ICE QUEEN AND KING

Posing for family pictures at the Loop Ice Carnival. There are always stilt walkers. Hard for me to comprehend, given my wobbly state of balance. (I had a physical therapy gait and balance evaluation yesterday and they said I could use some work.) I like the cotton snowballs on the man’s hat.                  

ICE CARNIVAL

 

Tle Loop is a stretch of Delmar Boulevard reaching across the city limits into University City, so-named because it includes a large part of Washington University, one of the country’s top schools. Years ago, the trolley cars coming out of the city turned around at a track loop at the end of the strip. Now it is full of interesting restaurants, stores and bars. They have an ice carnival every January, more about which to come.

The restaurant, bar and performance venue Blueberry Hill is the anchor. St. Louisan Chuck Berry performed there frequently. We’ll see Chuck tomorrow.                     

THEY MUST HAVE A HECK OF A DISTRIBUTION CHAIN

An unboarded shop window in The Loop. Is there a city on this planet that doesn't love ice cream? Maybe it is frowned upon in Hindu societies; someone can let us know, but then I remember seeing a Baskin-Robbins in Kathmandu. So, no, I guess, there aren't any. We know what the owners are talking about but their claim is, um, sweeping.           

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DO

As everyone has heard, many Americans are tired of following rules that they find chafing, even though they are a powerful brake on the spread of Covid-19 and will save thousands of lives (maybe their own, or their parents). I'm still horrified at how many people I see at outdoor bars, maskless and packed closely together. (And, no, Stolichnaya is not an adequate disinfectant.)

 

The reference is to a song (is that the right term?) by the hip hop group N.W.A. It is called Straight Outta Compton, that being a hard-life part of the Los Angeles area. The piece is extremely violent. I knew of it but had to look up the lyrics to get the point. Take my word for it.

 

Can't wait to see what  happens after 19,000 people packed an arena in Tulsa to see the would-be dictator last night. Is the appropriate concept herd immunity or thinning the herd?                  

WHY IS A LAWYER LIKE GUACAMOLE?

Okay, this one is a stretch. I'm working part time now and there was no reason to go to the office yesterday. The circumstances made me chairman of the 6 year old entertainment committee for the afternoon. I need to get out and do something but for now it's back into recent inventory.

As you might guess, this is another painting on plywood in The Loop. It reminded me of the Mexican fruit and the words for lawyer in the romance languages: avocat in French, abogado in Spanish, avvocato in Italian. None of which have any direct connection to avocados but I worry that some day I'll be down in Costa Rica trying to speak Spanish and say that I'm something you could chop with onions and tomatoes and serve with chips.

I think I need some stimulation.              

ASSURANCE

A business on Delmar Boulevard in The Loop. I don't feel assured but then I don't know what's going on inside. I think it is a tattoo parlor. Maybe you're into that or maybe you're not (I'm horrified by it but my children have lots) but I can't imagine how it could be done safely. 

The public response to the pandemic remains unsatisfactory. The Governor of Missouri, Mike Parson, has declared the state to be wide open, subject to greater restrictions by local government like St. Louis City and County. Restaurants are reopening albeit with reduced capacity. Everyone in my suburban supermarket wears a mask but my one visit to Walmart was a horror. I am shocked by the number of people in our parks who don't bother with protection. They don't respect me or give a damn about my health. We just hope we come out well on the other side.        

SEEN IN THE LOOP

The portrait of George Floyd on the wall is well known by now. I find it, hard, though, to interpret the man's hand gesture. I asked his permission to photograph him. It wasn't clear whether he was trying to strike a dramatic pose for me, if he wanted to squeeze something or whether he was a little anxious. His right hand is pulling the bottom of his tee shirt while his eyes and mouth may express uncertainty. You can read as much as you want into a photograph.

              

CHUCK BERRY MATTERS

Chuck Berry, sometimes called the father of rock and roll, was born in St. Louis and lived here most of his life. We got to hear him play a few times. Even though my interest in popular music declined through the years (I mostly like unpopular music now), it was always a joy to hear him perform. He often played, sometimes unexpectedly, at a bar and restaurant in The Loop called Blueberry Hill. A statue was erected in his honor in 2011 across the street. I was acquainted with the sculptor. After the dedication, he got me into Blueberry Hill for the party. I got a decent close up of the great musician, https://tinyurl.com/ybndyrot . 

Berry died in 2017. I think he would have approved of the sign.         

IN THE LOOP

Not in the sense on being in the know or having the right information. The Loop is a stretch of Delmar Boulevard that straddles the line between St. Louis and University City. The area got its name a long time ago because trolleys from the city proper would barely edge out into the newly forming suburbs and turn around on a loop of track to head back in. Now it's full of interesting restaurants, offbeat shops, an art house cinema and the bar where Chuck Berry used to play. The feel is adventurous and the politics pretty far left.

The Loop has been the scene of several recent demonstrations. Many businesses have boarded their windows as a precaution. I walked the strip yesterday, taking pictures of some of the things painted on the wood. This got my attention.             

Sure, We Have People Dressed Like Penguins Walking Down The Street All The Time

The commander of our ship, Ellie, insisted we get out to the Loop Ice Carnival despite the cold and high winds. It takes place on a section of Delmar Boulevard straddling the line between St. Louis proper and the inner suburb of University City (named for adjacent Washington University). We call it The Loop because it is where trolleys used to turn around to go back into the city. It's pretty hip, at least by our standards.

I'm not sure what these two were all about, other than being a photo op. They had some brochures with a map and list of events.  If someone paid you to walk up and down in a penguin costume would you do it? Would ya?      

Leave Something In The Tip Jar

Imagine Chuck Berry as a street musician, trying to hustle a few bucks on a busy sidewalk and being ignored by all the passers-by. We've seen something like this in most cities. Have you ever passed by a talented street performer, someone who really got your attention, and not left a thank you? I remember the achingly beautiful music of a young violinist in the passages above the Grand Central subway station in New York and just striding down to the platform.

Once again, in The Loop section of Delmar Boulevard in University City. I never before noticed that the whole weight of the statue rests only on the right forefoot.    

We've All Had Those Kind Of Days

You know, it's evening. it was a hard day at work, you had to deal with a lot of jerks. The fact that the country is run by villains and fools has been rubbed in your face.  And our species still appears intent on making itself extinct (have you read that Cape Town, a metro area of almost 4 million people, will totally - totally - run out of water some time in April?). Your mind and spirit feel soiled.

Wouldn't it be nice to have someplace like this? Not just for substance abuse, but for existence abuse? This was found along the Delmar Loop in University City. Don't know what they sell inside but I might be interested.      

Ice Festival

Last weekend brought the annual ice festival in the University City Loop district. The town is called that because most of Washington University is within its borders. The area is named for the old transit loop, where trolleys from the city proper would turn around for the return trip. It's a hip part of town.

It was cold and, as you can see, snowing. There was a good crowd, though. The festival always has someone making ice sculptures. It looks awfully difficult, done freehand with a chainsaw, circular sander, chisel and blow torch. I'll get something posted soon about the sculptor.  

Hail Hail

Everyone knows by now that Chuck Berry died Saturday at 90. He was born and lived most of his life in St. Louis (he actually had a bit of an estate in the outer suburbs). 

He still performed from time to time at Blueberry Hill, the bar-restaurant-showroom across the street from his statue. That was dedicated in 2011. My passing acquaintance with Harry Weber, the sculptor, got me into the reception at Blueberry Hill where I took the picture in this link. We last heard him perform in the amphitheater at the botanical garden back in 2009 when he was still knocking it out at age 82.

My interests have gone well past rock and roll but his music still brings me joy.

              

 

Aloha

For some reason on a cold winter day in St. Louis, my thoughts drift to an image of Marge Simpson in Hawaii wearing a slinky dress. (Conditions here must be hard.) Actually, I found this in a shop window in the University City Loop.

Mrs. C and I love the Simpsons. It is the only consistently literate show on TV, which makes me wonder how it has lasted for so many years. There are lots of interesting details about Marge. Did you know her middle name is Jacqueline and her maiden name was Bouvier, as in Jackie Kennedy? And that hair! It's said to be based on a combination of the bride's in Bride of Frankenstein and the style cartoonist Matt Groening's mother wore in the 60s. But why blue?

The theme for City Daily Photo bloggers on February 1 is
"A Scene from a Cafe or Coffee House.”

                   

Another Place To Stay Warm

Cicero's pub at the west end of the Delmar Loop (which is actually a straight line, but there's a backstory) is another cozy place on a cold day. We stopped in for a beer to kill some time before a restaurant reservation. They have 55 brews on tap and 200 in bottles. I ordered a Schlafly, as on the billboard on the right. My favorite is the Kölsch.

The framed decorations on the back wall are all beer tap handles.

The theme for City Daily Photo bloggers on February 1 is
"A Scene from a Cafe or Coffee House.”

                   

Stay Warm

The Tivoli, STL's leading (if not only) art house cinema, in the middle of the Delmar Loop in University City. The town gets its name because most of Washington University is within its limits (although bits are in St. Louis proper and Clayton). Warm popcorn and movies sounds good at this time of year but we're more likely to do it at home with Netflix or Amazon Prime.

                 

I Could Save This For The Fourth of July, But...

Captain America has a more-or-less invincible shield. Captain Kirk has force shield defenses but they eventually weaken. Captain Crunch will destroy the enamel shield on your teeth. Is there no place safe?

The theme for City Daily Photo bloggers on February 1 is
"A Scene from a Cafe or Coffee House.”              

Bernie

A garish Ice sculpture of Bernie Sanders at the Carnival in The Loop. Tells you something about the inclinations of the neighborhood. I don't know which he needs most, a haberdasher, an orthodontist or a barber.

No Hillary sculpture. And Ted Cruz would be very unwelcome if he crossed the University City limits.                

Zip Line

When I think of zip lines the image I get is of cables strung high in the canopies of Costa Rican forests. Well, you don't need tropical mountains or even a hill. Flat Delmar Boulevard will do just fine.

The Ice Carnival brought in a mobile zip line contraption. People stood in line to climb a tower, get strapped into a harness and shoot off to a low platform a block away. Pretty cool. I may run some more of these.