We couldn’t have made this without you: the proud, opinionated, ballot-stuffing people of Chicago. Thank you for nominating and voting for your favorites. We get to celebrate what we love about living here. Of course there are also folks who are left out of the voting process, a gap that Reader staff and freelancers fill with impassioned essays.
Category: Introduction
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Losses and gains: Best of Chicago 2020
The positives of the year look different for everyone. The losses and gains have been very personal, so in turn the issue turned out that way too. It reads like group therapy—writers were given space to acknowledge what’s being left behind and then move forward with optimism, maybe even excitement about what the city still has to offer us. Reader poll results were determined by you, the readers!
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Best of Chicago 2017
Reasons to love Chicago, and the people, places, and things voted Chicago’s best in Arts & Culture, Food & Drink, Music & Nightlife, Goods & Services, City Life, and Sports & Recreation
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Best of Chicago 2016
The 31 reasons to love Chicago right now—plus, everything from the city’s best pizza to the best person to follow on Twitter
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Best of Chicago 2015
Our readers and critics weigh in on the best things they ate, drank, saw, and did in Chicago in the past year.
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Best of Chicago 2014
Best of Chicago steers you to the people, places, and things you might not otherwise find, along a route you might not otherwise take.
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Best of Chicago 2013
Best of Chicago 2013: A survey of a year in the life of a city
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Best of Chicago 2012
Best of Chicago 2012: An exhaustive exploration of our city and all its eccentricities
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Arts & Culture
Guide to Chicago’s best in Arts & Culture: 2011 Best of Chicago readers’ poll vote winners and the Reader’s critics’ choices.
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City Life
Guide to Chicago’s best in City Life: 2011 Best of Chicago readers’ poll vote winners and the Reader’s critics’ choices.
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Goods & Services
Guide to Chicago’s best Goods & Services: 2011 Best of Chicago readers’ poll vote winners and the Reader’s critics’ choices.
Posted inBest of Chicago
Sports & Recreation
Guide to Chicago’s best in Sports & Recreation: 2011 Best of Chicago readers’ poll vote winners and the Reader’s critics’ choices.
Posted inBest of Chicago
Food & Drink
Guide to Chicago’s best Food & Drink: 2011 Best of Chicago readers’ poll vote winners and the Reader’s critics’ choices.