Michael de los Reyes, Patch Staff

I'm a native Chicagoan and grew up in every part of the city: attended grade and high school in Hyde Park (south side of Chicago), in my adult years I worked Downtown in the Loop and lived in the Lakeview area (north side), and spent a lot of my free time in the Bucktown area (west side) before Bucktown was gentrified.  

BTW - The east side of Chicago is called Lake Michigan. 

Besides my hometown I've lived in Wisconsin and Kentucky.  I attended college in those states.  I've worked in California. 

Throughout those experiences, I've learned that the little things are what makes people . . . people.  And I've learned that the little things can separate people.

I've always tried to listen, watch people's reactions, and understand the culture of an area.  There are marked differences between Chicago and San Francisco.  There are nuanced cultural differences between Northside Chicagoans and Southside Chicagoans.  The easy differences are the lives of the rich and the poor . . . and sometimes I wonder who has the better life.

Being able to live in those areas is easy.  Being accepted and understood in those worlds takes time.

As a writer, I hope can provide an insight to those differences.

If you see me around Arnold or the St. Louis area, please introduce yourself.

The day is a little easier when there's a friendly face.