Chicago: Crazy, But Only Kinda/Sorta

By Laura M. Browning in Miscellaneous on Mar 11, 2010 8:00PM

Just how crazy is this town? The Daily Beast ranked us in the middle of the pack, 26th out of 57 cities on their list of America's craziest cities. (Clearly they didn't take local politics into account). They calculated our craziness using various survey data about the number of psychiatrists per capita, emotional and mental health, drinking (where we tie with Denver for 14th), and a subjective barometer for overall eccentricity.

We think The Daily Beast missed out some of Chicago's best 'colorful characters,' as they tastefully refer to them. Besides the usual big-city crazies like the guy worried about the Russians, we've got the affable Vincent Falk and his colorful suits, plus our paranoia over nuclear annihilation. The Second City has a lot of crazy things to love -- and, sometimes, to hate -- so we asked around the Chicagoist office to see what got people going.

Ben: Just the fact that the Wiener’s Circle exists. And the crazy that the ‘Hawks fans bring during the national anthem.
Julienne: The Technicolor light show at O’Hare.
Marcus: The city's pessimism over its sports teams.
Laura: It’s crazy that some residents can’t recycle here without having to rent or borrow a car to drive all your recyclables to a private recycling center.
Benjy: Ozzie Guillen. In a good way.