I ordered it because they sent me a subscription card for $12...luckily that is all I paid. You might appreciate this magazine if you are in your forties, have 5 children, are a doctor or lawyer, and thrive on statistics. Every issue focuses on comparing us to other cities, primarily New York, and is a general bore. There is nothing one could actually utilize, or would want to, in the entertainment/restaurant section. I've never been so eager for a subscription to end. I can't believe Amazon suggests buying this along with Time Out Chicago, who I've turned to for real information, colorful interviews, and articles that honestly do feel like Chicago does. Yuck...all the focus on rich people makes me want to puke. Why don't they count up some statistics on how many Chicagoans actually fit your sickeningly rich profile? 5 percent? Their March issue explaining that a D-I-N-K couple making a combined $120,000 a year struggles just as much as a single mother making $15,000 based on their choices really tops it off: this magazine is out of touch.
I do live in Chicago, so my viewpoint may be different than that of someone who doesn't live here and probably only comes here once a month.
I subscribed to this magazine 2 years ago, before the Tribune Co. bought it. It had several great articles each month and was really relevant not only to people living in Chicago, but to those who had just moved here. I still have several of those because they were so good to have.
Some of my favorite, and headlining, articles include: Chicago's Best New Restaurants (May 2001), Chicago's Guide to Summer (May 2001), 25 Weekend Getaways (June 2001), Guide to Surviving O'Hare (Feb. 2001)
When I resubscribed 6 months ago (post Tribune buy out) I started to notice it was catering to a different set of people. It now at least seems to have a lot less articles and they are a lot more relevant to people who live in the suburbs, or are Chicago old-money. Definitely catering to the 50+ crowd now.
From the Jan. 2003 edition: Chicago's top doctors, From the Dec. 2002 edition: The Most expensive things in town, and Look at this month's highlight 'Chicago's Richest people'.. Why do I care? I don't!!
I will NOT be renewing my subscription to this formerly good magazine.
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Useful for specific purposes: Restaurant ratings and reviews, "Top XX whatevers" etc. Just don't pay more than $12 a year, the "rack rate" the publisher offers.
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This Chicago magazine subscription was a christmas present. The magazine is o.k., but usually ends up in the garbage. There are too many ads and not enough information on the "real" chicago. I do like some of their articles, but again, usually, it ends up in the garbage.
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Like so many magazines that have decided to pursue the relatively affluent core of their subscription, Chicago magazine is great if you want to read a magazine to figure out what to buy. It's got lots of articles that are relevant to you if you're upwardly mobile, either live in the suburbs or have a car to get there, and are interested in the latest trends in entertainment and shopping.
That said, it's just not what I look for in a magazine. I've read many issues and while the writing is pretty good, I've never found an article that I thought was worth saving, or even much that told me something I didn't know about Chicago, and I've only lived here a few years. Don't be fooled by the title -this magazine is fine for what it is, but it doesn't even come close to covering Chicago.
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Quite disappointing and poor pictures... always the same man writing every article...I havee been reading it for a while and had the feeling of loosing my money.
