Johnny Depp loves Chicago, and Chicago loves him back

We take great great pride in being from Chicago–and that means born and raised in 312, not 708, 815, 847 or 630… (OK, we were in 773 briefly, but that still totally counts).  So it is always so cool to hear visitors to our Urbs in Horto say nice things, specifically how it is the best  damn city in the country.  Local guy who made good, President Obama, has always worn his love for our town on his sleeve.  And now Johnny Depp, who spent some months here filming Public Enemies (now playing) has also dubbed Chicago his favorite American city in this month’s  issue of Vanity Fair.

“Everybody [in Chicago] treated me normal,” Depp says. “They’d say, ‘Hey, Johnny,’ then left me alone.” Depp regularly drank at the Kerryman, an Irish pub and restaurant at Clark and Erie. He ate at Gene & Georgetti, the famed Chicago steak house, set snug under the El tracks. “I visited the Art Institute and the Chicago Music Exchange. I loved looking out the car window at all those incredible neighborhoods and architecture.”

The trick is to get people to visit when the weather here is at least in the double-digits–positive double digits.  Otherwise, it’s a whole nother take on things… But hey, that’s still a part of what gives Chicago its unique character and “flinty toughness“ (yes, we did get caught up googling our fav Obama on Chicago quotes–really, how cool can that guy be?).

Check out the rest of Douglas Brinkley’s excellent “all access” article with Johnny Depp right here.