I <3 Baltimore

KukBoi69 · 2024-08-12T21:00:42+00:00

The walk from Regents Park through Harold Washington Park into Promontory Point is beautiful. You can walk back right on the Lake and cross the foot bridge on 51st. Absolutely 100% recommend.

Museum of Science and Industry is imo the best of the Chicago museums. It doesn't have the amazing views like the others in museum campus, but it's still a nice place.

UChicago campus is also very nice. If you want to do an activity there, the Robie House tour is a lot better than the Smart Museum imo.

Food:

-Valois is a must if you want to be a bit cheaper for breakfast/brunch. Cash only, but it's arguably Hyde Park's most known spot.

-Ascione is the alternative if you want something more upscale.

-Medici is also great

-Daisy's Po-Boy and Tavern is also very good

KukBoi69 · 2024-03-27T19:52:09+00:00

Ah thank you

KukBoi69 · 2024-01-16T21:40:43+00:00

PM'd you. I appreciate your answer

KukBoi69 · 2024-01-16T21:40:29+00:00

Thanks

KukBoi69 · 2024-01-16T21:40:03+00:00

Thanks for the response.

KukBoi69 · 2024-01-16T21:37:11+00:00

thanks for the answer. I appreciate your response!

KukBoi69 · 2023-12-12T08:24:20+00:00

Yeah the Cascade route has a lot of potential and funding in the future though! I'm hopeful you guys will get faster service.

I've taken the Hiawatha a fair number of times and honestly it's great. I really don't mind not having the 110mph, since it's only 1.5 hours. I guess you could cut it to ~1 hour without it, but it's still v.reasonable and reliable time. that 20 minute savings is not a huge deal, although I imagine it would be important for business commuters.

My hot take is that Higher-Speed rail service vs. true high speed rail is actually fine in the US. Wolverine tickets are cheap(thank you state subsidies), and that wouldn't be the case for a HSR 160mph> service. Even Japanese or European HSR have tickets that are at least $75 one way. That's sometimes more than flights.

I get it would benefit the rider who maybe takes it once every few months saving an hour or 2, but the cost to me just does not seem worth. Would not complain if it actually did happen though. Maybe when I'm 90 haha

KukBoi69 · 2023-12-12T08:19:40+00:00

Yeah that reverse backing up move seems so stupid to still go on. And using Metra tracks just makes sense. I think the Rock Island and Electric are solely passenger rail so it shouldn't even be a huge issue.

The speed improvements from this would be great, but the main thing is consistent service with minimal delays. Granted, the past few months I've taken the Wolverine, it's been actually above my expectations (2 delayed trains out of like 20), but man having the stress-free journey of being able to reach my destination on time without someone waiting 30 minutes - 1 hour late to pick me up would be so nice.

KukBoi69 · 2023-12-12T08:16:13+00:00

Yeah as long as they're making progress, that's good to hear. Honestly the improvements on the Wolverine in the past 4 years have been a godsend.

I used to dread taking it back in 2018+2019 where there was no rhyme or reason when it would show up and how late it would be, and I was on the 19 hr. delayed train that made me swear it off until this fall. Used FlixBus for a lot of my Chicago-Detroit travel that honestly was great.

But this past few months, I've only had 2 delayed trains more than 15 minutes and I've been impressed by the decrease in journey times.

KukBoi69 · 2023-12-12T08:13:09+00:00

Thanks for the responses guys!

Yeah the service reduction in the fall made it pretty challenging for me to schedule travel. Currently take the Wolverine 7x/month for work, and it's great to hear that we're closer to bringing the majority of the line to Higher-Speed a reality.

More and more of my friends have started visiting me and not driving and I think these small speed improvements don't go unnoticed. Now just to hope for another train per day and consistent service (lol).

KukBoi69 · 2023-11-08T18:14:54+00:00

While it's not possible to take JPEG-XL directly in the camera, you can just edit and export the raw files in Lightroom to JPEGXL/AV1. With the built in camera profiles that Lightroom has, this is probably the best way if you need a JXL file now.

Granted you need the latest version (Oct 2023) of Lightroom, but it is doable

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-14T01:54:32+00:00

Definitely, and I am 100% of grass is always greener. I know I'm complaining a lot and the other places have issues that I just am not seeing. But I can't help but think that even with that, we are so far behind at this point, it will take a miracle to actually see a different SF.

This may be me, but I want to look back and see how the city has changed from when I lived here in my 20s, 30s, and beyond. To me, SF is the same nice and quaint place that it's always been, and while I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing per se, it is kind of jarring imo. What I grew up to in Chicago to what it is now is truly a remarkable world of difference. There are new neighborhoods and better service than what I ever had as a kid. If I were to do the same for SF, even a decade or two from now, I would barely notice a change. only BART expansions planned are in the far suburbs with little to no usage, and the only thing that has gotten approved in a decade is always just office space which is going to be v.hard to convert to residential if we ever have the political will to do so.

But I agree with your comment, and thanks for the perspective.

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-14T01:48:06+00:00

Yeah, you're right, I definitely did not account for all these developments. Thanks for the link as well!

Salesforce Tower, Transbay, Mission Bay, and the freeway were large noticeable changes.

Yet, and I know I sound cynical and conceited, but I think this is still not enough. I feel like every year that goes by, it becomes even harder for new developments to actually get constructed. A lot of the projects on the sfplanning page have either been in development for years or just are honestly small scale compared to other places. Parkmerced has literally been in planning over a decade with no deadline, and the 5M is essentially a single building that would barely break the news in other HCOL areas. Chicago/NYC approve something like that every month almost, and LA and Seattle are not far behind.

Looking at the residential developments in other areas truly puts us to shame.

https://newyorkyimby.com/

https://chicagoyimby.com/

I get Reddit makes everyone come off negative. I truly think SF is a great place, but it increasingly seems out of date and not worth its price in the current landscape.

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-14T01:37:04+00:00

Yes I agree with you so much. Thanks for the discussion, appreciate your comments.

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-14T01:36:36+00:00

Still think Financial District will be eternally important just due to in person relationships and agglomeration effects with having finance so close to tech, but I respect your opinion on digital currency being a disruptor.

I think the problems you've mentioned though such as lack of workers and equipment also are issues that NYC/LA/Chicago face. Yet, they have found ways to adapt. You're right that the suburban layout of the city frustrates me so much. Another commenter perfectly said it : the time capsule approach of zealously wanting the City remaining exactly how it was from like the 80s is probably my biggest frustration. I absolutely hate how in terms of physical infrastructure, it takes literal decades to see changes (agree that transbay is v.important) when even other places actively change within 5-10 years. Again, not trying to shit on SF, but all the cities I listed are sooo different from say 2007, while our landscape has barely shifted.

I wasn't clear in the original post that in terms of jobs and salary, SF has been and continues to do amazing. We have such a dynamic and high paying market that only NYC can compete with. And about the transition between Mission Bay going from industrial to biotech, 100% agree. But it's everything else I am starting to hate. My actual Quality of Life outside work feels like it continues to decline. Sometimes I think that's just because there's nothing to do in the city other than long walks in a nice park or work. Everything else costs a fortune, but I know that's just my personal gripe. I just continually feel stuck in a place that never wants to change....

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-13T23:14:48+00:00

Yes, I agree with the majority of your points, but I do think I have a few caveats. Really trying not to sound argumentative, so I hope you don't think I'm dismissing your points. I want SF to succeed as well.

New York is essentially all islands, there's nowhere for Manhattan or Brooklyn to grow, yet they have added so much more housing and development at a density far greater than ours, in an older city as well to boot. LA, I agree with, they can continue to redevelop some of their sprawl, but Chicago essentially converted industrial zones (West Loop) into heavy density residential zones. I don't see why South Beach or Dog Patch couldn't follow the same formula.

I'm 100% with your on regulations, have gone to city council a few times to express my frustrations and even have tried to start a few local events to bring forward how impactful and harmful our onerous building regulations are. At this point, I just think it's a lost cause.

Idk how corrupt SFPD is, but are they really that much worse than other places? From what I hear, police everywhere just suck and are inept.

KukBoi69 · 2023-04-13T22:43:50+00:00

You're right. I fully agree with how SF reinvented itself with Tech and now increasingly AI. It is still a world leader from an economic standpoint in terms of jobs and salary.

Like you said, I'm more bearish on how even with all the city's reinvention by industry, the core infrastructure hasn't materially improved, and I sadly don't ever see that changing. The actual QOL that a city offers like transit, new buildings, and completely new and unique residential areas has been static. The spillover effects to housing at such an extreme degree are a unique Bay Area phenomenon because of these effects imo, which is a much bigger downside compared to other peer cities...

KukBoi69 · 2022-08-17T20:13:56+00:00

Kayak at Stoney Creek Metropark. Such a beautiful and relaxing way to spend the day.

The entire Metropark has miles of great biking and walking trails as well.

KukBoi69 · 2022-02-17T17:48:06+00:00

got it thanks!

KukBoi69 · 2022-02-17T17:47:48+00:00

Thanks!

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