Dozens of people walk right past Rahm LoL

CHICAGO - Former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said he plans to hit Chicago's grocery stores, train stops, "bowling alleys and hot dog stands" as he prepares to run for mayor of the nation's third-largest city.

Emanuel announced Sunday in a video posted on his website, ChicagoforRahm.com, that he's preparing to run. He had been careful not to launch his candidacy from Washington and headed to Chicago immediately after his resignation was announced by President Barack Obama on Friday.

In the video, Emanuel said he's embarking on a "Tell It Like It Is" listening tour of Chicago.

"As I prepare to run for mayor, I'm going to spend the next few weeks visiting our neighborhoods -- at grocery stores, L stops, bowling alleys and hot dog stands," Emanuel said. "I want to hear from you -- in blunt Chicago terms -- what you think about our city, and how the next mayor and you can make it better."

According to organizers, the tour begins Monday morning on bus stops in the South Loop on Roosevelt Road at 8 a.m., and then moves to an a restaurant in the city's Chatham neighborhood on the city's South Side, followed by a walk down 18th street in the city's Pilsen neighborhood.

The two-minute video shows a relaxed Emanuel sitting behind a desk wearing a white shirt that's open at the collar and a dark jacket. Behind him is a photo of his family and several books.

In making the announcement in a YouTube video, Emanuel appears to be following in the online footsteps of Obama, who was successful in galvanizing support among younger voters with a strong Internet presence and near constant contact through text messages, e-mails and Facebook notes.

Emanuel's website offers several options for receiving updates, including e-mail and text, and more than 15,000 Facebook users had "liked" his page by Monday morning.