Chicago is the best city in the Midwest.

After visiting this past weekend, I came to that stark conclusion.

Prior to the trip, I disliked Chicago for a variety of reasons.

I don’t like the sports teams, I didn’t like the local places very much and the weather didn’t feel the best when I had previously visited.

But, after going again and keeping an open mind, I can confidently say it is the best city in the Midwest.

Chicago is amazing because the nightlife is vibrant, the food is delicious and it is completely walkable.

Chicago never sleeps.

I hadn’t experienced that before and was very surprised to find places open until the morning.

Restaurants and bars won’t close until five in the morning in some places. A weekend in Chicago was completely different from a weekend in Omaha.

Even in the cold, people were out exploring the city.

The people I ran into while walking were incredibly nice and showed me the best places to be.

I love Omaha because of the food and before my trip, I hadn’t realized how many special places Chicago could have.

From hole-in-the-wall, authentic Mexican food to homemade Chicago-style deep dish pizza, Chicago has it all.

It felt like one in every ten buildings was a local restaurant or food chain.

If you aren’t looking for new food to try, every single American chain was just as present throughout the whole city.

Chicago is incredibly walkable. If you have ever tried walking around Omaha, you would come to the realization that there aren’t many places you can get to in a moderate amount of time.

Ten minutes will barely get you off campus here.

But Chicago is completely different.

Because of the public transportation and pedestrian-centered infrastructure, walking is a viable option for transportation.

I didn’t have to use my car once to get around all weekend.

All I had to do was pull up directions on my phone and walk.

Despite the fun and beauty of Chicago, there are some logistical issues I have with the city.

We had to pay a lot of money to park my car when we first arrived.

I drove my family’s Chevrolet Suburban, which is a very big car, and I had difficulty getting around the city when I first got into Chicago.

Also, everything seems just a little too expensive.

I understand that I am comparing the price of goods and services to Omaha prices, but I still think a lot of things are overpriced.

Restaurants are heavily taxed, and it felt like I paid more in tax than I did on the food I had.

Lastly, map software doesn’t seem to work well in the city.

Trying to get out of Chicago was very difficult, to say the least.

The streets are layered on top of one another, making it difficult to determine if you are in the right place.

However, despite its flaws and the bad sports teams, I truly believe that Chicago is the best city in the Midwest.

I will be sure to visit Chicago again sometime soon and highly recommend everyone to take a weekend trip to Chicago at least once a year.