Chicago
By Lawry Perrott
Why an Exchange?
It is a cultural norm among young New Zealanders to want to get out and see the wider
world. I was no exception to this rule; my feet were well and truly itchy after 4 years of
university and eighteen years living in Hamilton. I felt that being so isolated from the rest of
the world I was missing out on something. It was this tiring of continuity and a desire for a
piece of the world that led me to apply for the exchange programme provided by the
University of Waikato.
The continuity of studying and living in Hamilton had left me unengaged with many things.
My desire to learn had slowly declined to the point where I was studying just to get through,
without any interest in what I was doing and with a vague hope it would lead me somewhere
profitable in the future. My enthusiasm had been sapped by years of consistency. I hoped an
exchange and moreover, Chicago, would reenergise me.
Chicago
I got what I was looking for. Chicago offered me something completely different. There are
significant similarities between the American and Kiwi cultures. But these similarities
provide a level of comfort to ease you into a city which in its vastness, culture and climate, is
unmatched anywhere in New Zealand.
The first thing I noticed on arrival in Chicago was the amazing skyline. Huge skyscrapers,
such as the Willis and Hancock Towers, imprint themselves against the horizon. Between
these buildings ran the slow waters of the Chicago River. This first impression was
heightened by the culture of the city. The US does everything on a big scale: capitalist values
lie at its core. A particularly striking example of this was provided by the restaurant industry.
Many of the restaurants in Chicago are large, chain restaurants. Two examples that come to
mind are the Cheesecake Factory and Grand Lux Cafe. These two outlets seat hundreds of
people each. Furthermore, the menus have over a hundred items. As a result however, the
food is often pretty average. The US does big, but not particularly good. There were of course
exceptions to this rule, but for the most part it is true of the culture. This is noticeably
different from New Zealand culture, which tends to value giving quality products/food to a
smaller number of customers. This might sound unappealing but in reality, the city is
fascinating (even if the food isn’t).
View of the city from my apartment in Tailor Lofts
Something that I realised only once I’d left was that Chicagoans are down to earth and
realistic people. There is a sense that they understand and respect the day to day grind of life,
but remain upbeat nonetheless. This was quite different from the cultures that I had
experienced in other American cities. It is also quite different to the Hamilton culture.
Without sounding too critical of my home town, I would suggest Hamiltonians don’t have
much respect for the day to day grind and often feel annoyed that they are subjected to it.
Perhaps this is related to the capitalist values which are predominant in the US and which
underpin the American Dream. These are two elements of the city culture, but by no means
determine the culture.
How did being a student in Chicago compare with being a student in Hamilton? Perhaps it
was the fact that law is a postgraduate degree in the States, but the culture of academia was
much stronger in Chicago then it is here. Students are seemingly much more engaged with
their studies, engrossed by the content and by the hope of success. I found this to be
infectious. I certainly became more interested in my study than I have been for some time.
This is not to say that the study is more difficult at Chicago-Kent. The classes require a
similar amount of reading to those required at Waikato. The assessment at Chicago-Kent is a
little different, however. Most classes have a class participation requirement of around 1020% (sometimes higher). Other than this, exams are the favoured form of assessment. Three
of my four classes had take-home exams. These allowed students to pick up the exams at any
time throughout the exam period (two weeks) and return them, completed within 24 hours
(usually).
Living in Chicago
Accommodation:
During my four months in Chicago I stayed at Tailor Lofts apartment complex
(http://www.tailorlofts.info , 001-312-563-5638). This is the accommodation recommended
by Chicago-Kent, and there are many advantages to staying there. Tailor Lofts is located at
315 South Peoria Street. This is only a 10 minute walk from Chicago-Kent (which is
extremely advantageous given the size of Chicago). The other main advantage is that the
Tailor Lofts is where the majority of other international students stay. It seems the students of
every country are pointed in the direction of Tailor Lofts. This has obvious social advantages.
The housing itself is pretty good: the building was rebuilt only a couple of years ago, so the
appliances and decor etc. are of a high standard. There are numerous apartment designs and
sizes of the lounge/kitchen area and the individual rooms vary (as do the prices, accordingly).
My room was the smallest in my apartment. It had a wardrobe, small double bed (with a chest
of draws under it) and a small desk and chair. It would have been difficult to fit much else
into the room. Most residents had their own bathroom which again, was pretty modern. Tailor
Lofts also has a gym, tanning room, lounge area, computer room and study room all on the
base floor of the building. The gym is particularly good with a wide range of machines to
cater to any gym-goer.
Tailor Lofts is certainly not perfect, however. It is expensive (more so than other
accommodation options chosen by international students) - I was paying around US$1000
(NZ$1200) per month. This was on the basis of a short term (5 month) lease however, and I
was in one of the nicer apartments. What was questionable was that for no particular reason,
there seemed to be variation between the levels of rent paid by many of the exchange
students. More annoying was the fact that this rent does not cover all power costs. The rent
covers a certain amount of power usage, but once you go over this level (I think it was $50
per person) you get charged extra. I was in Chicago January through to May (which is the
coldest part of the year). My roommates were quite restrictive with their spending so we were
quite careful with our power usage. We almost never put the heater in the lounge on, but I
used the heater in my room half the nights I was there. In spite of our attempts to restrict
power usage, one month we each received a bill of $80. A lot of people in the building
received bills of $100. In addition, it seemed the bill that each person received did not
necessarily correspond with the usage in their apartment. Nobody was really sure why they
were paying so much for the power, even management seemed perplexed.
A lot of residents had problems with the management. There was definitely a sense that the
management would try its best to draw money from the residents for whatever reason they
thought appropriate. On one occasion they refused to return a bond of $300 paid for the
hiring of the lounge, claiming that the cleaners had had to spend significant time cleaning the
room. Only after pressure was exerted by Chicago-Kent itself, was the bond returned.
In terms of alternatives to Tailor Lofts, I only really heard of one place which seemed like a
viable alternative, although presumably there are others around. A number of the other
exchange students stayed at Canterbury Court Apartments
(http://www.canterburycourtapartments.com , 001-312-944-4900). I believe this was a
cheaper alternative to Tailor Lofts and received only glowing reviews from those who stayed
there. The residents talked frequently of the helpful management and staff. Canterbury
doesn’t have a gym or lounge area, but it does have an attached bar called the Zebra Lounge.
It’s located in the north of the central city, in the Gold Coast area. This is a prime location
being close to numerous bars and clubs as well as the central shopping area and numerous
other attractions. It is however, some distance from Chicago-Kent. This is not a major
problem given the excellent public transport systems present in Chicago. The only
reservation I would have about Canterbury Apartments is that it can’t be guaranteed that
exchange students will continue to use this as a place to live. It is not recommended by the
school and therefore, may not be known to future students. Having said this, I’m sure the
students who stayed there will go home and recommend it to future exchange students. It was
for social reasons, a huge benefit to be living in the same building as many other exchange
students at Tailor Lofts.
Public Transport:
The public transport system in Chicago is far better than anything available in New Zealand.
It consists mainly of the CTA train system. The CTA covers any part of the city that you
could want to go to. There are about five main routes (I only used three during my time there
and was never caught without a way to get home) running to different stops around the city.
There are stops where you can change to different routes comfortably. The trains run every 7
minutes every day. There is also a large network of buses. I never really mastered using the
buses in Chicago, but they are extensive and frequent. As part of enrolment at Kent you
receive a card which gets you free access to all forms of public transport. Taxis are the more
expensive alternative, but are extremely useful at times. As you would expect, it is easy to
access taxis on the street.
Eating:
Despite my reservations about the food in the US, there is no shortage of it. Takeaway joints
and restaurants line the streets. Tailor Lofts is located in Greek Town. Greek Town only
seems to be called Greek Town because of the large number of Greek Restaurants in the area.
In terms of cooking your own food, I found the cost of living to be perhaps a bit cheaper than
here in Hamilton, but not significantly so. In the US they seem to call supermarkets
‘pharmacies’. This is because many of the supermarkets also have large pharmacies within
them. The major names are CVS, Dominick’s and Walgreens. There is a Walgreens and also
a Dominick’s located close to Tailor Lofts. Dominick’s is by far the better of the two for
groceries.
Climate:
The winters in Chicago are extremely cold. Throughout January most days fail to reach the
positives. It is not uncommon at night for temperatures to get as low as -15°C. While it is
cold, the snow is not frequent or very heavy. When the temperatures get above zero, the rain
is also infrequent. The wind however, is bitterly cold. The temperature in combination with
the wind creates a nasty environment. The summers in Chicago, are very warm. While I
wasn’t there for summer, the average high is around 28°C. Rain is more common in summer
than it is in winter.
Greektown after the Chicago Blizzard of 2011
Things to See:
Chicago is a beautiful city with many things to see and do. I was in Chicago for the
winter/spring semester. On arrival in Chicago, several Americans told me that Chicago is a
summer city. By this they meant that the best time to be in Chicago is the second half of the
year (i.e. June through to November). I presume this was mainly because the city became
livelier when the weather warmed. From what I’ve heard there are numerous concerts and
festivals on in the summer months, often located in Millennium Park. So on this basis, when
considering an exchange in Chicago it might be wise to apply for the Fall Semester (B
semester our time). Having said this, it was an amazing experience living in Chicago through
a winter and there were a number of winter activities available.
Here is a list of some things to see and do in Chicago:
1. Ice skating in Millennium Park
Millennium Park lies in the heart of the city, located between the lake shore and the
central city. In winter an ice skating rink opens there. This makes for a very
picturesque experience. The ice skating is fun but the atmosphere of the Chicago
winter and the amazing architecture that surrounds the rink make this a must-do.
2. Hancock Tower
Hancock Tower is the second tallest skyscraper in the Chicago skyline. It offers
amazing views of the vastness of Chicago. To go to the viewing platform at the very
top costs around US$15 (if I remember correctly). There is however, a bar one floor
further down which, for the price of a beer, has the same views. It’s hard to describe
the view - even this photo doesn’t capture the size and beauty of the city.
3. St Patricks Day celebrations
St Patrick’s Day is huge in Chicago. Whether Irish or not, Chicagoans make the most
of the day. The festivities kick off around 10 in the morning when the Chicago River
is dyed green. The whole river goes a bright green, no doubt killing any aquatic life
that has somehow survived up to that point. Following the annual parade, everybody
swarms to the bars around town. The streets fill with party-goers hoping between
bars. It’s a huge party, unmatched by anything I’ve seen in New Zealand.
The Chicago River on St Patrick’s Day
4. Shopping on the Magnificent Mile
Didn’t do much of this myself, but it was extremely popular among the exchange
group. Michigan Ave (the Magnificent Mile) is the place to shop in Chicago.
Everything is available on the Mile, this is particularly true for the ladies with Macys,
Victoria’s Secret, Tiffany’s and many more names filling the imposing stores that line
the streets. Even for those not inclined to shop, the Magnificent Mile is a sight to
behold, with the best of Chicago architecture being shown off.
Me on the Magnificent Mile
5. Lincoln Park Zoo
Located in Lincoln Park, this is an attractive zoo with a wide range of animals.
Lincoln Park itself is an interesting part of Chicago and home to a large student
population with some interesting bars and restaurants.
6. Navy Pier
Navy Pier is quiet in winter, but come summertime it is the perfect place to relax in
Chicago. A number of fun activities are available as well as a huge array of food
choices. The Pier has a giant Ferris wheel, similar to the famous one on Santa Monica
Wharf.
The People
My social life mostly consisted of exploring the city with the other exchange students. There
were around twenty five exchange students attending Kent. I found all of them to be very
warm and inclusive. Everybody was there to meet new people and have fun living in
Chicago. There was never a shortage of things to do or people to enjoy the city with. We
often went to dinner, the movies, clubbing, and visited tourist destinations together.
Me and the Exchange Group
I also found the Americans themselves to be very warm and welcoming. The American law
students were often keen to socialise with us and show us parts of town which we didn’t
know. Americans are very open and outgoing. It is easy to strike up a conversation and they
will often become engrossed in the conversations which they have with you.
Problems I had in Chicago
My stay in Chicago was relatively trouble free, abut you should be aware of a few major
issues living/studying in the city. Here are a few things that may make your stay a better one:
Safety in Chicago
I found Chicago to be fairly safe. Having said this, I was reasonably careful. I never felt
uncomfortable in the downtown area, day or night. I was however, mostly with one or more
people when I was out at night. One thing to remember: do not go to the South of the city.
The main Illinois Institute of Technology campus is on the border of a crime-ridden area of
town. Being a law student, it is unlikely that you will ever need to go to the main campus, I
never did. But this should give you some idea of how far south you can go and still remain
safe. The campus itself is fine, I had three flatmates who all attended the main campus and
never had any trouble. The only time my surroundings made me feel slightly uncomfortable
was when I went to an area of town called the Ukrainian Village. I was walking alone to a
party of a friend. Walking through this area there were a number of dodgy drunks and drug
deals going down. I was never put in danger, just uncomfortable.
The other main issue in Chicago was my health. Being in those kinds of temperatures does
wear you down, particularly if you’re not careful about your diet. My diet was pretty good,
but not great. In order to have a decent diet you have to buy your own fruit and vegies. If you
were to eat out more frequently, you would be lacking a serious number of vitamins. Even
with my attempts to eat a balanced diet I found I only really felt healthy and energetic when I
was taking a supplement in addition to the food I was having.
How I Changed?
The Chicago experience definitely changed me for the better. The academic environment and
the cultural and physical proximity to important events/decisions/decision makers have
renewed my interest in pretty much everything. Not only this, but it has made me realise that
there are amazing opportunities out there, opportunities to transform not only my own life but
to be in a position where I (even as a New Zealander) can transform the lives of others.
Being in Chicago has given me a glimpse of the wider world, a world that is truly amazing. It
got me out of the New Zealand bubble, created by our geographic isolation. But it also made
me appreciate what I have here in Hamilton. Hamilton’s got a culture, as does any city. It
may not be as sophisticated, but it’s still interesting.
I hope you choose Chicago as an exchange destination. It’s a once in a lifetime experience
and an amazing city.