Portland’s posh Pearl District seems an unlikely stop for a gypsy caravan, but step inside Cargo and you’ll be sure you’ve hit a roving treasure trove. The sprawling 13th Street warehouse space houses “uncommon objects from around the world.” Continue reading
Posted in pearl district, portland, shopping
Tagged pearl district, portland, shopping
Brooke was spotted on the job at moulé, a terrific boutique in Portland’s Pearl District. Her layered look is a great inspiration for the change of seasons.
The perfectly distressed boots? “Riding boots! I’ve had them forever.”
Posted in portland, shopping, street style, wearing
Tagged pearl district, portland, shopping, street style, wearing
If your Sunday routine includes sipping and shopping it’s likely you’ve heard of Dose Market. The monthly food and fashion market has been buzzed about since last summer and returns in its first 2012 iteration this Sunday.
Billed as “Chicago’s most dynamic gathering of innovative fashion, artisan food and high design¹,” Dose assembles local artisans in the grand atrium of the River East Arts Center.
I attended the October Dose and was delighted with the vendor offering. It’s clear that each vendor is carefully selected for their unique, local, and well-made wares giving the event a curatorial air. Being used to mega-fairs and markets with many more booths, I made several quick laps before slowing down to visit each vendor. Although each Dose is busy, the intimate atmosphere and small selection encourages you to sample each stand, chatting with the “Dosers” and unraveling the story behind their brand, storefront, and wares. I discovered that Alaskan Salmon’s proprietor spends many months up north personally fishing for his offering, got home herb advice from the ladies at Sprout Home, and found Laura Lombardi to be as lovely in person as her jewelry line that I continuously crave.
Since there is an admission charge for each Dose Market ($8 pre-order, $10 at the door) you should be prepared to make a day of it. Come hungry, come ready to shop, and come with cash. I had planned on just browsing, but since the market is small you feel compelled to buy something to make it worth the trip. That being said, many of the chic eats and outfits offered are quite pricey, so don’t expect to see a bargain booth. Also, as with most markets, not everyone at Dose accepts credit so a cash stash will streamline your experience. The only sourness in the Dose is that I was unable to find the booze booth, and arriving mid-way through the event I found several vendors had already shipped out.
Dose Market is a great Sunday destination for exploring Chicago vendors and sampling with your ladies. Fashion bloggers and arty elitists are abundant (someone please tell me where they find their adorably-dressed boyfriends), so prep your outfits accordingly. While there are returning guests, each month’s vendor lineup is different so the serving is always fresh. Ultimately, I can’t quite afford to indulge every month but look forward to a seasonal Dose.
Dose Market at the River East Arts Center
435 East Illinois Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Posted in arts, chicago, eating, events, exploring, river north, shopping
Tagged arts, chicago, dose market, eating, exploring, river east arts center, river north, shopping
Please enjoy a piece by my dear friend Ally Batty, with photos by Sarah Dodge. The talented two are the authors of Go That Do There, an insightful and entertaining account of their road trip across America, which you should check out immediately – if not sooner.
When I tell people I am from Atlanta, the conversation invariably turns to a few topics: my lack of a Southern accent and increasingly, the city’s reputation as a leafy mecca for Southern hipsters and new business. Like many Atlantans, I have few traces of the both maligned and lusted -over Southern dialect. We are a motley crew of old southern money, new business transplants, historically black colleges, changing neighborhoods, and both good and bad urban planning.
In truth, Atlanta is both everything and nothing it is made out to be. If you come to Atlanta looking for narrow-minded frat boys and vapid debutantes, you will find them. But you will also find easy interracial friendships, fierce southern progressives (and the odd thoughtful, intelligent conservative), and an abundance of smart, young entrepreneurs who are weaving a gritty, gorgeous, and delicious cultural tapestry of folksy southern charm and New South economic savvy. So without further ado a few of my favorite Atlanta spots:
L5P
Little Five Points (so named because its center is comprised of a five street intersection) is like a counterculture Disneyland. L5P, as it is affectionately known, is a bizarre little commercial district wedged between dicey neighborhoods and streets lined with old Victorians. It’s the kind of place where on any given day you could pick out a good healing crystal, drink a craft beer, and get a Prince Albert. My church youth group used to hand out pb&j’s to the substantial homeless population in the neighborhood and were routinely turned away by offended L5Pers who merely appeared homeless.
West Egg
A vegetarian friendly, southern-style brunch with a hot, hipster waitstaff, a breezy patio, and a Great Gatsby reference? Oui, merci. West Egg‘s location on the industrial west side is gorgeously mirrored by the restaurant’s clean, wood and concrete-accented interior. Try the fried green tomatoes, black bean cakes with eggs, and the pimento cheese grits. This is Atlanta doing Brooklyn better than Brooklyn can.
Clermont Lounge
Ok, this is a weird one. Mention Clermont Lounge to any Atlantan, and they will immediately recognize the name. Not so strange for a list of best-loved Atlanta spots, right? Here’s where it gets weird: the Clermont Lounge is a strip club in the basement of the now-defunct “pay-by-the-hour” Clermont Hotel. Furthermore, all the strippers are either overweight, over the age of 40, or otherwise less-than-desirable. I may catch some slack on this, but there’s nothing like dancing to funk music with a mixture of bachelorette parties, hipsters, sketchy old men, and a 65-year old named Peaches who can open a beer between her breasts.
Inman Park
In my opinion, perfect Atlanta. Beautiful Victorian homes with wide porches, old growth trees, and commercial districts within walking distance. In-town neighborhoods like Inman Park made it difficult to explain in college how I grew up both within and without the city. There is something so magically Atlanta about the ambient, percussive chirp of cicadas mingled with the thrush of traffic.
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
People often knock Atlanta for being an urban desert. And in many ways, the downtown effectively closes down on Friday at 5 pm. But sprinkled throughout the deserted office buildings and shuttered former department stores are beautiful, old churches surrounded by courtyards and brimming with shade trees and hydrangeas. Downtown churches are thriving with parishioners who travel from all over to hear the good word and share some gossip over bitter, burnt church coffee. I grew up at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church which perches like a grand, old matriarch along Atlanta’s pulsing arteries, I-75 and Peachtree Rd. Bitter about the church’s homeless outreach programs, a neighboring restauranteur once paid a handful of homeless people to come into church on Sunday and sit amongst the seersucker suits and Lily Pulitzer. Imagine his dismay when we all shook hands and hugged during the Peace, and not one Buckhead Betty batted a perfectly curled eyelash.
So, yeah, Atlanta rocks. Buy yourself a Delta sale ticket (oh heck, and one for me too!) and come get lost on Peachtree.
- By Ally Batty
Posted in atlanta, drinking, eating, exploring, guest post, shopping
Tagged atlanta, clermont lounge, drinking, eating, exploring, inman park, lp5, shopping, west egg
I’ve got nothing against eReaders. Encouraging people to read more is the goal, and I am all for whatever device accomplishes that. Friends of mine swear by their Kindles and maybe one day I will too, but for me there is something about the magic of ink, and paper, and binding. There’s a thrill in wandering through ceiling-high stacks, seeing books arranged on my shelves at home, and especially lending them to share with friends.
The Newberry Library Book Fair is an excellent opportunity to scour the stacks for gems to fill your shelves. Exploring the 120,000 used volumes on sale is akin to treasure hunting, and with 70 categories there is surely something for everyone just waiting to be found. Newbery’s annual book fair kicks off today at noon, and will run July 28-29 from 12pm – 8pm and July 30-31 from 10am – 6pm. Admission to the book fair is FREE.
If you’ve not visited the Newberry Library, this is a wonderful excuse to check out the unique Chicago landmark. Established in 1887, the research library specializes in humanities and social sciences of Western civilization. While the Newberry is a private, non-circulating collection, it is always free and open to the public. The library holds over 1.5 million books and historic documents, including a copy of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
At last year’s Newberry Library Book Fair, I managed to fill my arms with more books than I could carry in the first twenty minutes, including an author-signed biography of Virginia Woolf, visual history of fashion, a collection of poetry by Yeats, and a literary history of Chicago. Let me know what prizes you find and happy hunting!
“Why?” It’s a question Chicagoans often encounter regarding the choice to trudge through each inhibiting winter (all 5 months of it) for a few short summer weeks. Why? Because we make it count. Between miles of beaches and the Lakefront Trail, outdoor sports, massive summer concert festivals, and alfresco dining or drinking on every rooftop and slice of sidewalk that can be called a patio Summertime Chi makes even the worst blizzard worth it.
Street festivals in every neighborhood are another warm weather fixture, and with over 400 to attend in Chicago you have to set your schedule wisely.
Here’s a recap of the best fests of June 2011.
Do Division: June 4 – 5, 2011
Perhaps my favorite summer street fest, Do Division is a great way to kick off Chicago’s festival season. Wicker Park is packed with craft and artist tents, food & booze booths, interesting live music, and prime people watching.
Printer’s Row Lit Fest: June 4 – 5, 2011
Each June, the Printer’s Row Lit Fest attracts booksellers, bibliophiles, publishers, authors, performers, and organizations to the historic neighborhood for a celebration of all things literary. Read more…
Chicago Blues Fest: June 10 – 12, 2011
Chicago’s largest music festival has featured the world’s most renown blues musicians for nearly thirty years. This free fest is a great way to take in the city’s skyline from Grant Park while enjoying the best blues has to offer, whether seated on the lawn or dancing with fellow fest-goers.
Old Town Art Fair: June 11 – 12, 2011
Art booths are a staple at many summer festivals, but the Old Town Art Fair boasts 620 of the best from all over the country. The featured artists are judiciously selected by a panel of professional artists, gallery owners, and museum curators. The inspiring array includes mediums from painting, photography, and 2D- and 3D- mixed media to sculpture, metalworking, ceramics, and jewelry, so ensure you allot enough time to explore it all!
Block prints by Kreg Yingst capture the imagination of music.
The intricate sculptures of Ted Gall open to reveal worlds within.
Ella Richards captures life with her paper cut art.
Kyle Fokken‘s sculptural self-portrait is “Difficult to Fathom.”
Each of Amy Flynn’s Found Object Robots comes with a story of its own.
Posted in arts, chicago, exploring, listening, old town, printer's row, reading, shopping, south loop, the loop, wicker park
Tagged arts, blues, chicago, chicago blues fest, chicago festivals, do division street fest, exploring, festival, grant park, listening, live music, magnificent mile, old town, old town art festival, printer's row, printer's row lit fest, reading, shopping, south loop, summer, the loop, wicker park
I had to go all the way to New York to see CHICAGO. The musical centering on corruption, sex, song, and crime in Jazz Age Chicago is one of my favorites, and I was thrilled to see it on Broadway.
With a music and dance-centric plot there was little to the onstage set aside from a chair, a fire escape ladder, and a full band. The cast conveyed the rich and playful story to scintillating perfection with their razzle dazzling performance and enticing ensambles.
Inspired by the cast’s ability to transport the audience to Chicago’s not-so-distant days of gangs, gin, and jazz with only a few props and the power of their performance, I attempted the same. Highlighting one Chicago neighborhood, I focused on storefronts in Lincoln Park, one of the old haunts of the North Side gang.
1. Anita Jerry Necklace – Sequin, $285; 2. Music Background Rubber Stamp – Paper Source, 14.95; 3. Lace and Satin Slip – Underthings, $84; 4. Patch NYC Solid Perfume – Art Effect, $24; 5. Mug Shots – Art Effect, $18; 6. Chicago Marble Coasters – Art Effect, $44; 7. Feather Tutu – Cynthia Rowley, $330; 8. Vintage 1920′s Compact – Millionaire Rejects, $125; 9. Tulle Garter Belt – Isabella, $30; The Biograph Theater – 2433 N. Lincoln Avenue
From vintage pieces to reproductions, I found incredible Old Chicago inspiration in Lincoln Park. For example, the compact above was one of several in the store which I was told were twirled around by dancing girls in the 1920′s.
1. Sequin Dress – BCBG, $; 2. Frankly Scarlet Powder Blush – MAC, $19.50; 3. Straw Fedora – BCBG, $38; 4. Seychelles Pot of Gold – Lori’s Shoes, $88; 5. Vintage Crystal Decanter Set – Stanley Galleries, $325; 6. Gold Earrings – The Green Goddess Boutique, $45; 7. Micro-Mesh Gloria-V Bodysuit- American Apparel, $44; 8. Jonathan Adler Pill Keychain – Art Effect, $19.50; 9. Men’s Dancing Shoe – American Apparel, $52; 2121 N. Clark Street
Luckily, you won’t have to go so far to see the Cell Block Tango live. CHICAGO the Musical will run June 7-12 at the Oriental Theater. I recommend you stash a flask in your garter and see what all that jazz is all about.
Posted in chicago, exploring, lincoln park, manhattan, new york city, performing, shopping
Tagged broadway, chicago, exploring, jazz age, lincoln park, musical, new york, performing, shopping
Chicago Turkish Festival, Daley Plaza - Chicago, IL
There are a few days left to explore the 9th annual Chicago Turkish Festival at Daley Plaza. Stop by this FREE fest through May 25 to indulge in Turkish cuisine, music, dance, and handcrafts. Sip a Turkish coffee in the plaza and enjoy the arts of Istanbul without leaving the Windy City.
Posted in arts, events, performing, shopping, street scene, the loop
Tagged chicago turkish festival, daley plaza, eating, events, performing, shopping, the loop, turkish coffee
Cleveland is alive at the West Side Market. The oldest publicly owned market in the city, it dates back to 1840. The impressive tawny structure of the grand old food hall has stood in the Ohio City neighborhood for ninety-nine years. I visit with my mother and sister, and our senses are stunned as we enter the recently renovated, main building. Jazz acoustics reverberate against the tile of the high arched ceiling, and what we initially take to be a recording is a live band playing in the upper balcony. We inhale the enveloping fragrance of grilled freshness while nearby stands contribute with hints of spicy meat, sweet pastry and coffee that alter as you move through the market.
This is my hometown. Recently, there has been a lot of discussion about what Cleveland has meant or will mean. Is it alive or dead? Hopeful or jilted? Revitalizing or feeble? My grandparents remember its majestic days past with a wistfulness devoid of hope for revival. Every new initiative and proposal is met with great optimism but little follow-through (and let’s not even discuss sports). We struggle to hang on to an idea of what Cleveland was? With rose-colored lenses, we fumble with what Cleveland can become? But what is Cleveland now, at the present? There is no easy answer.
The West Side Market is packed this Saturday morning; busy but not hectic, peopled but not overwhelming. We feel comfortable, welcome. Chicago has its share of stellar farmers’ markets, but I am shocked when a chef friend admits that for such a foodie-centric town it has no central food hall. At the West Side Market, over 120 vendors gather in two buildings, many of whom have inherited booths from relatives. Vendors have grown up working at the market for generations and passing the stalls down. Their kids scoop our gelato and make change for the produce we discerningly select.
A favorite quality of my hometown is its ethnic diversity. Cleveland is a mélange of Eastern and Central European cultures which are represented in the ethnic delicacies served at the market: Slovenian sausage, pierogies, polichenkas, goulash, and so on. As I glance across the milling crowd, there are less babushka-crowned heads than I imagine there were in times past. Many of Cleveland’s ethnic enclaves, the “old neighborhood”, have eroded or, like my grandmother’s, are hanging on delicately. Links to “old Cleveland” and the even older worlds they came from, these neighborhoods dangle like the links of sausage on display at Czuchraj’s or Dohar’s booths.
“The city as a place may or may not be special, but what I love is the people,” explained a friend recently visiting home. He’s lived, and worked, and studied out-of-state for the past seven years. “Maybe there are weird and unique factors of place that contribute to it, but something about this city creates such great people, and they are what make Cleveland special.”
This is a market for real people. It isn’t stuffy, not too high brow or new age. It holds countless stories of families who have been shopping at the West Side Market for generations, tradition enduring through the dilapidation of Ohio City during the 1970’s and 80s and recent revival, back before pig face and pomegranates were trendy. It is incredibly affordable, whether you come for your weekly groceries, prepared foods, or those secret ingredients for your Slovak grandfather’s stew recipe. Just across the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge from central downtown, the market is accessible with free parking in an adjoining lot. Devoid of any uppity pretense that can plague some en vogue organic markets, you see that many stands accept food stamps – a humbling reality for much of Cleveland. Convivial vendors ask about the bulky cast on my arm, my holiday plans, where I come from and how I am.
The quality of the food, the flavor, the freshness can’t be over expressed. We snag some Croatian potica, the rings of nut roll thinner than the kind our grandma makes but just as sweet and moist. I envision the hrutca my mom will fry up the next morning as she inspects the case at the Hungarian meat stand. We like it fried until the skin achieves a crispy outer layer, innards of spicy rice and meat oozing out onto the pan. I remember bringing hrutca back to my college apartment after a visit home. My roommates cringed warily at my breakfast of generously over-salted foreign meat scooped onto fresh bread, and greedily consumed with a cup of coffee. A hungry line snaking from Steve’s Gyro stand along the back wall and up into a stairwell announces the Travel Channel has been back recently to film the stand. Too stimulated to stand still in line, we opt for a gyro from the less crowded Middle Eastern Grille.
Meandering through the market mom buys fresh brie and apricots which she’ll bake tonight en croute. I can’t resist a sampler of gourmet olives, stuffed with feta, chevre, sundried tomatoes, and paté. Glass jars line the walls of one corner shop exhibiting an intoxicating array of spices, where I pick up some zaitar to blend with olive oil for dipping pita. Visitors push strollers and peruse crepes, coffee, and caramel popcorn, fish straight from the lake, and loaves straight from the oven. Meat cases display fresh cuts of pink marble in both recognizable and incredible forms. Ever the pastry chef, my sister admires enticing colorful confections. Ogling cannolis, we buy enough to share with my brother and dad who are indulging in football Saturday at home. “These are great to just sit down and share – to talk and enjoy the cannolis and enjoy each other,” says the vendor as she handcrafts each one for us. We head up to the balcony to do just that.
My family turns to me smiling as the balcony band starts playing the song that is my namesake, the one with no words. We admire the antique tile patterns, deliberate on cannoli flavors (hazelnut is our favorite), and contentedly take in the view from our perch. Looking down on the bustle of activity, there’s a lively appetite in this old hall and I’m happy to be home.
The Fruit and Vegetable Arcade, located outdoors in warmer months, is adjacent in a smaller building. You’re assaulted by the essence of the fresh, sweet aroma from the moment the door swings open. We are first struck by the smell of more exotic fruits we can’t quite place, before the familiar scents of banana and pineapple are identified. A brightly colored gauntlet, the vendors call out to you, beckoning with samples of their wares too gorgeous to pass up, “Fresh pomegranate! You come try!” Their cultural backgrounds as different as the skin tones on fruit piled high, the vendors invite you to taste. Ripe figs are thrust at us, dripping in succulent juices that stain our mouths. We’re reminded of Croatian wedding receptions, where you are greeted at the door with a shot of slivovitz (plum brandy) and a fig! Patrons greet vendors by name as they gather groceries for the week, dragging their kid from stand to stand to get home in time for the game. Across the arcade voices shout, “What’s the score?” While Ohio State trounces Michigan, we load up on leafy romaine, robust portabellas, and persimmon – just because we don’t know what it tastes like.
The West Side Market is a key factor in last month’s announcement that Cleveland will host the Project for Public Spaces international conference in 2012. The market’s centennial celebration and Cleveland’s expanding local foods scene helped the city beat other finalists including London, Toronto, and Seattle. “It’s one of the most stunning indoor public markets in the country, and there are not many left in the United States,” said Project for Public Spaces Senior VP Stephen Davies. “There are some 150 of them, and Cleveland’s historically is probably the grandest of them all.”*
Cleveland is not a flash in the pan town. It’s not the showy dish of flames and foam at this week’s culinary hotspot. It’s your favorite dish; the one with fresh and elemental components that you always end up craving again – Hungarian split pea soup, in my case. It’s a city of quirks and flaws, past triumphs and embarrassments – but they are what build character, reveal personality. All of these characteristics are wrapped up here in the West Side Market, symbolized in this sausage sandwich I’m holding. Juices and mustard drip off the flaky roll; it’s satisfying and flavorful, but missing a little of the heat that I like.
Cleveland comes together at the Westside Market. From disparate neighborhoods, generations, economic strata, and ethnicities we gather. Like the market aromas, the ingredients in the recipes we fulfill, the differences are distinct but complement each other in an appetizing array. The Westside Market could be another Cleveland relic, but it’s alive as ever in so many shades and flavors. The history, the tradition, the architecture are of the place are exquisite, but the people are what enriches the atmosphere, are what makes it special, are what ensures it’s alive indeed.
The West Side Market
1979 West 25th Street
Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Monday & Wednesday: 7am – 4pm
Friday & Saturday: 7am – 6pm
*”Cleveland, West Side Market tapped to host International Public Markets Conference in 2012″
Anthony Bourdain visits The West Side Market on No Reservations
Posted in cleveland, eating, impressions, ohio city, shopping
Tagged cleveland, eating, market, ohio city, project for public spaces, public market, shopping, west side market
Anthropologie’s State Street location recently celebrated its one-year anniversary, and I was on hand with some friends to attend the anniversary reception and spring line preview.
Snacking on the delicious antipasto and dessert spreads, we chatted and admired all the lovely things. I am a big fan of the Anthro aesthetic, and always gather inspiration from their whimsical displays, playful patterns, found object furnishings, and obviously the gorgeous garments.
Anthropologie’s spring collection continues its penchant for prints, ikat, floral, stripes, and the like, pairing them with a neutral color story of classic pieces such as shorts, scarves, and wraps to layer for the sunnier days ahead. Champagne and shopping are a winning combination, and the reception was a colorful retreat from Chicago’s cold winter work week.
Joyeux anniversaire Anthro!
1. Hornbill Pitcher, $298; 2. Rolling Gems Ring, $98; 3. Memory of Feathers Dress, $158; 4. Nature Collage Blouse, $198; 5. Striped Grass Fedora, $38; 6. Milk Bottle Measuring Cups, $24; 7. Clothbound Penguin Classics, $20.
Anthropologie
108 N State St.
Chicago, IL 60602
