Chicagoland has been going down hill for a long time. My first gig out of college 40 yrs ago was in the burbs up there. Our mentors told us to stay out of the city if we knew what was good for us. I got the eff out of IL as fast as I could. Baltimore, San Fran, Seattle, they used to be places we went to on vacation. Not anymore. Huge liquor stores the size of Walmarts in Chicagoland back in the day.