CHICAGO – Mr Winslow Dumaine was heading to a store in Chicago’s North Side when he saw it: A hole in the sidewalk in Roscoe Street with an uncanny resemblance to a rodent.
Mr Dumaine, a Chicago-based 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 in January, including a close-up photo of the concrete cut-out.
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 neighbourhood 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, a beloved Chicago restaurant chain.
Both online and off, the “Chicago rat hole” became a shared joke in a city that prides itself on its sense of humour; passers-by giggle at the miniature memorial, pausing to talk to other visitors and take pictures of themselves at the hole.
And in the city that was recently declared the “rattiest” in the United States – deemed to have the worst rat infestation by pest control company Orkin – for the ninth consecutive year, Chicagoans have revelled in the symbolism.
Even a local politician, state Representative Ann Williams, got in on the joke.
In a video posted to social media on Jan 10, she touted the attractions of the district she represents, including the many bars and restaurants, Wrigley Field stadium, “and, of course, the Chicago rat hole”, she said, as the camera panned down to the sidewalk.
The hole’s origin is unknown but has been debated online, in local media and at the site itself.
However it happened, and whichever animal species may have been involved, it is at least 20 years old, said Ms Lora Bothwell, the owner of a daycare who has lived near the spot for 27 years.
She said former clients were texting her with delight at the appearance of the hole on social media and local news. NYTIMES
