The Best and Worst Chicago Moments of 2017

The Worst

The Cubs Didn’t Make It to the World Series

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: WGN-TV

This year, you were probably still riding the high that came from the Cubs’ historic 2016 World Series win. It’s okay – most of us were. A large majority of the city half-expected the Cubs to begin some miraculous streak of World Series wins for the foreseeable future. But alas, our bubbles were burst, as the Dodgers booted us from the playoffs.

 

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The Bears Sucked Per Usual

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: Da Bears Bros

We’ll admit it – we were hopeful. For like, a second. Rookies Trubisky and Glennon seemed like an opportunity for the Bad News Bears to redefine themselves and take back a little glory. Wrong. Once again, Bears fans were left high and dry, currently at five in 10 with one game left. Hey, there’s always next year, right?

 

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Jimmy Buckets Left Us

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: NBA

Ouch. This one hurt. After losing both Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah in 2016, for a lot of us, losing Jimmy Butler felt like the final nail in the coffin, as he was really carrying the team. This summer, he was traded to Minnesota, and to say the least, Bulls fans were definitely bummed to see him leave. Current season standings show that things aren’t looking so hot for them either.

 

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CPS Almost Ended the School Year Early

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: Democracy Now

On a more somber note, Chicago’s public school system was once again plagued with another year of controversy and financial uncertainty. Back in spring, CPS threatened to end the 2016-2017 school year 20 days ahead of schedule due to lack of funding, which had both the city and state scrambling for answers. Although it thankfully wasn’t carried out, the situation as a whole just proved the obvious even further – that reform is desperately needed.

 

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The CTA Hiked Transit Fares

2017 highlights chicago

After nine years, the Chicago Transit Authority increased fares by 25 cents, due to state-wide budget cuts. Understandably, most if not all of us weren’t too pleased with the news.

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The Best

The Bean Had a Good Year… According to Facebook

Photo Credit: Timeout
Photo Credit: Timeout

During the fall of 2017, The Bean had a moment. Facebook was lighting up with events left and right, all centered around the shiny landmark. It was painted black, then it was Windexed, it was flipped over to get an even tan line, Guy Fieri cooked it. You name it, people “did” it at The Bean.

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Chance the Rapper Did A Lot of Generous Shit

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: USA Today via Youtube

No surprise here. Since his break-out into fame, Chance has been harnessing his star power in his ongoing crusade to save Chicago’s underprivileged youth. We’ve lost count of just how many times he donated to CPS this year, among other philanthropic ventures. We just hope he keeps doin’ what he’s doin’.

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A High Speed Train Was Approved for Chicago

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: NPR

It’s a sign of the future, man. Barely a month ago, the Mayor sent out a request to companies worldwide for concept proposals for Chicago’s first high speed train. It’s envisioned to cut O’Hare commute time down to about 20 minutes, which could greatly impact international business and tourism. Elon Musk has wanted in on this for a while, and personally, we want to see him make it happen.

 

We Had a Stranger Things Pop-Up Bar

2017 highlights chicago
Photo Credit: Emporium

2017 was the year of pop-up bars in Chicago, and without a doubt, the one that sent everyone into a tizzy was The Upside Down – Emporium’s Stranger Things-inspired get-up. Complete with themed drinks, ’80s tunage, and the iconic string lights and Byers’ family couch, it’s no surprise at all that this place had hour-long lines down Milwaukee Avenue almost every night of its operation. Not to mention, the cease-and-desist letter it got from Netflix was legendary.

 

The City’s Average Rent Decreased Again

2017 highlights chicago

This time last year, Zumper reported Chicago as the city with the ninth highest average rent in the nation. This year, it doesn’t even make the top ten, taking the 12th spot in December 2017. Not bad, right? If rent prices are slowly decreasing overall, that might mean more relief for current and prospective residents in the coming years.

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