Mondays with Mike: Printers Row abides

Beth is aloft, on her way to The Seeing Eye, and the breed/gender reveal party for her new guide dog should come tomorrow. I’ll be the first to know. I will share the information with the highest bidder. (Just kidding.)

Meantime, I’m going to try to use my solitude at home to catch up on stuff that I’d sort of hoped to do during the holidays.

Usually during these extended absences, in the early days I do bachelor stuff like indulge in Harold’s Fried Chicken or Pat’s Pizza. But coming on the heels of the holidays, I think I need to indulge less, not more, so, I may skip that part.

The Grail is a welcome new neighbor.

Luckily, I have a new choice for more wholesome food—The Grail Café opened across the street from our condo building on January 1. We took special interest in this enterprise on multiple levels. First, every successful business on our little block of Printers Row that is not a nail salon or dry cleaners is a win. Second, because one of the proprietors is Beth’s longtime hair stylist. He and his hubby are the forces behind The Grail. And we always welcome a new place to grab a bite.

We like to support new enterprises (even if they’re not bars), so between us, I think Beth and I have visited The Grail seven or eight times. So far, a big thumbs up. On the first day, they were swamped—not something I or they would’ve expected on New Year’s day. There were some hiccups, but judging from our later visits, things are smoothing out each day. Really high-quality, reasonably priced food.

Best of all, they do coffee. Really, really good coffee and espresso. Which means I will never have to step foot into our local Starbucks again. Not that I have anything against Starbucks, but man, nothing beats a good neighborhood joint.

In general, our little block is doing pretty well, a welcome development that counters the din and dust and construction of architecturally disappointing glass-box apartment buildings that are sprouting all around us.

Sandmeyer’s has weathered big-box bookstores and now, even Amazon, because, well, it’s Sandmeyer’s.

For example, our local wine/spirits shop, Printers Row Wine, has always had a really nice, approachable selection of wine, beer, and liquor, all with down-to-earth advice. Recently, they also got a liquor license and opened a bar and some cozy little tables. It’s a great, quiet place to have a glass of wine or beer, and people watch. Just down the street, a little corner market called Totto’s (pronounced like the Wizard of Oz dog) opened a few months ago. It punches way above its square footage. And though our local bicycle shop closed (boo), a clothing store is replacing it. Our new local—Half Sour—at the old Blackie’s location, appears to be thriving . And two long-time staples, Sandmeyer’s Bookstore and Kasey’s Tavern, are humming along.

A few days ago, our friend asked how Beth and I found Printers Row. I explained that when Beth was in a residential rehab facility in the city after she lost her sight, her sister and brother in law would spring her from her dorm periodically. More than once, they went to Printers Row. Those evenings meant a lot to Beth. The name stuck in my mind.

Years later, when we decided to move to Chicago from Urbana, we did a couple scouting trips to the neighborhood. We struck up conversations with locals. Printers Row had a nice, welcoming feel that was at once vibrant and cozy.

I’m happy to say it still does.