Cross the Street at Your Own Risk

It's true what they say: Chicagoans are nice. They stop and let kids pet their dogs, and they often say "hello" when you pass them on the sidewalk. Store clerks are friendlier than in the East or West Coast cities I'm familiar with. Chicagoans will quite often go the extra mile for a perfect stranger. I became very aware of it before we even moved here from San Francisco, and it was a happy discovery. People here seem to value community more than I ever saw in the Bay Area, where things felt a lot more "every man for himself". I love it.

However...get these people in their cars, and it's as if they undergo an extreme personality transformation.

(To continue reading, come on over to the Chicago Moms Blog...)