Newcomers
Recently I caught an Angela Davis segment on MPR discussing what it is like to be a newcomer in the Twin Cities. The emphasis was on people relocating for work, particularly people in their 20s. … ‣ more…
Category Archives: Culture
Duck Duck Which?
You knew this, right? In Minnesota children play a game called Duck Duck Gray Duck, whereas in the rest of the US they play Duck Duck Goose. I’m just learning about this game; where I … ‣ more…
Bookstore Extremities
The novelty blog BoingBoing recently featured the westernmost bookstore in the US: Talk City Bookstore in Hanapepe, on the Hawaiian island of Kaua’i. It got me to wondering where the other US bookstore extremities are. … ‣ more…
Farm to…
The locavore movement (farm to table or farm to fork) has grown explosively since its origins in Boulder, CO in 2001. (Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal, turns out to be one of its founders; who knew?) … ‣ more…
Rocky Start
I captured the sidewalk poem below on Friday evening last, on our walk to a local restaurant. Carbone’s (if you must know), since Scusi is chiuso. This poem appears on Macalester between Jefferson and Juliet. … ‣ more…
Three More
We continue our deeper look at coffee shops in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland, and some farther afield. Herewith reviews of Quixotic Coffee in Highland Park, Groundswell in Hamline Midway, and Sister Sludge in South Minneapolis. (Links … ‣ more…
Third Places
Here begins an occasional series of reviews of coffee shops around the Metro. In this first number: Coffee Bene and the J & S Bean Factory in St. Paul’s Mac-Groveland, and Spyhouse in Northeast Minneapolis. … ‣ more…
Improbable Celebrations
Today let’s wander farther afield than the ambit of the Midwest. Here are a few decidedly odd ways people celebrate Christmas and New Years. They may only seem odd compared to what passes for normal … ‣ more…
Polite
I’m in receipt of a note from Julie Nordendale, a neighbor in St. Paul who points out some particulars of Minnesotan behavior that I recognize from social gatherings in these parts. 1 Nobody wants to … ‣ more…
Shoes
Twin Citians consider it’s normal to shed shoes / boots / mukluks just inside anybody’s front door and to go around the house in bare feet, stocking feet, or slippers, in every month of the … ‣ more…