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Red Square Weekend
Oct. 26th, 2013 08:33 amSo last year when I was in Chicago and my most excellent spouse booked us a room above a new age spa in Wicker Park, we noticed the picturesque remains of some hallowed Russian-Turkish bathhouse down the street, which at the time claimed to be "under renovation."
Yeah, I'm from Detroit and I've heard that one before. Surprise, surprise-- the place he booked us for this weekend turns out to be luxury hipster lofts located directly above the newly renovated and actually open Russian-Turkish baths, which now boasts a Russian-chow restaurant and a bar with craft cocktails. So I'm sitting in a spacious converted-industrial something turned sleek two-bedroom apartment; the luxe aspect is undercut by things like track lighting that doesn't work yet and a "3" in magic marker lurking beneath the brass numeral on the apartment door. Yeah, it's all very new and rough around the edges and the valet here is arguably the most terrifying parking valet I've ever seen. He gave us our keys back after he parked my car, which was good 'cause we found out later some other cars in the lot were left unlocked. Yeah.
We're in town for a funeral instead of rock concerts or astronomy (our usual reasons to travel), but while we're here there's no reason we can't enjoy some Russian bathhouse spa fun, right? And cherry varenyky that might be like what Grandma used to make.
Yeah, I'm from Detroit and I've heard that one before. Surprise, surprise-- the place he booked us for this weekend turns out to be luxury hipster lofts located directly above the newly renovated and actually open Russian-Turkish baths, which now boasts a Russian-chow restaurant and a bar with craft cocktails. So I'm sitting in a spacious converted-industrial something turned sleek two-bedroom apartment; the luxe aspect is undercut by things like track lighting that doesn't work yet and a "3" in magic marker lurking beneath the brass numeral on the apartment door. Yeah, it's all very new and rough around the edges and the valet here is arguably the most terrifying parking valet I've ever seen. He gave us our keys back after he parked my car, which was good 'cause we found out later some other cars in the lot were left unlocked. Yeah.
We're in town for a funeral instead of rock concerts or astronomy (our usual reasons to travel), but while we're here there's no reason we can't enjoy some Russian bathhouse spa fun, right? And cherry varenyky that might be like what Grandma used to make.
