little blog on the prairie

The folks in Chicago are all abuzz today with the realization that the city’s new 9 percent sales tax rate will take effect on Friday. The image of city folk flocking to the suburbs to save a whopping 0.25 - 0.75 percent is somewhat amusing. (Here is a link to the state’s most recent compilation of sales tax rates throughout Illinois.)

Herein lies an opportunity for the fledgling Champaign County Convention and Visitors Bureau: sponsor bus/train trips from Chicago down here. The sales tax rate is 7.75 percent in Champaign, 7.5 percent in Urbana and (yet another reason to shop at Pages for All Ages) just 6.5 percent in Savoy. (Other rates of interest: Monticello, 6.25 percent; Tuscola, 6.75 percent; Rantoul, 7.5 percent.)

The concept of sales tax is something that fascinates me when I travel outside of our fair state. Everything seemed to be on sale for me (a 7.75 percent discount) when I shopped recently in Massachusetts, which exempts clothing items under $175 from sales tax. A handful of states offer an annual sales tax holiday, usually around back-to-school time, offering temporary sales tax relief for certain items during a set period in August, when many families are shelling out a lot of dough. (Somehow, when I lived in Texas, I always managed to be out of the state during the “holiday.” Oh well.) Neighboring states Iowa and Missouri have sales tax holidays on the books for this year, and no doubt Illinois shoppers will be crossing the border to take advantage.

• The folks behind “Welcome to Tolono” recently announced that the play would return to The Station Theatre in August. The show played to sold-out crowds (in spite of the reservation system) during its recent run.
• Incidentally, I happened to see two of the play’s featured actors hanging out together on campus yesterday. I guess that qualifies as a celebrity sighting in C-U, although later in the day I happened to run into former Illini coach Lou Henson.
• Rumor has it that two more Starbucks (in addition to the Campustown location) will be opening in C-U in the near future. Presumably, one would include a drive-thru.
• If you are able to, go give blood. It’s one of the easiest ways to contribute to our community.
• For years I have wanted to see a movie at the Harvest Moon Drive-in. What’s holding me back? I’m such a movie snob that they usually don’t show anything I want to watch.

It was a hot Friday afternoon when the gang decided to head over to KoFusion for a culinary experience. We went in having no idea what to expect.

The Good: The decor. Walking into KoFusion is like being transported into another time and place. In fact, I was so enthralled by the cool, calming colors and the fish tanks and the water feature at the bar that I barely paid attention to my food. The menu is very interesting — not unintelligible, like Bacaro sometimes, but intriguing. The dishes were fun and stylish, as was the silverware.

The Bad: Do you have to be ditzy to work as a waitress in downtown Champaign?

The Snarky: Do you have to be ditzy to work as a waitress in downtown Champaign?

Overall: The food was pricey but good. What wowed us about KoFusion was the experience itself. I will have to go back for dinner and try another menu item, but my sushi was decent.

Afterward, we headed down to Persimmon for a taste of Italy. The gelato was, as my friend Dora would say, !Delicioso! Sure, it was expensive, but so are other Champaign cold treat destinations (Custard Cup, cough cough). I had the Cafe Mocha. The person helping me said they get the stuff from an “artisanal” gelato maker in Michigan. (Had no idea there was such a thing.) Mmmm….

One of the complaints I constantly hear from the few single friends I have left is how difficult it is for over 30, non-graduate student types to find Mr. or Ms. Right in this town.

So that’s why the Urbana Park District’s “Singling out nature” program piqued my interest. The park district is offering once a month “singles” events (or to put it more politically correctly, events for adults 25 and up who are interested in meeting new people who also love the outdoors. I guess that means that old married folk like myself still qualify) this summer.

Registration ends today for this month’s event, a Meadowbrook Park Garden Tour on Monday night. The next event sounds even more intriguing, especially for those people who like to observe nature from the comforts of air conditioning. The group will explore “the nature of wine” at the Corkscrew on July 25.

The Good News of the Day: An abducted little girl will be reunited with her mother, thanks to a chance connection halfway around the world between two Southern Illinois natives.

Just in time for the debut of Starbucks Coffee in our very own Campustown, this Washington Post article (free/registration required) reports that:

“Nonprofit groups that specialize in lending money to college students …. object not to lattes or cappuccinos but to the several thousand dollars of student debt that can be incurred to buy them. In decades past, lenders chided college students for excessive spending of borrowed money on pizza and cigarettes, but the staggering ubiquity of Starbucks appears to have narrowed the nagging to foamy espresso drinks.”

Perhaps the University financial aid office should insist on a warning stamp for all Campustown coffee establishments as a stopgap measure to help students resist the lure of the $3 latte.

Hat tip: Starbucks Gossip

That Bagelman’s is dead. Not surprising, considering rumor also has it that the owners were not interested in the business anymore, and considering the store’s sudden recipe “change.”

If you take your Taste of C-U experience seriously, a visit to the event’s web page will allow you to plan out your visit to this weekend’s annual smorgasbord.

While the execution of this event is impressive, some things about it frustrate me. First of all, the Pepsi thing. Evidently, we are only allowed to consume the food of C-U, not its drinks. I understand the need for sponsorship, but the Pepsi distributor’s hold on this town is nauseating (literally and figuratively). Another thing that I find absurd: the inclusion of chain fast food types. I mean, is there anyone out there who is really dying to try out Domino’s Pizza? My final complaint is that the vegetarian selection is often miniscule. Of course there are always places that I wish would participate (such as Cafe Luna and Thara Thai), but the magic wand is at the shop.

The variety of food booths this year does appear to trump last year’s edition (it seemed like every other place was either pizza or ribs). Here’s a chance to get a feel for a number of places mentioned here, including Pekara, Siam Terrace, Moonstruck Chocolate, The Great Impasta, Tracks and also Mr. lbotp’s favorite, Hickory River Smokehouse. Warning: your diet will have to wait for another day.

And this is what happens:

http://chambana.craigslist.org/

If you’re among the uninitiated when it comes to Craig’s List, this 2004 USA TODAY article gives a pretty good overview of the site.

In the rants and raves section, someone wrote: Is there really a place called champaign urbana?