Chicago: How the City Lives
Global Cities: How the World Really Lives is a series of immersive, witty, and richly textured portraits of the world's great urban jungles – not guidebooks, not Wikipedia rewrites, but deeply human deep-dives. These books walk the streets, ride the trains, sit in the corner bar, and ask the locals what's really going on.
–––
Global Cities: Chicago is a love letter wrapped in a weather report and hurled off a moving El train. It's the story of the city that invented skyscrapers, deep-dish, and political cynicism – and somehow survived all three. With the sly warmth of Bill Bryson and the gritty charm of Studs Terkel, this book dives into the contradictions that make Chicago both infuriating and unforgettable.
Forget the tourist traps – this is Chicago as lived: the South Side block parties, the ghost signs, the tamale guy, the freezing wind that punches your soul, and the skyline that dares you to blink. You'll walk the streets with meatpackers, jazz legends, aldermen, and anarchists. You'll see why Malört tastes like civic obligation, why parking is a contact sport, and why Chicagoans argue harder about hot dogs than politics.
Each chapter is a guided wander through the city's muscle and memory: from the Great Fire to deep-dish pizza warfare, from Cabrini-Green to Google's new glass playgrounds. There's architecture (not just tall, but meaningful), music (blues, house, and drill with equal respect), neighborhoods (like nations with their own flags), and weather (described with the eloquence it deserves). Plus, an appendix packed with fun facts, local slang, cultural landmines, and quotes that may or may not be real.
Whether you're a Chicagoan by birth, arrival, departure, or daydream, Global Cities: Chicago will teach you how the city really breathes – and why, no matter how far you go, it never quite leaves your bones. Urbanists, culture junkies, and the terminally curious: welcome to the city of big shoulders and bigger stories.
1147631991
Chicago: How the City Lives
Global Cities: How the World Really Lives is a series of immersive, witty, and richly textured portraits of the world's great urban jungles – not guidebooks, not Wikipedia rewrites, but deeply human deep-dives. These books walk the streets, ride the trains, sit in the corner bar, and ask the locals what's really going on.
–––
Global Cities: Chicago is a love letter wrapped in a weather report and hurled off a moving El train. It's the story of the city that invented skyscrapers, deep-dish, and political cynicism – and somehow survived all three. With the sly warmth of Bill Bryson and the gritty charm of Studs Terkel, this book dives into the contradictions that make Chicago both infuriating and unforgettable.
Forget the tourist traps – this is Chicago as lived: the South Side block parties, the ghost signs, the tamale guy, the freezing wind that punches your soul, and the skyline that dares you to blink. You'll walk the streets with meatpackers, jazz legends, aldermen, and anarchists. You'll see why Malört tastes like civic obligation, why parking is a contact sport, and why Chicagoans argue harder about hot dogs than politics.
Each chapter is a guided wander through the city's muscle and memory: from the Great Fire to deep-dish pizza warfare, from Cabrini-Green to Google's new glass playgrounds. There's architecture (not just tall, but meaningful), music (blues, house, and drill with equal respect), neighborhoods (like nations with their own flags), and weather (described with the eloquence it deserves). Plus, an appendix packed with fun facts, local slang, cultural landmines, and quotes that may or may not be real.
Whether you're a Chicagoan by birth, arrival, departure, or daydream, Global Cities: Chicago will teach you how the city really breathes – and why, no matter how far you go, it never quite leaves your bones. Urbanists, culture junkies, and the terminally curious: welcome to the city of big shoulders and bigger stories.
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Chicago: How the City Lives

Chicago: How the City Lives

Chicago: How the City Lives

Chicago: How the City Lives

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Overview

Global Cities: How the World Really Lives is a series of immersive, witty, and richly textured portraits of the world's great urban jungles – not guidebooks, not Wikipedia rewrites, but deeply human deep-dives. These books walk the streets, ride the trains, sit in the corner bar, and ask the locals what's really going on.
–––
Global Cities: Chicago is a love letter wrapped in a weather report and hurled off a moving El train. It's the story of the city that invented skyscrapers, deep-dish, and political cynicism – and somehow survived all three. With the sly warmth of Bill Bryson and the gritty charm of Studs Terkel, this book dives into the contradictions that make Chicago both infuriating and unforgettable.
Forget the tourist traps – this is Chicago as lived: the South Side block parties, the ghost signs, the tamale guy, the freezing wind that punches your soul, and the skyline that dares you to blink. You'll walk the streets with meatpackers, jazz legends, aldermen, and anarchists. You'll see why Malört tastes like civic obligation, why parking is a contact sport, and why Chicagoans argue harder about hot dogs than politics.
Each chapter is a guided wander through the city's muscle and memory: from the Great Fire to deep-dish pizza warfare, from Cabrini-Green to Google's new glass playgrounds. There's architecture (not just tall, but meaningful), music (blues, house, and drill with equal respect), neighborhoods (like nations with their own flags), and weather (described with the eloquence it deserves). Plus, an appendix packed with fun facts, local slang, cultural landmines, and quotes that may or may not be real.
Whether you're a Chicagoan by birth, arrival, departure, or daydream, Global Cities: Chicago will teach you how the city really breathes – and why, no matter how far you go, it never quite leaves your bones. Urbanists, culture junkies, and the terminally curious: welcome to the city of big shoulders and bigger stories.

Product Details

BN ID: 2940184590752
Publisher: Ozone Books
Publication date: 06/14/2025
Series: Global Cities , #16
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 553 KB

About the Author

Ozone Books
Where Curiosity Takes Off

At Ozone Books, we publish stories that go places – literally and figuratively. Whether it's a passport-stamped travelogue, a laugh-out-loud lifestyle guide, a gripping slice of history, or a biography that reads like a novel, our books are written to entertain, enlighten, and occasionally make your cocktail spill from laughter.
We believe that knowledge should come with a wink, not a yawn. That’s why every title we publish blends substance with style – smart reads with a sense of humor, flair, and fun.
Ozone Books: breezy in tone, grounded in storytelling, and always just a little higher than the usual shelf.
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