Work Trip: Carlinville, Illinois and a St Louis Walk on the Hill

Every few shoots for my main client I end up somewhere I'd never heard of before. This time it was Blackburn College in quaint Carlinville, Illiniois. Apparently famous for it's chili factory and its parlor.

The family friendly chili parlor faces the town square, meanwhile the Anchor Inn faces the street behind it where the chili is also served alongside beers and rail drinks. I was informed the chili comes with a kick and that was no lie. Knowing this fact I went with the chili mac and I'd do it again.

Even though Carlinville is much closer to St Louis, the Anchor is definitely a Cubs bar.

This town rules.

After my shoot at the tiny Blackburn College I drove back to St Louis, where I'd flown into, for dinner. Well, one of the inner ring suburbs that's more urban than parts of Minneapolis. Anyways, Balkan Treat Box may have been the best meal I've had all year.

After dinner I drove over to the Hill, an old Italian neighborhood of St. Louis.

I don't know what it was about the urban footprint of this neighborhood, but it felt like no place I'd ever been to in the United States or elsewhere in St. Louis.

Rad neighborhood, but I had a date with St. Louis frozen custard.

12 years back we got Ted Drewes' famed frozen custard on the way back from Florida. When perusing Reddit and Google Maps, I settled on a different custard joint, Mr. Wizards. I ended up with this decadent concrete: strawberry syrup and brown bites mixed with vanilla custard and fudge.

It was good, but much closer to its cousin the Blizzard than the absolute perfection that is Milwaukee frozen custard.

Until next time St Louis and Southwest Illinois. I've got a cottage to visit.

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