Illustration by Lilli Carré

All for the best

It’s less than a year since the farewell that changed the face of the city, the visage we’d shown the world for a generation, and it already feels like a different town, doesn’t it? After all, Rosie’s taken to her new Chicago-ness with the relish of an ecstatic newcomer, homesteading in Lakeview, popping up in all the right gay bars and generally reminding us that Oprah long ago transcended us, becoming a citizen of the planet even as she still blessed us with her presence. Oh, and that other game-changing retirement’s kicking up a fair bit of dust, as well, as Rahm redefines the mayor’s office. Here’s what we’ve noticed: while Richie was always one of them, an insular member of Chicago political royalty who seemed to operate with their own code, Rahm seems like one of us. He shows up at rock concerts, at theater openings, at triathlons. He takes the el. We even know a guy who says he bumped into him at a quiet little bar before the election. You didn’t bump into Richie. Read the rest of this entry »

The return of the Queen’s Landing crosswalk

The Daley administration made a number of anti-pedestrian “dick moves” in a losing battle against auto congestion: fencing off crosswalks on Michigan Avenue, shortening walk-signal times and adding right-on-red arrows for cars. But the kicker was the 2005 removal of the stoplight and crosswalk at Queen’s Landing, where in 1959 the city rolled a red carpet across Lake Shore Drive so Queen Elizabeth II could stroll from the lakefront to Buckingham Fountain. While the removal saved motorists a minute or two of wait time, it forced walkers to take a ten-minute detour. As part of a wave of pedestrian improvements under Emanuel, the city reinstalled the crosswalk on Thanksgiving Day—definitely something to give thanks for.

500 South Lake Shore

Audience choice: He speaks coherently

Best audience comments: “Seeing Rahm’s ass on the Brown Line every morning with his security detail. Daley would NEVER have done that”; “He can’t have all his fingers in the pie, can he?”; “He was at the Adele concert at the Riv”; “That 50-0 budget approval vote. Oh, wait.”

Best of Chicago 2011

“Read Between The Lines”
One of the many gifts the former Representative, Freddie Mac board member, investment banker and White House Chief of Staff is known for is a capacity for profane bluster. He’s even got a strange gift of negative capacity: his right middle finger is half-missing. (President Obama has joked that this makes it difficult for Rahm to talk with his hands.) Emanuel’s not unconscious of the feature: on the cover of the Tribune when he offered their board an extended interview, designer, photographer and subject all offered up a casually crossed-hands pose featuring the void. But cross him? You will be reading between the lines. While there’s an official Twitter account, @RahmEmanuel, the id’s best, swearingest ideas come from the nameless Twitterer at @MayorEmanuel, who noted recently, “the fucking finger fucks me on Skeeball.”

Audience choices:

Rahm Emanuel
“Rahm It, Chicago”

James Meeks
“The Meeks Shall Inherit The City”

Miguel Del Valle
“What the hell, vote Miguel”

Carol Moseley Braun
“Remember me?”

Danny Davis
“Everybody loves Double D!”

Gery Chico
“Chico is the Man”

Best of Chicago 2010

Undecided
It’s a real problem for all of us that so much attention is being paid to attempts to force Rahm Emanuel off the ballot over the residency issue. Most thinking Chicagoans would agree that he is one of us, for better or for worse. It’s especially unfortunate given the relatively short amount of time we have to get to know the candidates, even the so-called leading candidates, before we have to vote. The mainstream media has the opportunity to really play a role in this election, more so than in any in recent memory, as we sort out the candidates and learn about their approaches to the issues the city faces. So far, the media’s failing, with Rahm anointed as the residency-challenged front-runner and all others fighting for oxygen. We do like Rahm so far, for his role in the Democratic leadership and his reputation for getting things done. We’re cheered by his legacy as a ballet dancer and what that might mean for the arts. But Gery Chico especially intrigues us too, with his experience and his out-front and detailed ideas about fixing education. We want to know more about Miguel del Valle, Danny Davis and yes, Carol Moseley Braun, in regards to their vision and specific ideas for the city. We do know one thing, however. We’ll pass on James Meeks for his outspoken leadership against civil unions. Putting a homophobe in City Hall would be a major step backward.

Audience choice:
Rahm Emanuel

Best of Chicago 2010