Can’t Get There From Here
Follow along as we venture down a long and twisty Trail of exploration of a mostly forgotten era in motoring history: when no roads had numbers but some had marketing names. How many have heard … ‣ more…
Sorting All the Saint Anthonys
Ever wonder about the various places named Saint Anthony strewn about the Twin Cities? I have long been confused by the many levels of names, official and unofficial, for areas and neighborhoods hereabouts. Allow me … ‣ more…
Four Years of Kinda Different
Today marks the fourth anniversary of this blog’s first post: 4 years and 5 days after we closed on our St. Paul house, and 4 years and 16 days after we arrived in the Cities, … ‣ more…
Sorting All the Saint Pauls
Ever wonder about the various “little Saint Pauls” scattered seemingly at random around this city? There’s North Saint Paul (to the northeast), West Saint Paul (due south), and South Saint Paul (which is indeed south, … ‣ more…
St. Paul’s Ghost Parks
I stumbled upon the existence of the ghost parks in a singular way. I was returning home from the post office on West 7th, driving north up Lexington Pkwy., when a startling notation on the … ‣ more…
Roots Roasting; Brewed Awakenings
Today we look at two coffee shops, one quite local to us and one far afield in north-central Minnesota. Both easily qualify for our shortlist of desirable third places. Bonus: a northern getaway interlude. (Links … ‣ more…
Amore, Corner, Nokomis, Roundtable
I continue to be amazed at the depth and breadth of the coffee shop culture here in the Twin Cities. In this installment we review a West Side St. Paul coffee house, one in Uptown … ‣ more…
Golden Thyme, Ginkgo, Goat
This time we visit three St. Paul coffee houses a little more off the beaten path: one on Selby in Summit-University, one north of Downtown, and one out Snelling Avenue. (Links to all reviews in … ‣ more…
Perhaps a Boulevard
What do you call the grassy strip between sidewalk and roadway — that area perhaps owned by the municipality but whose care falls to the homeowner? If you said “boulevard” you may be from Minnesota, … ‣ more…
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…