Chicago Rat Hole

Here you can visit the pilgrimage site for the internet phenomenon of Chicago’s Rat Hole described by the New York Times as “Chicago’s Stonehenge.”

Though not nearly as old as its English cousin, the imprint on the Roscoe Village sidewalk had been dormant for an unknown amount of time before Chicago-based comedian and writer Winslow Dumaine tweeted about it. There is debate over the species depicted on the sidewalk, with some nature experts suggesting that it may be a squirrel, rather than a rat.

In the weeks since virality began, thousands have visited the site to see it before their eyes with many leaving behind monetary donations and other tributes in the accidental lifecast. A shrine of Chicago-themed paraphernalia accumulates on the nearby grass.

The hole has barred controversial defacement when it was mysteriously filled in with cement on January 19, 2024— later confirmed to not be the city’s work. Locals worked to excavate the hole to return it to its celebrated image.