City Cast Chicago logo

Our Favorite Chicago Photos of 2023

Posted on December 26, 2023   |   Updated on September 30, 2025
Jacoby Cochran

Jacoby Cochran

Highlights from the year in 2023. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

Highlights from the year in 2023. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

This year, I’ve traveled to more neighborhoods to try new restaurants, see new artists, and to take photos. Here are some of my favorites of the year.

Red power puff at Lincoln Park Conservatory Feb. 26

Red power puff at Lincoln Park Conservatory Feb. 26. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

I stopped by the Lincoln Park Conservatory’s spring flower show, “Cooler by the Lake,” and I love the bokeh — the circular blurred effect on the out-of-focus parts — in this pic.

A turtle pokes out at the Garfield Park Conservatory March 5

A turtle pokes out at the Garfield Park Conservatory March 5. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

Just weeks later, I popped over to the Garfield Park Conservatory. I mean, who doesn’t love a picture of a sleepy ninja turtle?

Dee McGee at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash Fest in Bridgeview in June

Dee McGee at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash Fest in Bridgeview in June. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

I’ve known Dee since college and this summer we officially felt too old for the music festival grind — a realization that hit us at Lyrical Lemonade’s Summer Smash Fest in Bridgeview.

Danielle Sanders at the Silver Room Block Party at Oakwood Beach

Danielle Sanders at the Silver Room Block Party at Oakwood Beach. Block party organizers have said the 2023 event is the last. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

City Cast

Saying Goodbye to the Silver Room Block Party

00:00:00

After organizers announced it’d be the last Silver Room Block Party, the Triibe contributor Danielle Sanders shared her love for the event with us. Capturing her soaking up that final day was special.

In a packed pit, Weyes Blood performs at Pitchfork July 22.

In a packed pit, Weyes Blood performs at Pitchfork July 22. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

Sometimes the best photos come out of the worst conditions: rainy, packed, final battery life, hard to see, and rushed. This photo of Weyes Blood at Pitchfork is one of my fav pics of the year.

Bears training camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest in August

Bears training camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest in August, aka more hopeful days for Bears fans. (Jacoby Cochran / City Cast Chicago)

Training camp out in Lake Forest is nice because everyone is riding high on unrealistic expectations and 10 a.m. beer!

Share article

Hey Chicago

Stay connected to City Cast Chicago and get ready to join the local conversation.

Can't subscribe? Turn off your ad blocker and try again.

The latest in Chicago

Chicago, ExplainedAugust 28

Take This Week's Chicago News Trivia Quiz

How closely were you paying attention to this week's current events in Chicago? Test yourself in our weekly trivia quiz.

An older photo of Dolly Parton singing into a mic with a purple background
Keep It LocalAugust 27

How To Start Growing Your Own Food

Amid a summer of foodborne illnesses, intense weather, and ever-rising grocery prices, many Chicagoans are exploring ways to grow their o...

A man in a bucket hat and glasses holding vegetables in a large garden
Keep It LocalAugust 27

Your Guide To Chicago’s Garden Shops

From expansive gardening centers to little shops packed with houseplants, it’s not hard to find all the supplies you need to bring some m...

A garden with an assortment of big leafed plants
Keep It LocalAugust 20

How Transit Tees Turns Chicago’s Quirks Into Board Games

From board games about the city’s history to puzzles of iconic maps to card decks featuring local wildlife, Transit Tees’ teams of creato...

A person writing on a gridded paper that says "Chicago 1893" There's also a board game with an assortment of different houses for the board game on it. There is also A bowl of popcorn and a soda on the table
Keep It LocalAugust 20

Your Guide to Chicago’s Toy Stores

From vintage toys to a workshop series for aspiring toy inventors, Here's a list of places that’ll help you spoil the kids in your life a...

A table with an assortment of different stuffed animals
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Your Guide to Chicago’s Stationery Stores

Whether you’re actually going back to school soon or you just love analog hobbies, these local shops will help you find all kinds of stat...

A large group of people inside a store. They are looking at an assortment of items
Food & DrinkAugust 13

5 New Spots to Dine and Drink

Chicago is hot AF right now — and so is the dining scene. These recent openings have caught our eye.

A room with velvet drapes on every wall. On the ceiling there are chandeliers and people are sitting at a booth
Keep It LocalAugust 13

Family-Run Atlas Stationers Has Supplied Chicago’s Pens For Decades

For decades, the family-run shop delivered office supplies in bulk to offices in the Loop.

The outside of a brick building, the sign says "Atlas Stationers Inc"