seen and heard

Seen: The new Howbowda Bagel, which opened this morning on Green Street in Campustown. Don’t expect the bagels of your dreams, but at least the two guys in charge know that. They do fill a niche that Panera left open when it ditched campus — a place to get a quick breakfast on the way to class. They are staking their success on their steam sandwiches and gourmet drinks and chips, which they say will differentiate them from the other sandwich purveyors in the vicinity. Champaign Taste and I got a sneak preview last night; Lisa has a more detailed report over there. Good luck to Dustin and Ryan.

Heard: That Milo’s will be opening at its new Urbana location on Friday.

Seen: Illinois basketball players going into a convenient store on campus that sells liquor. I don’t know what they actually bought, but considering recent events … . Oh, and in case you wanted to know, Jeffrey Jordan (aka Michael’s kid) drives a Range Rover.

Heard: Sushi will be returning to Campustown this fall.

Seen: WCIA-3 interviewing one of its own interns for a “story” on how students have been seeing troubled UI basketball player Jamar Smith drinking all over Campustown this summer. It’s truly amazing what passes for journalism over there sometimes. (Using friends and colleagues as sources is generally frowned upon in most news organizations.)

Seen: A new Asian buffet will be opening by the Schnuck’s in Champaign, replacing … an Asian buffet that closed months ago.

heathens, sinners, devil worshippers

Count my husband as one of the above. Or so says this woman.

When I tell people that my husband is a horse racing aficionado, they immediately think that he is one of those people that makes his picks based on numbers, colors or names. No, my husband studies horse racing like other people study the stock market or anywhere else people invest their money. It is more science than folly.

I’m pretty sure this woman has never stepped foot into an Off-Track Betting parlor, otherwise known as an OTB. She would see that many of the people who spend an afternoon there are just like her Grandpa Stan and Grandma Shirley. A good number of the regulars are white-haired retirees who enjoy the cheap entertainment, although the proprietors behind the Illinois OTBs are trying to market them to a younger and hipper audience (see the Normal OTB at All Seasons Golf Learning Center).

You may or may not have read that the local OTB is relocating to Jupiter’s at the Crossing, which has generated a firestorm of controversy on the News-Gazette editorial page. Many of the diatribes (there are a few more today) on this topic reek of snobbery and elitism, as the location is set within spitting distance of $300K+ homes.

But what I think is most funny is how people have been sucked in by the idea that Jupiter’s is “family-friendly.” It is a BAR, people. Most of the money made there is generated by ALCOHOL sales. Yes, they have made it more into a restaurant than the downtown location and added the Chuck E. Cheese-like arcade. But I can guarantee you that Chuck E. Cheese doesn’t sell hard liquor. I’m willing to bet (pun intended) that there will no more neighborhood disruption there generated by the OTB than there would be by those who can’t hold their alcohol.

One of the most respected businessmen in this community owns and races horses. Guess Clint Atkins wouldn’t be welcome in Robeson Meadows, either.

thanksgiving in july

I’m thankful that we haven’t had a 90-degree temperature reading in Champaign this summer (so said the Channel 3 guy last night). That may end this week.

I’m thankful for the Little Bloom on the Prairie cheese from Prairie Fruit Farms. Congratulations to Wes and Leslie on their recent award (I can’t remember where it came from, I only remember it was major!).

I’m thankful for Champaign-Urbana’s great local theater scene. If you haven’t seen Where the Great Ones Run at the Station Theatre, you still have one more weekend to catch it. Believe me, you’ll be wanting some truck-stop coffee afterward.

I’m thankful for all the Clifford (and other) children’s DVDs at our local libraries.

I’m thankful for the Cubs still being in first place.

I’m thankful for all of you.

bye bye, $tarbuck$

It was about three years ago at this time that we welcomed the first $tarbuck$ to our fine community. I rejoiced, not because I am an addict, but because at the time having a $tarbuck$ actually meant something.

It’s no surprise to me that with the Seattle coffee giant closing 600 stores across the country that one is shutting its doors right here in C-U. And it doesn’t shock me one bit that the store that is affected is the one at Marketplace Mall.

The reason? Although the foot traffic is great for business, there is a stand-alone store 1.1 miles away, one that is close to the Interstate and has a drive-thru. That is truly the model for the “rural” $tarbuck$ since it started expanding that direction earlier this decade.

If you look at the list of store closures, there are a number of mall outlets. It’s hard to say if this is because the company has an abundance of mall stores, or if it relates to the current state of the economy (fewer mallers) , lease issues, etc. To be sure it is a combination of factors.

I will miss that location, even if I haven’t been to the mall in literally months and try to avoid it at all costs because of TTATM. However, if I had to go there, I knew I could count on that bathroom in the center of the mall — a hot commodity to me these days.

puppy dogs revisited

It’s been a little while since I’ve pontificated on The Tragedy at the Mall. Well, I have a couple of updates for you about issues related to this monstrosity in our midst.

You may have read in the news about the Wisconsin Humane Society buying out and shutting down a well-known puppy mill to rescue its animals. That puppy mill was responsible for supplying many of the animals sold at TTATM, as proven by the Champaign County Humane Society. My original post on this topic even drew the attention of someone claiming to work there, and it was his propaganda that prompted me to close comments on a post for the first time in lbotp history.

And in other news, a lbotp reader let me know that her efforts helped stop a vendor from selling its products at TTATM. After overhearing a friend talking about purchasing a Planet Dog product there, this reader notified the company about the true nature of its Champaign outlet — well aware of its pro-rescue/adoption stance — and the company subsequently responded by blocking sales to TTATM.

The bad news is that TTATM still exists, and will find other vendors and other puppy mills willing to deal. But for now, we can revel in the small victories and keep hoping that with vigilance and education, someday this insanity will come to an end.

we’re local and people like us

If you’re like me, you were one of the 750 or so people who received an invitation to the first-ever “Local Luxuries” event taking place July 26. Here’s what it is — a half-dozen of the more upscale boutiques in C-U (actually they’re all in Champaign) got together and decided to have a special day full of discounts and gimmicks to bring people into their stores.

If there is one business involved that I am particularly thrilled about, it is Confidentially Yours, the intimates and lingerie shop in Round Barn Shops. I don’t think enough people know about it, and frankly, I think they should. Of all the shops on this list, it is the most essential and perhaps the most overlooked.

Part of me wishes they hadn’t elected to do this on a summer Saturday, when the entertainment calendar is chock full of good stuff, but good shopping is good shoppping. It doesn’t come along everyday. So I thought I’d let you in on the “secret” and then you can shop with me. Instead of having only 750 people on their e-vite list, they now have all of you. Consider yourselves invited.

froyo dreams

Last year around this time I lamented the lack of decent frozen yogurt in this town, and how the revived frozen yogurt trend was passing us by. In the coming months, I might be able to cross that off my most-wanted list.

It appears that Canadian froyo giant Yogen Fruz has launched an all-out yogurt blitz around the world and especially in the state of Illinois. It even has plans to open a store right here in Champaign as early as this fall.

Up north the stores have been populating malls, but this looks to me to be destined for a Campustown location, perhaps in one of the many new buildings along Green Street.

p-o-o-l days

There are certain things that I can’t say anymore in front of Peanut. She is old enough now to pick up on different words in adult conversations, the television, even the radio (thank G-d for XM kids.). Among the family of words I can no longer utter without using euphemisms or spelling are water, pool, any derivation of swim (swimsuit, swim diaper, etc.), sunscreen (yes my child loves to put on sunscreen; how bizarre). You get the picture.

Like many of you this year we bought a pool pass for Sholem Acquatic Center. We still haven’t gotten our money’s worth , but believe me I am determined to do so no matter what. Part of the reason that we haven’t spent as much time there as I anticipated is that we often get invited (not that I’m complaining) to a private pool in town. The private pool doesn’t have some of the amenities of the much newer Sholem, but it has one thing Sholem doesn’t have — toys, toys and more toys.

And as I have learned this summer, at this age, toys make the pool. I have been trying so hard to remember to bring our pool toys to Sholem, but sometimes I inevitably forget. And when I forget, that means my daughter steals (OK, borrows) other kids’ toys. Not a pretty picture. Sometimes I have this vision of her getting hauled off by the pool police, handcuffs and all. Most people are pretty nice about it, but you never know. So I will go about trying to remember this simple little thing, but after piling up everything we need for our pool time, it’s an easy thing to leave out.

So I ask your forgiveness in advance.

freaky friday thoughts (and other laziness)

• Beware of campus this weekend, it’s Greek Reunion. So if you’ve missed the smell of stale beer and vomit on Campustown streets, you’re in luck.
• I’m glad to see that the Outside at the Research Park free concert event is back on the calendar. Tonight is the first of three. I’ve also heard that it’s a good thing that Biaggi’s has taken over the catering, perhaps the food will be a bit more family friendly this summer.
• If you’re looking to get out of town, this weekend marks the 25th anniversary of the Sugar Creek Arts Festival in Normal.

places to see, people to go

A couple of months ago I was shocked astounded pleasantly surprised to see that a restaurant in Effingham, of all places, made it into a column by Chicago Tribune restaurant critic Phil Vettel. Vettel’s subject was restaurants worthy of a road trip, and what do you know, there’s a place in vanilla old Effingham topping the list.

For some reason this article has stuck in my head like yesterday’s popcorn. The restaurant is called Firefly Grill, and it is set on the shores of Kristie Lake (oddly enough, one of the owners is named Kristie as well). The food is described as distinctly Midwestern. The menus are on the Web site and one thing that immediately gets my attention is how affordable the food appears to be. I guess I was expecting expensive from the Chicago Tribune guy.

Effingham isn’t exactly a hop skip and a jump. Google Maps says it is 75 miles away from my house, not too bad. I have made it one of my unofficial goals of summer to get down to this place (perhaps for Sunday brunch), but I was first curious to see if any of you (msix? Lisa?) have been there.