After 35 years on the Loop, Riddles Penultimate Café and Wine Bar is closing. The restaurant, which was an integral part of the Loop’s revitalization in the 1980s and attracted local musical acts to the Loop, was popular among students for its locally-sourced cuisine, extensive beer menu, and accessible weeknight entertainment.

Since 1977, Cicero’s—a restaurant and pub—has been known as a staple of the Loop and Washington University. Extravagantly decorated for Halloween this year, the busy restaurant was lightened up by its festive atmosphere. If you only need a quick bite to eat, however, you may want to avoid this locale as I had to wait about 30 minutes for my table of two.

Rows upon rows of eclectic books line the shelves of the Loop’s Subterranean Books. As the only independent bookstore on the street, Subterranean Books provides a welcome oasis from the surrounding bustling restaurants and shops.

Snarf’s, which opened Sept. 25 on the Loop, boasts an extensive sandwich menu featuring gourmet ingredients, a selection of salads and even beer and wine.

Last weekend’s PLAY:stl festival on the Loop democratized music. PLAY:stl might not bring in national acts like LouFest, nor does it book many of the area’s most established acts, a la The Riverfront Times Music Showcase.

Cheese-Ology proprietor Bill Courtney describes his love affair with macaroni as an “unnatural obsession.” With the opening of his new themed restaurant on the Delmar Loop, Courtney has taken this obsession to an art form, serving up 15 gourmet varieties of this deliciously cheesy dish.

Students can expect to see Washington University police officers patrolling past Blueberry Hill by the end of the semester. This fall, the Wash. U. Police Department is teaming up with officers from University City and St. Louis to form joint enforcement patrols in the Skinker-DeBaliviere and Delmar neighborhoods.

What do you get when you combine a hair salon with an art gallery? D-Zine, an alternative place on the Loop, has answered this very question with its unique atmosphere and services.

So where are students planning to go and what are they going to do during these days?