This past week I had the pleasure of traveling to Chicago to visit the new event bar The Upside Down. The bar was intended to run as a limited time event in Emporium’s pop-up space that once housed the Surf Bar. For those unfamiliar, the Upside Down is an alternate dimension from the show Stranger Things, the hit limited run series on Netflix getting ready for its second season premiering this Halloween.
The bar featured iconic imagery from the show, like the holiday light wall, Benny’s Burgers, and Hawkins High School.
There were a number of cocktails, including slushies. Eleven’s Eggo’s had a maple syrup taste with a waffle wedge. Another cocktail was named after the series famous monster the Demogorgon, but I was too genre savvy to try it. They also had a few different beers on tap like a Goose Island that was brewed specially for Survive, the band who performs the TV show’s now iconic opening theme. Unfortunately, food wasn’t served at the bar, but if you do get hungry you could always head over to the Emporium’s main bar or hit up one of the many local spots to grab a bite.
Now to be the bearer of bad news; Netflix just issued one of the nicest cease-and-desist letters ever written.
“Unless I’m living in the Upside Down, I don’t think we did a deal with you for this pop-up,” the letter reads. “You’re obviously creative types, so I’m sure you can appreciate that it’s important to us to have a say in how our fans encounter the worlds we build.”
While management would have loved to keep the bar running until the premier, they plan to comply with Netflix’s wishes and close the popup on October 1st. So, if you plan on going, you only have a little time left before the gate to the Upside Down is closed for good.
