Winter in Chicago isn't that bad. Do you think "wow, this is great weather" every day during the winter? No. But the spring, summer, and fall is very enjoyable.
The problem with Chicago is that there are no other hackers around (all the tech people work for banks, and end up being as interesting as you'd imagine), and there are no 24-hour coffee shops, at least not near me.
Chicago is a good place to be if you want to be alone. I guess it's "a big city" but it sure doesn't feel like it at times.
Not at all true! The difference between the Chicago hacker scene and the San Francisco hacker scene is, you have to go out of your way to find the Chicago hacker scene, and you can't avoid the San Francisco hacker scene.
I've worked for two startups here, both successful, and know of plenty more. And of course, "Feedburner Feedburner Feedburner 37Signals".
Should there be a monthly meetup for people like us in Chicago? Absolutely. I set one up for security people (http://www.sockpuppet.org/chisec) and it's been pretty successful --- at least, if its spinoff (http://www.citysec.org) is to be believed. If 40 people will show up each month to swap drinks for infosec stories, surely more would show up to talk about Social Networking for Pets.
In the words of 37signals -- and Dr. Phil -- get real. Winter is hell in Chicago, summer is a pressure cooker, and fall and spring are tolerable for a few days.
"Isn't that bad" is relative. Weather in the Bay Area is amazingly good. One of three mediterranean climates in the world. There is no comparison.
> In the words of 37signals -- and Dr. Phil -- get real. Winter is hell in Chicago, summer is a pressure cooker, and fall and spring are tolerable for a few days.
You are entitled to your opinion, but I disagree. It's just the weather; if that's the defining feature of your life, try to do something more interesting :)
The problem with Chicago is that there are no other hackers around (all the tech people work for banks, and end up being as interesting as you'd imagine), and there are no 24-hour coffee shops, at least not near me.
Chicago is a good place to be if you want to be alone. I guess it's "a big city" but it sure doesn't feel like it at times.