“Celebrating the awesome nature of Chicago every day.”

That’s the answer that one of you offered up to our audience-survey question: “Best idea to salvage from Chicago 2016.” We couldn’t agree more—that could actually be our tagline.

When we sat down as a group of editors and writers to plan this, our seventeenth edition of the Best of Chicago, the city’s lost Olympics bid was still a fresh wound. Whether you found that day’s news devastating or perhaps a relief, chances are you felt at least a little bit worse. Like deciding to break up with someone and having them beat you to the punch: you’re left wondering what was wrong with you. Read the rest of this entry »

Stir the Soul

In this year after we sent the first Chicagoan to the White House, the spirit of possibility was never stronger. And no matter where you stood on the desirability of the Olympics bid, there was no denying the dynamic of seeing the city’s business, government and cultural communities banding together to try to make something great happen. Sure, it would have quickly dissolved into a fair bit of the old “where’s mine” had we won the bid, but the events of these last two years have driven home the power of a communal effort to achieve a larger goal. Let’s not lose that spirit, but instead redirect it into immediate efforts to make no little plans in other ways. Imagine, for example, a harnessing of civic energy across all spectra of cultural, civic and commercial realms to, once and for all, turn the CTA into the world-class public transit that our city deserves. Or to turn the last four miles of lakefront into the public park that embodies our city’s heritage. Or… Why not still make 2016 a landmark year in Chicago?

Audience choice:
Fix the CTA

Best audience comments:
“The South Side needs love too”; “If you liked it then you should have put some rings on it’ -a la T-Shirt Deli, Bucktown”; “Adding a fifth star to the Chicago flag”; “arresting hippies”; “The Olympic bid really created some deep thought about improving our infrastructure and repairing and revitalizing our areas of urban blight. It is important that this dialogue not go to waste. Chicago has a lot to be fixed”; “Think locally, act locally.”

Best of Chicago 2009

Second Cityitis

There was a pathetic undertone to much of the discourse surrounding the Chicago bid for the Olympics, which went along the lines that we need this to be a world-class city, that too much of the planet still thinks “Al Capone” when they hear “Chicago,” to which we say: bunk! In all of our world travels, we’ve never had Al Capone come up in conversation. Architecture? Yes. Michael Jordan? Yes. House music? Yes. The weather? Sadly, yes. But Scarface Al? No. Kind of makes you wonder what crowd those other guys are running in. If we want to be world-class, the first step is to realize we are world-class and not to worry about it. World-class cities never fret about their status; they simply do what makes them great and make sure the world knows about it. So let’s get over this inferiority complex and start marketing our assets. Like our architecture. Our beautiful lakefront. Our extraordinary cultural life. And while we’re at it, make sure we tell everyone how nice our weather is. In summer.

Audience choice:
Hosting the Olympics

Best audience comments:
“Obama + Oprah = Unbeatable”; “‘Let Friendship Shine.’ Friendship isn’t chrome!”; “Britney Spears and whatever she does or doesn’t do”; “Forget tearing down the Michael Reese Hospital campus! We’ve already lost one of the Gropius-designed buildings there and Chicago is ready to destroy more at any moment.” “That I could have made a boatload salvaging my condo.”

Best of Chicago 2009

Not getting the Olympics

It’s a happy time for charitable organizations now that the IOC has said no to Chicago’s Olympic dreams. Those stalwarts of the Chicago cultural landscape can breathe easy knowing that now all of the city’s private funding won’t be sucked up into an event that would likely put the big chill on non-Olympic fundraising efforts for the next several years. Though the city’s cultural leaders were gamely making a public show of support for the city’s efforts, many were privately wringing their hands in fear, as early feedback from some of the most important charitable givers indicated a real risk of the Olympics hoovering all the air out of the room once it became a reality.

Best of Chicago 2009