Continuing southwest on Archer Avenue, I came to the Archer Heights neighborhood. This neighborhood has a strong Polish identity, particularly the Polish highlands. The highlands is an area in southern Poland, where the Carpathian Mountain range forms a natural border with Slovakia. The highest peaks in this range are the Tatra Mountains. The highlands is one of the most popular tourist areas in Poland.Along Archer Avenue, at 4808 S, is the Polish Highlanders Alliance in America building - a social club which is the national headquarters for Polish highlander clubs across the US. The building's architecture is distinctive and described as a Carpathian chalet in the traditional Zakopane style.
The Szałas restaurant is similar in style to the PHAA building, but significantly taller. It really looks like a highlands chalet. Although I haven't been inside, online review sites describe how this restaurant is elaborately decorated with decor from the Polish highlands. On the outside, I found it particularly amusing that you can't just walk in the front door. Rather, you pull on a rope next to the door and a few minutes later one of the staff, dressed in highlander traditional garb, answers the door and lets you in. I saw this happen to a group of people when I was there, but I didn't understand why they needed to wait. It was only after I read about this unusual protocol in online reviews that I figured out what was happening.
Outside Szałas, there's a garbage can inside a box made of small logs that matches the restaurant's theme.
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