"Only place I've ever been that had garbage blowing in the breeze as well. " Then you haven't been to too many places. Like I said, maybe it's because I've only lived in large cities so my perspective is much different but the city as a whole is not dirty. Yes, there are poor neighboorhoods that might not be clean but generally speaking the entire north side of Chicago is a clean place. Here is a link to a streeview of my neighborhood - by no means is this the high rent district. Judge for yourself. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2243+w+ainslie+st,+chicago,+il&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=42.310334,90.703125&ie=UTF8&ll=41.975349,-87.684932&spn=0.009731,0.03047&z=16&layer=c&cbll=41.970465,-87.685903&panoid=DB_hZFdS66ytxWuKG_VzyA&cbp=2,93.04825668748998,,0,-0.22413781395117457