I live a block from Lake Calhoun, so I’m on the lake’s bike and walking paths almost every day. When the weather is nice, these have to be the most congested recreational bike and ped facilities in the state, and probably several states in any direction. People clearly love Calhoun, but small discourtesies and thoughtless behavior mar […]
Walk stats Distance = 31.1 miles Elapsed time = 12:34:28 Moving time = 8:46:39 Average pace = 16.56/mile FitBit Step Total for the day = 75,528 The route On Sunday, April 26, my husband Scott and I walked the perimeter of the Grand Rounds Scenic Byway System which has more than 51 miles of walking and biking […]
Saturday, September 27, 2014 Frogtown, Como, Highland Park The stunning September weather continued for another weekend, bringing enough sun and warmth to almost blot out thoughts of putting my bike away for the season. The points of interest started in Frogtown with the Church of Saint Columba, the iconic Catholic church on Lafond Street. I […]
Macalester-Groveland, West End, Downtown 13.4 Miles September 20, 2014 There are sales galore in Mac-Groveland on this beautiful Saturday. I made two stops on the same block of Palace Avenue in Mac-Groveland today, both for ornamentation so unusual they could (and may still) be recognized on the “Quirky Saint Paul” page of this blog. First, […]
With so much attention focused on bells and whistles and whether or not Portland Avenue should be closed through the park, when it comes to the debate about Downtown East Commons, perhaps quite literally we can’t see the forest for the trees. Playgrounds, restaurants, gardens, terraces, and even water features are all well and good, but what about the […]
A debate exists online and perhaps in real life over whether or not we ought to close Portland Avenue through the new, not-yet built or even designed or paid for Downtown East Commons in Minneapolis. Many smart people do not want to close Portland Avenue. Others think closing Portland Avenue would be just fine. A […]
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 […]
A lot of magic can happen in nine months: A woman can create life. A child can pass through puberty (well, sort of). A Vikings team can win a Super Bowl. But to make West River Parkway safe again for traffic? Unfortunately it will take well over a year. It wasn’t originally supposed to be so. […]
Feeling like you’re ready for some green to return to the Minnesota outdoors? Me too. Let this very brief promo video I made for the Minneapolis Saint Paul regional parks system whet your appetite and imagination. Summer is coming.
The last in the series of four videos from the Knight Foundation featuring Gil Penalosa and his thoughts on public spaces as an essential piece to creating livable cities.