Bargain basement barge

Even during robust economic times in St. Louis, there are bargains to be had. I mean, geez, when I was looking for houses several years back, I looked at several that were well under $20,000.

When DHP Investments bought the exquisite Nord St. Louis Turn Verein several years back (before it burned under their intentionally, shamefully neglectful ownership), it was about $40,000.

But this one surprised me nonetheless, bad economy and all: The Robert E. Lee riverboat sold for $200,000 at auction. Geez. That’s less than a lot of locals I know have paid for their homes, to say nothing of people I know in non-rusty cities. And while a nice, red brick house doesn’t require as much maintenance as a riverboat, it also can’t travel up and down the Mississippi. Dang.

STLtoday’s got a brief video on the sale: Robert E. Lee riverboat sold

Unidentified Flying Drinks

Drinks will be this Thursday, January 22nd, at the Sci-Fi Lounge. Sci-Fi is located at 6010 Kingsbury, next to Joe’s Cafe. It’s a short walk from the Skinker MetroLink station. Dj Autofocus will be spnning international tunes and likely rocking the slide projector as well.

Sci-Fi is neat, full of handmade UFOs, modern furniture, and sci fi tchotckes from a variety of eras. It is deliciously space-age and history-of-the-future.

BIG THINGS TO NOTE: It starts at 8pm this time, and there is a $2 cover (which includes a free snack). Also, Sci-Fi DOES NOT HAVE BOOZE. But have you thought about flasks lately? Brown paper bags, where anything could be inside and no one would know? Just sayin’.

I hope to see you there! Please join us. In this time of great national change and optimism, it’s time to discuss what we can do and what we want to see happening in St. Louis.

Claire Nowak-Boyd
myspace.com/drinksandmortar
clairelovesthecity {at} gmail.com

At Last

I wrote this to a friend earlier in the day, and thought I’d share it here as well:

Today, and so many times during the election and transition process, I’ve found myself remembering something that happened when I was in seventh grade. I attended a city public school that was the first thing built in the long-vacant footprint of Pruitt-Igoe, the greatest disaster in the history of American public housing. Most of my classmates were black. One day in social studies class, Mrs. Wells asked us if any of us wanted to be president when they grew up. No one raised their hand–not a single kid. We all just kind of looked at each other.

Shortly after the inauguration, I saw a black man who I think was in his 30s interviewed briefly on TV. He said something to the effect of, “When we were in school, they told us we could be anything we wanted. We believed them, but we knew there were limitations. Now, things are different.”

Books, call numbers, yeah yeah…. Get to the part about the mango martinis!

HEY Y’ALL!

It’s time for the first Dewey Decimal Drinks of the year. Nothing says “literacy” quite like the consumption of gin, does it? Join us at Van Goghz Martini Bar, 3200 Shenandoah (just a coupla blocks east of Grand). We will gather on Thursday, January 8th, starting at 6pm (Happy hour ends at 7, so if you’re cheap like me, get there early!). Van Goghz has info up on their website: http://www.vangoghz.com/

And hey, I’m bringin’ the donation jar one more time for the Gary Public Library, to help them celebrate their library system’s 100th birthday. Please go through your couch or your change dish before joining us this evening–they are grateful for any contribution, and will put your pocket change to good use.

As usual, this evening will be all about spirited conversation and spirited spirits. I hope you’ll join us.

Always reading between the lines,
Claire-ian the Librarian
clairelovesthecity {at} gmail.com
myspace.com/deweydecimaldrinks