1. As a rejection of the end-of-the-year-list obsession in the media in Newcity’s early days, we decided to do Top 5s, instead of the usual Top 10s, and keep the lists minimal in exposition.
2. Critics would be forced to make hard choices rather than the waffling namby-pamby approach so irritating in other media (honorable mentions, etc. etc.).
3. Our critics figured out how to get around the brevity issue by creating multiple permutations of lists for their fields.
4. Somewhere along the line we added the miscellaneous lists because they’re funny and, well, we like randomness.
5. And so, eventually, our minimalist intentions became the celebration of excess you see today, nearly a hundred lists to keep your mind sharp during the brain-deadening onslaught of the holidays. See you in 2014. —Brian Hieggelke
Top 5 Not-So-Pedestrian Local Walking Stories Chicago Riverwalk wins federal financing, Walsh snags construction contract Driver, three times over legal blood alcohol limit, kills Ja’Mya Love, two, in Englewood City installs speed cameras at school and park safety zones, drivers whine The city’s first pedestrian scramble intersection debuts at Jackson and State Loyola plans Kenmore ped plaza, DePaul proposes Kenmore “shared street” —John Greenfield
Top 5 Wheelie Exciting Chicago Bicycling Stories City successfully rolls out Divvy bike-share, announces expansion to 475 stations CDOT builds groundbreaking protected lanes on Milwaukee Avenue Fifteen on-street bike parking corrals open across the city, bringing the total to nineteen Go Bronzeville program encourages residents to add cycling to their commuting toolbox Death of cyclist Bobby Cann leads IDOT to lift ban of protected lanes on state roads —John Greenfield
Top 5 Rapidly Developing Transit Stories Bus rapid transit advocates and opponents lock horns over Ashland BRT plan After five-month shutdown, South Red Line rehab garners rave reviews Metra and Pace reps vote against own interests, support Illiana Tollway boondoggle Glitches plague Ventra launch, CTA vows to fix the problems Rahm trumpets $492 million O’Hare Line overhaul —John Greenfield
Top 5 Public Space Stories of 2013 The Gateway seating area opens in the State Street median Groovy, amorphous People Spot debuts at Southport and Addison City issues request for proposals to activate fifty underused plazas Work starts on the long-awaited Bloomingdale Trail, aka the 606 Construction begins on a new People Plaza near Milwaukee and Diversey —John Greenfield
Top 5 Neighborhoods That Should Not Be Called “Logan Square” Humboldt Park Avondale Bucktown Hermosa Cragin —Emerson Dameron
Top 5 Things to Never Instagram The skyline The snow The Bean Hotdogs Deep-dish pizza —Emerson Dameron
Top 5 Google Autocomplete Suggestions for “Why is Chicago so…” Violent Windy Corrupt Cold Awesome —Emerson Dameron
Top 5 People Responsible for Chicago’s Bad Weather Rahm Emanuel Barack Obama Suburbanites The Bears Ventra —Emerson Dameron
Top five things you will not hear on WBEZ A complete phone interview without awkward silence or a lost connection on “The Morning Shift” Emotion in Jerome McDonnell’s voice Unforced laughter Any music from Chicago-based jazz musicians A black person without a criminal record or some type of dysfunction on “This American Life” —Corey Hall
Top 5 People Kanye West Compared Himself To, Aside From God Steve Jobs Michael Jordan Kate Moss Picasso Michelangelo —Naomi Huffman
Top 5 Longest Lines Hot Doug’s Kuma’s Corner Bathrooms at Lollapalooza Best Buy locations on Black Friday DMV License Renewal at Thompson Center —John Wawrzaszek
Top 5 South Side Bars To Check Out Bernice’s in Bridgeport Simone’s in Pilsen Woodlawn Tap in Hyde Park Cork and Kerry in Beverly Stash Leahy’s in Blue Island —John Wawrzaszek
Top 5 Holiday Attractions ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo Christkindlmarket in Daley Plaza Christmas Around the World at Museum of Science and Industry Winter WonderFest at Navy Pier Wreathed Lions at Art Institute of Chicago —John Wawrzaszek
Top 5 Chicago 5K Races of 2013 Chi-Town Big Game 5K (February 3) Ridge Run Challenge (May 27) Chinatown 5K (July 13) Terrapin 5K & Music Festival (August 8) Carrera de los Muertos (November 2) —Zach Freeman
Top 5 Chicago Half Marathons of 2013 F^3 Lake Half (January 26) Chicago 13.1 Marathon (June 8) Chicago Women’s Half Marathon (June 23) Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half (July 21) Chicago Half Marathon (September 8) —Zach Freeman
Top 5 Derrick Rose Career Change Options Coach Sportscaster Pitchman Personal injury attorney The Jacksonville Jaguars —Emerson Dameron
Top 5 Chicago sports transactions that did NOT get done in 2013 but should happen in 2014 Franchise: Jay Cutler Amnesty: Carlos Boozer Rehab: Derrick Rose Remodel: Wrigley Field Release: Adam Dunn —David Witter
Top 5 Things To Take The Edge Off For Northwestern Football Fans Hey, Illinois sucks too. That diploma Cajun tater tots from Rocking Horse Malort Women’s lacrosse season is just around the corner —B. David Zarley
Top 5 Chicago-based Boxers Reigning IBF Light Middleweight World Champion “King” Carlos Molina IBF No. 1 Ranked Light-Heavyweight Contender Andrew “The Polish Prince” Fonfara Middleweight World Title Challenger Osumanu “Oz” Adama (to face WBA Champ Golovkin February 1) Super Middleweight Contender Don “Da Bomb” George Emerging Light-Welterweight Contender Adrian “El Tigre” Granados —Bill Hillmann
Top 5 reasons Paul Konerko re-signed with the White Sox Wants to be present when the White Sox take it to the next level by losing their 100th game Wants to give Adam Dunn competition as the slowest guy on the team Wants to better his aim at throwing foul balls into the empty seats at U.S. Cellular Field Wants to get a dugout view of another Sox fan attacking an opposing team’s first-base coach Wants to keep wearing the alternative black home jerseys that hide his growing man-boobs —Corey Hall
Top 5 things Richard Renteria is preparing to do as new manager of the Cubs Take a shot of tequila every time cardboard-cutout radio announcer Patrick Hughes calls any Latino player named Luis, “Louie” Prepare to use 2013 BP cup to lean on whenever his hip acts up Prepare for Old Style beer-spray celebration when the Cubs win their 70th game of the season Start preparing his exit speech for 2015 Get a privatized driver—courtesy of Mayor Emanuel—after taking a wrong turn and winding up in Boys Town after the bullpen blows another game —Corey Hall
Top five excuses White Sox fans will continue to give for not attending home games Prefer listening to Hawk Harrelson’s age-(very)old “Hawkisms” in the privacy of own home Exploding scoreboard distracts them from watching the score of a Cubs game, a team they claim to hate and ignore Prefer listening to Ed Farmer’s no-fun-allowed play-by-play call as a cure for insomnia in own home Three train lines, an expressway, a bus line, and multiple parking lots within blocks of the Cell Block on 35th Street still make getting to games difficult Still upset that Jermaine Dye won 2005 World Series MVP over Joe Crede, suspect a “reverse racism” conspiracy —Corey Hall
Top 5 Disappointments in Chicago Sports Derrick Rose, again Jay Cutler Robin Ventura Carlos Marmol No more Old Style at Wrigley Field —John Wawrzaszek
Today In The Culture, October 11, 2022: Chicago's Top Art Collectors | Keanu Exits Devil In The White City | Tribune to End Endorsements ART Chicagoans Mark ARTnews' "Top 200 Collectors" List ARTnews' annual Top 200 Collectors list is out; the extensive profiles of Chicago notables include Anita Blanchard and Martin Nesbitt (profile); Barbara Bluhm-Kaul and Don Kaul (profile); Denise and Gary Gardner (profile); Liz and Eric Lefkofsky (profile); Alec Litowitz and Jennifer Leischner (profile); George Lucas and Mellody Hobson (profile); and Penny Pritzker and Bryan Traubert (profile). Ex-Chicagoans…
