Chicago 'rat hole' becomes an internet sensation
CHICAGO (CBS) -- There is no shortage of tourist attractions in Chicago – it's not as if we have to make a list.
But have you heard of the most famous new one? It's known as a rat hole – and it's not a hole in the ground where rats live, though Chicago has plenty of those too. This rat hole is a hole shaped like a rat, and it's become famous thanks to the internet.
The rat hole is located in the Roscoe Village neighborhood, on the sidewalk on the south side of the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street – just east of Wolcott Avenue. It is specifically in front of a blond brick three-flat building at 1918 W. Roscoe St.
Even Illinois state Rep. Ann Williams (D-Chicago) is getting into the game of promoting it in a video on X, formerly Twitter. Williams represents the 11th legislative district, which includes parks of Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Roscoe Village, North Center, Uptown, Lincoln Square, and Albany Park – all neighborhoods where there are oodles of tourist attractions. But she chose the 1900 block of West Roscoe Street to tout the attractions in her district.
"There is so much to see and do here in the district. We have so many great bars and restaurants, beautiful neighborhoods, the iconic Wrigley Field – and of course, the Chicago rat hole," Williams said in the video.
The rat hole is not new. Many neighbors quoted in published reports say it has been there for several years, and is likely the imprint of a deceased squirrel rather than a deceased rat.
But last week, the rat hole became famous well beyond the residential block where it marks the sidewalk – after X user Winslow Dumaine showed the sidewalk imprint in a post with the quip, "Had to make a pilgrimage to the Chicago Rat Hole."
The image has now been viewed more than 4 million times – and some people have been visiting and even dropping coins into the rat hole.
