"pretend like you're going to san francisco for the weekend."



I've never been to San Francisco, but I've heard the weather is pretty similar to Seattle's...



I might be wrong, but if I"m not, the weather is a LOT different here from there. It rarely gets above 80, and if it does, it's certainly not T-storming. It also doesn't vary wildly from one day to the next, or even throughout the course of one day. You can usually count on a gradual change in weather, and if yesterday was 70, today probably won't be 40 or 80 like it could be here...



Davizzle, once you get here and ask people things in person, Chicagoans are insanely helpful, for the most part. Online is a whole different story...



The layers idea is the way to go. Don't forget an umbrella, even though I rarely bring one and grumble when I have to run to the train and get soaked, even though an hour ago it was sunny and beautiful.



Weather.com is definitely your friend; figure out what zip code you'll be in and bring clothes for what it says, regardless of what it looks like..