Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, West End Saturday, September 6, 2014 11.9 miles: Students in Saint Paul went back to school this week, making the visit to one of my favorite school buildings, Randolph Heights Elementary, apropos. This gorgeous 1916 building has several uncommon and attractive elements. The first is the Spanish-influenced design itself. Lead architect Charles […]
August 27, 2014 Highland Park 12.1 Miles When time is limited, Highland Park and Macalester-Groveland are my go-to rides because of their proximity to my house. This time, I rode on streets in the southern part of Highland, around West 7th Street. It’s obvious that someone at 2039 Bordner Place is returning from a trip, […]
August 13, 2014 St. Anthony Park, Merriam Park, Mac-Groveland 14.4 miles An evening ride to St. Anthony Park, the northwest corner of the City. Like scores of Saint Paul neighborhoods, the residential streets in St. Anthony Park are edged with towering oak, maple, elm and pine trees. It is on these thoroughfares that I did […]
The following City staff counterpoint is a response to Tom Fisher’s recent article, “Enough visual interest, already!” The article was published online February 13, 2015, and appeared in print the following day. This counterpoint is co-authored by Jason Wittenberg, the Manager of Land Use, Design and Preservation for the City of Minneapolis and Kjersti Monson, the Director of […]
July 4, 2014 (Independence Day) Macalester-Groveland, Rondo (Summi-University), Downtown, Lowertown, Crocus Hill 19.9 miles The non-profit Express Bike Shop on Selby Avenue is an excellent example of a business doing good. Staff has been teaching young people how to fix bikes since 1995. Youth interns work with the trained bike mechanics to rehab donated bikes, […]
Who doesn’t long for a neighborhood store — or three — within walking distance of their home? Classic corner stores are all over Minneapolis, so support them!
June 22, 2014 10 miles Merriam Park, Frogtown, Hamline-Midway The variety and number of happenings in Saint Paul are nearly boundless. I’m not talking about the big events, the ones you hear about, read about or see on the news. No, it’s those that receive little or no publicity but are vital to the (buzzword […]
Did you spend a lot money in exchange for “marketing” credential$? If not, check out this crazy list of outrageously named new Minneapolis apartment buildings! 1.) Red 20 http://www.red20ne.com/ …this project in Northeast is cleverly named after the dye used to color Totino’s pizza boxes, as the project involved the demolition of the original Totino’s […]
Territ Downs is, sadly, a fictional community. This post is looking for the buildings in Minnesota that belong in Territ Downs. Buildings for which a surface parking lot compares favorably. Not simply buildings which are minimal but functional, but buildings which are hostile to the rest of the world. Buildings you wonder how got approved. […]
June 20, 2014 Highland Park, West End, Lowertown, Downtown 16.5 Miles A record-setting June for rainfall prompted me to make another trip along the Mississippi River to see how bad the flooding was. The 4.13 inches of rain that fell on June 19, a day before this ride, was the fifth wettest day since 1871, […]