Chicago versus NYC

I still am trying to figure this out: which city is better? I've grown up in Chicago, spent many summer nights at Ravinia and Grant Park concerts, seen various broadway shows, attended operas, visited the art institute, and dined at various scales restaurants. Chicago has a feeling of familiarity and it will always be home. 

But New York has a larger feeling of excitement and opportunity. The Met and the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, and even more choice of dining options. In a matter of blocks the scenery changes from Central Park to high class apartments to expensive stores stacked on top of each other. There's always something new to discover. I want to go to Juilliard  or Eastman school of music for my masters degree. I want the experience of living in New York. I will always be a city girl, never the camping type. I have high quality taste and New York can give me that lifestyle, provided I can pay for it. I love those tv shows like Gossip Girl and Sex and the City. (Guilty pleasures, I'll admit). But there are so many great captures of what the city can offer, and to so many types of people. Everyone has a place in NYC. I forgot to mention Carnegie hall and all those secret recital halls in the area. 

But neither city feels like the right place to raise a family. I love the feeling of Elmhurst. So I also know there will come a time when I move to a nice suburb, with access to the city of course. As long as there is a decent mall, a nail salon and Starbucks nearby I'll be satisfied. 

I feel like you learn something about life and about yourself when you move and live in different places. I know Cleveland will change me as a person and teach me things too. Cleveland isn't as exciting as the other cities I mentioned, so I won't be staying there longer than it takes to finish my bachelors degree. I need a place that will excite me, challenge me. Cleveland is just not doing it. CIM and the art museum will make it bearable though.