In recent years the three of us (my husband, daughter, and I) have had the opportunity to take an annual weekend trip to La Crosse, Wisconsin. On each visit we have discovered new and interesting places to enjoy a well-crafted cocktail or a tasty sandwich, or view a movie in a unique setting, or browse through troves of used records and books.
This year we still made a visit to La Crosse a priority, but we kept it to just a day trip instead of a full weekend. With the limited time, we focused our energy on just our very favorite spots, our personal “must do’s”. Luckily, all of those destinations are found within a two block stretch of one a special place called Pearl Street.
Pearl Street is home to my very favorite book store, Pearl Street Books. Pearl Street Books mostly peddles used books, but always has a few copies of some of the best new publications as well. The biggest draw for me is the way the bookshelves go all the way up the walls, like something out of a Disney movie or the bookstore of your dreams. Many bookstores these days rely on extra merch to help make up their income: mugs, totes, t-shirts. Pearl Street Books is light on these products, and while I love a good pair of Pride and Prejudice socks, there is a slightly richer joy in seeing the books themselves take center stage.
Besides being a relatively small store, Pearl Street Books provides plenty of little nooks and crannies a book lover can hide away in. It is best to enter without a list or agenda, but simply see what you might stumble upon as you wind your way past cookbooks towards poetry.
There is a little loft space that usually has comfortable sofas and chairs to sit in (when there’s not a pandemic on). There is a hearty selection of kids’ and teens’ books, too. My daughter got transfixed by the cover of a book about someone trapped in a twisted fairy tale (her current favorite sub-genre). When I told her the book was only ten dollars she gladly volunteered to buy it with her own money. I selected an advice book for memoir writers and a local priest’s self-published accounts of bike rides and canoe trips in southwest Wisconsin.
After visiting the bookstore, my next stop would usually be the Dim Sum Tea Shop to peruse their wide variety of loose leaf teas. However, they are currently only doing curbside service, so we didn’t visit them this time. Instead we continued on to The Pearl ice cream parlor and confectionery.
The classic decor of this great little shop give its visitors a sense of stepping back in time. The ice cream is homemade and includes a robust selection of desirable flavors. They also make their own fudge and chocolate candies, and carry other unique candy products as well. A full range of espresso-based beverages are available to order from their coffee bar. This shop is a great destination for the three of us because it caters to each of our preferences; Aubrey selected a stick of blue raspberry rock candy, Trevor settled on some peanut butter and chocolate fudge, and I walked out with a sugar cone of coffee Oreo ice cream. We enjoyed our treats in the car on the way home, winding along the Mississippi keeping our eyes pealed for bald eagles.
Angie Gustafson 