Columbuz on Banks

Why, no offishur, I haven't been drinking at Ernie's.  That wuz some other tall, bronze Italian.  He went thatta way!

This Christopher Columbus was sculpted by Joe Incrapera in 1992, commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus's discovery of the New World.  You remember the childhood saying, right:  in fourteen-hundred-ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue?  The statue graces Bell Park, in Montrose--right across the street from the bar Ernie's on Banks.

Fairly unassuming, right?  Wrong!

Texas Monthly's My Montrose

All you gritty-in-your-souls Inner Loopers (and a good number of you Outer Loopers, too), don't you have a Montrose story to tell?  You know you do.

Need a little inspiration?  Why don't you first take a look at My Montrose in this month's issue of Texas Monthly.  It brings back all sorts of Texquiem moments for me.  A trip down Montrose Lane, as it were.  Kind of like here.  And here:

Binder full of women

Seen and noted. 

boheme

Tucked behind this facade used to be a dusty little lighting shop whose specialty was antique and vintage fixtures.  Cue the girl with an old porch light in hand, just  <ahem> a few years back, who opened the door.  Instead of the overhead array of lights rescued from Montrose-area teardowns and re-do's was a view much more inviting.  I set down the porch light and sat down at the bar.


Boheme Cafe and Wine Bar.  That's a mouthful, and it doesn't seem that anyone calls it more than boheme.  But no need to burnish the name.  It's fair to say there's not a bad seat in the house or garden or patio.  But I most often return to the warmth of the wood and stone bar--the best vantage to take it all in.  The old brick walls, antique lights (don't think they're hold-overs from the shop but I'm going to pretend they are), changing art, indie-vibe waiters and barkeep, this place glows.