I had some oysters the other day at the Davis Street Fishmarket in Evanston, which usually has a good raw bar. I had 3 R.I. Wilds and 3 Canada Cups for 9 bucks. The R.I.’s were nice and briney, and the Canada’s were slightly sweet.
Cinnamon had some nice oyster recipes and some oyster opening tip links in her recent article - The World is Your Oyster. She’s a little wary of shucking them herself. Although opening oysters takes a wee bit of dexterity, doing it properly isn’t anymore dangerous than many acts of knife work in the kitchen. I worked on a catering crew many years ago, and opened oysters for several long shifts without a slip, but it seems like every time I go to use a mandolin slicer, I manage to remove at least a fingerprint.