OldSchoolNoBull wrote:As long as we're talking about cities...how walkable is Chicago? I've been there a bunch of times(my brother went to UC), but I was younger, and for the most part, I never got to go around the city by myself, I was with my parents. I've been to New York a lot too, and it's probably the most walkable city in the country - it's easy to get around via your feet and public transportation and you never need a car. Is it that way in Chicago?
Yeah....I know a ton of people who live here and don't own cars. I used to be one of them until I finally caved so I could get to my family in the suburbs easier. This guy I worked with is in his 50's and has never owned a car and lived in Chicago his whole life, and trust me it's not because he can't afford one. But like the poster above me pointed out, it's not required to not own a car like it is in New York, specifically Manhattan. Unless you don't live in a high rise in the Loop or right on the lake, its quite economical to have a car in Chicago. Where I live, about a 5 minute walk from Wrigley Field in a pretty dense neighborhood, I almost never have problems with street parking.
I know that's only partially related to walkability. As far as is it easy to get places without a car and I would say yes, especially closer to the lake you are. Chicago's transit system is among the best in the US, but the USA in general has **** public transit. The CTA doesn't hold a candle to New York's subway system though. As far as actually walking, its fairly easy to walk everywhere, especially downtown. Traffic is fairly pedestrian friendly. My only beef is that cars do not stop at crosswalks nearly enough (the ones that don't have stop signs or lights next to them).
In a word, is Chicago walkable, yes.
Edit: I should mention like a poster above mentioned, the walkability I'm referring to is of a tourist or a resident on the north side. The south and west sides, and I'm not just referring to the areas you don't want to be walking around in, and areas that are less dense and a little more off the beaten path so to speak vary by area but as a general rule I'd say not very walkable. But there are areas of Boston like that. There are areas of New York like that. The only city I'd say is completely walkable is San Francisco, and even then I'm sure residents will tell me about areas where that's not true.