Photo Recap: Urban Exploration in Bevo, 5/14/11

On Saturday, 5/14, Eleven took its inaugural voyage into the world of pub crawls. Eager to share our local knowledge with Eleven’s eager readers, we selected a series of bars in Bevo: an area few have heard of, and fewer still have ever considered checking out. We knew this had to change—and figured a giant get-together with sublime drink specials would be a great way to start.

Batting leadoff was The Wicked Lady Pub. Famous for their Wicked Sauce (best on wings, burgers), we knew this would be a great first stop for people looking to get one last bite in before the 5+ hours of drinking ahead. It was great meeting up with all of our RSVP’s…but as folks began to arrive in rapid succession, we knew we’d need a quick run to Walgreens to pick up name tags to help everyone keep track.

After the first hour was up, we made our way across the street to the Luna Lounge as more people arrived. Who could predict we’d need an entire logistics strategy to ensure that the stragglers would keep up? On the bright side, after herding everyone in, the bar’s new seating arrangements forced urbex-ers to rearrange and sit with new people. It was great to see new connections made and new conversations strike.

Before long, it was time for our next leap down Gravois to the Cherry Lounge, as the pace of the crawl really started to pick up. I was thrilled to see Cherry’s intimate confines turn into a bustling hub as our hordes entered and proceeded to consume Cherry Bomb shots like they were going out of style. And the bar’s red glow certainly kept urbex-ers on their toes.

Our longest stretch between bars was up next: a seemingly monumental four-block walk to the Heavy Anchor. With our alcohol jackets now in tow, however, we found this was a breeze. And between shuffleboard, dollar beers, and vintage cinema-style seating, the Anchor was a huge hit. Best of all: leftover novelty mustaches and sombreros from Cinco de Mayo help the drinks to go down extra smooth. After being open for a little less than a month, we love what’s been done with the young venue, and know we’ll be back soon.

10pm already? We’ve gotta move. Our last stop is The Silver Ballroom, St. Louis’ first and only pinball bar. And anticipating our crew’s impending need for food, we set up a deal for the bar’s famous Australian Meat Pies. Savory, salty, and delicious, these just what the Doctor ordered.

As the night wore on, some urbex-ers stuck around the Ballroom to test their mettle at pinball, while others split off to revisit their favorite pubs from earlier in the evening. All in all, the event was a huge, roaring success—and we can’t wait for Round 2 next month. Check out our Facebook Page and our forthcoming print issue for a few more photos, and if you want to get in the loop and be the first to hear about and RSVP next time, be sure to get in touch by emailing urbex@elevenmusicmag.com .

This entry was written by Josh Petersel, posted on May 18, 2011 at 11:59 pm, filed under Live and tagged , , , , , , , . Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.