TONIGHT AT BLUEBERRY HILL

Dave Wakeling's English Beat is TONIGHT at Blueberry Hill!!!

Here are a few links to get you warmed up!

English Beat Discography

(Current) "Toaster" Antonee First Class' first solo single: WHO YOU ARE 

And here is a nice interview with Mr. Wakeling himself on St. Louis own KDHX: http://kdhx.org/blog/2013/03/17/the-english-beats-dave-wakeling-takes-us-there-to-the-late-70s-uk/

SEE YOU IN THE LOOP! RANKIN' FULL STOP!!!!

ENGLISH BEAT AT BLUEBERRY HILL MARCH 20

Lupe's favourite band, the English Beat, is returning for their yearly gig at Blueberry Hill!

http://www.blueberryhill.com/events/indexeventcalendar.php

Dave Wakeling and his band just get better and better! You will be Rankin' Full Stop!

C U in the Loop!  Dancing to the Beat!!!

(If you are a Ska fan, check out KDHX local show Ska's The Limit with J.J. Loy.  It's on Saturday night's but you can catch the last two shows on the archive any day or night!  You will hear The Beat and much much more!)

MORE REASONS THAT LOOP LIFE IS GREAT!

The West End Word should be called the West End & Loop Word. The front page featured an article about the problems at U City Hall.

It also mentioned that the new curfew in the Loop for unaccompanied minors is now 9 P.M.

There was a listing for Laughter for Life at Blueberry Hill on June 26th at 8 P.M. It is a benefit for Gateway To Hope. Lupe hopes it sells out!!! What a great fundraiser! (The Word lists 314.569.1113 as the number to call for more information.)

Not quite in the Loop, but close by in Forest Park, there is a free movie screening tomorrow, June 24th, at the Missouri History Museum. PBS presents PRINCE AMONG SLAVES, a true story about an African prince that was abducted and sold into slavery, but never allowed it to destroy him or his dignity. He fought for 40 years for his freedom, and then was freed. However his children and grandchildren were not freed, and he tried to raise the money to buy his children so they might return to Afrika with him. It starts at 7 PM.

And on June 25th, in front of the Art Museum, the Funky Butt Brass Band is playing for free. The listing in the Word promised a band with roots in Big Easy jazz funeral processions. Lupe is SO there Friday!

It also mentioned a documentary about the fierce "football" (soccer) fans in "Arch City." The film is titled A TIME FOR CHAMPIONS and it airs on PBS on June 28th at 7 PM. (You'll be at the Gateway to Hope benefit so set your dvr's. ;o)

Finally, in the West End Word and the more important word on the street, Let Them Eat Art is coming July 9th to Maplewood. Lupe really wishes events like this were occurring in the Loop, but downtown Maplewood has become very interesting in the last decade.

This event promises a fire shooting ice cream truck (Lupe is guessing this was a failed Burning Man vehicle). If that isn't enough, there is also a costume contest that is probably as close as Lupe is going to get to those crazy Parisian artist parades back in the 1920's.

The usual face painting, art selling, drinking, eating, and festivities are promised as well.

Lupe is looking forward to Let Them Eat Art more than she is looking forward to the Fourth of July fireworks, and Lupe likes fireworks A LOT!

Lupe also wanted to report that the Muny opened its 92nd Season this week, and as usual it was great! The Muny was the first municipally owned Theatre built in the country, and it is still going strong. It is a great place to support local talent and see all the "oldie but goodies" from Broadway.

And consistently good production, costumes and props! Plus, outdoors, which even in the awful humidity and heat--such as the night Lupe was there--it is still magical to watch a musical under the stars! Beauty And The Beast is very enjoyable!

(Lupe does find Disney completely sacharrine and suburban, but they do have a solid grasp of the musical form. And Lupe knows to rinse the bad taste out of her mouth with a screening of the Jean Cocteau film of the same title.

(She should also mention that Muny audiences are 98 percent white but that is changing. Although, it might change a little faster if they did Lion King and The Wiz and 1997 Cinderella a little more often!)

All this and there is still Circus Flora to see! Ingenioso ends on the 27th! And didn't Wicked just start at the Fox?

There is always such much to enjoy!

See you in the Loop!!!

MEMORIAL DAY RUN 2010

The Memorial Day run starts at 7:30 AM with the 10K. There is also a 5K and a one mile "Fun Run."


http://www.ucityhomes.com/2010/04/university-city-memorial-day-run/


Lupe is more of a leisurely stroller than a runner, but she does enjoy this annual event!


See you in the Loop!!!

BLUEBERRY HILL'S PANCAKES

Monday is Lupe's day off. An ideal Monday off for Lupe begins with pancakes at Blueberry Hill.

Lupe did not think she would like Blueberry Hill's pancakes as much as she likes IHOP. But she does. So amazing Lupe does not have words.

And they serve them all day. Lupe has them at dinnertime, sometimes, after a stroll in Forest Park. Or she eats pancakes at midnight, after singing karaoke at Brandts.

So if you think Blueberry Hill is all cheeseburgers and beer, think again!

Think pancakes!

See you in the Loop!

BACK IN THE LOOP

Lupe is finally back in her beloved Loop after a 16 month absence!!!

So much has changed! The Moonrise for one thing!! Lupe loves it and cannot wait to eat at the Eclipse restaurant! (Everyone says the lobster pot pie is delicious!!!) Lupe has spoken with a number of Missouri "tourists" who have chosen the Moonrise as their weekend romantic, getaway destination. So it is nice to know that it is bringing lots of people to enjoy the Loop, as well as giving seasoned visitors a close place to stay.

And it looks like Joe Edwards will finally get that Loop trolley, and Lupe can't wait to see it. The maquette in Blueberry Hill's window is very promising. And it will certainly cut down on drunk drivers leaving the Loop. The trolley will go the Deballivere Metro stop, so that either train can be caught after enjoying a late night in the Loop.

The street looks so pretty-- all dressed up for the Holiday Season! Lupe heard a rumour that decorations will be replaced next year, as this year's budget did not allow. But even though they have seen many a solstice, the street looks wonderfully cheerful and festive.

The Loop is definitely a woman, if neighbourhoods had to choose a gender, and like a woman she likes to get dressed up! The new (but retro-looking), uniformly placed, green streetlights from the University City Hall all the way to the Delmar metrolink station, add to the beauty of the street!

Yummy Loop meals that Lupe has enjoyed since returning include a type of samosa or rangoon appetizer at the Thai pizza place next to the Delmar Lounge, and a "grits" dish at the Delmar itself. (Lupe would have used the word "polenta" instead, but the recipe is sooooo delicious no matter how you nameit. ) Also the wonderful pies at PI have been keeping Lupe satisfied.

Light Up The Loop is this Saturday, December 5th, all afternoon, and Lupe sure hopes that everyone is coming! All the stores are dressing up their windows, and it promises to be as beautiful as the Champs Elysee's!!!

See You In the Loop!

A PERFECT LOOP DAY

The sun is shining but it's not too hot. Down in front of Ben & Jerry's a sax player is tooting out Dave Brubeck's TAKE FIVE. On Westgate next to Blueberry Hill the St. Louis Symphony Street Team is spray painting a street mural. (And you thought that only hip hoppers and indie rockers had street teams.)

The sidewalk tables at Blueberry Hill, Meshuggah, El Maguey, Brandt's, and even the neglected Starbucks are filled. (Lupe's random, sporadic, and unscientifically conducted poll has statistically determined that the Starbucks customers are not usually Loop locals or regulars. If you are in the Loop, skip the homogenized, bland chain and head on down to Meshuggah for some real coffee.)

Plenty of bare legs and bare arms as summer weather finally makes it's debut. You don't have to walk far to hear someone laughing. Or come across a chess game (mostly at Bread Co.) or a really interesting conversation, or see someone reading a book you've never heard of.

Lots of beautiful and stylish young muchachas are out shopping. Let New York keep Fifth Avenue, and L.A. can have Rodeo Drive. Loop ladies have something you can't buy from a designer: fearless personal style. (And if you do need to buy it, or at least be inspired, go to Ziezo's. You won't find one on Fifth Avenue, or on Georges V in Paris, or anywhere else on the planet.)

The world is here in the Loop, and the Loop is "u"-nique in all the world. There is no other neighborhood like it. New York has it's Greenwich Village, Los Angeles has Melrose and Venice Beach, Chicago has Belmont, New Orleans has the French Quarter, London has King's Road and Mayfair, Paris has Rive Gauche and Champs Elysee. But those places are like a rich man having money to spend.

For a city of two million to have such a wealth of culture and counter-culture, fashion and style, interesting and interested people; to have so many unique and one-of-a-kind businesses, and in a stretch of city pavement that barely measures a mile- well, that's like a poor man who knows how to spend a hundred bucks like it's a million dollars.

Stroll down past Napps Hair Salon and you will hear the lyrical tones of African women talking as they take a break from dreadlocks and braids. At El Maquey you will hear food ordered in staccato Spanish. Down Westgate and there is the Lebanese grocer and falafel restaurant.

Have a yen for some japanese sushi? There's Seki's. How about delicious garlic laden Middle Eastern food and belly dancers? Right across the street at Saleems. Want some Ethiopian? There's the Red Sea. Greek gyros, an abundance of Thai restaurants; toasted ravioli and St. Louis Italian style pasta at Cicero's.

There are American cheeseburgers and root beer at Fitz's, and plenty of eclectic choices at Blueberry Hill. (Mmmm, Lupe loves BH's mac and cheese. They have good jerk chicken, and BBQ beef sandwich, too. ) And fine dining is available at the Delmar Lounge and Riddles.

You have hippies, rappers, bohos, hip-hoppers, punk rockers, fashionistas, emos, rastafarians, trend-setters, collegian grungers, and enough tourists from the county to remind all the rebels what they are rebelling against. You can hear jazz, classic rock, reggae, soul, r&b, and indie rock at the different clubs. And you can find all these different kinds of music, and more, at Vintage Vinyl for a reasonable price.

Whenever Lupe shops at her favourite bookstore, Subterranean Books, she is always amazed at how refined it is. Every book Lupe wants is there. And a thousand she never would have found at a big chain- even if they'd carried it. Because Sub Books, like the Loop, has sifted through the fluff and down to just the best, the most interesting, the most provocative. There is no excess, just counter-culture excellence.

The City Planning Association was wrong. The Loop isn't one of the ten best neighborhoods in the U.S., it is the best neighborhood in the world!

And one of the best thing about the Loop, that is not true in any of those other places (except Paris), is that any restaurant will be happy to give tired doggies a complimentary bowl of water.

See You in The Loop!