October 4, 2008
dear clusterflock: Midwest Ed.
I’m going to be in St. Louis and Chicago at the end of October. What are your favorite haunts — bars, parks, coffee shops, fountains, music venues, falafel stands, Arches, book stores, Fields, galleries, metro lines, paper stores, cemeteries, toilets, neighborhoods to get lost in?
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13 Responses to “dear clusterflock: Midwest Ed.”
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In St. Louis, you will have to go to Cherokee Street in south city. In recent years it has become an art district of sorts. You should check out the Fort Gondo art gallery there, if they are having a show, and step into the letterpress right next to chat with the folks. And, then, if you are hungry hit up one of the taco places there.
You also must go to my favorite cafe on the Delmar Loop, Messhugahs. Heck, if you find your way there, I would happy to have a cup of coffee with you (you would probably run into me, anyway). Subterranean books is right next door.
Forest Park has a decent art museum, plus the park itself is gorgeous.
The Central West End has one of my favorite bars, Dressell’s Pub which is a Welsh style pub, depending on the night there may be a poetry reading (no promises!) and there fish and chips are fantastic. There is also the Shlafly brewery, if beer is your thing.
Boy, could I go on…
In Chicago, the best falafel without driving out to Devon or up to Roger’s Park is from Sultan’s Market. The location on North Ave is the close to the Damen Blue Line stop in Wicker Park/Buck Town.
Also, take the Brown line to the Western stop and explore Lincoln Square. An old German neighborhood with bars, restaurants and coffee shops along Lincoln Ave.
There’s tons and tons more.
Andrew: You’re not wanting to lure visitors down Shoot-you Street?
Lincoln Square. Oh, yeah. It’s weird and wonderful to hear German spoken there. (I mean, you hear Polish and Russian and Spanish and Urdu and Hindi and . . . et cetera . . . in Chicago — but German? Yeah? I love that about Lincoln Square. Hope it continues a few years more at least.)
Merz Apothecary.
Café Selmarie.
And the Daily Bar & Grill. Though it ain’t what it was.
(Though what is?)
Certainly not, Sheila, I have moved to better location.
But you could still tear down Shoot-you Street on your scoot, yeah?
I would recommend the following bookstores (granted, these may be obvious choices but they are worth mentioning nonetheless):
*in St Louis, Left Bank Books
*in Chicago, Unabridged Books, 57th Street / Seminary Coop, Book Cellar, Powell’s (on S. Wabash) for used books
Enjoy
Sheila and rabbitsnake — apothecaries and German Nachbarschaften are exactly the kind of places I was hoping to find in Chicago (even if I did have to look up Nachbarschaft just now). It’s a bit of an in-an-out jaunt, but I’m putting these on my list.
Andrew — Cherokee Street, and the letterpress place in particular, sound dreamy. The whole list, actually; it all looks great. The business end of my trip to St. Louis is in the Clayton/University City area – my sister is using her big brain for a little good and a lot of evil at WashU – so I’m sure we’d bump into each other anyway, if only by accident. Coffee at Messhugahs sounds swell, though, and even better with cluster company. Do you have a favorite time of day?
Thanks for the pointers y’all, whole heaps.
Love,
Ashtopher Walken
During the work week, I tend to find myself their between 6pm-7, but when the time gets closer you are welcome to email me. It is myfirstname.lastname@gmail.com.
Oh, and I suppose I could, Sheila, but she would have a helmet.
And she would have to be In St. Louis . . . a little detail I overlooked.
True.
Cemeteries? Two come to mind in Chicago - Rosehill Cemetery on the North Side, three sides encompassing Western, Peterson, and Ravenswood - it’s the city’s oldest and largest (http://www.graveyards.com/IL/Cook/rosehill/) - and Graceland Cemetery, entrance at Clark Street and Irving Park (http://www.gracelandcemetery.org/). Both are reputedly haunted, a bonus when visiting this time of year. Enjoy!