Chicago’s Hidden SECRETS That No One Wants to Talk About…

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]What is up, guys? We are in Chicago, Illinois. Um, I'm just back in my hometown. Well, I didn't exactly grow up in the city city of Chicago, but uh close by, but decided to come back, you know, check out this place and show you guys around a little bit. For those that haven't been to the city, it's uh it's an interesting place. So, as you can see here, there's a there's a high school and there's a Popeye's literally built into that high school. And uh just as we were walking, there was a some sort of exchange going on uh between those two fine young gentlemen. So, this will be an interesting video. We'll go talk to some people, explore the city, and I'll take you guys with us.

[00:00:52]So, it's a lovely lovely subway here and uh I'm here with uh one of my childhood friends and uh he lives in the city. So, you're going to be showing me around a little bit. We're going to interact with uh some of the lovely people, show some of the cultural enrichment here in Chicago. But, uh here's our train. What What are we going to see here? Are we going to see one of your buddies uh folded over >> Oh, yeah. Chair. That's a common sight here on the red line. Uh, pretty much every car freaks of blood. So, they're ready.

[00:01:26]>> Blunt [ __ ] and uh something else. They have pits. So, there's some cool architecture here. Like Chicago actually has uh some really nice spots. This is uh the Lyola University of Chicago. It's actually a pretty it's a pretty prestigious university, right, Matthew?

[00:01:48]>> Yeah, definitely. That's how it's cool.

[00:01:50]But uh yeah, there's still like there's still very nice areas of Chicago. And uh I I'm pretty sure I've said this before, but Chicago is like a city. It's not quite like New York, which I would say New York's always just riff raff people everywhere. Chicago, there's still like nice chill spots. There's still some like beautiful parts that don't smell like complete [ __ ] There's not piss on the streets, but obviously it has its uh very bad spots. Like in Chicago, I feel like it's very segregated, right?

[00:02:22]Everything's just pushed down uh to the south side and then there's some I guess areas more north, but but still it's like very um I guess kind of isolated.

[00:02:34]Like you're not really going to get shot in the nicer areas of Chicago even though it does happen once in a while.

[00:02:42]um back in the day like uh you know when my dad and stuff lived here they used to call New York City the melting pot because of all the different people mixed together and then Chicago was the patchwork city because it's literally little groups of different uh you know there's European sections there's Indian sections there's all sorts of little spots and it is pretty segregated in a way yeah that's uh that that is interesting like uh that's why my parents came to Chicago uh at the art.

[00:03:10]There's even like a Lithuanian community in Chicago. I know there's like a big Polish community. It's obviously like Chinatown or whatever. There's Italians.

[00:03:19]There's a not there is a Jewish part, but it's not too big like uh New York.

[00:03:26]But yeah, we're just walking. We're going to go to Michigan Avenue. Uh maybe we'll talk to some people over here. And of course, we're going to have to go see uh Patriot Tower, aka Trump Tower. Jane Burn Park, another uh nice piece of architecture, which uh like I said, Chicago still has I mean, New York has some of the spots, some of these spots as well, but if you guys didn't know, there was obviously uh the great Chicago fire. Do you remember what year that was?

[00:03:57]>> In the late 1800s.

[00:03:59]>> Yeah, in the late 1800s. So, a lot of the old stuff unfortunately was burned down. Um, they rebuilt some of these spots, but it's still one of the nicer looking cities, I'd say.

[00:04:21]>> So, there's a Patriot Tower right there.

[00:04:24]I wish I wish that's what it was. Not so much nowadays. Then there's the glorious Chicago River that's uh filled with [ __ ] [ __ ] and piss and probably uh probably fentanyl from uh >> and guns >> and guns. Yeah. Unregistered firearms or registered actually that have uh probably killed quite a few African-Ameans in their time. Um yeah. What what is there not to love about Chicago?

[00:04:57]What do you think about like the people in Chicago?

[00:05:00]>> Um, I think it's quite an eccentric crowd, but I think it's part of the Chicago charm.

[00:05:06]>> Is there anything you uh dislike? Any critiques you have?

[00:05:10]>> No, I'm a pretty optimistic person and I I love the city. I think Chicago is great.

[00:05:15]>> What about like the diversity here?

[00:05:18]>> Um, >> is there enough of it?

[00:05:20]>> I I think Chicago is the place to be.

[00:05:23]There's all sorts of people and you're never going to talk to somebody who's the same.

[00:05:27]>> Some people say there's like too many white people here. Would you say that's true?

[00:05:31]>> Um I've never heard that. [laughter] I don't I don't know.

[00:05:36]>> Do you think it's uh it's kind of messed up that the majority of the city is still white?

[00:05:41]>> I' I've never heard that. I don't know.

[00:05:43]>> Should we replace them with maybe more like Somalians or Pakistanis?

[00:05:48]>> I I don't [laughter] know questions. I don't I wouldn't replace anyone with anyone. I think everybody has their own unique charm.

[00:05:55]>> What? Isn't it kind of racist that there's so many white people?

[00:05:57]>> I don't know. I don't know if this is a thing in Chicago.

[00:06:03]>> Is it not? You think there's not enough white people?

[00:06:05]>> I think everyone >> Do we need more white people?

[00:06:08]>> I think everybody here is wonderful.

[00:06:11]>> Everyone?

[00:06:12]>> I don't know. I'm a pretty optimistic person. I think like I try and see the good in everyone. H. Have you traversed over to the south side yet?

[00:06:21]>> Yes, I have.

[00:06:22]>> You have?

[00:06:23]>> I have.

[00:06:23]>> What do you think about that part of town?

[00:06:25]>> I don't know.

[00:06:26]>> You don't know?

[00:06:27]>> I think the city and all of all of it has its charm and I'm happy to be here.

[00:06:32]>> You're like a broken record. The southside is nice.

[00:06:35]>> I don't know.

[00:06:37]>> You said you've been there.

[00:06:38]>> Yeah. For like you, Chicago. I don't know. I've been here 2 years. I've kind of stuck around campus, my dorm. I'd like to get, you know, see more things, get out, work more. But >> is there a certain archetype of person?

[00:06:51]Like, let's say you're walking down the street at like 1 2 a.m. Is there a certain archetype of person that you might cross the street over if you see >> I don't know. I go to bed pretty early.

[00:07:02]I'm in bed by 9:30 and I wake up at 7 and you've uh maybe stumbled to the wrong part of town or something. Is there anyone you're >> What's the wrong part of town?

[00:07:12]>> Well, you know, like a bad area of the city, right? What?

[00:07:15]>> Just like a bad area of the city.

[00:07:17]>> You don't like the city?

[00:07:18]>> I'm saying a bad like city.

[00:07:21]>> But I am going to dinner. I'm going to this place called South. Where is it?

[00:07:25]Like South Bar Grill. I don't know. But I'm excited. It's nice to meet you.

[00:07:30]>> Awesome. Nice to meet you, too, Gretchen.

[00:07:31]>> Yes, >> we've just arrived at Millennium Park. Right. And that's what it's called. the only attraction of this uh amazing beautiful city, the Big Bean. Um I actually don't even know how it came about. Do you know who gifted it?

[00:07:50]>> Nope.

[00:07:50]>> Or who built it. I don't know.

[00:07:52]>> Yeah. An art some artist made it and then named it the Cloud Gate, but everyone calls it the bean.

[00:08:00]>> Oh, yeah. It's not even the real name.

[00:08:02]It is the Cloud Gator.

[00:08:04]But uh yeah, we're going to go ask some people what they [snorts] think about this lovely city. There's always uh very interesting characters in all the big cities, like I said, but in Chicago in particular, there's always um just interesting characters for lack lack of a better word. Hopefully, they have a few more brain cells than the lovely girl we just talked to, but I highly doubt it. So, there's the infamous bean. I try not to touch it because uh I don't know how many third world hands have uh touched that bean.

[00:08:40]>> So, but you guys might remember I had a few videos that went viral when I was here like a year ago at this point. Um what are your guys's thoughts about Chicago as a city? Do you think it's overhyped or underhyped?

[00:08:56]>> I think it's underhyped. I think there's more to Chicago than people have heard of. Like usually Chicago gets a bad rep, but honestly like living here, like it's a beautiful city. I choose it over New York.

[00:09:09]>> Yeah. I mean, I haven't spent a lot of time here. Um, but so far I like it.

[00:09:13]>> What do you mean by bad rep? Like what are some uh things that give it a bad rep?

[00:09:17]>> I feel like sometimes people say that Chicago is like a dangerous city.

[00:09:21]>> Like the dangerous city, like the most dangerous, but like I feel like every city is dangerous, you know? And like it's it shouldn't just be known just for it being dangerous. It's not like just all that.

[00:09:32]>> It's very uh isolated, right?

[00:09:34]>> Yeah. I would say it's also pretty clean compared to like other cities that I've been to, but yeah, I like it.

[00:09:41]>> Is there like any group in particular that gives a city a bad rap?

[00:09:46]>> Group?

[00:09:47]>> Yeah.

[00:09:48]>> Group? Uh >> I feel like you know what? I'm >> like gangs.

[00:09:53]>> Yeah, maybe gangs.

[00:09:54]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:09:55]>> Would you say that's accurate? I mean, yeah, they're not like they're like in specific areas, I would say. Not like they're not just like everywhere.

[00:10:04]>> Is it like a particular demographic of peoples?

[00:10:07]>> No, >> it's not.

[00:10:09]>> I don't think so. I think it could be anyone.

[00:10:11]>> The gangs are very diverse. You're saying?

[00:10:13]>> I would say it's pretty diverse. I don't know anything much about it. I've just like heard of it. But >> yeah. No, I don't think it's like a specific group.

[00:10:23]>> Would you say there's a specific group?

[00:10:24]I speak.

[00:10:26]>> No.

[00:10:27]>> Maybe like MS-13 or like Bloods or Crips. Like usually it's like black or Mexican people.

[00:10:32]>> Would you say that's accurate?

[00:10:35]>> I don't know. It seems like you know more about gangs than me.

[00:10:38]>> Yeah. I don't even know what that what you >> Is that not accurate?

[00:10:41]>> I don't know.

[00:10:42]>> I have no idea. You tell you tell us.

[00:10:44]You think >> you don't know? So, let's say you're walking down the street. Um, who's more likely, you know, to be in a gang?

[00:10:53]What kind of question is that?

[00:10:55]>> Can you answer?

[00:10:56]>> Why are you getting so offended?

[00:10:57]>> Can you answer that for us? What do you think?

[00:10:59]>> What do I think? Yeah, usually it's like uh black people or, you know, Hispanic people.

[00:11:04]>> Yeah.

[00:11:06]>> Right.

[00:11:08]>> I mean, I don't know.

[00:11:10]>> Would you say that's not true?

[00:11:11]>> The kind of questions that you guys ask?

[00:11:12]>> I don't know. I just told you I'm not from here. I don't spend a lot of time here.

[00:11:15]>> I mean, it's the same in Orlando, right?

[00:11:17]>> All right. I think we're going to go now.

[00:11:19]>> Okay. Who am I here with? Jay, >> big mama.

[00:11:23]>> Big mama. Are you guys from Chicago?

[00:11:25]>> No, I'm not from Chicago. I'm from New Orleans.

[00:11:28]>> Same. We from New Orleans.

[00:11:30]>> What are your uh impressions of Chicago?

[00:11:32]>> Um I feel like it's a really chill city.

[00:11:35]I really like it so far. So good.

[00:11:39]>> I ain't lying. I mean, it's nice and it looks very beautiful, but soon as we got up here, I started smelling something smell like crawfish.

[00:11:46]>> And they don't got crawfish around here.

[00:11:48]>> Crawfish?

[00:11:49]>> Yeah, we like crawfish. Yeah, you don't you don't smell the seafood smell.

[00:11:53]>> Uh maybe now that I'm here against the seafood smell when when it ain't seafood is piss either pissy out here or they got seafood around here. Which one you got?

[00:12:04]>> It's probably piss. Probably the former >> pissy.

[00:12:07]>> Have you guys felt unsafe in the city?

[00:12:08]Because Chicago has this reputation of being like a unsafe city. Like 99% of murders in Chicago go unsolved. Would you say you felt that vibe here? Um, no.

[00:12:19]Not until you say something. I didn't know it was 99%.

[00:12:24]But not this far. Honestly, not this part of Chicago. Kind of. Just chill.

[00:12:28]Like I said, not this part.

[00:12:30]>> How about you?

[00:12:32]>> You see how big I am?

[00:12:33]>> Uh-huh.

[00:12:33]>> I look scared.

[00:12:35]>> No.

[00:12:36]>> I'd be scared of you. I'm not going to lie.

[00:12:37]>> Good. You sure? [laughter] >> I hope I hope you all know you.

[00:12:43]>> Okay. Maybe on a more serious note, like uh Chicago got the nickname Shyrack, you know, for a reason. And uh what do you think are some of the I guess the main culprits for crime and how can we reduce that maybe?

[00:12:55]>> Um how can we reduce crime? I think we're never going to reduce crime even though we really could try, but I feel like it's never going to go away.

[00:13:04]>> Cuz you can't change people.

[00:13:05]>> You can't change people.

[00:13:06]>> Can't change people.

[00:13:07]>> Is there like a specific type of people that are committing these crimes and >> Oh, for sure. Um, >> I watched a lot of documentaries before I came here. Well, not a lot, but some.

[00:13:16]My boyfriend watches a lot of shy and gang involved crimes here. So, it's like they're forced to be in the game even though they don't want to. It's kind of forced on them. So, >> on who?

[00:13:27]>> Um, like you know, gang men really young men. Young men >> specifically.

[00:13:36]>> What are some of the stereotypes you've heard about Chicago?

[00:13:40]Malert Malort that everybody drinks Malort and we tried it and it's uh it's crazy.

[00:13:49]>> Uh I don't know. I haven't heard a lot of like stereotypes per se.

[00:13:54]>> What about like Shyrack? You've probably heard that name or that term, right?

[00:13:57]>> No, I haven't actually.

[00:13:59]>> You've never heard of that?

[00:14:00]>> No.

[00:14:00]>> Okay. So, it's when Chicago surpassed uh the amount of murders than in the Iraq war. So, it was called Shyra uh because of the amount of shootings and unfortunately 99% of the murders in Chicago are unsolved. Did you know that?

[00:14:17]>> No.

[00:14:19]>> Do you feel uh unsafe at all in this city?

[00:14:22]>> No.

[00:14:23]>> No.

[00:14:24]>> I feel good.

[00:14:25]>> Yeah. So, it's very, I guess, segregated. I mean, I'm sure you guys have heard of the Southside or Oblak, places like that. Um, so I guess my follow-up question would be, why do you think Chicago is so dangerous? And what are some steps uh Chicago can take to maybe be a safer city?

[00:14:45]>> Uh, I don't know. Oh, I'm getting a call. Sorry.

[00:14:48]>> Yeah, it's Julia. Um, >> where are you at?

[00:14:51]>> I don't know. Maybe uh just um I really don't have any any clue. Uh cuz uh >> are you by the beam? Oh, >> I don't know what like the the what the public here has like record with police like if the public around here usually gets along with police or if they clash or like anything like that. Like I I don't know. So new to Chicago. I don't know anything about it. So right >> we would not be the guys to ask how to make it safer. I guess we don't know.

[00:15:19]>> But it feels safe enough so far. So >> right right right here right now it feels safe. It's the Art Institute of Chicago. It's actually a pretty lovely museum. I remember there was uh some Van Go exhibit here that I went to. It's uh quite lovely. It's actually one of the nicer places here in Chicago if you ever come visit.

[00:15:42]But uh art museums always attract interesting crowd of people like this fellow right here. People wearing masks.

[00:15:52]And obviously my favorite, the art hose, Theodore Thomas. I'm not sure who that is, but this is a a lovely statue.

[00:16:02]Something again that's uh missing nowadays. Uh is the is the beauty like I showed you some of the beautiful architecture here in Chicago or it is some of these statues like this that uh nobody wants to build. Nobody wants to put effort in anymore. It's about efficiency. It's about uh who has a bigger place uh what's faster.

[00:16:26]It's not about uh what is actually beautiful and what's nice to look at what has meaning and uh it's just a direct reflection of the collective consciousness and the soul of the people. It's like everything we see in this world is it started off as a thought as an idea and it's just uh the projection outwards of how people feel and how they are. So it's like uh the Soviet brutalism architecture, you know, when the society gets so beaten down, that's what the outside world looks like. It looks beaten down. But when a society is thriving, you know, you'll see sculptures like the Greek sculptures or, you know, amazing Gothic architecture, it'll be externalized outward. And I think we're in one of those periods where everything is degrading and we should take that as as a sign of where we are and there needs to be people who are actually putting effort in to making things look more beautiful.

[00:17:35]Where do you feel more safe, Philadelphia or Chicago?

[00:17:38]>> Uh, probably about the same. I mean, I love this area of Chicago, so it's pretty safe here. I would say I feel fine here.

[00:17:45]Um, I'm sure since you're from Philadelphia, you know about um Zombie Land.

[00:17:50]>> I know.

[00:17:50]>> I have no idea about Zombie Land.

[00:17:52]>> Really? Kensington.

[00:17:54]>> Oh, is that what they call it? Yeah.

[00:17:55]>> Yeah, I do. Yeah.

[00:17:57]>> How is it over there?

[00:17:58]>> It's fine. I've never really been.

[00:18:00]>> It's fine over there.

[00:18:01]>> I I mean, I've never been.

[00:18:03]>> Okay. So, in your experience in Chicago, you said you feel pretty safe. I assume you probably hang around, I guess, the more wealthier area of Chicago around the universities, right?

[00:18:13]>> Yeah.

[00:18:15]Why do you think Chicago has such a bad rap? You probably obviously heard of the nickname Shyrack when Chicago surpassed the murder uh rate for the surpassed it from the Iraq war. So why why do you think Chicago has this reputation?

[00:18:29]>> I don't know. Not sure.

[00:18:32]>> Not sure.

[00:18:33]>> Yeah. I think that people haven't been here and if they came here they would really appreciate it for what it is.

[00:18:39]>> Well, it's I I don't think it's just that. I mean, it statistically was the most violent and dangerous city uh in the US.

[00:18:48]>> Yeah. I mean, I don't know, better gun control, but that's >> more gun control.

[00:18:53]>> Yeah. In the whole country.

[00:18:55]>> But Chicago has one of the strictest gun laws and it's the most dangerous.

[00:19:00]>> Is there like a particular group of people?

[00:19:02]>> No.

[00:19:03]>> It's just everyone.

[00:19:05]>> Mhm.

[00:19:05]>> Did you know 99% of murders in Chicago go unsolved?

[00:19:10]>> Interesting. I mean, there's a lot of people, so Yeah.

[00:19:13]>> But that's like percentage wise.

[00:19:15]>> Yeah.

[00:19:16]>> So, there's no no one in particular [screaming] in the city.

[00:19:18]>> Yeah.

[00:19:19]>> Maybe the gangs.

[00:19:20]>> That's it. I got to go. [music]