium Park and want good coffee in a great setting then avoid Starbucks. Find the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. They have a great looking drawing room on the second floor open to anyone. Not a lot of people know about it (it was under my nose for 5+ years).

I definitely prefer other Italian Beef (my favorite so far is the Patio in Little Italy). However, I am actually surprised by how good the beef is at Portillo’s despite being a bigger chain. I’ve definitely had better Italian Beef at Portillo’s than at some local beef places.

I do find this to be true too. I usually only eat it when I have family coming out of town. It isn’t because I don’t like Chicago Deep Dish (I love it). It is more because I just get sick from the amount of cheese on the pizza. It also isn’t exactly healthy for you.

I have a friend who lived here for a number of years…

If you are commuting from Union Station or Ogilvie Station and you need to go to Michigan Avenue, there is a much better way then going by bus or train. Take the Chicago Water Taxi. Its a very relaxing and affordable way to get to work. You also get great views of many buildings a long the water front.

Chicago is best explored by bike. Our Bike sharing system Divvy is quite comprehensive and goes to many places in the city. The city has been building a lot of bike infrastructure in the last few years. During rush hour, going by bicycle is much faster than driving or bus for short to moderate lengths.

Despite what the media says I find that it isn’t universally true in Chicago.

I use Whatsapp for many of the same reasons you put up there.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have toyed with the idea of actually paying for cell service but I don’t need it right now. In the future my situation could be totally different and I need a more stable connection.

Right now Wifi and the freemium option is working.

I live in a large city and am blanketed by wifi. I use a combination of google voice, hangouts, and Whatsapp for all of my communications. I pay $0 a month through the Freedompop Free Global GSM Plan. Since there is abundant wifi I don’t often need to use much of my data. In the case that I need extra data I also have…

Love your posts Kristin but I have to disagree also. I have taken spirit many times and there have been delays but I have also had many delays with the major airlines too (to give the legacy carriers some points I don’t believe Spirit would pay for a hotel to stay the night in the case of missing a connection).

It still sounds so painful to own a car in NYC. I live in Chicago which is much more automobile oriented than NYC is, and I already think having a car is too much of a hassle in some places. I’ll just stick with the occasional zip car for groceries, or Turo for out of town trips.

I live in a large city with abundant wifi. I also do most of my surfing and messaging on my chromebook at home. In a month, I can easily keep under 200 mb a month. I only need to use data on the go in order to send an occasional message on Google Hangouts or to check if a bus or train is coming.

I think this is a…

Kristin,