Being from here (and living here again), I suppose that never was a big deal to me, as I ate the stuff all the time. Although since I stopped eating meat, I can't really enjoy a Chicago dog anymore :\.
Funny how something world-famous can be so mundane if it's readily available. It was an 8 hour drive to my uncle's house in Naperville, then like a ~40 minute drive into downtown Chicago. Plus, it was the first time I'd been there.