Friday, February 25, 2011

Little Sweden


Simon's-Chicago, IL, originally uploaded by William 74.
Andersonville is a neighborhood in the Edgewater area of Chicago's north side, and was once a sleepy little village with a large Swedish immigrant population. That history is alive and well today, as Andersonville is home to the Swedish American Museum, as well as several Swedish delis and bakeries. It's a really cool neighborhood, with a very diverse population and an awesome mix of restaurants and shops in it's commercial district. In fact, the commercial district along Clark Street is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Simon's is an Andersonville institution, a classic bar that-naturally-features a few Swedish favorites like Pripp's Lager, aquavit, glogg, and of course, Schlitz beer. It's been there since the 30's and features decor inspired by the S.S. Normandie-it's said that most of the clientele of Simon's couldn't afford to sail on the famed liner, so the bar was styled to allow patrons the feeling of being onboard. It's an excellent tavern, very homey.

And, this being Neon Friday, it has an awesome sign hanging out front, in blue and yellow of course. Oh, and the fish with the Martini? Pickled herring. Geddit?

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