Yes, Chicago has problems. But no one can convince me this isn’t the greatest city in America.

Clouds hang over Chicago’s downtown as a cold front moves in. (Tyler Pasciak LaRiviere/Sun-Time)

I’ve lived in Chicago since I came here for a job in 1985. Being from Los Angeles, I thought I would hate it here. I remember walking to work before dawn on my first day, Dec. 9, 1985, across the Michigan Avenue bridge in howling winds at about 7 degrees, in my new parka.

I thought, “Maybe I can stay here for one year, but definitely not five [my contract].”