Every year in late August we find ourselves in Winnipeg to visit Bee's family, so why not take this opportunity and drive there, we thought?
We could take our time, experience the delights of Northern Ontario, enjoy a pre dawn ride on the Chi-Cheemaun ferry and take advantage of the glorious early fall weather.
After Winnipeg, cross the border to Minneapolis, see some friends then make our way to our final destination of Chicago.
Chicago! What can be said that has not already been said?...it truly is an amazing city!
A city filled with so many "city proud" Chicagoans, willing and able to show off their city and its amazing architecture, most if not all on a volunteer basis! What's not to love?
Chicago has always been a mecca for retail. Many retail giants over the years have started new concepts here test driving their new ideas, so needless to say Chicago remains a shoppers paradise.
Like our home town Toronto, Chicago is also a city of vibrant neighborhoods. Our base would be BuckTown and Wicker Park, two of Chicago's creative epicenters, famous for unparalleled boutique shopping, esoteric book stores and countless art galleries....how could we go wrong?!
On one of our many walks back to our AirB&B flat, strolling along Damen Street, having picked up a few provisions at the lovely Olivia's,
we spied The T-Shirt Deli.
What's not to love about a great T-shirt? Inexpensive. Easy to pack, for yourself or as a thank-you for that great friend who was willing to look after your plants while you were away.
The T-shirt Deli did not disappoint. What a fun and original concept!
Behind the counter are rolls of waxed butcher paper, brightly coloured stickers all used to wrap your purchase. Smiles widened at the true originality of this great shop, accompanied by the great service.
After a glorious early Sunday afternoon "must see" architectural boat tour....
...we decided to go to the Logan Square neighborhood. We had read that the cheap eats, bike-friendly streets, gourmet coffee, scruffy dive bars and artisanal cocktail lounges made the perfect recipe for a thriving hipster scene and Logan Square did not disappoint on any fronts. This Northwest neighborhood is still very much grounded in it's working class sensibility... and besides who's afraid of a few hipsters?! After a great and very satisfying pizza and beer lunch off we went to explore a bit of this vibrant neighborhood.
A personal highlight was Meyvn. Owned by Noah Zagor and his partners Ryan Bardsley and Tony Kim, Meyvn opened their excellently curated store in 2014, offering a wide range of unique European and Japanese men's wear brands.
Labels recently featured in the July issue of GQ,were such stand outs as A Kind of Guise (AKOG), a small brand from Munich whose garments offer unique details and expert craftsmanship; Eyevan 7285, a Japanese eyewear brand- light and ever so stylish with a cool retro vibe; Feit Bio Trainers; and Oniki 4B a Japanese label by Tomorrowland. Match these awesome and unique brands with Meyvn's amazing service and your "Bobos" could have done some serious credit card damage here. We hesitated, though, and later regretted the missed opportunity but no worries, Jay contacted them when we returned and is now anxiously awaiting the delivery of his purchase of an antique Japanese Boro fabric piece! Meyvn hits it out of the "Style Ballpark"and is a definite must stop for any guy serious about fashion.
Check out the great GQ review from July on this unique men's store.
So, Chicago really has it all for these two "Bobos", awesome architecture, great design, wonderful food, and an inventive and vibrant retail scene that can't be matched....and everybody is so nice! We will be back just as soon as our "loonie" fattens up a bit!
Happy trails mes chéries...bisous
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