Crown Candy: Late Post #1

I put these photos on my blog several weeks ago so that I would remember to blog about this, but lo and behold, weeks later, it is still a "draft" in my "Edit Posts." Tardy or not, here it is.

Crown Candy Kitchen is located in North St. Louis and is an old-fashioned ice cream shop that is quite the St. Louis tradition. If you go, be prepared to shell out some money, not a lot, but enough when all you are getting is a malt. It's pricey, but you are paying for the atmosphere. Still, this isn't a review of the restaurant. It's an account of the evening spent there.

On a whim, Casey and I had a free Friday night, so we decided to grab some shakes. We hadn't been to CCK since October 2007, about a month into our relationship, so we thought it would provide some nostalgia and be a fun outing. We called up Jess and her date, on the off chance they could meet up with us, and, voila,* everything worked out.

The pictures below encompass both our recent evening, as well as pics from our first trip to CCK over two years ago. From all appearances, not much has changed, in either the restaurant or in us! :)

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention our post-malt stroll. There is an organization called Old North St. Louis Restoration whose mission is to (duh!)-- restore old North St. Louis. They are working on the square area catty-cornered to Crown Candy, and it looks like it is going to be really cool when it is finished. We walked up and down the street and looked at several cool buildings. Many of them have yet to be sold, but there was an art gallery, a clothing shop, and maybe another. And all of the buildings look really nice. The target date (aka grand opening) is sometime in July 2011. I hope the funds don't dry up and all works well. It seems like a good strategy to use Crown Candy as a cornerstone. It would be nice to see a poor urban area come alive again.

Jess/CL--Mar. 2011

Casey and I--Mar. 2011 (Jess was holding the camera and the picture wouldn't take, so Casey and I are both drinking through our straws, but have too much in our mouths--hence the funny faces!)

Jess and I--Oct. 2007

Casey and I--Oct. 2007

Casey and I are wired very differently when it comes to planning our social lives. I prefer a more full schedule than he does and we battle it out for common ground (in a good way!). I think we are getting to a good compromise point. Case in point: this particular Friday night, one of several free evenings as of late. On our way to meet Jess and CL, I mentioned off-handedly that it was fun to be able to do something last minute. I figured that, had we planned the evening in advance, there was a good chance we would be meeting up for shakes partially out of obligation, but would be too tired or more in the mood for ice cream and a movie at home. But with the freedom of choice--to make plans or stay home, we could both be excited about going out. Casey is glad I am finally seeing things from his perspective.

*Voila, I am somewhat embarrassed to say, is a word I only recently learned to spell. And so I had to use it in writing at first opportunity.