YOU KNOW YOU'RE FROM CHICAGO IF...

• The "Living Room" is called the "front room" 
   (pronounced fronchroom)

• You don't pronounce the "s" at the end of  Illinois. 

• You become irate at people who do.

• You measure distance in minutes (especially  "from the city").

• And you swear everything is pretty much 15 minutes  away.

• You have no problem spelling or pronouncing  "Des Plaines".

• Your school classes were canceled because of  cold.

• Your school classes were canceled because of  heat. 

• You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C"  in the same day.

• Stores don't have sacks, they have bags. 

• You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition.
  Example: "Where's my coat at?" or "If you go to the mall I wanna go with."

• Your idea of a great tenderloin is when the  meat is twice as big as the bun, "everything" is on it and a slice of dill pickle is on the side.

• You carry jumper cables in your car.

• You drink "pop." 

• You understand that I-290, I-90, I-94, and I-294 are all different roads.

• You know the names of the interstates:  Stevenson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, Dan Ryan, and the Edens.

• But you call the interstates "expressways"

• You refer to anything South of I-80 as "Southern Illinois".

• You refer to Lake Michigan as "The Lake".

• You refer to Chicago as "The City".

• "The Super Bowl" refers to one specific game in a series of 35 played in January of 1986.

• No matter where you are, when you hear the term "Downtown" you immediately assume they're talking about Downtown Chicago.

• You have two favorite football teams: The Bears, and anyone who beats the Packers!

• You buy "The Trib".

• You think 35 degrees is great weather to wash your car!

• You know what goes on a Chicago Style Hot Dog.

• You know what Chicago Style Pizza REALLY is.

• You know why they call Chicago "The Windy City".

• You understand what "lake-effect" means.

• You know the difference between Amtrak and  Metra, and know which station they end up at.

• You have ridden the "L".

• You can distinguish between the following area  codes: 847, 630, 773, 708, 312, & 815 

• You have at some time in your life, used your furniture to guard your parking spot in winter. (CHICAGO CLASSIC!!)

• You respond to the question "Where are you from" with a side" example: "WEST SIDE", "SOUTH SIDE" or "NORTH SIDE." or  the parish , example St. Juliana's, St. Mary's, I.C. (Immaculate Conception) 

• You know what the phone number is to Empire Carpet!

From Alex 9/24/2001

And as a "Cradle Chicagoan", 
I relate to every one of the above.
And ... I can add a few ... 
(For the seniors among us)

• You recognize a "Slider" as a White Castle hamburger.

• You know that a "Maxwell Polish" comes with grilled onions.

• You know that "The Loop" is Downtown

• You know that a "Green Hornet" was a streetcar.

• You are outside and bare headed when you say 
  "Throw me out the window my hat".

• You know that "Bubbly Creek" refers to the south branch of the Chicago River.

• And you know why its called "Bubbly Creek".

Grandpa Don