<p>A few points:</p>
<p>Unlike the Northeast, Chicago is not particularly a club town, so folks like Keelee may feel a bit out of sorts. Chicago’s night life is much more oriented to those over 21. Saying that, for keelee to say students don’t go downtown because they are studying says more about keelee than about U. Chicago students. I can assure you from first hand observation that most do NOT spend the weekend evenings studying. Many do go downtown, but, yes, the campus does not empty on weekends. There is a lot to do on campus, and many students like to just hang out.</p>
<p>Regarding “Downtown”, the phrase can mean different things to different people. I suspect most UofC students include the near north side, including the “river north” area and Old Town in the concept of downtown. At any rate, it is not worth arguing over. The real action in the Chicago area is north of Hyde Park a few miles, and spread out over a few miles of city.</p>
<p>If someone has never spent much time in a physically large urban city, like NY or Chicago, one might have a hard time imagining the distances involved. Any one of the areas whose names we casually toss out, like “Lincoln Park” or “River North” can easily be bigger than the core downtown in most other cities. Or, for example, the distance from Chicago’s Art Institute, the heart of true downtown, is a mile greater than the distance from Harvard Square to Boston Common.</p>
<p>Chicago, in terms of land mass, is a huge city. It offers a lot but comparisons to other cities are risky.</p>