The Chicago Rat Hole Is the City s Latest Tourist Spot – The New York Times

Winslow Dumaine was heading to a store on Chicago s North Side when he saw it: a hole in the sidewalk on Roscoe Street with an uncanny resemblance to a rodent.

Mr. Dumaine, who is an artist and comedian, said the hole represented two themes often present in his work: morbidity and whimsy.

Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole, he wrote in a social media post this month, including a close-up photo of the concrete cutout.

The post, which has since been viewed five million times, inspired an untold number of Chicagoans to make their own excursions to a quiet residential area of Roscoe Village, a neighborhood known for its cozy taverns, independent boutiques and old-fashioned bakeries.

People have started making offerings to the mysterious, fat-rat-size crevice: candles, coins, flowers, a small tomb with a photo of a rat, and a bag of cinnamon rolls from Ann Sather, the beloved Chicago restaurant chain.

via www.nytimes.com

Alrighty then.