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Best Chicago Photos Of 2011 (PHOTOS)

PHOTOS: The Best Chicago Photos Of 2011
By 

Senior Editor, DNAinfo.com Chicago

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Chicago saw many changes in 2011. After 22 years, we saw Mayor Richard M. Daley hand over City Hall to Rahm Emanuel. Former Governor Rod Blagojevich was finally sentenced after two trials that felt too long for most of us. A blizzard blanketed the city with more than 20 inches of snow and a summer storm soaked Grant Park during Lollapalooza, leaving it a muddy mess for weeks.

We asked HuffPost Chicago readers to submit their favorite photos of the year, and went back to find some of our favorites from the stories we were following in 2011. Check out our picks for the best photos of the year below, and be sure to vote for your favorite. For more of our year in review, be sure to check out expert picks for the best music, art, theater and shopping of 2011.

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Before You Go

Best Chicago Photos Of 2011
Chicago Teachers Join Occupy Chicago Protest(01 of20)
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Photo by Daniel Drake (credit:Daniel Drake)
An Underpass At Night, Bucktown(02 of20)
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Photo by Mitch Altman via Flickr (credit:Mitch Altman)
Debate Night(03 of20)
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Chicago mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun arrives for a debate at WGN-TV January 27, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Chris Sweda-Pool/Getty Images (credit:Chris Sweda-Pool/Getty Images)
Music Monday(04 of20)
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Ramisha Saeed sits in the grass on July 11, 2011 at Millennium Park during Music Mondays. Delicate Steve and Bombino performed. Photo by Ryan Gorey, a photography major at SIU Carbondale. (credit:Ryan Gorey)
Stuck On Lake Shore (05 of20)
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Photo by Shane Welch"This image was taken on Lake Shore Drive and North Ave during the blizzard on February 1, 2011. While I was taking pictures of the people fleeing their cars there were other groups of people helping push cars through the snow and directing others to shelters." Click here for more of Shane's amazing blizzard photos. (credit:Shane Welch)
Sailing(06 of20)
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Photo taken July 22, 2011 by Sarah Stahurski (credit:Sarah Stahurski)
Wacker Drive construction at Randolph Street(07 of20)
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Photo taken April, 2011, photo by Patrick Ryan (credit:Patrick Ryan)
Don't Ask (08 of20)
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Photo taken by Ryan L. Williams at the 2011 Chicago Pride Parade. (credit:Ryan L. Williams)
Skiing In Wicker Park (09 of20)
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Photo taken by Noah Gage during the February, 2011 blizzard. (credit:Noah Gage)
Downtown Snowstorm(10 of20)
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Photo by Cengiz Yar Jr. "Photo was taken on January 17th in the middle of a snowstorm using a three minute exposure. Almost froze my fingers off trying to get this one after ten attempts to stabilize in the wind. Turned out to be my favorite shot of the year. Shows my awe every time I walk the streets of the city and can't stop looking up." (credit:Cengiz Yar Jr.)
This Close (11 of20)
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Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel shows President Barack Obama how close the mayor has come to swearing since taking office as Obama was welcomed by singer Jennifer Hudson, and Emanuel at a fundraiser on the eve of his 50th birthday, Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011, in Chicago. Photo by M. Spencer Green of the Associated Press (credit:AP/M. Spencer Green)
Chicago's Frozen Beaches (12 of20)
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Photo by Ross FeigheryTaken in the winter of 2011 along the Chicago and Indiana Dunes shoreline. See more amazing photos from Feighery's series here. (credit:Ross Feighery)
City Farm(13 of20)
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A truck drives by City Farm on September 30, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. City Farm is a non-profit venture that raises produce on a one-acre tract of land on the edge of the city's downtown in a neighborhood once dominated by the Cabrini Green housing complex. The food raised at the farm is sold to many high-end restaurants, at a nearby farmer's market and to the public from the farm. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images (credit:Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Rookery Building Stairs (14 of20)
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Photo taken by Eloy Garcia Jr. earlier this month. "After searching for places to take pictures downtown, I came across this beautiful staircase. The Oriel Staircase was designed by John Root and runs from floors 2 through 12; however, the public is not generally allowed to visit these areas." (credit:Eloy Garcia Jr)
The Aftermath (15 of20)
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Photo of Lollapalooza 2011's aftermath by swimfinfan via Flickr (credit:Flickr: swimfinfan)
Blagojevich's Day Of Reckoning (16 of20)
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Former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich leaves his home to go to his sentencing hearing December 7, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. He was ultimately sentenced to 14 years in prison. Photo by Scott Olson of Getty Images (credit:Scott Olson/Getty)
Chicago Stands Up (17 of20)
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A Chicago police officer watches over more than 40 designated protesters, in their act of civil disobedience, occupying the LaSalle St. bridge over the Chicago River, Thursday, Nov. 17, 2011, in Chicago. Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast of the Associated Press (credit:Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
A Long Time Coming (18 of20)
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Eric Caine right, and his attorney Russell Ainsworth speak with members of the media following his release from the Menard Correctional Facility in Chester, Ill. Thursday, March 17, 2011. Ainsworth, investigator Eric Slossar and attorney Frank Bednarz, of the Exoneration Project at the University of Chicago Law School, were there with Caine's girlfriend Sara Bush to greet him on his release after murder charges against him were dismissed. Caine was first imprisoned on the charges in 1986. Photo by Sid Hastings of the Associated Press (credit:Sid Hastings/AP)
Maggie Daley's Funeral (19 of20)
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Former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, surrounded by family, looks to the sky as the casket of former first lady Maggie Daley arrives at Old St. Patrick's Catholic Church in Chicago before her funeral service Monday, Nov., 28, 2011, Mrs. Daley died Nov. 24 after a long battle with cancer. Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast of the Associated Press (credit:Charles Rex/AP)
Navy Pier In June(20 of20)
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Photo by Dave Sizer via Flickr (credit:Dave Sizer )
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