MO Day 7 / IL Day 0- Pastries, Pals, and Patch Jobs
Today was a fairly stressful day though not necessarily in a way that might make for a riveting read. Before my car was broken into, I had made plans to meet my college roommate Kathryn and their brother, John, in Chicago and to see John’s band play. After the break-in, it probably would have made more sense to stop somewhere closer to St. Louis and get my window fixed, but Kathryn was only in town for the night so I decided to make the 4.5-hour drive to the Windy City with my makeshift plastic-wrap-and-duct-tape window flapping in the breeze the entire time.
To fuel up for my slightly ridiculous journey, I stopped at a place called Sacred Grounds Cafe in Edwardsville, IL right over the Missouri border (a funny coincidence after going to Shameless Grounds yesterday). I got a delicious iced coffee and a beautiful blondie featuring coconut and a marbled chocolate and caramel topping. It was a nice little treat before my harrowing drive.
The four and a half hour drive ended up being closer to six because I had to drive slowly so the plastic window I’d made didn’t get blown away. Even driving at a snail’s pace (and probably annoying all the other poor drivers on the highway), I had to keep finding places to pull over and fix my makeshift window.
Eventually, I did make it to Chicago and met up with my friends. We met up at a cute Parisian cafe which unfortunately I did not take down the name because I was (understandably, I hope) a little frazzled, and, while I tried to sort myself out after the break-in, my dutiful reporting took a bit of a back seat. There’s sadly a good chance that the cafe isn’t there anymore like far too many of the great spots I encountered roughly four years ago, but based on some intensive google searching I believe that if it is still an active cafe in Chicago, the one that most closely fits the general location and vibe of the one that I went to is Verzenay Chicago. Whatever it was called, the cafe had some delicious (and much-needed coffee) and better yet they offered an immaculate chocolate pistachio cake that is almost more a work of art than a dessert.
After catching up over a tasty treat, John and Kathryn escorted me to the nearest Target where I was able to pick up a new backpack and some pants that did not have massive holes in them (my last pair that met this simple criterion had been in the backpack that was stolen). Along the way we got to see this very charming bit of public art called The Three Little Pigs by Micki LeMieux.
While John got ready for his band’s gig, Kathryn and I got some dinner at a restaurant called The Bourgeois Pig Cafe, because how could I resist that? The cafe fully lived up to its excellent name with delicious sandwiches at insanely reasonable prices. All the sandwiches were named after books, and, while it wasn’t my favorite book on the menu, I went with The Sun Also Rises, which was named one of the Top 104 Dishes in the City by Chicago Magazine and featured Sundried Tomato Bread, Fresh Homemade Hummus, Oven Roasted Turkey, Fresh Tomatoes, and Swiss Cheese (plus a side of chips!). It was very good and felt like a much-needed dose of real food after consuming mostly pastries for the rest of the day.
After dinner, we made our way to The Tonic Room, a fun little bar where the night’s show was being held. It was a no frills spot, with good cheap beer and a warm atmosphere. John was playing bass in the back-up band for singer-songwriter Nire Nah, and they put on one hell of a show. Nire is a small woman with a gigantic voice, like a mixture of Angel Olsen and Judy Collins, that grabs your attention and never lets it go. It was an absolute blast of a show, and a great introduction to the performing arts in Chicago. For a while I was able to just dance and drink with an old friend while listening to great music, and it made me forget for a bit that I still had a lot of scrambling to do to get back on track after my break-in.
Here’s a nice music video where you can see Nire and the Band in action:
After the show, we went to an afterparty at a nearby bar with the band, where I got some great local beers like the Pony Pilsner from Half Acre Beer Company and these very silly but happy photos with Kathryn:
At one point, I guess we looked like we were having so much fun this man we’ve never seen before or since decided to join in:
After drinks, Kathryn and I crashed at John’s place. Kathryn had a fairly early flight in the morning but it was great to see them. I might not have ended Missouri on the best note, but I was starting Illinois on a much better one.
Favorite Random Sightings: a store called The Gingham Buffalo; a pet boarding service called Dogaholics; and an aquarium store called Insane Coral
Regional Observation: It looks like I finally made it far enough East to start seeing Dunkin Donuts pop up again, which made me surprisingly nostalgic.
Random Joke of the Day: What's the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle? Attire
Missouri Superlatives:
Favorite Coffee: Oddly Correct Coffe in Kansas City
Favorite Restaurant: I can’t decide between Arthur Bryant’s BBQ in KC and Pappy’s Smokehouse in STL, either way you have to get BBQ if you’re in Missouri
Favorite Attraction: The City Museum in St. Louis
Favorite Ice Cream: Ices Plain and Fancy in St. Louis
Favorite Bar: The Heavy Anchor in St. Louis
Favorite Open Mic: Wild Card Comedy at The Crow’s Nest
General Impression of the Missouri Comedy Scenes: I didn’t get to spend as much in KC, but St. Louis was incredibly good to me. A nice mixture of more classic joke and story telling, with a lot of room for weirder and more alty stuff to still thrive and flourish. I felt very welcomed, and I got to do some great shows and meet some very funny comics whom I still keep in touch with, so the scene definitely made a big impression on me.
Song of the Day: