Shelter From The Scroll V7: Happy St. Patrick's Day ☘️
Don’t Think Twice, It’s Curated by Pwelbs
Kickin’ It Off: Happy St. Patrick’s Day! ☘️. It’s been a flurry of a few weeks of travel. Denver, New York and then back to Denver. Is there anything better than catching New York when it’s a sunny 60 degree day? Maddie and I had a chance to spend a couple hours in Central Park and Midtown sure was rocking with the beautiful weather we happened to catch. More NYC/Denver musings below.
It’s St. Patrick’s Day weekend/week in Chicago! I’m very privileged to have a great river view so it was a blast to watch all the action this weekend (from afar) with friends and family. I’m further down from the Chicago river dye main drag so it takes a few days to make it’s way down our way. Still an incredible tradition tho.
Happy March Madness week! I will be rolling with the Big East teams at St. John’s. Love the Coach Patino comeback story. I’ll be rooting for Michigan State and Coach Izzo as well.
Off to Vegas this weekend to catch Night 2 of an 18 night run of Dead & Co. at The Sphere. Maddie and I are VERY proud of our scheduled Saturday night departure. Feels so mature and a pro move - ha! Staying at nearby Virgin Hotel (Hilton points!) and looking forward to what may very well be my last Dead & Co. show. I thought the same thing a few years ago at Wrigley but here we are – could not pass up a second chance at this run of shows at Sphere. Can’t wait to report back! 🌹💀⚡️
PS: We launched three new brand partnerships the past few weeks with Number Six With Cheese and our Eat Local Chicago video. Look out for those the next couple weeks. Our new partnerships with Jet’s Pizza, Goose Island and Big Onion Hospitality are a couple scrolls down.
THE WEEKLY RUNDOWN:
RANDOM THOUGHTS & THINGS:
Sunsetting These Days ⛅️: If we’ve interacted at all over the last 10 years, you know how much These Days has been an important part of my life. If you have ever "co-founded" anything you know how much these things can become part of your life. Earlier this week, we announced that we will be sunsetting These Days over the next year and winding it down to serve as a celebration and archive of all the stories, photos and memories we’ve had the opportunity to experience the past decade here in Chicago. Read the full Letter From The Editors on our Instagram page and look out for an incredible final year of These Days! I can’t wait to share all the memories of the past 10 years in this newsletter over the next year and beyond.
DePaul in Big East Conference Tournament: Well! We beat Georgetown to make it one round and took a very solid Creighton into 2OT (after blowing a lead and game we seemingly had locked up). DePaul STILL hasn’t won 2 games in the Big East tournament in 20+ years. It was a decent effort from this team that’s already been such an improvement after decades of just no magic at all. It’s a bit unclear to me who is all back next year but with this new culture and coach Chis Holtman! Excited to see continued growth of the program these next few years.
College Basketball Crown Basketball Tournament: Interestingly enough DePaul has accepted an invitation from Fox to participate in this new tournament format for teams that did not make the March Madness bracket and/or are skipping the NIT tournament. Crown will be 16 teams. Single elimination. Vegas. Co-founded by Fox Sports and AEG. It will be interesting to see how it goes! Probably would not watch if DePaul was in it. But maybe the games will get accidentally watched by casuals who just have the game on? DePaul takes on Cincinnati Tuesday, April 1st at 12:00PM PT. More info here: collegebasketballcrown.com
UFC & WWE Parent Launches Saudi-Backed Boxing League: I’m a bit of a background UFC and boxing fan and it’s really something I picked up on more during COVID as it was one of “the first sports back.” Boxing has always been super fascinating to me, particularly its history. Although, I’ve sort fallen into a generation post 1990s heavy weight boxing era (Tyson, etc) that has no real faces except Mayweather and Pacquiao. The UFC model is super easy to follow and I love that this new group is going to “clean up boxing” and it makes it much more clear who is really the best of the best of each division. With UFC & WWE’s star power – it seems like any young boxer will surely sign into this league vs. waffling competitors. Matchroom seems to be the only promoter with their shit together (their Chairman Eddie Hearn is super charismatic) and groups like Top Rank have parted ways with ESPN (UFC’s current home). Pumped to see where this go and what their first few fights will be. Just a name to keep an eye on is Irish boxer Callum Walsh (12-0) has fight this weekend at MSG for St. Patrick’s Day. If you’re interested in even further breakdown of this new boxing league check out this YouTube piece from Ariel Helwani – whom I find to be the most passionate and knowledgeable media personality in combat sports.
NYC Trip: Loi Estiatorio & Tavern On The Green:
Loi Estiatorio: Maddie had been telling me about a “hidden gem” Greek-Mediterranean restaurant she had been to in Midtown over the last 7-8 years for business travel. I was eager to try it purely off her hype of how often she had been there. We popped over there after a walk in Central Park and some drinks nearby. We were greeted by the owner Chef Maria Loi who recognized Maddie from a trip there with co-workers earlier in the week and over the years. Immediate street cred and how cool it is to have that feeling all the way in NYC. Chef is full of aurora and charisma (one scroll on her Instagram @ChefMariaLoi and you’ll pick up on it). After some research she’s often labeled “The Martha Stewart of Greece” and is an Official Ambassador of Greek Gastronomy. Clearly an esteemed entrepreneur, celebrity chef, author, Greek diet expert and philanthropist. I’ll be honest, I didn’t realize how big of a deal she was until after this meal - ha! My favorite part was that very casually in the back of the restaurant on a fairly anonymous wall, Chef had a picture of her sandwiched in between then president Barrack Obama and Joe Biden. Just below was a signed Christmas card from both Michelle and Barrack Obama. No biggie. Anyway – the food was stunningly fresh, no surprise. Chef is committed to “The Greek Diet” and bringing in fresh ingredients from Greece. While we were there 3-4 guys with dollies delivered through the middle of the restaurant more olive oil stamped “Imported by Greece” then you could possibly even fathom. Now to the food. I had possibly the best Octopus I have ever had (Octopus, Red Wine, Onions, Bell Peppers, Capers, Fava Purée) and I would say I’ve gotten at 20-30+ restaurants over the years. Additionally we got calamari, bean salad, lentil soup, mussels (soooo fresh) and Greek Yogurt for dessert (Loi Greek Yogurt with Cretan Honey & Walnuts Pairs with Tsipouro). Insanely delicious “snack” (we had dinner later - ha!) and I cannot wait to go back! Put it on your NYC to-do list.
Tavern On The Green: My favorite stop of the weekend was at Tavern On The Green, nestled on the edge of Central Park. This landmark is just lovely. We pulled up to the bar and had a few drinks and chatted with the very friendly staff. We people watched as the lunch rush came in and basked in the joys of have a few beers at such a lovely and historic space in Central Park. How New York! There is some very cool history of the space (it’s an old sheep barn!) if you want to read up before this must top on your next NYC trip.
Other great food stops on the trip included Shukette (loved it), Shy Shy cocktail bar (so fun for a late night), Crown Alley, kid Pizza NYC and stops at so bad it’s good stops at Johnny’s Bar and Trailer Park Lounge. Maddie and I also made a nostalgic stop to St. Patrick's Cathedral. I always go by if I can because I am named after it!
Denver Work Trip: All business but the perks of the events business is you get to see a lot of cool event properties and hosting spaces. We stayed at our partner hotel Populous right off Civic Center Park in downtown Denver. An incredible stay and the hotel with a great mission. It’s worth reading through their ‘Our Story’ page if you have any interest in hotels, hospitality and environmentalism and entrepreneurship in the space. The hotel itself is visually inspired by the patterns in tree trunks of an Aspen Tree. The design and decor of all the public spaces inside were stunning and the rooms themselves were fantastic. Their mission of sustainability and the planet was clear from check-in to check-out but done extremely tastefully and tactfully. Not in your face. Brilliantly well done by all those involved. We also had some incredible lunches and dinners on-site at Populous at both in-house restaurants Pasque (lobby) and Stellar Jays (rooftop). Everything was super fresh, forward thinking in taste and oddly simply – I mean that in the best way possible. High recommend staying their if you have the chance. I also got to check out Thompson Hotel Denver which had some really nice event spaces – especially their six floor sunroom lounge called Reynard.
Formula 1 season is back!: I don’t have too much to say other than I’m super excited Formula 1 is back. I’m super behind on this season’s Drive to Survive but last season was probably the most races I watched live and consumed all the post-race content. Drive To Survive really is just a dramatic refresher for me. But the first race of the season kicked off this past season down in Melbourne, Australia and it it did not disappoint. Lots of team shake ups, new drivers and a competitive Top 4-6 teams. Will be a fun season if Max Verstappen and Red Bull can be stopped. So far so good. Check out Australian Grand Prix highlights. This is also my first year “driving” Formula 1 fantasy. It was pretty simple and easy to figure out (compared to Fantasy Football I guess). You get a set budget of $70 Million cap and you split that over a combination of 5 drivers and 2 teams that fluctuate in value week to week based on performance.
Going to try a new thing. Maybe.
Underrated: Splitting the G, Your Friends Getting Engaged, Dyeing a river green, Airport Beers, Savory Beignets, Buskers playing in naturally acoustic public spaces, Stained Glass Windows, Greek Beers, Central Park, Timberwolves Basketball
Overrated: Splitting the G, Oyster Shooters, Hotel Elevators, $6 Cold Brew, BORG, TSA Carry On Back Checking Being Different In Different Airports, Uber drivers talking about their public intoxication record, Chicago Bulls Basketball
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EYES BEYOND THE FEED: A collection of articles, news, blogs, social posts or other ramblings I’ve found interesting this week.
The Brooklyn Mirage has unveiled its bold new redesign, calling it a “rebirth”
Outside Ignite Announces Open Call for Startup Competition Submissions
Aphex Twin Curates Playlist for Supreme: Described as “mostly mellow”, there is over 191 songs on here pushing 13 hours. Can’t wait to explore each and every track.
SXSW 2025: The Top Experiential Stunts, Activations and Events
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BLOWIN’ IN THE WINDY CITY: All things Chicago. Happenings, openings, news, announcements, music, food, drink and more. A weekly and endless celebration to the city that I love so much.
Garcia’s, An Ode to the Grateful Dead Founder, Gets an Opening Date in Chicago
Collectiv Presents announces new day party DJ series The Playground at Recess in West Loop
How Shaw’s Crab House Remains A Classic After 40 Years via The Dining Table Podcast
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PLAYLIST PAT:
A collection of new music curated by genre, theme and/or mood curated and updated weekly-ish.
Pyramidion: The capstone, the apex, the tip, the top of the sonic pyramid. The best that 2025 music of all genres has to offer so far, updated weekly-ish. Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
The Giver by Chappel Roan: Chappel goes country? I’m not sure I was ready for this or saw it coming but it feels so natural. Surely she listened to some Dixie Chicks driving around in small town Missouri. The influence is coming through here and I’m so here for it.
Relationships by HAIM: Go Haim or go home! Love this groovy new single.
All Along The Stream: A jukebox of Jam, Funk, Bluegrass, Psychedelic, Rock, Blues, Americana, Retro Soul. All songs released in 2025. Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
Modern Man (Mountain Heart) by The Wilder Blue: These guys got some recognition for their cover of Eagles songs. It’s even more fun when they pay homage on an original tune like this. The ultimate compliment. This sounds awesome!
Dirty Little Secret by Neal Francis feat. Carlile: Chicago funkster Neal Francis has released his new album Return To Zero and I’m confident it will surface in my Top 10-20 most listened to albums this year. This one features my pal, the very talented Carlile on vocals alongside Neal. Some nice Marlena Shaw vibes.
Country City: Cold beer. Warm nights. Neon lights. Whiskey wrongs. A collection of country songs. All from 2025 and lassoed together by this here, urban cowboy. I promise I have the boots and hats to match. From the flash of pop to the dust of red dirt. It’s all here! Full playlist linked here.
My favorite songs I added this week:
Let’s Get Stoned by Clay Street Unit: A “newgrass” band from Denver sure as hell knows something about getting stoned.
My 5 TouchTunes Songs of the Week: Typically pulling from my Forever Relevant Spotify playlist that features over 1,800+ of my favorite songs and growing. Mind you, these are typically played in empty dive bars.
Venmo @Pwelbs to tip me in TouchTunes credits!
8 credits $4.99, 31 credits $14.99, 55 credits $24.99
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PATTY PILS:
Tangled Up In Brews: My weekly thoughts on beer, alcohol and beverage industry. Related articles or maybe just a cheers to a beer or three I had this week.
Kraft Heinz’s Crystal Light enters alcohol space for the first time
Jose Cuervo maker forecasts $80m tariff impact - The Spirits Business
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BEYOND THE ALGORITHM: Content from creators I love alongside social channels for new creators I’ve discovered.
CLIENT BIAS: My favorite videos from Number Six With Cheese (fast food), Eat Local (Chicago food scene) and Corey & Sean’s solo channels this week. Full transparency, I manage these guys! If you’d like to work together, email me at patrick[at]numbersixwithcheese.com
We launched three partnerships within the last few weeks and their is plenty of content coming with Goose Island, Jet’s Pizza and Chicago Big Onion Hospitality group. Check out the first video in a series with each one of them.
Jet’s Pizza: Eating The Jet's Pizza Named After The Company's Founder | *THE EUGENE SUPREME PIZZA* x Chicago Bulls Partnership Promo
Goose Island: 7-Course Vienna Beef Meal for 312 Day with Goose Island x Vienna Beef @ Goose ISland Salt Shed Pub
Big Onion Hospitality: Eating The Fatpour Burger With Grilled Cheese Sandwiches As Buns | Fatpour Tap Works in Chicago
Happy belated birthday to Corey Wagner!
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MUSIC HANGER: Covering merch drops while highlighting the music artists and related news. Might slip in other merch from bars, booze and other fashion lines too.
Follow along at @MusicHangerHQ on IG. Updated when I can.
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NEVEVER ENDING HAT & MERCH WISHLIST:
Venmo @Pwelbs to gift me a hat or piece of merch!
“Come in, she said
I'll give ya shelter from the storm”