10 Extremely Weird Things Only People From Chicago Do
By Elizabeth Crozier|Updated on April 25, 2024(Originally published August 30, 2017)
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Elizabeth Crozier
Author
An Illinois transplant who grew up and went to school in Indiana for 22 years, Elizabeth holds a BFA in creative writing and has enjoyed traveling across the country and parts of Europe. She has visited half of the states, as well as parts of Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean, and regularly travels home to the Hoosier State to see friends and family. With more than five years of writing experience, Elizabeth’s articles have been featured on several websites, and her poetry and short stories have been published in multiple literary journals.
For those of us living in Chicago, we do many weird things here, but we aren’t ashamed – it’s just our way of life. We love our city and we enjoy our lifestyle to the fullest each and every day. If you’re from the city, check out these 10 things we do that everyone else thinks are strange.
Whether you’ve lived here forever or just moved in, you may discover these quirks are particular to you as well. Keep scrolling to read about our obscure habits.
Once each year, Chicago dyes its river green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day. Fans far and wide of the Irish-themed holiday show up to marvel at the spectacle. It's one of those things only Chicagoans do.
Chicagoans are beer snobs, and we're not ashamed of it. We love supporting our local breweries and, fortunately for us, they produce some of the best pints around.
In most parts of America, this is nearly impossible. It can limit where you work, who you see, and what you do. In Chicago, we can use public transportation to get around (so we don't have to worry about parallel parking!)
By public, we also mean outside of the baseball stadium. On a trolley, in the street, in a bar, you'll hear "Hey Chicago, what do you say?" ringing loud and proud.
From Gayle's to Cheesie's, Chicago is home to several amazing restaurants that make grilled cheese a well-rounded meal. Some places let you put anything from steak to mozzarella sticks inside. Finding the best grilled cheese in town is one of those things only Chicagoans know.
We have to admit, this is one of the most amazing things about the city. Chicago is home to the world's first skyscraper, but we didn't stop there... Willis (or Sears) Tower is currently the tallest in town, 2nd tallest in the nation, and 16th tallest in the world!
7. We call dibs on parking spots in the winter with lawn chairs.
Definitely one of the weirdest things you'll see in Chicago, but we often have to dig out parts of the street when it snows in order to get out or park our cars. After all that hard work, we deserve the spot, and we take dibs very seriously. Someone once cut another person's break line because they moved a chair and parked in a saved spot!
8. We love eating and drinking on the street so much that we close down parts of town.
From block parties to music festivals, there's almost always a weekend that you can get street vendor food in the city. We even have a festival dedicated to it called Taste of Chicago.
Chicagoans are politically progressive, and we care deeply about the issues facing our world. From social to local politics, we stand up for what we believe in with peaceful protests throughout the city. It's all part of life in Chicago!
We Chicagoans love our city so much that we rarely leave it. How could we when we don't have cars? Proud, tough, and passionate, we are everything our city represents, and we embrace that.
Living In Chicago can sure be interesting! What other weird things do only people from Chicago do? Share your thoughts with us. If you love interesting marvels, check out this unique Illinois hotel.