Take Your Beer for a Walk: 10th and State

Contributed

Local brewery owner Jeff McCullor hopes that Erieites and visitors alike take full advantage of our city's lack of open container law to take their beer for a walk. This month, try heading downtown for St. Patrick's Day and imagining what the landscape looked like 100 years ago.

When was the last time you took your beer with you when you left the house? Yeah, you know, put your shoes and jacket on, grabbed a beer, and took it with you (on foot of course, don't be silly). Well, in Erie you totally can! If you're within the 802 square miles of terra firma that makes up the city limits, it's 100 percent legal to have an open, non-glass container with you (provided you are 21+ years old).

With St. Patrick's Day on the proverbial doorstep, I'm taking my brewski on a stroll over to the northeast corner of 10th and State streets. Here you'll find the perfect perch for the annual parade (happening on Saturday, March 15), and Jekyll & Hyde's Gastropub is right there for any adult refueling needs. And while you enjoy your afternoon with a pint or two, I'll arm you with some local factoids that are guaranteed to improve your barstool conversation skills.

Look to the Northwest corner of 10th and State

The Soviet-esque former Avalon Hotel was once the location of the W.T. Grant Company, a stately looking department store that stood until the late 1960s. Back then, behind the W.T. Grant Co., the beaux-arts style Hotel Lawrence's impressive 12 stories would peek over all its neighbors. And to the left of the front door of W.T. Grant you would have seen a sign for Pulakos 926 — yep, this was the O.G. Pulakos store at 926 State, standing where the current patio space next to Rite-Aid is today.

Walk South to 1307 State

The pro bartenders at Jekyll's will hook you up with a barley pop in a plastic cup for your stroll to the current home of FEED Media Arts, an impressively-renovated space at 1307 State Street. All that glass block used to be large windows displaying furniture settings for the Epps Furniture Company, chartered in 1921.

Wrap up your pint here or continue on to pay a visit to bartender Sean David Brown over at Calamari's Squid Row.

Drink local, and keep on walking.

Jeff McCullor is the co-owner of Erie Ale Works. He can be reached at jeff@eriealeworks.com