Why eat weeds? A weed is just a plant in the wrong spot, the saying goes. It might also just be a plant we haven’t sufficiently appreciated yet. Eating weeds fundamentally changes our relationship to the world around us. It requires a shift of perspective that is a quiet revolt against the 20th-century ideals of […]
Editor’s note: Julia wrote this piece prior to the killing of George Floyd and subsequent unrest. The last few days have again revealed the structural inequality that persists in our cities. These gaps come in many forms, including in access to food. As grocery stories have been destroyed or shuttered throughout many parts of the […]
Every day at The Overhead Wire we collect news about cities and send the links to our email list. At the end of the week we take some of the most popular stories and post them to Greater Greater Washington, a group blog similar to streets.mn that focuses on urban issues in the D.C. region. […]
Recently, I asked our readers to fill out a survey about grocery shopping habits, including where you shopped and what was on your most recent receipt. Thank you to the 53 readers who shared their data! I have been volunteering hard over the last half-month to bring you the most representative grocery index I could, […]
Dear streets.mn loyal readers, Last year, I worked on a grocery index that included local Minneapolis-St. Paul grocery stores and common staples. For the next index, it’s time to ask for your input on what stores and what staples you value. Since the last grocery index, I have learned that Instacart has a mark-up on […]
I’m sitting in a cafe, sipping a cup of tea and enjoying the tastiest crème brulee I’ve ever had. Or maybe I just think it’s the tastiest. It could be the atmosphere, the tropical flowers in bloom, the sound of trickling water from the fountain, or that intoxicating euphoria that comes with being surrounded by […]
Let’s grow more food in our neighborhoods. Victory Gardens provided about a third of the vegetables grown in the US during WWII and I appreciate the food I get from my yard. I think even more important is the community-building that grows in urban gardens. I wrote previously about my own cherry tree and I have a […]
Due to an increase in demand, Al’s Breakfast is downsizing to a smaller nearby location. It will move from just north of the Espresso Royale, to the gap just south of that same cafe, adjacent to the China Express. Council Member Frey praised the new slender building. Critics suggested he was “fat-shaming” the existing Diner.
One of the best things about my neighborhood is how often something “interesting” happens. Bagpipers practice in a parking lot. Tourists try to use a Nice Ride. A couple carries a full-size dining room table down the sidewalk. Zombies careen onto the bus. Rock cairns collapse when a bird lands – as designed. I benefit so much from […]
While not technically about land use and transportation, this chart does reflect market demand for cast iron. (Via Very Small Array.)