Chicago has a large area that can be considered "downtown". There's the Loop at the center, which didn't have a lot of living amenities except restaurants and

Chicago has a large area that can be considered "downtown". There's the Loop at the center, which didn't have a lot of living amenities except restaurants and entertainment when I was there but is not very large either, then there is the whole outer downtown area from the South Loop to Lincoln Park. That's about 6-8 square miles. In that area there's everything you need and very little is more than 3/4 mile walk from you. There are buses and trains everywhere. I never wanted a car while living there, but rented a pickup truck or moving van for a day every now and again, and I actually lived a little further north in Lakeview.