This decade has seen its share of ups and downs. Narrowly avoiding assured destruction of the Y2K bug in 2000 made the future look bright (Yay! The world did not end!), but this decade did not come up smelling like a rose. To many, it was not the decade it ought to have been. While there were plenty of events that left Chicagoans shaking their heads, there were a lot to make the city proud. Can you imagine Chicago without ‘The Bean’? Heck, the President of the United States is a Chicagoan. Meigs Field: March 2003 Mayor Richard M. Daley ordered the bulldozing of Meigs Field, a one-strip airport, on Northerly Island in the middle of the night. Public parkland and music venue Charter One Pavilion replace it-people care, then quickly stop. Bartman ball: October 2003 Steve Bartman became infamous after attempting to catch a foul ball in Game 6 of the 2003 National League Championship Series between the Chicago Cubs and Florida Marlins. Bartman was blamed for the Cubs’ subsequent loss of the game and the NLCS. Security guards had to escort Bartman from Wrigley Field as fans shouted profanities at him. The Bartman incident joined the ranks of the Curse of the Billy Goat and other Cubs myth, and in general made Chicago sports fans look like scary witch-hunters. E2 Club disaster: February 2003 A stampede at E2 nightclub killed 21 people and injured 50 after panicked patrons tried to escape the club because of dispersed pepper spray by trying to squeeze down a narrow staircase to the main exit. Security guards used pepper spray to break up a fight by two women, causing people to flee the dance floor. In an effort to control the crowd, the security guards bolted the main entrance at the bottom of the staircase causing a massive pileup. The incident inspired a licensing crackdown because the club violated many city building and safety codes. Millennium Park opens: July 2004 What was once wasted space, railroad tracks and parking lots transformed into one of the most notable public parks in the country and became an instant tourist destination because of its gardens, skating rink and public art such as Cloud Gate (the Bean) and the Crown Fountain. Hired-truck scandal: January 2004 The Chicago Sun-Times revealed Chicago hired private truck companies for the Hired Truck Program to supposedly do city work, but actually sat idly at the expense of taxpayers. The companies also had mob connections and were run by friends and relatives of Chicago employees. The scandal was a huge embarrassment to Mayor Daley and resulted in an FBI investigation and firings of Chicago officials. Marshall Field’s becomes Macys: August 2005Macy’s bought out the iconic Chicago department store in 2005. Field’s may be gone, but thankfully the Frango Mints stayed. White Sox win World Series: October 2005 The Chicago White Sox beat the Houston Astros, winning the World Series. The South side rejoices-the North Side weeps. City bans Foie Gras: April 2006 The Chicago City Council banned the French bird liver delicacy, foie gras, because they decided the practice of force-feeding the birds to make their liver fatty was inhumane. Restaurants, citizens and Mayor Daley opposed the ban. It was overturned two years later, but the ban made the city look like a meddling buttinsky in people’s personal lives. Immigration Protests: May 2006 Huge crowds marched in Chicago to protest proposed reform to US immigration policy that would classify illegal immigrants and anyone who helped them enter or remain in the country as felons. The protests drew national media attention and criticism. Barack Obama elected as President: November 2008 The city swelled with pride when a United States Senator from Illinois and a Chicago White Sox fan became the 44th President of the United States. Need we say more? Privatization of parking Meters: December 2008 Mayor Richard M. Daley leased the city parking meters to Chicago Parking Meters LLC. The deal quickly turned into a fiasco as citizens complained about problems with the meters, such as not dispensing tickets to place in the car window or overstuffed meters that would not take more quarters. The problems sparked a rise in meter vandalism, and were a PR disaster for the city. Rod Blagojevich impeached: January 2008 Illinois House of Representatives voted to impeach former Governor Rod Blagojevich amid federal corruption charges of trying to sell Barack Obama’s Senate seat. ‘Blago’ inspired hundreds of late-night comedy sketches and left many shaking their heads at the corruption of Illinois politics.Modern Art Wing added to The Art Institute of Chicago: May 2009 Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano designed the building, which opened on May 16 and houses world-renowned 20th and 21st century art. The addition made the Art Institute the second largest art museum in the United States. Sears tower becomes Willis Tower: July 2009 Though the Sears Co. no longer had naming rights and had not owned the building since 1994, many Chicagoans were saddened to see the tower renamed after Willis Group Holdings, Ltd., which leases a portion of the building. Sears Tower went the way of other Chicago icons like former the Comiskey Field and Marshall Fields’. Rick Bayless wins Top Chef Masters: September 2009 Chicago chef and author Rick Bayless brought national attention to Chicago cuisine after winning Season 1 of Top Chef Masters on Bravo-later it was rumored that the Obamas considered him for the position of White House Chef. Failed Olympics bid: October 2009 Losing the 2016 Summer Olympic bid to Rio de Janeiro came as a huge shock to the city as officials and citizens alike expected to be a shoe-in to make at least the second round of voting. Instead Chicago was eliminated in the first of three rounds behind Tokyo, Rio and Madrid. End to the O: November 2009 Oprah announced on Nov. 20 that she would end The Oprah Winfrey Show in Sept. 2011. What will life be like without the Big O?