Bear with me as I’m really not well-versed in all of the crusts. I can’t bring myself to order thin crust in Chicago as I am such a fan of stuffed pizza.
My understanding is that Chicago-style thin crust is a crackery crust, if you pick it up from the edge, it just doesn’t bend.
New York crust is much softer, where you can fold a slice lengthwise and never hear it even crack.
Is the main difference the hydration% from the beginning or are there other forces at work here? Is it the difference in temp of cooking or what?
The best thing I can compare my “idea” of what Chicago-style thin crust to is Pizza Hut’s original “thin 'n crispy”, though obviously different.