celiagarden

Chicago and San Francisco

   
   Chicago and San Francisco are the two United States cities that I have lived in. Chicago, the windy city, is located in the Midwest. San Francisco, the foggy city, sits in the West. Chicago is very like San Francisco in that they are both metropolises, beautiful cities, good environments for education, and full of art events. However, they are somewhat different in their geologic natures and social characteristics. 

    Both Chicago and San Francisco went through horrible disasters in the past. Chicago was almost destroyed by The Great Chicago Fire in 1871; likewise, San Francisco was nearly ruined by a killer earthquake in 1906. Both cities were rebuilt in the ensuing years. Nowadays, Sears Tower (now renamed as Willis Tower) and John Hancock Center symbolize the modern Chicago; similarly, Golden Gate Bridge represents the new San Francisco. Both cities have the same active commercial activities. Many department stores, such as Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue, are mainly on grand Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Several luxury shops, like Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, are mostly around Union Square in San Francisco. Also, both cities have busy public transportation. Just as the elevated Loop (EL) train constantly goes through downtown Chicago, so cable cars move back and forth in central San Francisco.

    They both are waterfronts with fabulous scenery. Chicago is by Lake Michigan, and San Francisco is beside the Pacific Ocean. The beauty of Lake Michigan can be experienced by taking a drive on the Lake Shore Drive. Likewise, the magnificence of the Pacific Ocean can be seen by taking a drive on the Road No. 1. Furthermore, both cities create quality residential areas. For example, in Winnetka Lakefront in Chicago, house owners can have their private docks. On Palo Alto Hill in San Francisco, house owners can enjoy the fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean.

    Both cities provide good environments for education, including good museums and universities. The Field Museum and the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago are informative to adults, and the Bay Area Discovery Museum in San Francisco, enlightening for kids. In addition, University of Chicago and Northwestern University are the two best known universities in Chicago, and they offer academic qualifications in many fields, and so do the two most prestigious schools in San Francisco, University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University.

    Chicago and San Francisco both have a wide variety of art. Chicago has many famous buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and San Francisco, several well-known Victorian Style houses. Moreover, many Egyptian relics are gathered in the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago; likewise, several antique sculptures are collected in Rodin Garden of Stanford University. 

    On the other hand, however, the geologic natures of Chicago and San Francisco are not the same. First, while Chicago is situated on a completely flat plain, San Francisco is built on steep rolling hills. Most Chicago streets are laid out on a grid pattern on the plain; in contrast, San Francisco streets are winding complex webs on the hilly land. Next, though both cities are waterfronts, their weather patterns are totally different. Chicago has a long freezing winter, during which temperatures can even drop down to -30° C with the wind chill factor. Unlike Chicago, San Francisco has four cool seasons. Finally, both cities are threatened by different natural disasters. Chicago is susceptible to tornadoes, but San Francisco is vulnerable to earthquakes.

    The social characteristics of these two cities are also quite different. Both Chicago and San Francisco have heterogeneous populations. With the white predominance, Chicago inhabitants worship the traditional life. In contrast, with the Hispanic majority, San Francisco people pursue a liberal way of living. As a consequence, Chicago turns out to have the average restrained middle classes. On the contrary, once in the 1960s, San Francisco hatched the indulgent Hippies.

    Though Chicago and San Francisco have many features in common, they are still different from each other in some aspects. In short, they each bear their own unique styles. By comparison, Chicago is more like a man, straightforward and conservative, whereas San Francisco is more like a woman, devious and wild. Either city is great, depending on which way it is viewed.