Can anyone recommend a good mover who'll do single pieces? This question just got asked a couple weeks ago, but the recommendation given was a Craigslist link that has since expired. I just bought a fantastic couch on Craigslist and I don't want to screw it up on the ride home!

I was just in Chicago for the first time, and I was REALLY impressed.

The public art in Millennium Park, SPECTACULAR. The skyline, stunning. The retrofit of Soldier Field, brilliant. The trip to CB2, totally worth it. The boys in Boys Town, nnnniiiiccce.

To those who moved to Chcago from warmer climes, how brutal the winters?

Patrick - you were in Chicago and you didn't call me!?!?
I am very disappointed :(

Long story.

But I *knew* you were gonna call me on it!!! :)

The winter only helps you appreciate the summers that much more :)

the winters are awful. very long. summers are totally fantastic and pretty much make up for it.

I moved to Chicago from San Diego, where i lived for 4.5 years. I am not sure how much more of a change, weather-wise, could be made! I LOVE Chicago and there is so much here that makes up for the cold winters. I did grow up in the midwest so I thought I could get used to it again. My cost of living has gone down a lot and feel I can actually enjoy what the city has to offer, even if I have to enjoy some of that in the freezing winter.

Hi Patrick-The-OtherOne,
I'm glad that you enjoyed your visit to our "fair-little-town-on-the Lake"!
I always like to tell folks, when they inquire about how bad the Winters are here.....that we do that intentionally- to keep the population down..cause if it was like it is during May-September, about 50 million people would live here.
This way- we keep the population low- by keeping only "the Tough Ones" here....
;)

i moved here from houston this january. winter wasn't bad at all, but then again, i don't like hot climates. i can't wait till it starts cooling a little bit here.

Glad you enjoyed your trip p(too).

The winters are no doubt brutal here. But not too much different than NY. One of the problems here though are the fiercely freezing and biting winds that knock the wind out of you. It's somewhat depressing also when it's cold enough for a large part of the year to keep you inside. Everything just looks dead and cold and people tend to hibernate for months on end.
But there is always something nice about heading to a little bar or restaurant to sit next to the fireplace and enjoy a nice meal and a bottle of wine or a pint of ale on a frigid day. Yes, lots of alcohol to get through the winter.

Does anyone live near and visit a JCPenney's that has a furniture dept.? I would love to know the quality of this dresser:

http://www3.jcpenney.com/jcp/ProductsHOM.aspx?DeptID=40525&CatID=40669&CatTyp=DEP&ItemTyp=G&GrpTyp=PRD&ItemID=122fa4a&ProdSeq=20&Cat=dressers&Dep=Furniture&PCat=bedroom&PCatID=40529&RefPage=ProductList&Sale=&ProdCount=26&RecPtr=&ShowMenu=&TTYP=&ShopBy=0&RefPageName=CategoryAll%252Easpx&RefCatID=40529&RefDeptID=40525&Page=3&CmCatId=EXTERNAL|40529|40669

Anyone!?

I'm glad you liked Chicago! I moved here 5 years ago from the hot ATL, and it definitely took some adjusting. The hardest part, for me, was forcing myself to dress appropriately for the weather when you're going out downtown. This isn't Maine, where you can throw on two down coats, some huge LLBean boots, two hats and drive to work. It's a metropolitan city, so you still want to look nice, even while you're walking a lot and waiting for the CTA a lot. For example, when it's 5 degrees outside and you're going to the theater, you want to be warm, but you don't want to look like santa claus. It basically boils down to the fact that you have to spend money on nice-looking winter outerwear. The well-designed fitted down coat might cost twice as much as the bulky parka, but it's definitely worth it!
Also, summers here rock, no bones about it. People here really appreciate the warm weather.

If it weren't for the weather I'd live in Chicago in a second! I love that city.

I have finally learned that the key to surviving a Chicago winter is planning a warm-weather getaway in February.