#hotel property taxes

[oconnor2023]

https://www.nationalpropertytax.com/hotel-and-hospitality/

Maximize Your Hotel's Savings with O'Connor

Hotels are overpaying Property Taxes! Discover how O'Connor maximizes savings for the hotel industry by optimizing hotel property taxes. Read more about hotel tax savings from https://www.nationalpropertytax.com/hotel-and-hospitality/

[hotelpropertytaxes]

Are you expecting lower hotel property taxes in your city?

We recommend O'Connor Associates to tremendously helpful in assisting you with hotel property taxes and identifying the additional savings. Appeal your taxes today at https://www.hotelpropertytaxconsultant.com/

[here-comes-the-moose]

When I’m writing my Modern AU but then try to figure out and calculate how the life I gave the Batch is financially possible:

[florallylly]

steve harrington dominating at monopoly but only because he's so good at cheating

[runawaymarbles]

the name was a reference to air mattresses. I.e sleeping on someone's floor.

[subsidystadium]

Forsyth County leaders should be ashamed for the taxpayer-friendly changes put into the NHL proposal

Last year, a new developer, Vernon Krause, began openly talking about bringing the NHL back to Atlanta for the third time. In his vision, there would be a new 20,000-seat arena and a $2 billion “mixed-use development featuring hotels, retail, residential components”. The name of this area would be called the “Gathering at South Forsyth”. After constructing the arena, the following would occur: 1…

[inkprilled]

Just before covid hit my brother and I at 15 and 19 found our selfs homeless. I had a choice, my brother would go into care or we could stay together, but only if I took responsibility for him and had somewhere to live. So I applyed for social housing, the guy that processed my case was sympathetic and at some points I was holding it together better than him, do you have any other family? No, Do you know where your mother is? I wish I did, how old is your brother? 15 are you in any fulltime education? Not anymore. He looked at me like I was something tragic and I suppose I was, there isn't a metaphor for what I looked like that works any better than just what his naked eyes saw; a girl abandoned by her mother, her life in a bag on her back completely thrown on how to deal with everything, and all he could do was fill out a form and send it and me off. it's going to be okay.

Somehow despite the odds we where given emergency accommodation and a year later a property to rent, I suspect we where pushed up the list because of my brothers age, we where lucky, some people wait years in hotels or streets all over the country, living out of suitcases and rucksacks.

As lucky as we where, luck didn't cover all the things I suddenly had to know. I had no idea how bills worked or paying my taxes, I didn't even really understand what "taxes" meant until the final notices where piling up in front of us. It's something they don't teach you in school or at least mine didn't. They never taught us how to survive in a world like this, they assume our parents would be there to explain or we'd be much older before it mattered. what's more useful in real life, how to formally address someone in an email or how to keep the lights on or how to find food when a tin of beans is too expensive.

Though I suppose the email ettique lesson was useful for something in the end,

To whomever it may concern, I'm writing to you regarding my payment plans and how I'm choosing to fork over alot of money and won't be buying enough food to live off this month. My regards.

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - November 1-7

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles on Patreon!

1. Climate Initiatives Fare Well Across the Country Despite National Political Climate

“[California voters approved] a $10 billion bond measure to boost climate resilience across [the] state[…. Hawai’i] voters cast their ballots in favor of establishing the [climate] resiliency fund, with money for the project coming from existing property tax revenue.“

2. ‘You have to disguise your human form’: how sea eagles are being returned to Severn estuary after 150 years

“[… To avoid imprinting,] the handlers will wear long robes and feed the young eagles chopped rabbit and other meat with bird hand-puppets. […] Williams hopes that restoring eagles to the top of the food chain in the estuary will create a more balanced, thriving ecosystem.”

3. 10 states voted on pro-abortion referendums. 7 of them passed

“New York voters overwhelmingly approved the Equal Rights Amendment, adding [… among other characteristics] gender expression, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes to anti-discrimination laws. […] In deep-red Missouri and Montana, voters also enshrined abortions protections in their state constitutions.”

4. Giant rats could soon fight illegal wildlife trade by sniffing out elephant tusk and rhino horn

“”Our study shows that we can train African giant pouched rats to detect illegally trafficked wildlife, even when it has been concealed among other substances[.…] They can easily access tight spaces like cargo in packed shipping containers or be lifted up high to screen the ventilation systems of sealed containers,” Szott explained.”

5. Sarah McBride wins Delaware U.S. House seat, becoming the first out trans member of Congress

“McBride spearheaded Delaware’s legislation to ban the “gay and trans panic” defense as a state senator [… and] helped to pass paid family and medical leave, gun safety measures, and protections for reproductive rights.”

6. Critically endangered Sumatran elephant calf born in Indonesia

“Indonesian officials hailed the births and said they showed conservation efforts were essential to prevent the protected species from extinction. […] Sumatran elephants are on the brink of extinction with only about 2,400-2,800 left in the world, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.”

7. Sin City is Going Green

“[Hotels there] have conserved 16 billion gallons of water since 2007, thanks to […] replacing grass with desert-friendly landscaping, installing water-efficient taps across all properties, and reusing water at aquariums and in the Bellagio Fountain.”

8. Gray squirrel control: Study shows promise for effective contraceptive delivery system

“[… T]he feeders have a very high level of species-specificity. […] The bait and monitoring system developed and tested in the study demonstrated that […] “spring was the only season tested where female squirrels were more likely to visit bait feeders than males. Spring coincides with a peak in squirrel breeding and is therefore a good time to deliver a contraceptive."”

9. Returning Grazing Land to Native Forests Would Yield Big Climate Benefits

“[… S]trategically regrowing forests on land where cattle currently graze […] while intensifying production elsewhere could drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions, with little hit to global protein production, a new study shows.”

10. Interior Department Strengthens Conservation of American Bison Through New Agreement with Canada and Mexico

“Approximately 31,000 bison are currently being stewarded by the United States, Canada and Mexico with the goal of conserving the species and their role in the function of native grassland systems, as well as their place in Indigenous culture.”

October 22-28 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[starthirst]

Since I have brainrot and I'm thinking of Cherik constantly, I'm thinking of an AU where they got married before Cuba.

Something happens and Erik gets a concussion so he can't sleep, so Charles takes it out sightseeing instead of back to hotel for their usual night of 'chess, bants and tension'. They come across a carnival and there's an act with this clown officiant, one thing leads to another and they end up eloping at this tent.

The next day Charles reads the documents and realizes that it is legally binding and feels awful for taking advantage of Erik's sleep deprived and concussed state. He's waiting for the right time to tell him but then the attack on the compound happens, then the move to the mansion and Cuba. It all goes so fast and Erik is gone and Charles does not want to see him.

Years go by and Charles knows Erik has no idea they're married but he provides their taxes as a couple to the Government, puts Erik as his next of kin on his life insurance, pays for property damage caused by Erik being an absolute shit because he's liable for that too since they're married.

Then one day Erik is on trial for something he didn't do, and Charles knows he didn't do it because he was there. The courts are making it a big deal because this is Magneto, mutant terrorist.

They assume that Charles will want Magneto put behind bars so when he wheels into the podium to testify and says 'This man is my husband, I refuse to testify against him and you can't make me,' they're absolutely flabberghasted. They check evidence and submitted is all the stuff that shows, yes they are legally married, they have been doing the right things in the eyes of the law spousewise so yes, they have to afford Charles spousal privilages.

Erik however, thinks Charles is punishing him by taunting him with the fact Erik could've settled down and married Charles years ago if he wasn't so stubborn. Erik assumes that everyone is being mind controlled by Charles which means he didn't have to be so dramatic in the courtroom, so by the time he's released he's very upset.

They go back to the mansion for a drink, Charles thinks Erik is mad at him for not telling him sooner so he starts with 'do you want to get a divorce?' and Erik goes apeshit because 'i get it charles, i couldve had this life with you, stop making light what could have been' and charles has to sheepishly explain they've married this whole time.

[famesau]

Some of the van der linde gang members playing monopoly. Me and my best friend came up with these

Dutch- Always trading house sets with Javier. If he gets boardwalk and park place he turns into a huge ass. But he gets mad really quick in game, rage quits all the time

Hosea- Plays by the rules( most times but he sweet talks the others in believing he is when he clearly isn't) Convinced Dutch to continue playing when he rage quits

Arthur- In charge of the bank when straus doesn't play. Steal money from the bank all the time. John catches him but he lies his way out of it. Him and Charles are always working with each other.

Charles- knows all the rules of the game by heart. Doesn't care if Arthur cheats but will not hesitate to call out Micah and Bill.

Kieran- only played one time but got bullied out of the game by Bill and Javier. He wouldn't play the game unless he got to play the horse token and if Bill doesn't play. ( He can handle Javier most times)

Straus- Runs the bank but gets kicked out of the game from being a prick. ( Had people paying taxes for no reason)

John- Would complain but pay the taxes when straus would be the bank. Argues when he has to pay people for landing on their property.( Would steal people's houses and hotels when they're not looking)

Tilly & Karen & Trelawny- Steal people's money when they're not looking ( gets away with it every time)

Sean- Steals money from people, gets caught every time

Sadie- Also really good at the game but rage quits easily.

:D that's all I got, if you have other headcanons I'd love to hear them!

[oconnor2023]

Canada hotel Association national convention in Montreal

Exciting news! O'Connor & Associates is thrilled to announce our attendance at the Canada Hotel Association National Convention in Montreal on May 22, 2024! Join us as we delve into the latest industry trends. Stay tuned for live updates, behind-the-scenes peeks, and valuable insights! Visit https://www.nationalpropertytax.com/

[hotelpropertytaxes]

Are you expecting lower hotel property taxes in your city?

We recommend O'Connor Associates to tremendously helpful in assisting you with hotel property taxes and identifying the additional savings. Appeal your taxes today at https://www.hotelpropertytaxconsultant.com/

[galaxygolfergirl]

Watcher's Expenses

I didn't major in accounting: I took three classes and it grinded my brain to a fine powder. However, after graduating with a business admin degree, being a former eager fan of their videos, and from a cursory glance over their socials, there's a lot to consider in their spending behavior that really could start racking up costs. Some of these things we've already noticed, but there are other things I'd like to highlight, and I'll try to break it down into the different categories of accounting expenses (if I get something wrong, let me know. I was more concentrated in marketing 🤷‍♀️). I'm not going to hypothesize numbers either, as that would take out more time than I'm willing to afford-- you can assume how much everything costs. Anyways, here's my attempt at being a layman forensic accountant:

Note: All of this is assuming they're operating above board and not engaging in any illegal practices such as money laundering, tax evasion, not paying rent, etc.

Operating Expenses

Payroll: 25+ staff salaries and insurance

Overhead Expenses

CEO/founder salaries

Office space leasing or rent (In L.A, one of the most expensive cities in the US)

Utilities (water, electricity, heating, sanitation, etc.)

Insurance

Advertising Costs

Telephone & Internet service

Cloud Storage or mainframe

Office equipment (furniture, computers, printers, etc.)

Office supplies (paper, pens, printer ink, etc.)

Marketing costs (Social media marketing on Instagram, Youtube, SEO for search engines, Twitter, etc. Designing merchandise and posters, art, etc. )

Human Resources (not sure how equipped they are)

Accounting fees

Property taxes

Legal fees

Licensing fees

Website maintenance (For Watchertv.com, Watcherstuff.com, & Watcherentertainment.com)

Expenses regarding merchandising (whoever they contract or outsource for that)

Inventory costs

Potentially maintenance of company vehicles

Subsequent gas mileage for road trips

Depreciation (pertains to tangible assets like buildings and equipment)

Amortization (intangible assets such as patents and trademarks)

Overhead Travel and Entertainment Costs (I think one of the biggest culprits, evident in their videos and posts)

The travel expenses (flights, train trips, rental cars, etc. For main team and scouts)

Hotel expenses for 7-8 people at least, or potentially more

Breakfasts, lunches and dinners with the crew (whether that's fully on their dime or not, I don't know; Ryan stated they like to cover that for the most part)

Recreational activities (vacation destinations, amusement parks, sporting activities etc.)

The location fees

Extraneous Overhead costs (not sure exactly where these fall under, but another culprit, evident in videos and posts)

Paying for guest appearances

Expensive filming & recording equipment (Cameras, sound equipment, editing software subscriptions, etc.)

The overelaborate sets for Ghost files, Mystery Files, Puppet History, Podcasts etc. (Set dressing: Vintage memorabilia, antiquated tech, vintage furniture, props, etc.)

Kitchen & Cooking supplies/equipment

Office food supply; expensive food and drink purchases for videos

Novelty items or miscellaneous purchases (ex. Ghost hunting equipment, outfits, toys, etc.)

Non-Operating Expenses

These are those expenses that cannot be linked back to operating revenue. One of the most common examples of non-operating expenses is interest expense. This is because while interest is the cost of borrowing money from a creditor or a bank, they are not generating any operating income. This makes interest payments a part of non-operating expenses.

Financial Expenses

Potential loan payments, borrowing from creditors or lenders, bank loans, etc.

Variable Expenses

Hiring a large amount of freelancers, overtime expenditure, commissions, etc.

PR consultations (Not sure if they had this before the scandal)

Extraordinary Expenses

Expenses incurred outside your company’s regular business activities and during a large one-time event or transactions. For example, selling land, disposal of a significant asset, laying off of your employees, unexpected machine repairing or replacement, etc.

Accrued Expenses

When your business has incurred an expense but not yet paid for it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(If there's anything else I'm missing, please feel free to add or correct things)

To a novice or a young entrepreneur, this can be very intimidating if you don't have the education or the support to manage it properly. I know it intimidates the hell out of me and I'm still having to fill in the gaps (again, if I've mislabeled or gotten anything wrong here, please let me know). For the artistic or creative entrepreneur, it can be even harder to reconcile the extent of your creative passions with your ability to operate and scale your business at a sustainable rate. That can lead to irresponsible, selfish, and impulsive decisions that could irreparably harm your brand, which is a whole other beast of its own.

My guess at this point is that their overhead and operation expenses are woefully mismanaged; they've made way too many extraneous purchases, and that they had too much confidence in their audience of formerly 2.93 million to make up for the expenses they failed to cover.

It almost seems as if their internal logic was, "If we make more money, we can keep living the expensive lifestyle that we want and make whatever we want without anyone telling us we can't, and we want to do it NOW, sooner rather than later because we don't want wait and compromise our vision." But as you can see, the reality of fulfilling those ambitions is already compromised by the responsibility of running a business.

And I wrote this in another post here, but I'll state it again: Running a business means you need to be educated on how a business can successfully and efficiently operate. Accounting, marketing, social media marketing, public relations, production, etc; these resources and internet of things is available and at your disposal. If they had invested more time in educating themselves on those aspects and not made this decision based on artistic passion (and/or greed), they would have not gotten the response they got.

Being a graphic designer, I know the creative/passionate side of things but I also got a degree/got educated in business because I wanted to understand how to start a company and run it successfully. If they’re having trouble handling the responsibility of doing that, managing production costs, managing overhead expenses, and especially with compensating their 25+ employees, then they should hire professionals that are sympathetic to their creative interests, but have the education and experience to reign in bad decisions like these.

Anyways, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. What a shitshow this has been.

[vacayisland]

@!; Christmas Time at Vacay Island Spruce (Bruce) / Reader

"Summary"! What I think Christmas time with Bruce and your little family is like! <3 (there's not enough content for him.) (Also I love Brandy with all my heart, but we're going to pretend that Bruce and her are just co-owners in Vacay Island. She's literally so sweet though) "Tag"! Fluff, fluff, fluff, FLUFF!!

@!; Being parents of 5 little Trolls and two on the way can be rather taxing during the holiday seasons. With Halloween costumes and makeshift trick-or-treating at the hotel, Thanksgiving at your parents place, and then finally Christmas! You loved the Holidays, more so now with your family. And Bruce.. oh Bruce. In short, Bruce went wild during the Holidays. Sure, this was a summer Vacay resort and it was basically summer all year around, yet that has never stopped him from going buck wild during the holiday season. "Hey, Honey?" Bruce called from the back of the reception desk, looking through the closet in the office to find the Christmas decorations. Though despite knowing how much he was struggling at the moment, you couldn't help but be a little goofy. "Yes Dear?" You asked, acting clueless to why Bruce could possibly be calling you at this moment. And you could hear his chuckle from the back, which he tried to stifle but failed to. "What did you do to the Christmas decorations?" "What's Christmas?" You tried to stifle your own laughter, turning just in time to see Bruce poking his head out from the back with the most exaggerated shocked look, like I had uttered some sort of curse on our first born children! "Did you throw out the Christmas decorations?!" "What?? Of course not! They're in the back, probably behind all the summer decorations you oh-so-love to take out seasonally despite us being literally beach side!" The snicker was all Bruce needed to see to know that he had completely over looked the box that the decertations were in. An his quirky, slightly nervous smile back was all you needed to know what that he overlooked them. "Thanks Babe!" And he disappeared back into storage room that that smile you oh so love.

@!; Christmas with Bruce is nothing short but magical, and a little goofy. You stood in the kitchen of the little suite Bruce and you lived in on-property, baking chocolate chip cookies with one of your girls, Lyre, as the rest had flocked to help dad with the tree; putting up all the lights and ornaments, garlands and stocking. It was a warming sight to watch while you whipped up the cookie batter, hugging your young one to your side. "Papa! Where does this one go?" Your youngest, Aspen, bombarded Bruce with the largest grin, his two front teeth missing. In the background, your eldest, Holly, was helping the second youngest, Colt, place an ornament in the middle of the tree. Bruce held a box of the more special ornaments, "Where ever you want sport!" He would exclaim before shifting the box in his hands and quickly ruffled Aspen's hair; in which Aspen took his words as a sign to literally place the ornament anywhere. He reached up for Bruce, "Come down!" He would giggle and receiving a playfully suspicious look from your husband as he leaned down. You could tell by the look in his eyes he knew what Aspen was going to do, hook the ornament (which thankfully didn't have a hook, yet rather a silk ribbon) around Bruce's ear. "There! Now you look more- uh-" Aspen failed on his words, so he simply preformed little jazzy hands and gestured to the 9ft tree nearby. "Christmassy? or rather incredibly handsome?" You laughed as Bruce played along with Aspen, failing to notice your second eldest, Dolly, grabbing one of the special ornaments from right under his nose; swiping it like a little thief and giggling as she ran off with it. The giggles were the only thing that alerted Bruce of the thievery, in which he was quick to place the special box down before rushing after the little thief. Playing a little game of catch around the apartment, slowing down and speeding up, looping around the rooms and peaking in and out from behind walls, playing ring around the table and couch. It was defiantly a sight to see. Lyre couldn't help but giggle, watching her older sister being chased by her father, "Run! Run, Sissy!" She clapped and cheered as you bounced her up, so she wouldn't slide off your hip, and slid the bowl of cookie dough off the mixer; turning to grab the chocolate chips. "Hey, hey! You're meant to be cheering for me!" Bruce playfully pointed at Lyre as he 'ran' (more like jogged) past the kitchen after Dolly. Lyre let burst out in giggles, playfully kicking her feet. "That better not be the ornament my parents gave me Bruce!" You shouted after your husband, measuring out a cup of chocolate chips before you poured it into the bowl. "Don't worry I got this, Honey!" "Or the own from our anniversary." A small snicker as you poured the cup of chocolate chips into the batter, sliding the bowl back into the mixer and turning it back on. "It's not!" But you heard Bruce's whisper next, "Dolly come here your going to get me killed!" "Bruce!" Your playful shout towards your husband as Dolly squealed in laughter, having finally been caught by Bruce, caused Aspen, Holly, Colt, and Lyre to burst out in laughter. They then let out playful "ooo"s and "Daddy is in troouble!", before giggling louder. Bruce let out a small huff, smiling as he walked back into the room; Dolly under one of his arms, she was wiggling and struggling to break free but giggling nonetheless. In the other he carried an all too familiar ornament, which caused you to place a hand on your hip and give your husband an all too knowing look. He choose to ignore it, but you knew he saw it. "Don't worry kids, dad as saved the day." Bruce held up the ornament, which (thankfully) wasn't cracked or broken.

He carefully placed it back into the box, cushioning it so it would be protected until it was hung up. He let out a dramatic 'phew!' and wiped his forehead. Dolly giggled and finally managed to pop herself out of Bruce's hold, rushing over to help her other three siblings decorate the tree. "Those cookies are smelling lovely, honey!" Bruce called as he picked up a box of regular ornaments, a cheeky smile spread across his cheeks. "Uh-huh, thank you, Love." You knew he was trying to change the topic and get his ass out of hot water. You didn't know why, you weren't even mad at him in the first place! But god did you love your husband and all his goofiness.

@!; Christmas with Bruce is staying up late watching movies with the kids, putting them to bed, then staying up later listening to festive music and wrapping gifts. It was a tradition you both started when you started dating; keeping presents away from each other until the last minute. You would hid at different sides of the couch or counter, playing festive music, and wrapping presents to give each other. Now you could sit side by side, watching as Bruce struggled to fold paper over a cylinder as you wrapped up a box with ease; sliding it off to the side, meeting the pile of already completed gifts. "Having trouble there, Dear?" You would tease as you reached over him, purposefully being obnoxious, as you reached for another present to wrap. Bruce tried dodging your arms, ducking to look down at the cylinder below him with this oh-so-serious look on his face. You couldn't help but laugh softly at him as you rolled out the wrapping paper, placing the box on top to measure how much you would need. "This would be easier without you next to me. Your beauty is oh-so-distracting while trying to wrap this cylinder." Bruce flirted, glancing up at you with the most mischievous eyes as a grin pairing it grew on his lips. You pointed a finger at him, a silent warning to not start with his little shenanigans. You guys had so many presents to wrap! But Bruce had a mind of his own, a mind that you both loved and cursed at times. Rolling your eyes, you turned away from Bruce as he began to wiggle his eyebrows at you. "Do not try and get out of your task with flirting, Bruce! You said you could handle the cylinder and you're going to wrap that cylinder-" But the protests didn't matter much when Bruce had made up his mind, and had already cupped your cheeks and brought your face to his. He littered your face with so many kisses that it began to tickle. "Bruce! Bruce stop!-" You giggled and cackled, trying to shove Bruce away with the brightest smile. But it was to no use, before you knew it Bruce had you both laying on the ground as he continued to attack and pepper your face with kisses. He wouldn't stop until your laughter was wheezy and airy and you were smacking him on the shoulder, not being able to breath due to how hard you had been laughing. Even when he stopped, you still couldn't help but laugh and he was quick to use your weakness to scoop you up into cuddles; though he also couldn't help but laugh with you at the silliness of what he had just done. Even if he had peppered all those kisses on your face with all the love he had for you. Every single one of them was very serious in meaning! You both laughed and giggled and wheezed until you couldn't anymore. And even then, while enjoying being in your husband's arms, you playfully smacked his shoulder and drew away; giving him a square look with a playful smirk, knowing he was just trying to bribe you to get out of wrapping gifts. "You're so evil!" You whispered to him, exaggerating your words a little; causing him to snicker and snort. "Oh says the one who handed me a cylinder to wrap!" He would cock up an eyebrow. "Well you said you could handle it!" "Honey, you know I was just trying to impress you." Bruce grinned and you stared at him for a moment before shaking your head; knowing he was being serious about that. "Oh yes, because wrapping a cylinder would make you so attractive in my eyes and impress me so much." Your voice dripped with sarcasm. Bruce didn't care! He peppered another kiss on your forehead, "See? I knew you would understand it, Honey! You know what? This is exactly why I married you-" "Alright up, up, lover boy! We have to finish these presents before the sun rises unless you want to deal with rowdy kids on zero sleep and a bunch of hot coco!"

.ᐟ this work is published and owned by @vacayisland. please do not plagiarize, copy, or steal this work; like, reblogs, and saves are appreciated :D

[subsidystadium]

Minnesota United FC had grand plans outside their new stadium in 2016. Now? Not so much

It is 2016. Local leaders in St. Paul, Minnesota were debating whether to give millions of taxpayer dollars to Minnesota United FC to help with the construction of a new soccer stadium, named Allianz Field. This included a mixed-use development around the new stadium. In 2016, the owner of Minnesota United FC showed the city council a 33-page master plan that outlined a “series of public spaces,…

[copperbadge]

Hi Mr Starbuck! Some friends and I are moving in a few months and we're eyeing various places all over the US. Chicago came up as a relatively affordable big city (compared to LA and NYC) and I have to ask the resident Tumblr Chicagoan his opinion. As a resident who lives and works in the windy city, what's your big pros and cons of residing there (especially things you might not encounter as a tourist)? (also, how accurate is your "guide to chicago" still, since its been a few years!)

Well, I definitely have opinions!

The guide to Chicago is no longer accurate -- too many places have closed or moved, and the pandemic altered a lot (for example the Money Museum still exists but I'm not sure if it has regular hours even now). I should do a new one but like, I really don't get out much anymore so I can't talk about restaurants outside of a VERY local area, and I never could talk much about hotels, which just leaves points of interest mostly already covered by Atlas Obscura. :D At this point it'd just be kind of moot, others are doing it better than I am.

Chicago is inexpensive compared to New York or Los Angeles, but like, that's everywhere in America. Chicago is still a quite pricey city to live in, mainly because the taxes are so high -- 10.25% sales tax, for example, and my property taxes are also pretty steep. People joke about Taxachusetts, but I'm pretty sure Chicago at least has it beat (and 2/3 of the state's population lives in Chicago or the outlying suburbs). Housing is not at a premium in the way it is in NY and LA but depending on where you want to live and how far you want to commute it can still be very expensive. My housing was never less than half of my monthly income until I bought this place, and then ONLY because the job I'm in now came with a $10K/yr raise from my last one.

Chicago does have great culture, great museums, great food, and it's a liberal island in a pretty conservative region. It is however quite segregated, so if you are any race other than white, living here can get a little more complicated than I've portrayed it as a white dude. There is significant crime and particularly gun crime, but it's generally confined to specific regions of the city. That said, even if you discount crime, the Chicago PD are corrupt as fuck and uninterested in being helpful, so if you are from a demographic the cops enjoy harassing, it will not be different here.

I do love the city, warts and all. I like the water, I like the people, I like the midwestern vibe. I'd find it very hard to leave, especially because I have a network of friends here, but also because I just plain like it and I know it really well. There is a very short list of cities I'd consider leaving Chicago for, and most of those would have to have a well-paying job waiting for me. But it did take me time to fall in love with it -- it took a few years before it felt like home.

It's a little difficult to get more specific without knowing more about your situation -- what you do for work, what your budget is like, what your goals are in leaving where you are. Do you prefer to drive most places? (Parking and traffic can both get dicey.) Can you tolerate taking public transit if driving is inconvenient? Is the industry in which you work something that has a lot of openings here? Do you want to live in an urban environment, and if so are you prepared to live in a likely somewhat shitty apartment to do so? If you prefer to live in a house, are you prepared for a long commute? What do you like to do for fun and is there a thriving culture for that here? What is it important to have access to -- museums, concerts, theater, sport? Where do you need to travel to regularly (ie, I go to Austin several times a year) and how do you prefer to travel there?

Anyway, yeah -- like, I love it but I have few illusions about it. If you want to chat further feel free to hit me up by email, happy to answer more specific questions!