Like a lot of people that go to the University of Iowa, I grew up in “Chicago,” AKA the suburbs of Chicago. Even though we didn’t actually grow up in The Loop, we still had a lot of the benefits of living so close to The Windy City. So here are five perks of growing up in “The Dirty 630.”
1. Portillo’s
This always has been and always will be at the very top of my list. Since moving to Iowa, I have never felt so deprived of such greatness in my life. Portillo’s is the ultimate Chicago food experience. For authentic Chicago hot dogs, Italian beefs, killer cheese fries and chocolate cake that is literally to die for, Portillo’s is the place to go.
2. The Metra Train
Driving in any major city can be pretty chaotic, but for some reason Chicago drivers are known for being pretty, well, bad. With so many events going on, people walking around and taxis driving all over the place, it can be tough to haul your car with you to the city, so taking advantage of the Metra Train that will take you to Chicago from your hometown is really convenient.
3. Diversity
Because the ‘burbs are so close to the big city, the people who live in the suburbs are fairly diverse. There are a lot of different races, cultures, socioeconomic statuses and religions in the suburbs. I think growing up around so many different backgrounds was beneficial for me because it opened my eyes to how everyone lives their own unique life. There were some kids in my school that lived in multi-million dollar homes and drove their mustangs to school and others who were moving from house to house and were lucky if they could pay for lunch that day. Seeing two different ends of the spectrum—and everything in between—helped give me a perspective on other parts of the world around me and how different we all are.
4. Deep Dish Pizza
If you’ve ever had Chicago-style deep dish pizza then you’d understand how special this one is. There’s something about a pizza that looks more like a pie and has its sauce on top that just tastes like home. In my opinion Lou Malnati’s is greater than Giordano’s or Gino’s East, but nonetheless, deep dish has a very special place in my heart (right around the same place as Portillo’s).
5. The Location
Tying back into #2, living in the suburbs is great because of how close yet far you are from the city. You can take a 40 minute train into The Loop to get to the Hawks parade one day and drive 40 minutes in the opposite direction and be surrounded by nothing but corn fields and stars in the sky the next. Having the option of country AND city life all within about 50 miles of home makes life a lot more exciting.
All in all, growing up in the suburbs was wonderful and I’m proud to call “Chicago” my home.