Waza

Hi Guys,
Moving to Chicago pretty soon, is there any Brits knocking about the area.I know The Globe Pub is a great premiership pub with a few Brit football fans in.

MrEmjoy

Alright mate, the globe's a good gig for football...if you need any other info when you land let me know I'll be glad to help you out.

Scouse Express

Elephant & Castle at E. Huron and St Clair isn't too bad either. Plenty of good beer there.

Jim.

Waza

Cheers Guys....Will be in touch.....hope to there early August

hockeysarah

i hope to be moving out there in June/ July and was wondering the same thing!
I dont want to miss out on the football!

MrEmjoy

There's plenty going on and plenty of places to watch football! You can even get a Full English at the same time...

BRITX-PAT

Some more Brits moving to Chicago in 2 weeks. We are currently living in Dubai and fly out on Thursday 25th November (Thanksgiving). We are a family with 3 kids and would love to be in touch with any other Brits who could give us some info on life in Chicago and also a friendly face! We will be living in Buffalo Grove.

MrEmjoy

Hi, I'll gladly answer any questions you have I know the area well.

You're fortunate that you'll be moving within striking distance of one of the few English Stores in the area.

BRITX-PAT

Is that the one in Long Grove? My Dh has been there and bought a Crunchie! Are people friendly enough? Do they accept Brits? Our kids are 10 (boy) and we have boy and girl twins who are 4. We can get a lot of British stuff here in Dubai, is there anything you would advise me to bring? I need to have my Paxo stuffing and Bisto gravy for my Christmas dinner!! Am getting excited but nervous at the same time!!

MrEmjoy

Yes, yes it is!

Yes, very friendly, although obviously if you find yourself in the wrong end of town, not so much.

America on a whole in my opinion is very welcoming of English people, ignoring the whole independence from Europe etc. People will ask you about your accent for sure. Being English has never been a negative thing for me.

WARM CLOTHING! I'll say it again, WARM, CLOTHING!

This is the extreme opposite of Dubai! In winter, with wind chill accounted for, it can get VERY cold, and the wrong clothing or not taking the weather seriously can have dire consequences. Read this wiki related to Chicago's weather.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_Chicago

It can make or break you.

BRITX-PAT

Thanks! Am trying to brace myself for the cold again after 4 years living in Dubai. We came from Scotland to Dubai so not immune to cold winters but I am preparing for the extreme!! What do they do about the roads etc when the weather is bad, does everything still function? A spot of snow in the UK and everything goes mad!

MrEmjoy

The roads function fine, people get a bit crazy after the first snow fall and forget how to drive but the City (In the Chicago City Limits) do a good job of keeping the main roads clean and will clean side streets where needed a few days after a big storm. For your area, The Village of Buffalo Grove will take care of the main streets, I'm not aware of their procedure for side streets though there are many neighborhoods that pay for there own streets playing if it's over a few inches, normally three.

Also you will see designated areas where parking is NOT permitted if there is more than a few inches of snow, depends on the area.

Gingerert

We live just over the Wisconsin border, north of Chicago, and I work in Waukegan. We have an 18-month-old, but haven't really done much in the way of "family" activities yet. Been here about three years.

Give me a holler if you need owt.

SultanOfSwing

Probably not too far from me then by the looks of it!

Once the ba is a bit older, there's plenty of family stuff in Gurnee (6 flags in the summer and then there's the mall for the girls) and the museums in Chicago will keep you busy as well. Long, long overdue another trip into the city myself - hard to find the time sadly.

MrEmjoy

Where do you get your breakfast fixings?