You’re Not From Around Here Are You?

Hey, it’s John Calhoun. Although I didn’t grow up here, I’ve lived here most of my life. Soon after moving to the area, I learned something very important. Unless you want to sound clueless, you don’t say certain things.

A few examples:

• Freeway, instead of  tollway, or expressway.
• Subway, instead of the L, or CTA.
• The S in Illinois.

One more: The Chicagoland. I actually heard this in a commercial the other day! The Chicago area is fine, but putting the before Chicagoland really sounds stupid.

And if I can avoid sounding stupid, it’s a good thing!