Chicago is a wonderful city with a vibrant social life. There's an array of things to do on any given night, from tons of cool beer bars to countless summer festivals. But Chicago is also like a big college campus, so flaking out on your friends is not the coolest thing you can do. You are likely to run into them somewhere around town, so you're better off trying not to be a flake. We all have that friend who's always looking for the next best option. They get in touch late (or not at all) and are super high-maintenance. Before I moved to Chicago everyone told me what a great city it was, but one person I talked to said she couldn’t stand it because it was filled with people always looking for “the next big thing.” One thing's for sure, as Chicagoans we need to be less crappy to our friends.
Here are eight terrible ways to flake out on your friends. If you are guilty of any of them, you should stop.
1. The "I only go out in my neighborhood" friend: Chicago is comprised of neighborhoods. If you never leave your neighborhood, you are not only missing out, you are a selfish friend.
2. The weather blamer: It started raining, it’s too cold, too windy or too hot. These apply to every single day of the year in Chicago. If you think these are legitimate excuses, you are too high-maintenance of a friend.
3. The "there are no cabs" friend: Maybe Uber is at surge pricing, or maybe this friend just blames the CTA for everything. These people create drama rather than just saying they don’t want to go out.
4. The "I took a nap and just woke up" friend: This friend takes a nap (like a child) when you have plans with them and now they can’t meet you. Really? A nap at 9pm?
5. The phantom texter: They'll text that they’re on their way but never show up and never text back.
6. The "I'm gonna go to the gym real quick" at 9pm friend: You never hear from them for the rest of the night either. Maybe they got trapped in the elliptical?
7. The "I have to be up super early" friend: What's worse is that you'll later see them check in at Rock Bottom on Facebook and post a selfie on Instagram.
8. The "I literally have no money" friend: Then they'll be sporting new Jordans the next time you see them—at the Hawks game.