The Wesley Willis Tower
Unlike most of the central figures in Chicago’s mid-nineties alternative-rock gold rush, Wesley Willis’ legacy remains untarnished by time. As one of the city’s most beloved outsider musicians and artists, he was, figuratively and literally, a towering figure in the scene. In a town that’s been slow to acknowledge its African-American heroes, it’s time to pay tribute to Willis, who passed away in 2003, with a lasting memorial in Wicker Park’s eponymous green space. Make it a bronze, Sears Tower-shaped monument, featuring reproductions of his intricate sketches of local architecture, and emblazoned with his unforgettable call to arms: “Rock over London, rock on Chicago.”

Best of Chicago 2010

“Actually Filmed in Humboldt Park”

Remember the Josh Hartnett-starring “Wicker Park”? No? We didn’t think so.

Audience Comments: “Nothing Like A Bland, Homogenized, Location-Neutral Title”; “I need a gentrifica-vacation”; “we just want Christmas money.”

Best of Chicago 2008

Wicker Park

The hipster union of baseball and soccer—the biggest hipster sports—belongs in a hipster park. The baseball field is the perfect size for any self-deprecating artist-athlete, the location allows you to show off any skills you may possess that you’ve buried since junior high, then go get a drink at Rodan or, even better, browse the shelves at Myopic for the next David Foster Wallace everyone says you need to read.

Wicker Park and Damen

Audience Choice
The Park
Best audience comment: “Behind the Planetarium: kick that stupid red ball into the lake and just go home already!”

Best of Chicago 2007