The outskirts of the Village

So yesterday seemed to be a "visit nearby businesses" day, and by nearby, I mean not in the Village, but close enough to be on our regular rotation of places to go. I started off by ducking out of work at 4PM and heading over to get my hair cut as Vis a Vis Salon. Now, I have pretty low-maintenance hair, but I've been going to see Barb at Vis-a-Vis for a long time now. Is it the headrubs? Well, it's something. Mrs. Villager tolerates my HUGE crush on Barb with bemused embarrassment, to be sure. Now I know that since I live in the Village and all, you'd assume that I'd go to Glitzie's, or knowing me, somewhere more like an old-style barber shop.

Actually, I have been to see the folks at Fusion Cut & Color when I can't get in to see Barb, and both of the women at Fusion are great. I would highly recommend dropping by there for a cut or something more involved.

However, yesterday was Vis-a-Vis day, and while I'm on the subject I should mention that I've also been to Vis-a-Vis for a facial. Yes, you read that right. Get over it, it's 2005. Jen Keller does the facials there, and I've been to her twice. Mrs. Villager goes on a more regular basis. Jen is quite good, and the room is very private, guys, no one can see you in there.

We have a long history with the businesses at Bertha Station, especially back in the pre-Jr-Villager days, when the Red Electric cafe was there (it used to be two tables and the grill - all together), and the coffee shop was a coffee and cigar store with a fantastic collection of magazines, a great humidor and chess tables upstairs. Then of course, there was "the drama" that led to the changing of the hands of the coffee shop, the Red Electric went away as well. Vesuvius came and went (we loved the play area there), but now things are pretty stable. I'll leave further hyping to some Hillsdale neighborhood blogger.

Oh, one last tip. At the coffee shop, they have these cinnamon roll things that kind of look like a cross between a croissant and a sea anenome. Try one. Have them heat it up. Get a fork.

Later, after dinner, we headed over to Garden Home and got a cone at Dairy Queen, than Jr. Villager and I went to Gabriel Park and rode the bike a little bit before hiking to the top of the big hill overlooking the community center to marvel at the sheer amount of sports going on at the park last night. From the hill we could see tennis, volleyball, frisbee, baseball, soccer, dog frisbee and geurilla gymnastics on the exercise bars next to the beach volleyball courts.

Was that Kelley Day that passed us at the light? Does she live over here?