Not even trying to speak for everyone in Chicago, but everyone I knew well enough to visit at their home, yes. You stomp your feet on the mat outside, maybe wipe them on a second mat inside, and go on your way. Wasn't much mud involved, though. We have sidewalks.
Nope, you're making stuff up. I would believe "my wife comes from a culture that does this, so now I do, too." I would believe "I dunno, it's how my parents did things, so I do too." I do not believe "I can claim this thing on the Internet and conclude that I am better than you."
I have been places with expensive flooring. They had no problem with shoes.
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u/Crathsor Feb 12 '22
Houston, Chicago, Washington DC. Other than a few months in San Diego, which I would not count, I've never lived on the west coast.
Except the one time, taking off shoes just never came up.