A Day Out: Errands, Beyond Grandma’s Attic, Lunch at the Whale, Animal Friends

February 28, 2026

Liz and I spent a slow, lazy day out and about today. It’s been a long while since we’ve done someting like this, taking it easy on a weekend day.

It was strange – at a few points, I had to remind myself that we were in no rush. We had nothing to do, nowhere to be. Some errands to run, but other than that – no obligations. I had to remember to slow down.

One of the places we wanted to visit was Beyond Grandma’s House. We were juggling some options (it was late in the day, and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet)… and opted to go here, before they closed.

On arriving, finding the entrance was a bit of an adventure.

Past the dock, and through a gate, we found ourselves in an alley leading to the actual entrance.

As we approached, two women were walking out. I was a bit surprised, as I figured that we might be the only folks visiting today. Boy was I wrong on that.

Inside, from the front door looking in. Despite two people leaving, there were a lot of other folks inside – wandering and milling about. I had no idea how popular this place was (and just how big it was, either).

View by the entrance.

The main area. Looking at these photos now, I wonder how one gets up on the catwalk?

By the front door, there was a small popup coffee shop. Which was quite perfect, given the chilly day. The coffee was from local roaster: MUVE.

One of many fun notes, all around the store.

A collection of salt and pepper shakers.

The most literal and brutalist salt and pepper set I’ve ever seen. I want to say this belonged to a Vulcan couple, but I don’t think Vulcans would have tolerated the kind of random hyphenation and indentation choices displayed here.

Something I’ve never seen before: a Thorens automatic disc music box.

Hey, Hey, kids!

A very cool, vintage cable car toy.

No flea market or vintage store is complete, without at least one old cash register.

Entrance to what I thought, initially, was the back room. It ended up being one of many back rooms.

More vintage items.

I never understood, before now, that I needed a Carousel Waffler.

This map was interesting, and caught my eye.

At first, I thought this was a map of an older town in Europe somewhere. Turns out, it’s from Nauvoo, a city in Illinois.

Baseball memorabilia.

Drawers full of old prints, magazines, comic books.

A doorway to another area. Not just one room, but many other rooms.

I was taking my time browsing, and Liz had already been over here, checking out the furniture. At around this time, we had maybe 10 minutes left until they closed. And it slowly dawned on me that I wasn’t going to be able to see the rest of the store in time.

A lot of (colorful) pipes.

Tons of furniture set up. I had no idea how large the store really was.

Past the main furniture area, there was another area that looked like a mix between display areas and storage areas. I was a little unsure whether I should walk too far into this space.

Along one corner in this space, the lighting made it seem like an art installation.

Fast forward a bit to Logan Square, where we went for a late lunch at The Whale.

We parked somewhat nearby (parking on Milwaukee was a nightmare, but we lucked out with a spot along the boulevard). On our way back, we spotted lots of animal friends. Like this guy, hanging out in the window.