Meet The Man Behind The Sky Ride Tap, The Loop’s Last Real Dive Bar
Kyriakos ‘Carl’ Damianides, owner, poses for a portrait at Sky Ride Tap, 105 W. Van Buren St., in the Loop on June 22, 2026. Credit: Colin Boyle/Block Club Chicago
From Block Club Chicago: THE LOOP — If you’ve ever been to the Sky Ride Tap, you’ve undoubtedly seen Kyriakos “Carl” Damianides. Since he bought the bar in 1972, he’s been a near-constant presence inside.
“For the first 25 years, I worked from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week,” he said.
Since then, Damianides has slowed down a bit. Currently, the Sky Ride, 105 W. Van Buren St., is open on weekdays, usually 10 a.m.-8 p.m., but if the doors are open, he’s there tending bar, stocking the coolers and chatting with the regulars.
Flag at unique tourist attraction in Price County restored
From WXPR – For the first time since the 1970s, an American flag hangs above the 200-plus statues that dot the grounds of the Wisconsin Concrete Park.
Renovations at the popular roadside art display in northern Wisconsin were completed just ahead of America’s 250th anniversary.
The Price County park includes hundreds of works by the artist Fred Smith. Smith, who never learned to read, was a retired lumberjack and self-taught artist who turned his property in Phillips into an art park. Smith died at 89 in 1976.
Canter’s Deli Operator Plans High-End Gas Station On Santa Monica Boulevard
In an Instagram post, Maggie’s Refuel suggested the iconic 76 station on Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills would be the site of its first location. (Google Maps)
From Patch: BEVERLY HILLS, CA — The fourth-generation operator behind Canter’s Deli is turning his attention from pastrami sandwiches to gas pumps.
The first Maggie’s location is planned for Beverly Hills and is set to open within the next year, according to the California Post.
City, owners differ on motel district
The Boulder City Inn and Sands Motel are two of the motels that were considered to be part of a new historic motel district in Boulder City. The city did not receive the response it had hoped for and will now set up a workshop and invite all the owners of the eligible motels to meet to possibly come up with a solution that all parties can agree upon. Ron Eland/Boulder City Review
From the Boulder City Review: The potential creation of a historic motel district for eight properties in town hit a roadblock last week. The potential project went from the front of the Boulder City, NV, Historic Preservation Commission’s stove to the back burner, at least for now.
Last Wednesday, the commission voted 3-2 to continue this matter once again. This time the goal is to host a workshop with the motel owners. The intention is to draft preliminary design guidelines for the proposed district and engage with the motel owners on how this may impact future changes they would like to make to their properties.
These 9 unique Utah signs have become cultural landmarks, long after their businesses shut down
The classic double-cone sign at the former Snelgrove’s ice cream plant on 2100 South in Sugar House, in 2022. (Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune)
From The Salt Lake Tribune: When demolition started on Salt Lake City’s longstanding Coachman’s Pancake & Dinner House last month, many wondered what would happen to its iconic sign.
A community effort to save it quickly came together, and so far, it remains intact.
The sign is one of many that belonged to Utah businesses come and gone, long outlasting their creators and eventually becoming cultural landmarks.
Here’s a breakdown of those landmarks and their unusual histories.
Historic 65-foot tower with views of 6 states reopens after long wait in Colorado
From Out There Colorado: It’s official – a massive tower located about 10 miles east of Limon on Colorado’s Eastern Plains is officially open for visitors once again as one of the state’s most historic and quirkiest roadside stops. It’s called the World’s Wonder View Tower and standing at about 65 feet tall, Ripley’s Believe It or Not once promised that six states could be seen from the top (Colorado, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, and New Mexico).
This tower dates back to dreams of the 1870s, when a man named Charles Gregory camped in the area and was “captivated by the spot’s scenic and strategic location.” By the 1920s, Gregory returned to build a roadside attraction amid the automobile boom and by 1930, the tower that the spot would become known for was under construction.