Chicago winters

I lived 7 years and 14 winters in Chicago. I remember days where the tires went bump, bump, bump down the road because it was so cold that they had become misshapen. Days where there was so much snow that I couldn't pull into my driveway, but rather had to park by the street and shovel the driveway first to pull in. Days of getting up at 5am to shovel the driveway before getting ready for work.

Love the city. Hate the winters. When I pulled the family truckster onto the highway heading south in 1994, I knew then that Chicago would always be in the rear view mirror and I was not coming back.

So, in the first week of March, when you're shovelling out of another snow storm and I'm standing on the 1st tee in short sleeves, well, I'll raise a cold one to you.

 

Don't worry we're all saying prayers for you.

The most northern point on the map I've lived is Jacksonville. I have no idea what a true winter is like. I've never experienced a white Christmas. Never made a snowman. I don't care. The Florida summers are horrible, but I wouldn't trade them for northern winters.

 

It does make you appreciate summer more. I remember for the longest time I would get goose bumps at the start of the Indianapolis 500 - just a euphoric feeling when those cars came screaming into view around turn 1 near my seats, and I'm not necessarily an enormous, enormous racing fan.

Finally, a couple years ago, I put my finger on it - summer starts when the first row hits the start line, and after the long winters here, that means something.

 

We didn't know you then.. of course we didn't...

 

Well, I was 11 during that particular winter. So I'm sure you didn't.

 

I'll take the week to ten days we usually experience below zero up here just off the border for the 50 or 60 days we get from May thru October that are perfect - 65 to 80 with white puffy clouds and no humidity.

I only like Florida or other warm climes when standing with my feet in the water looking away from land hoping I never have to turn around.

 

It's 16 here, minus-1 with the wind chill. It'll be up to a balmy 34 by Sunday and into the 40s by mid-week.

 

I've lived in every region of the country. Unless you're in San Diego, the weather sucks everywhere.

I'll take cold over smog.
I'll take cold over humidity. There is nothing worse than
I'll take cold over Hurricane season.

Of all of the big cities I've lived in, I liked Chicago the best. So it gets cold in the winter. Buy a jacket.

 

Not everyone, but I do believe most.

 

I'll take smog over cold.
I'll take heat over cold.
I'll take cold over humidity.
I'll take fire and earthquakes over cold.
I'll take sunshine over seasons (overrated).

SoCal > every other region. ;D

But if the opportunity were right, I'd move to Chicago in a heartbeat. And, you know, buy a big jacket.

 

I love San Diego, but I don't think I could live in LA. I spent the summer there as an intern and the smog was just too much and I grew up in an area (Bay Area) where we would have football practice canceled a couple times every August because the smog index would get too high.

 

Mars is only about 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh
http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=UTF-8&sourceid=navclient&gfns=1&q=Mars,+PA&um=1&ie=UTF-8&split=0&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&resnum=1&ct=title.