Originally Published: March 22, 2023
Outfits
“You look like you work at COSI… giving tours about the weather and stuff.”
Ohio
This past weekend, a friend (and reader!) and I went to one of my favorite spots in the city: Law Bird. In 2022, Law Bird was named one of the top 10 best new cocktail bars in the country; it easily lives up to that honor.
First, and obviously, the drinks are fantastic. Law Bird is where I had my first martini ever (big fan), but I also really like their signature cocktails. Last weekend, I had an “Artemis Dubois” (unclear if it’s named after the “It’s Always Sunny” character, but I hope so), which has passionfruit, aperol, vodka, bitters, lime and “bubbles.” It was refreshing, and I highly recommend it. I also tried Law Bird’s version of a Corpse Reviver No. 2 , which after trying at several different places in the last year, has become one of my go-to drinks. Law Bird’s version has been the best though!
Second, I love Law Bird’s decor. It has features subway tile, neon signs, a few tropical fronds, and pleasing sans serif fonts—definitely a millennial’s dream. Their bathrooms are also a lot of fun: one features bananas, the other Prince riding Falkor. (Eccentric bathroom decor is another millennial design trope, and I’m not mad about it.)
Third, I love Law Bird’s food. Their menu definitely stays within the “bar food” milieu, but is always exactly what I need. I am—and I am not kidding here—very into their bread and butter, mostly because their butter is whipped with honey and salt and makes me very happy (don’t forget, I am perhaps butter’s biggest fan). I also have historically really enjoy their feta and paneer. My friend ordered dole whip while we were there last weekend, and it came in a delightful little glass.
All in all, Law Bird is great, and if you’re in town, I’m always up to spend an evening there.
Other Things I Like
Symbolism in flags was a topic of conversation at work this week (I started that conversation, obviously), and it made me reflect on the question: which country’s flag is my favorite?
I have made a rating system based on my own preferences. It’s definitely not scientific and is highly subjective, but I don’t care! This is my Substack, and I’ll do what I want!
Here are my criteria for flag excellence:
- Uniqueness: 2 points
- Symbols used: 2 points
- Depth of symbolism: 2 points
- Color choice: 2 points
- Overall aesthetic effect: 2 points
South Africa’s flag, for example, gets 2 points for uniqueness because it is the only flag to feature 6 colors. It gets 1 point for symbols (stripes and a turned peace sign which represents unity), but 2 points for depth of symbolism. It gets 1.5 points for color choice (for example, the red is actually a mix of the Dutch flag’s orange and the Union Jack’s red), and 1 point for the overall aesthetic effect. Grand total: 7.5.
My favorite flag, based on this ranking system: the flag of the Holy See (the Vatican).
Here is my reasoning:
- The flag is high on the uniqueness scale: no other country’s flag features keys, few flags feature a crown, vertical stripes are less common than horizontal stripes, the flag is square, and grey/silver rarely appears on a flag. (2)
- The crown, keys, and cord, are as striking as they are symbolically important to the Catholic Church, which represent the papal tiara, the keys to heaven Jesus gave to St. Peter, and the bond between worldly and spiritual power, respectively. The right sight of the flag is also the Vatican’s coat of arms. (2, 2)
- The colors are beautiful and harmonious; I particularly love the bright, springy yellow, which occasionally pales to a pastel yellow or livens up to a marigold in the sunlight. (2)
- In general, I find it aesthetically pleasing to the point of being calming, and I’m always happy to see it whenever I’m out and about. (2.5)
Merion Village, Spring 2023
Pennsylvania Avenue during Pope Francis’s visit to DC, September 2015
Honorable mentions: Bhutan’s flag, Papua New Guinea’s flag, and Sri Lanka’s flag. I’m also a big fan of Argentina’s blue.
After writing all of this and creating my ranking system, I read this short interview that Atlas Obscura conducted with a vexillologist about what makes for a great flag, and it turns out that I disagree with a lot of his points! He may comment on this Substack if he likes, but he has an uphill battle in persuading me to his position on flags with just three stripes.
That’s it! Have a great rest of your week!
One response to “From the Archives – OOO #15: Outfits, Ohio, and Other Things I Like”
[…] I am particularly fond of both their biscuits (their butter is second only to the butter at Law Bird) and their gingerbread cow cookie, which I will buy and devour every time I see […]