After the Zoo, I needed a Pick Me Up

I heard about The Zoo weeks ago. From what I read, Zoo was supposed to be a really cool zoo-themed bar complete with an interactive fish tank and a remodeled bar with live music and poetry.

All ready to open my wallet, Tim and I visited the Zoo one night at around 8.00 just to find it closed. It was a Wednesday. Really?! Not open at 8 on a Wednesday? Fine. We visited again on a Friday night after 9pm and even though there were people in the bar it was still. not. open.

The other night we were walking by and the “Open” sign was turned on. Finally, I thought, this bar is going to be well worth the wait. Upon entering, I wondered what the hell was going on. The music was way too loud, there was only three other people in the bar and there was no bartender.

After a few minutes, a trashy looking girl put down her iPhone, jumped up from her seat, went behind the bar and begrudgingly asked us if we wanted a drink.

Sure, I wanted a drink. I wanted a cold, frosty pint of fine imported beer. But wait a minute here, there were no taps. The only drinks Zoo had was a sad looking liquor collection haphazardly line up on the candle-lit bar. To tell you the truth, I think my parents have a better liquor collection in their kitchen cabinet.

The drink I ordered was disgusting because it was not made right (who messes up a simple vodka tonic?) and after chugging it down I made it clear to Tim that we had to leave.

We wandered around Wrigleyville in search for a place that did not sell Bud Light or Old Style, but I finally decided I just wanted a quiet place to talk and a chocolate milkshake.

Pick Me Up Cafe, at 3408 N. Clark Street, gave me just what its name suggests. We were greeted by a happy hipster in paint on jeans and led to a table with a hypnotic swirly design. The music, as to be expected, was some indie crap that I could not care less about now but  will probably be in love with when it becomes more mainstream.

The server, who was very friendly, delivered my chocolate milkshake with extra whipped cream (goodness bless that server) and never once bothered us by continually asking us if we were okay. A really chill crowd filled the place, some people burying themselves in books while others sat with a friend or two and chowed down on veggie-friendly French toast.

Pick Me Up is open until 2am, but there is a catch: You must buy a certain amount of food/drinks per hour to stay there. For some reason, that did not apply to us when we were there, but I think it is more of a policy to keep solicitors or the homeless out.

Really, for whatever you want and however late you want it, Pick Me Up definitely has something for you.

Dev xx