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. Especially with the new (but retro-looking), uniformly placed streetlights from the University City Hall all the way to the Delmar metrolink station.

The Loop is definitely a woman, if she had to choose a gender. She loves to get dressed up! Lupe's favourite new boutique is Sexy Buddha, next to Napps Hair Salon. (Where Faces In The Loop used to be. Lupe heard that the art classes given at Faces have moved downtown.)

Sexy Buddha is shop for every woman-- from the femme fatale to the Prada sweet girl to the fiercely stylish fashionista. Sexy Buddha (6265 Delmar, 11-7 Tues-Sun) is the boudoir of the woman well graced in womanly arts-- the kind of woman that makes society civil. Think Paris in the 20's, 1940's film noir, 1960's London, 80's Tokyo...with a little Goddess thrown in: Josephine Baker's banana skirt and big round earrings, Billie Holiday's gardenia, Tina Turner's short skirts and high heels.

In St. Louis, there are more single women than men, and perhaps that is why there are so many hot, fine women here. And the Loop is the leader of style and trendsetting in St. Louis. If you want something unique, something beautiful, then there are many stores here to explore-- Sexy Buddha is just the latest addition to Loop West.

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!!!

CIAO!!!

NAPPS OWNER ON TV

Stylist Mekhat (and owner of the Loop's premiere natural hair care salon, Napps, and the new boutique Sexy Buddha) is featured on the show Great Day St. Louis.

http://www.kmov.com/great-day-st-louis/The-Look-70390827.html

LUPE HAS GONE TO LALA LAND

Sadly, Lupe has had to leave her beloved Loop and travel to LaLa Land for a bit.

She will be posting Loop nostalgia and events reported second hand, but no Meshuggah Honey Vanilla lattes for Lupe until late Spring 2009. Feel free to peruse the archives or send Lupe an email.

:o(

MARGHERITA SALAD

The weekly specials at the Delmar included a really delicious Margherita salad. A mix of aristocratic greens like bibb lettuce, frisee, radicchio, topped with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and drizzled with a yummy balsamic vinaigrette.

Lupe enjoyed it so much on Sunday she went back to have it again on Tuesday, but they had taken it off the menu because of the salmonella-infected tomato scare. Lupe offered to sign a waiver. The salad was worth the risk. Alas, they turned Lupe down, so she had a Kingsland salad. Yummy, true, but not the delicious Margherita she was yearning for.

The bartender assured Lupe that he was campaigning to get the Margherita put on the menu permanently. Hopefully after the tomato scare is over they will offer it again. It is the perfect summer salad.

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER

Remember back when you were in High School? Remember things like "wear a pink shirt day"? Or "write with a purple pen in fifth period"?

These messages were spread face to face, whispered in ears, passed as notes. Adults and the uncool were not informed. Nowadays I guess texting and cell phones have made it easier to create these little sensations.

School is out for the summer! Let's go to the Loop! About 500 teenagers and 5 Million teenage hormones flooded Delmar last night, making the cops nervous and making everyone else smile with almost forgotten memories. The enthusiasm was contagious and long lasting. Lupe is still smiling this morning.

Remember when...?

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 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. (The only thing really missing, in Lupe's opinion, is a rap/hip-hop club. And Lupe hasn't heard any reggaeton since she has been here.) 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.

DELMAR LOOP BRANCH OF COMMERCE BANK

Lupe has never had a banking experience like the one she has at the Commerce branch in the Loop. All of the people who work there are friendly and helpful, and actually know who you are. They will always help you find a solution to your financial problems. And treat you like a real human being instead of cash cow that needs milking.

In Los Angeles Lupe banks at Washington Mutual. WaMu's ad campaigns promise everything that Commerce in the Loop actually delivers. There are no big money bankers, they care about small businesses, and they have accounts for every size wallet.

Maybe the other Commerce banks are just regular banks, but like everything else in the Loop, the branch here is truly a neighborhood institution.