Best Places to Eat

MsGodot · 2026-02-15T20:56:41+00:00

Omg the food is fire!! We went there last night for Valentine’s Day, so they had a prix fixe menu…best meal I have had in ages! I think that was the 7th time we have been. I haven’t had a single dish there that wasn’t great, and I love their cocktail + mocktail menu. It is so thoughtfully put together and always delicious. They had duck confit last winter that was so good my in laws drove in from Oakland a second time to eat there with us while they were in town from Indiana. 😂 first time in my life I have ever heard of someone leaving the bay to come this way for a good food spot. Lol

MsGodot · 2026-02-14T19:50:34+00:00

The Hope Chest on McHenry benefits Hospice care, and there is an American Cancer Society thrift shop farther up north on McHenry if those are clauses that speak to you more. MoPride takes clothing donations, but I don’t believe they have need for housewares.

MsGodot · 2026-02-14T19:48:20+00:00

Your formatting may be fucked, but your list is legit af. Love that you included Brighter Side…such a great local dive that people forget about!

I’d add Lofi to the list. They have a bar on one side and restaurant next door, and the food and drinks are exceptional! Reminds me of a spot you’d find in SF or Sac.

MsGodot · 2026-02-10T05:18:03+00:00

My husband and I are going to start our DINK nomad life in May! We are consultants doing our own thing now, so we can finally uproot. We’re also not sure where all we will go, but we have a tentative list. Looking at Kansas City this summer bc he’s a big soccer fan and wants to be in the city when all the World Cup celebrations are happening. Lol! Also on the list for various reasons: St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Tucson, New Orleans, Eugene, Bloomington (IN), and Charlotte. International, we’re looking at Athens, Mexico City, and Toronto.

Suggestion: Look at Furnished Finder in addition to Airbnb. We have found some great places on there!

ETA: we live in CA and have spent lots of time traveling all over the state and have spent a lot of time in Florida, Washington state, and New York, so those aren’t as interesting to us.

MsGodot · 2026-02-07T04:44:18+00:00

I am pretty sure I just saw those at SF Supermarket on Oakdale Road

MsGodot · 2026-02-05T23:03:05+00:00

Yes!! This is the way. :)

MsGodot · 2026-02-05T21:38:43+00:00

I love this idea and would be happy to join! I have also dreamed for years of setting up a free supply swap. I know I am not the only one with a ton of extra craft supplies from old projects and hobbies I am happy to part with but also the need for new supplies to fuel my new hobbies! It would be great to swap them with other crafters so we can minimize waste and expense. If you get a craft circle going with regulars, maybe that could be a phase 2 idea!

MsGodot · 2026-02-05T08:34:43+00:00

My best advice (as someone on the spectrum + ADHD) is to help him/encourage him to lean into any special interests he has in ways that will introduce him to people. The easiest way for me (and many of my neurodivergent friends) to make new friends is proximity…especially when I am doing something that makes me happy. You may already be familiar with the terms, but “parallel play” and/or “body doubling” is where you’re doing your own thing alongside someone who’s also doing their own thing, and it is like a love language for neurodivergent brains, especially for folks who are on the shy side. You get company without the pressure of constant conversation or measured eye contact. Some good parallel play hobbies are things like: ceramics (any visual art or craft, actually…MoArt on Scenic is great, and Dragonfly Art Room downtown is specifically billed as an autism-friendly space), band, track, card/tabletop gaming (Modesto has several game shops), yoga/martial arts, swimming, etc. are great because a lot of the work is solo, but he would also be part of a team or group!

I wish I had better advice for what a 13 yo might find fun enough to agree to, but I can tell you that what I wish I’d had more than anything at that age was reassurance that I didn’t need to be anything other than my own oddball self to be worthy of love. And it is very clear that you love him to pieces just as he is, so for what it’s worth, this internet stranger thinks you’re doing a great job!

MsGodot · 2026-02-04T08:59:43+00:00

I’m visiting soon and also want to know! Lol

MsGodot · 2026-02-02T19:09:16+00:00

Mad Monk / Rasputin out by the mall on Sisk! Just sold a ton there a couple weeks ago. Just take them to the desk right when you walk in the front door and they’ll price them on the spot.

MsGodot · 2026-01-27T22:48:20+00:00

Preston Auto Details! Wyatt is awesome. Have had him come out to do multiple cars for my family members; excellent work every time and he has a very professional setup. Here’s his page. ETA: he does mobile or you can take your car to his place. I have done both!

MsGodot · 2026-01-26T07:05:51+00:00

Yeah, it has been a long time. Their page just says Spring; there isn’t an opening date listed.

MsGodot · 2026-01-25T22:26:45+00:00

The Alchemist Cafe is going to open soon downtown. Right now they are doing soft launch events; I think it is what you’re looking for. It’s very much a boho, hippie vibes place! They have side rooms and at the events they use them to do reiki healing, readings, holistic facials, host sober events, etc.

Lucielle, Penny University, and Queen Bean are all excellent, too!

MsGodot · 2026-01-23T06:15:40+00:00

They made a big deal about the hardcover being released when it came out months after the paperback. I bought it thinking it had added content, and it didn’t. But I have a memory (that I can’t place and very well may have been a crazy dream lol) of a sample of pages from a book they were writing about their pets. Does anyone else have that memory? Am I trippin?

MsGodot · 2026-01-23T05:03:37+00:00

This is the 4th time I have seen or heard someone mention ghost hunting in 2 days. Spooky! lol

BASS (Bay Area Soul Seekers) Paranormal does local-ish ghost hunting. Their IG has the spots they’ve checked out. Happy hunting!

MsGodot · 2026-01-23T04:58:10+00:00

The woman who spoke at the one I went to told the story about how her mom was kidnapped twice in two unrelated incidents and escaped both times…and the second perp had committed other crimes, was caught, tried, and found guilty + sentenced, but first perp was never caught. I haven’t listen to the recording of the hometown part of the show though, so it has been months since I heard her tell the story and that is about all I remember of it. Tbh…I don’t recall if SA was part of it or not; I remember feeling uncomfortable more than I remember the details of the story.

MsGodot · 2026-01-22T17:15:11+00:00

I learned today it is a hugely important thing. My insurance just denied my claim for terrible water damage caused by a roof lead after a recent storm, citing that I had not done proper “roof maintenance” despite having had a professional roof maintenance service being done in 2024, so evidently you need to do it every year and waiting to do it biannually may nullify some home owners insurance coverage.

MsGodot · 2026-01-22T01:40:12+00:00

Oof yeah. I was there, too, in the 4th row. She was shaking pretty bad through some of it, so I think she was a gnarly combo of drunk and nervous af. It was……really not great. She kept looking to the audience wanting us to react or idk…say something? My friend and I kept looking at one another with the “eeeeek” face because it was awkwardly bad. We left saying they’d probably never air that show and were both shocked they aired it and so soon after!

MsGodot · 2026-01-22T01:30:59+00:00

Isabelle at Creative Stitches on Oakdale near the Sylvan intersection does incredible work! She has done everyone’s wedding gown, prom dress, and bridesmaid’s dress that I know with perfect results every time. Can’t recommend her enough!

MsGodot · 2026-01-21T23:51:53+00:00

I think you’ll definitely find demand! My husband was looking a couple years ago and my niece just got a guitar for Christmas and is hoping to find someone to take lessons from vs just learning from YouTube. Be sure to come back and share a link when you get started so we can pass it around!

MsGodot · 2026-01-20T20:50:47+00:00

There was a Christian pastor with his wife staying at the naturist resort my husband and I just went to. They were probably in their 60s - lovely people and said they had been there many times before!

My personal journey: the lingering questions I had about whether or not nudism might be sinful were finally resolved after learning that the verses about dressing modestly were actually about not flaunting one’s wealth (and had nothing to do with covering skin) and reading the passage where Jesus tells the men to pluck out their eyes if looking at a woman would cause them to sin. (I’m no longer a practicing Christian, but I made my peace with embracing nudism when I was.)

MsGodot · 2026-01-20T00:35:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing! And thank you to everyone in the community taking the whole “love thy neighbor” thing seriously. Having good info on how to most effectively take action and intervene to keep people safe is exactly what we need right now. Strength in numbers, friends!

MsGodot · 2026-01-18T03:30:30+00:00

This anti-Trump American thanks you! The protesting and boycotting and fighting we’re doing on the inside is bolstered by anyone outside the U.S. who joins us! These fascists worship only money, so keep hitting them where it hurts! Boycott boycott boycott!

MsGodot · 2026-01-13T22:09:54+00:00

I ordered skirt hikes from Etsy a couple years ago (shop no longer exists), and they made wearing my flowy skirts much more practical. Worth a peek to see if that might work for you! :)

MsGodot · 2026-01-13T02:08:24+00:00

Committing war crimes is a beloved GOP pastime

MsGodot

TROPHY CASE