The relative hilarity of Chicago, as discussed by MSN. Okay, fine, we don't have the industry that the coasts have, but we're damn funny, and we practically invented improv.

"The Second City, with its Mainstage in Chicago, is the hip granddaddy of improvisationally based theater. With a list of alumni longer than some versions of the Aristocrats joke, The Second City is close to 50 years young and has outposts in Detroit, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Toronto. Over the last two decades, Chicago-based companies such as the I.O. (formerly Improvolympic), The Annoyance Theatre (of which I’m a member, full disclosure) and others have contributed mightily to the national laugh track."

- Elizabeth McQuern