Letter from Key West, May 24 2020

9.34pm on Sunday evening and my thoughts go to coffee shops and what the future looks like for them.  I sure don't want to sound selfish or self-absorbed, and definitely don't want to sound like I am not aware of, or don't care about all who have been really badly affected by Covid19.  But god damnit I sure do miss my Starbucks.

Not for the coffee!  I can get coffee anywhere.  I miss Starbucks, and independent coffee shops too, for what they provide more than just the coffee. Back when I lived in Dublin there was a wonderful big 24 hour Starbucks on Stephen's Green, just around the corner for me, where you would find me most Sunday evenings savouring the last bit of the Dublin weekend atmosphere while avoiding the temptation of the pub.
And when I spent the month in Chicago at the end of 2018 I spent many a happy time, whiling away an hour or three, in awesome coffee places with my laptop and big mug of caffeine.  My favourite  being The Wormhole.

This photo is of me actually in The Wormhole when I wrote this little retrospective blog post of 2018. Happy days.

Happy days indeed. So what now, in these days of love and covid, and social distancing?  Will hanging around our neighborhood coffee shops be frowned upon and discouraged?  Will people who use them as hotspots for their job have to find an alternative?  Will independent coffee shops make it through at all??

All I know it, it would be a tragically sad day to find myself in Wicker Park, on a cold snowy Chicago day and not be able to enjoy a Koopa-Troopa (iirc!), served up by a friendly barista, with a healthy dose of 80's nostalgia on the side....if you've been to The Wormhole you will know what I mean ;) Hell, come on like, they've got an actual scale size DeLorean DMC 12 in the store!!!!

Stay safe, stay well friends.

More Chicago..

Following on from my previous post about my trip for your reading pleasure here is some more Chicago/Wicker Park musings!

The Smoke Daddy BBQ

If you are anywhere near Wicker Park you simply must visit The Smoke Daddy!

 

Fall off the bone Baby Back ribs

Incredible, thick and gooey mac & cheese

The most SUMPTIOUS moist cornbread ever - so sweet I was tempted to save and eat it as dessert

Little vodka to accompany the ribs.  Plus a generous helping of their fab sauces to make the ribs even more melt in your mouth.  DIVINE!!!

 

Oh!  If you want to sound like a local be sure to call it Smoke Daddy's :)

 And also, did I mention the live music every night? 

 

 

Wicker Park

In my previous post I spoke about the great location I stayed in and all the great bars, restaurants and shops nearby. But most important of all I haven't mentioned the vibe!

There was a really cool and friendly atmosphere - a mixture between hipsterville USA (friendly and laid back) and the apres-ski of Europe (chilled and up for the craic).

 

So to that end here is me vibing out and having a great old time in Wicker Park :-)