What is "best" about a city? It's a question brought into focus these past few weeks, as New Orleans, a great American city seemingly destroyed by the wrath of Mother Nature, evoked a passionate public sorrow of appropriately epic magnitude. But why rebuild a city so flawed in its basic planning?

Because logic has so little to do with what makes a city great. Sure, we want trains to run and garbage to be collected, but efficiency is no more than the minimal expectation of a city dweller. We want to collect experiences, to paint memories. And New Orleans, like Chicago, is a canvas of infinite memories.

Is the lakefront the best of Chicago, or is it a walk along the lake with your new soulmate, at sunset, that is the best? Is Marshall Field's the best of Chicago, or is the memory of Christmas shopping and dining under the tree in the Walnut Room with your mom and grandmother the best? Is Wrigley Field the best of Chicago, or is joining a group of your college buddies for a forgotten yet unforgettable afternoon in the bleachers the best?

This is the challenge in rebuilding a destroyed city, and reason to cherish the city alive. You can make buildings with money and time, but social fabrics are accidental weaves, cultural moments are serendipitous surprises. This lesson is one cities like Chicago have learned the hard way over the years, as progress often leaves little space for posterity.

Cities run on efficiency, but live on emotion and thrive on experience. Tomorrow's best of Chicago is a memory to be created today.

And so, we offer our annual take on the Best of Chicago. You'll find a compendium of collective experiences on the pages that follow: yours, as expressed in our Audience Poll, and ours, crafted by our critics. And in between, the Verve section of Newcity, a pullout guide to the week ahead, along with our classifieds. See you in our dreams.

Click here to read the 2005 Best of Chicago (2005-09-29)

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