The South Loop, traditionally the vice capital of the country back in the day (think Hinky Dink and Bathhouse John’s infamous and drunken First Ward balls) should make for a lot of historic drinking establishments. But, like everything else, the developers have torn them down--and destroyed our drinking history, too.

One of the South Loop bars listed in Parnell’s book is Buddy Guy’s Legends, which isn’t in its historic 1910 building on Wabash anymore. (Before he was on Wabash, bluesman Buddy Guy owned the historic and now defunct Checkerboard Lounge on East 43rd Street; he moved to the Wabash Avenue location in 1989.) But landlord Columbia College recently razed the Wabash building and Buddy Guy’s moved around the corner to a building that had housed a Kinko’s, an art supply store and the Hothouse.

What makes the new spot historic to me, however, is that President Obama, when he was a state senator (by the way, Buddy Guy’s on South Wabash was one of his favorite places when he was a nobody) spent time at the Hothouse: a music, performance and event venue that at one time hosted "Meet the Candidates" sponsored by the Independent Voters of Illinois. I saw Obama at such an event there once, and said to myself, "I don’t need to talk to that guy; he doesn’t seem to be going anywhere."

Next on Parnell’s South Loop list is Jazz Showcase, another place that is no longer in its historical place in the neighborhood--although it’s in a historical place. Jazz Showcase’s heyday was when it was ensconced at the Blackstone Hotel. (It had started on the Gold Coast, and moved to Lincoln Park before coming south.)

Several years ago, Jazz Showcase left the hotel, segued over to River North and recently landed in a newly built-out space at the Dearborn Station back in the South Loop. The Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, where the Obama girls studied ballet before the big move, left the space that Jazz Showcase moved into--where passersby could see the kids dancing at the bar--and moved into the basement.

Also on the historic 100 is Kasey’s Tavern, which I have passed in its storefront at the Donahue Building on Printers Row for the past 16 years. I was inside one time when I was in law school at John Marshall, but that was before I lived in the South Loop. One thing I’ve noticed is that everyone always seems to be having a great time when I pass Kasey’s--as did the neighborhood typesetters in a previous incarnation on the spot, according to Parnell. Neighborhood residents now frequent the place, he says, and the motto is "be nice or be gone."

How the South Michigan Avenue Hilton hotel bar Kitty O’Shea’s got on Parnell’s historic list, I don’t know. Parnell admits it’s frequented by tourists and conventioneers. (Not to mention the whole City of Chicago on St. Patrick’s Day.) Kitty O’Shea’s is decorated in historic Irish pub décor--even though you can get a Caesar Salad. I like Kitty O’Shea’s. But, for character’s sake, I wish more of the tourists were eating Shepherd’s Pie and drinking Guinness when I pass by.

Last but not least, Parnell lists the South Loop’s New Velvet Lounge, which is now in a space east of Wabash on Cermak. I have only been to the old Velvet Lounge, which was across the street--and a little east and north on Indiana Avenue. It was pretty dirty, rundown and kind of scary.

The Velvet Lounge moved to its new place due to real estate development on the former site. And unfortunately, its owner, the guy who made the place what it was--81-year-old tenor sax and former Sun Ra band member Fred Anderson--passed away a few months ago. A quick Google search turns up questions about whether the place will stay the same (and even last) without Anderson.

In any case, I have frequented a lot of Parnell’s other 95 historic locations elsewhere in the city during many other lives. And even though there is a paucity of South Loop outposts, I had fun reading "Historic Bars of Chicago" to learn about all the places I’d been, drunk in and listened to music--and other people’s tall tales--at.

The book makes me feel that I should walk out of my house at Roosevelt and State and sit for awhile on a bar stool at the closest saloon--which would be Wabash Tap, just a stone’s throw across the Jewel parking lot from my front door. But then again, maybe it’s more fun to think about what was, rather than what might be.