Gay couple’s wedding at infamous Chicago Rat Hole is all kinds of iconic
The tourist spot went viral online. (Scott Olson/ franckreporter/Getty Images)
A gay couple got married at the infamous Rat Hole in Chicago, and it’s giving all kinds of iconic.
Sure, the Windy City might be best known as the home of the third tallest building in the US, jazz music, and deep-dish pizza. But there’s a new tourist spot which has trumped all the prior highlights, in our humble opinion.
Behold: the Rat Hole; a rat-shaped hole in the cement of the pavement of West Roscoe Street in Roscoe Village, Illinois. Arguably a piece of art, the rodent fell to his unfortunate fate in the still-wet cement which has, according to locals, been a part of the local landscape for decades.
Like all viral moments these days, the Rat Hole gained notoriety online when it was shared in a tribute by @WinslowDumaine on X (formerly Twitter). The original tweet was shared in an homage to the tourist spot, which soon encouraged others to do the same.
“Update: the Rat Hole shrine now includes a card, a piece of cheese, a lighter, and a framed memorial among other things,” the social media updated fans. “Two people came by and sprinkled some American spirit and a little bit of weed in the hole too.”
But in a recent turn of events, the rodent-shaped hole has hosted its first-ever gay wedding.
In a video shared to TikTok, Raj Sarathy shared a glimpse at his wedding to husband Tyler at the shrine. “My perfect Rat Hole wedding,” he wrote.
In an interview with People, the couple was searching for venues to tie the knot – including the Willis Tower – but decided nine days before the ceremony to say “I do” at the Rat Hole.
“Everyone and all of my friends kind of know me as that person who’s very adventurous. I always am up to random things. I’m always in the most random places,” Sarathy told the outlet. “So it was no surprise to my friends or family when I did say I was getting married at the rat hole.”
He continued: “I wanted to do something that’s very groundbreaking, so I said, ‘Why not the Rat Hole?’ And immediately it just came to life.”
You can’t get more iconic than that.
