I, too, am from Chi-Town. I love it here. Hands down, the best place to live in the world. Traffic and smog aside, the grass is always green here LOL.
I got the South side covered up to the near north district just north of The Loop. Wifey works at the Bloomingdales Building on Michigan Ave. She goes somewhere new for lunch or dinner just about every day. Lucky her! However, if you are in search of a home cooked meal, my kitchen is always open.