bumpkins refer to any part of a big city as downtown, i've learned over the years this is true Around the NYC area people say "going into the city" but I always heard suburban chicagoans say "going downtown" no matter where they were going inside the city limits. Well, to be fair, most of the cool [expletive] in Chicago isn't downtown. yup. i almost never go there and i have no idea what the allure is. friend of mine couldn't believe i didn't want to move to lakeshore east, where, not only does it suck and there is nothing to do without walking for miles or driving/cabbing dealing with the horrific traffic, but i probably would've gotten a 10'x10' studio for what my rent is. There are a lot of benefits, too. Close to grocery store, close to lake, close to lots of office buildings (shorter commute), lots of new construction, good views, close to parks...